Good "family" vehicle other than a van?

[RileyMom]

I have nothing against minivans, so no offense to mini-van owners. But with gas prices the way they are, not to mention the $25-30,000 price tag, we've decided that's not for us. I am also planning on being a SAHM at the first of the year so we are going to try to pay cash for the vehicle so we won't have a car payment. We've allotted about $15,000 or so of our savings for it. Not sure if that is reasonable or not.

But the fact remains that as much as I adore my 1999 Toyota Corolla, when it comes to having 2 kids, we must part ways. So we're trying to find a vehicle that will be family friendly (i.e. more spacious) but has a good mpg rating and is easy on the pocketbook. Any ideas? By the way, I'm not opposed to another car. TIA! :)

[Sarah]

I really like our wagon. I wouldn't recommend our specific wagon, as it doesn't have great gas mileage (Ford Taurus) but generally I think wagons are great for a family of 4. We have plenty of space and cargo room for everyone, even when other people are with us. We can seat three more people (four if one sits up front with us), even when both carseats are in.

[kat]

I'm expecting twins, so we're already on the hunt for a new car (we each have a two-door hatchback-ish style car, so even if we were only having one kid we'd be on the market....but probably just for a sedan).

I *do* have something against mini-vans and SUVs (but for obvious not-rocking-the-boat reasons I won't get into them here), and so we're looking at station wagons.

My best friend has three kids and when all of them were under 5 years old they bought a Volvo stationwagon and LOVE it. They were easily able to fit all three kids (3 carseats or, later, 2 carseats + 1 booster seat) in the back. She claims it gets pretty good (relatively speaking) gas mileage, plus it's safer than many other "family" cars out there.

Since we're only having these two kids, I think most stationwagons will be big enough for us. Ideally, we'd get a Volvo (maybe a couple of years old?), because of my friend's experience, but we're going to look at a bunch of different models in a bunch of different price ranges.

Good luck!

[phart]

I love my car. I have a 1996 Maxima and it has one of the biggest back seats/most leg room of any sedan in it's class (or that's what my DH says;)). I haev more leg room than my FIL's Pathfinder. I haven't actually put the infant base in the backseat yet but I doubt anyone else will be able to sit back there but I'm not concerned with that right now. And it's gets great gas mileage even being a 6 cylinder. It might be a little old but it still runs great.

I would definitely buy another Nissan when the time comes.

[RileyMom]

I've been considering a wagon, but since you lose the trunk space in favor of "cargo" space, I wonder if you are really that much ahead of the game over a car, in terms of overall space kwim? I also am not sure if I like the idea of the cargo space being so open for the world to see. In some cases, I like the idea of a trunk area that is not in public view.

[lorbo]

we've talked about cars and gas mileage-what with the crazy crazy prices. we actually just sold my saturn sc1-loved that car-it got the greatest gas mileage-i could push it to 33, maybe even 35 miles to the gallon. it was only a 2 door and we couldn't deal the lack of space. so, we bought a used honda accord. i like the car(it's not my saturn), but the gas mileage sucks!!! DH and i were talking about prices being this high in 6 months and me traveling back and forth to work for just 6 hours a night/3 nights a week, with a 40 minute commute to work on 2 of those nights. he's considering an alternate plan, maybe selling the honda and getting something cheaper and less attractive looking(just what i want...to drive an ugly car :rolleyes: ). he's wavering though, saying we got the accord for the safety factor-other than that...the accord is spacious for the kids and us, not a huge trunk space, but we did pack it for vacation.

[mamax2]

I have to second the vote for the Nissan. We actually went Maxima shopping a couple of years ago b/c DH had one before that he loved. We ended up getting a used Infiniti, which is just a gussied up version of the Maxima and we're really happy w/it. That said, I haven't tried it out w/two kiddos yet, but check back w/me in Dec/Jan and I'll let you know ;)

We also recently drove a Subaru Outback as a rental car and were pretty happy w/that as well.

[Kristen78]

I have an '05 Subaru Outback wagon. I love it. No kids yet though but I will have one in November. I think the Outback will be fine for 2 kids. There is alot of cargo space in the back and you can "hide" it with this cover they give you. the gas mileage is ok. I have the H6 Boxer engine so mine gets about 21 MPG driving around town and on back roads, but if you get the smaller H4 Engine you would probably get 23-24 MPG city driving I would think. Highway is a bit higher.

[carolc]

If/when we have another child, I think we'll look into the Subaru wagons or a full-size car like a Camry or a Maxima. We have no problems fitting us, one kid and our stuff into our small Nissan Sentra. I think it's totally possible to avoid the van or SUV. My brother and his wife have two kids in carseats and they drive a Camry and an Accord.

[RileyMom]

Thanks everyone. I just checked the Nissan website and the BASE price for a 2006 Maxima is around $28,000 (and we are wanting an automatic with cruise control so add a few thousand for that, I imagine.) WOW.

I am definitely leaning toward a Camry, Carolc. I am a big Toyota fan, and I think they would swing me a good deal if I trade my Corolla (we haven't decided if we would keep it or trade.) The base price for a standard Camry (not LE or SE models) is around 18,000. Big difference.

[BooeyJ2]

We have a 2005 Ford Freestyle SEL and love it. It's basically a cross between a SUV and a station wagon (ours also has a rear back-up sensor which we LOVE and a DVD player). It gets good gas mileage, has 5 star safety ratings and seats 7 comfortably.
http://www.fordvehicles.com/cars/freestyle/?section=CAR

Ours looks similar to this one.....
http://www.pscarreviews.com/blog-seren/uploads/Freestyle.main.jpg

[SingleWhiteFemale]

If you like the idea of a minivan and are looking for a car, I just recieved info on the Mazda 5. It's kinda cute, and the MSRP is $17,995 - $19,510. Gas mileage is 22 city/27 highway.
http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com//pictures/VEHICLE/2006/Mazda/100533546/20024491-E.jpg http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com//pictures/VEHICLE/2006/Mazda/100533546/20024495-E.jpg

[carolc]

If/when we have another child, I think we'll look into the Subaru wagons or a full-size car like a Camry or a Maxima. We have no problems fitting us, one kid and our stuff into our small Nissan Sentra. I think it's totally possible to avoid the van or SUV. My brother and his wife have two kids in carseats and they drive a Camry and an Accord.

[lml41981]

We just bought a Jetta this weekend and it would totally seat two kids in carseats on the outboard sides (they don't have center latch). It also has a huge trunk. You might have to go used to get it within your budget, though. You could also get a VW Golf for that much, probably. I'll bet it would seat two kids, but I'm not sure.

[phart]

mamax2 ~~Funny...we have a black '96 Maxima and a gold '97 Infiniti i30t. DH had the Infiniti first and we drove it to look for my car and one saleman tried really hard to get us to test drive a gold Maxima. We just laughed at him and pointed to Alex's car and he still tried. Silly salespeople:)

RileyMom ~~Yeah, they ain't cheap new. Which is why mine is used:) Well, that and we tend to not buy new cars anyway. They're the *top* of the Nissan sedans which is why they're so much new.

[celina]

I love my car! I have a 2004 Nissan Murano. We recently put DD’s car seat in it and are impressed with all the room we still have. I get decent mileage.

[maggieb]

We have a Honda CR-V and love it! We can fit two car seats (Britax Marathon and an infant seat) comfortably and still have room for one more person in the back. It's really roomy without being a full-size SUV and the gas mileage isn't bad at all.

[mel7dog]

I second the Jetta! We got ours a new 2005 Nov and for a compact car it has a lot of room. The trunk would be plenty big enough for a stroller and grocheries and the interior has room for a carseat easily. Plus I believe it was towards the tops for safety last year.

The price may be higher than you're looking to spend though, so maybe a used car would work. This is my 3rd Jetta (first new) and I am hooked!

[kat]

Damn.....I wish the Jetta had center latch!!! With twins, they'll both be backward-facing & I don't want to put a backward-facing infant directly behind me. I just started another thread asking for any recommendations for sedans that have center latch (and room for two carseats: center & behind the passenger side), so if anyone in this thread has suggestions, please feel free to visit over there.

[seattleguamgirl]

A warning about the Jetta--we have one and it was a PITA to fit the snugride in the center of the back seat. DH couldn't drive the car because the front seats had to be positioned very close to the steering wheel for the car seat to fit. DH ended up sitting in the back with DS every time we used that car.

Now that DS is in the Britax Roundabout we all fit a lot better and DH can drive the Jetta again. :)

Also, if you are planning on using a bigger stroller (like a Graco), you can forget about fitting other things in the trunk. I started out with the Graco Quattro Tour and it barely squeezed into the trunk. Now that I have a Pliko P3 I can fit the stroller AND several bags of groceries!

Just an FYI...I adore our Jetta but there were a few workarounds with our gear in the beginning. :)

[BooeyJ2]

Damn.....I wish the Jetta had center latch!!! With twins, they'll both be backward-facing & I don't want to put a backward-facing infant directly behind me. I just started another thread asking for any recommendations for sedans that have center latch (and room for two carseats: center & behind the passenger side), so if anyone in this thread has suggestions, please feel free to visit over there.


Kat - Our Freestyle has the center latch. I believe it even has the latch system in the 3rd row seats.


I also drive an Audi A4...so i'm partial to Audi's and VW's ;) ....but the Ford Freestyle really is a great alternative to a SUV, mini van or station wagon.

[lee60657]

We have 2005 Chrysler Pacifica and we love it! We only have one child right now, but there is more than enough room for when we have another. Not sure on the gas mileage though....I don't think it is that great :(. But I do know that the Pacifica has received very high safety ratings which is a plus. Good luck in your search.

[kat]

BooeyJ2, thanks for the info re: the Freestyle!! I think it's a bit too tall for us (that's one of the things I don't like about SUVs) but thanks again!

(Oh, and before we learned we were having twins, we'd planned to get an Audi A4 or A6 as the "family" car....so I am very jealous. :) Maybe when we replace my husband's car in a few years -- though getting him to give up his zippy sporty little thing for a sedan may be tough...).

[Orange]

We just (last night) bought a Mazda5, posted above by SingleWhiteFemale. We had been considering smaller cars like the Mazda3 or even a Prius, but then had the realization that when we have 2 kids and my parents or brother come to visit, we will not be able to drive them around! It's not super zippy but for the price it is really nicely loaded and drives like a small car. The turning radius is incredible. I think you can also get a cargo cover to put over the area in the back if you don't want your stuff visible.

[RileyMom]

I am *really* loving the Mazda5 right now. The price looks very reasonable for what you get. I just e-mailed it to my DH. Thanks! :)

[BooeyJ2]

BooeyJ2, thanks for the info re: the Freestyle!! I think it's a bit too tall for us (that's one of the things I don't like about SUVs) but thanks again!

(Oh, and before we learned we were having twins, we'd planned to get an Audi A4 or A6 as the "family" car....so I am very jealous. :) Maybe when we replace my husband's car in a few years -- though getting him to give up his zippy sporty little thing for a sedan may be tough...).


No problem. Oh and also, the Freestyle isn't tall. It's basically like a station wagon :)

[ellybelle]

I loooooove my Volkswagen Passat wagon. Tons of very flexible cargo space, room for 3 in back, yet no longer, higher or wider than a midsize car (even though there's not more cargo space, it's better cargo space -- you can fold a seat down, put a red flag on anything sticking out the back, etc.)

It handles great, gets decent gas mileage, and I can even put my bike on the roofrack.

I bought mine used (it's an '02), and saved almost 10K. I have the V6 with all wheel drive. The V4s that we testdrove were good -- just didn't have the same "spunk." They did, however, get quite good gas mileage.

[kat]

No problem. Oh and also, the Freestyle isn't tall. It's basically like a station wagon :)

Yeah, I know it's almost four inches shorter than the mammoth Explorer, but it's still almost 11 inches taller than the Volvo stationwagon. That might not be a huge difference to some people, but it is to us. Thanks for the recommendation, though!

ellybelle, I'm glad to hear that about the Passat wagon!!!! It's currently #2 on our list (assuming we stick with the wagon idea). I've never known anyone who owned one, so it's good to hear good things about it, especially from someone who's dealt with it on the "mom" front (most of the on-line car reviewers only care about engine size and the like :D).