Car advice?

[popcornbird]

Hi everyone. Just wondering if any of the parents of little kids here have any car advice for us.

With our second baby on the way, and our need for a second vehicle (we sold our old 2nd car), we are in the market for a new car. We've been shopping around, and have gone through all of our options (used/new/buy/lease). At this point, our 'need' is a car that can easily fit two car seats and still have room for a third person in the back seat, and enough cargo space to fit a double stroller, and regular groceries, etc.

We did look into minivans and love the Honda Odyssey, and the Toyota Sienna, but we're kind of hoping we can stick to a smaller vehicle until we start planning for a third baby, which probably won't be for at least another few years.

Anyway...here's what we've looked at so far.

Minivans: Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna (liked them but hoping we can settle on a smaller vehicle for now that meets our current needs)

Compact SUV's: Toyota Rav4 (liked the drive, didn't like the interior...and rear seat seemed like it would be too tight to fit a third person with two car seats). Honda CRV (same tight seat issue). VW Tiguan (loved the SUV but seats are smaller than we imagined and cargo space is very limited).

Full size sedans: We haven't really gone to see them yet, but at this point, we're considering the Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata, or VW Passat...all of which seem to have large rear seats which can hopefully accommodate 2 car seats and an adult, and more cargo space than other cars. Does anyone have experience with these vehicles? We're thinking of leasing for 3 years and then upgrading to a minivan as our family grows. I'm curious to know what cars parents with two little ones in car seats/strollers drive, and how its working out for you.

Thanks!

[Kater]

Congratulations, Poppy and hubby!!! Sorry, I have no car advice. :cool:

[Karen]

We love our CRV, but yes, with two car seats, there wouldn't be much space for a third adult.

[binka_nugget]

I currently drive a Honda CR-V but I had a Honda Accord for years. It's surprisingly quite roomy in the back! I was able to tow three dogs around in the backseats. It was great on gas, had a good sized trunk and my Hondas have always been really reliable and never had any issues. I'd still have it if my dad didn't pass down my last car (Corolla) to me.

[Freedom]

Check out the Toyota Prius - it now comes in 4 versions:
original, smaller, larger, and van!

Check the larger, and the van. Here is a place to start:

http://priuschat.com/news/priuschats-2012-prius-v-in-depth-review-and-first-drive

[mrspunkysmom]

Check out the Scion xB. Not much cargo space though, and don't know about the baby seats in the back in regards to room. I can get quite a bit of groceries in my cargo area.

The Ford Flex looks good, too., Traditional Station wagon but with a different look.

I love my Scion XB.

[BitsyNaceyDog]

We have a Toyota Sienna and love it. The boys both sit in the middle row and we keep the back row down. It fits the stroller, groceries, etc nicely. I honestly can't imagine trying to fit someone in the back seat of a car with 2 carseats. Would someone be riding back there often? If you plan on having someone in the backseat with the 2 carseats often, I'd opt for a bigger vehicle. If it's only the rare occasion you'll have someone back there, you can probably get away with a smaller car.

Also, to cut down on size of the cargo I'll be lugging around, I'm planning on getting a Sit and Stand type stroller rather than a bulky double stroller. With my two kids now, I only have a single stroller, but with a third on the way I'm planning on getting a new stroller that will hold two kids.

[moosmom]

So, I guess a two-seater roadster is outta the question???:p:p;)

[Cataholic]

I would stick with the Honda. I love riding in my brother's, and he has 3 kids and can fit more people in there, still!

[finn's mom]

Look into the Ford Escape (the Hybrid gets great gas mileage, too). It's not too big, but it fits a lot of people and cargo. My friends have one and love it. They have two in car seats and a teen. I drove a rental Escape for a couple months and really enjoyed it. I will personally do everything I can to avoid a minivan haha, but I know they are excellent for families! Good luck, it's an important decision!

We have a Ford F150 and have had two car seats and a third person sitting in the back seat, with three folks up front. It's not like you can flail around and not hit someone, but it's plenty roomy. A truck doesn't sound like it's on your list at all, but I LOVE mine. Except at the gas pump!

[popcornbird]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions! Johanna, our Civic isn't going anywhere! We love that car. The only problem is its currently our only car and we're two drivers, so we need a second, that preferably has more space than the Civic, because our little one isn't ready to go stroller free on long outings yet, and I can't see myself handling both of them without a stroller, especially while running errands with hubby at work. The Civic probably won't fit much with a double stroller.

I honestly want enough room for a third person because I need a place in the car to change diapers, and my parents occasionally tag along with us. It's a tough decision...especially with us wanting to wait on a van.

Kater, nice to hear from you!!!! It's been years!!! How are you?

[Taz_Zoee]

I just bought a Hyundai Elantra last week. It is the smaller version of the Sonata. Even with the smaller version this car has a lot of room. The trunk is HUGE. Plus Hyundai has THE BEST warranties around. I have not taken the dogs in it yet, but we will on Christmas. I think they will have more room than they did in my Jetta.

Good luck on the car search! :D

[caseysmom]

We have three highlanders in our family and with the twins a thin person can sit between them but its pretty cramped, I had a honda odyseey from 2000 to 2009 and loved it, lots of room.

[dab_20]

Full size sedans: We haven't really gone to see them yet, but at this point, we're considering the Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata, or VW Passat...all of which seem to have large rear seats which can hopefully accommodate 2 car seats and an adult, and more cargo space than other cars. Does anyone have experience with these vehicles? We're thinking of leasing for 3 years and then upgrading to a minivan as our family grows. I'm curious to know what cars parents with two little ones in car seats/strollers drive, and how its working out for you.

Thanks!

Congrats on the little one on the way!

I own a VW Passat, an older model, however the size itself is still quite similar. The trunk is huge for a normal four door sedan. You could fit two car seats and a person in the back, it would be an uncomfortable fit though. I LOVE my Passat!

Have you looked into a Nissan Xterra? Or Murano?

The Lexus RXs (350, 400) have a lot of room in them, however, I don't know if that is out of your price range.

Just mentioned cars I have personally had experience with. Good luck in your search!

[Cataholic]

Poppie, unless you are talking about a full sized luxury sedan (crown vic, cadillac, etc) I cannot see how any normal sized adult could fit between two carseats. In theory? Perhaps..but, practically? No way. My sister has a Ford Escape. Ugh. That thing drives like a truck suspension, and even that wouldn't be comfortable with two car seats and a third person. Maybe when they both are in boosters in, what, 5 plus years?

I never get people's hesitation to get a minivan, when it fits the family size. For me, it is a waste of room, we simply don't need it, we are a family of 2. But, a family of 4? It makes all the sense in the world, especially when you are a family that might or often brings along another person. There are plenty of times I have wished I had a bigger car, to take more people, to take the dog without worrying about cargo, too. J is finally in just a booster, for another 9ish months, so we are on the tail end of carseat madness. But, more room is nice. :)

[gemini9961]

We have a minivan. We bought it in August 2010 when we decided at that time that our Chevy HHR was no longer big enough for us and the baby. Now with a 2nd little one on the way I have no worries about room. I love my van! It fits everything we need, has rear entertainment and AC and works so well for us. We most likely will not be having a 3rd baby so the van will be plenty large enough.

[prechrswife]

We have a mini-van, but we have 3 kids. When we had just the 2 girls, we drove a Pontiac Grand Prix. There was plenty of room for the 2 car seats in the back, and a third person could ride back there, but it was really tight. I'm kind of with Cataholic on this one and would say go on and go with the minivan now.