Car Buying

[EmersonandEvie]

I'm here for some opinions...

The husband and I are both in the market for new cars. I have a friend who has been dying to buy my car for about a year now. I started a new job in January, so we are ready to take the financial leap and have adjusted out budget accordingly for two car payments and an insurance increase.

We are looking into start trying for a kid next year, so I'm trying to be cognizant about the future. I currently drive an older Honda CR-V, which I love except for the fact that it isn't the best on mileage. My husband's current car gets great mileage, and he is not willing to give that up, so he has settled on a Prius as his next vehicle. Well, a Prius is quite tiny, especially if you throw a baby and all they entail into the mixture.

So, my question is...would it be smarter for me to look into another newer CRV/small SUV, or could we go with another sedan? I would love to get some insights from parents who have been in similar situations, past or present. I've heard both ways, that two smaller cars are fine, and I've heard people swear that the larger SUV is better. If we got two smaller cars, we could probably swing a shorter loan time, which would be cheaper in the long run. Gas mileage would be better in a sedan as well. I do really love the way my CRV drives and being more off the ground.

Just rattling some ideas around for now. Thank you!

 

[Willowy]

Does it snow where you are? Because AWD/4WD really makes a difference.

 

[EmersonandEvie]

Ha...it snowed about 1/4 inch in 2017 and everyone lost their minds. No, snow is a rare, rare event...temps falling below freezing are becoming less and less, too.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

As a Mom of two; go with something with a little room. We had a Nissan Sentra when DD was born. Those rear facing car seats are so big. Infant seats too. And you'll be using them for at least 2 years by today's standards. In the Sentra we could fit the infant seat in the middle; but not the convertible. DH is tall so it wouldn't fit behind him. I'm average height and I had to sit with my knees uncomfortably close to the dash.

So when I got pregnant with DS we had to find a better car. We went with a Subaru Outback and I have no regrets. My car is going on 9 years old and we've had few problems. It's very comfortable for all of us. DH has an SUV (Pathfinder) and it's nice; but I love my Outback. My next car will either be another Outback or an Ascent because it has 3rd row seating and we occasionally have extra kids with us. Right now I just take DH's car. He sometimes wishes he'd gotten a Subaru too.

There are a lot of great websites for car seat reviews and many there will discuss vehicle options too. But I'm a Subaru fan for life. My cousin drives a Subaru Forester and loves that one also. But I felt like I have a better view with the Outback and it's a tad wider. We now have one tall kid. The backseat is still very comfortable!

 

[Willowy]

I was always able to fit a ton of stuff in my little Civic, it always seems like there's not enough room in my Pilot for some reason. So sedans should be fine for all the baby stuff.

My favorite vehicle in terms of space was a minivan with the back seat turned down.

 

[neely]

DH and I both have Hondas, I'm on my second CRV. They last forever and are extremely reliable. When my kids were younger the CRV was the perfect car for me. My sister has always had the Subaru Outback and I know she is extremely happy with it. Everyone's needs are different so whichever car you choose make sure you are comfortable with your final decision. Good luck!

 

[Elphaba09]

I raised two children and now have a grandchild. I have owned three cars in my life: A Ford Contour and two Ford Focuses. (I would still have my other Focus had it not been for an accident. I had her for 14 years with nary a problem.) Never did I find the need for anything bigger than my little sedans. I can fit a surprisingly large amount of stuff into my car. I would have to try, but I am pretty sure that my wheelchair and my grandson's stroller will fit in the trunk if my daughter and I ever take him somewhere together.

As long as you are not dragging the bouncer, swing, play yard, etc... with you everywhere, the only extra accessory you need to take along would be the diaper bag. Possibly a stroller. Both fit easily into most sedans.

Side Notes:
My son and his fiancee go to a lot of conventions and pack a considerable amount of things into their car, including my son's best friend who typically goes to the conventions with them. That means they pack their personal cosplay outfits and her costumes to sell. He had a Toyota Echo, which was pretty cramped with everything. He recently bought a Kia Forte hatchback that he absolutely loves. They did a practice pack and, despite not being an overly large car, they had plenty of room.

My husband swears by his Honda Civic hatchback. He does not particularly need the extra room, but when I was looking for a car last year, he found this one at a great deal. I have used it to bring home items too wide to fit into my car. His last car was also a Civic, just not a hatchback. A deer totaled his two months after my accident.

 

[EmersonandEvie]

Elphaba09 B's current car is a Toyota Echo! He loves the mileage and the size (which is funny to me because he is 6'1). I get scared to death when it rains and/or gets really windy because it's so light. He can get blown around very easily, despite his protests of "I got it, I got it"

My other concern is travel. The nearest family to us is 3.5 hours away, so I think we would want something that gives us some breathing room too. I may see just how much space is in a civic or Corolla (those are within our price range).

 

[Elphaba09]

My son loved his Echo, too! I think it had well over 200k miles on it when he traded it in on his Kia. His only (mild) complaint was that it sometimes got scary to drive when it was really windy. You do not see many Echoes on the road.

He loves his Kia Forte, though. It is very roomy and gets great gas mileage. On top of them doing the conventions, he drives all over Northeast, North Central, and Central Ohio for his job. He has said many times how much he enjoys driving it.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

We had an echo. That car did so many road trips and had the best gas mileage. Is a good tall person’s small car because you sit so upright. I drove his car when I hurt my back because I couldn’t stand the recline on my little neon.

But seriously; do consider car seat space even though you don’t need it at this moment. It definitely wasn’t on my radar before my kids were born. My mother used to drive a mazda 3. It’s ok; but getting kids in and out of smaller cars gets old fast. I cant imagine doing it with todays seats and a 2 door. I’ve had more than a couple instances where people parked too close to my car for me to properly tighten car seat straps.

This group has been helpful answering car seat questions for me but they also discuss vehicles.https://community.babycenter.com/groups/a7645/car_seat_questions

 

[EmersonandEvie]

Thank you all for the feedback! I really appreciate it!

 

[AbbysMom]

No kids here, but my CR-V is so convenient. It's nice to have a larger vehicle for Home Depot trips, picking up things for the house, etc. My husband has a civic and we tend to use the CR-V more. Have you looked into the Honda HR-V? It's a bit smaller, but the price and gas mileage are better. My husband is considering that for his next vehicle.

 

[posiepurrs]

Hondas are good cars generally according to my husband (over 30 years in the car business). One thing I found that I did NOT like about the Honda Civic he had, was that it was uncomfortable to ride in. We traded it for a Subaru Forester. LOVE IT! Now my kids are grown but there is plenty of room in it. I needed room for my cat show stuff and the cats when we travel to shows. I am giving away my age here but, the most comfortable car I ever had was a Cadillac Seville which was not the greatest on mileage but not as bad as some. And for laughs - it was the car I got my one and only speeding ticket in.

 

[Kieka]

I am on my third CR-V and love it. I have also had an Accord, Civic and Kia Soul. My family runs tall and my car is the one we use the most when more then two are going to do something. So I require leg room in the back. I also have come to value trunk/cargo space after having the Kis, rear cup holders after the Kia and Civic, and not being blown around in high winds Kia again.

I am trying to talk my parents into the HRV as their next vehicle because my Mom likes smaller vehicles for small trips. Since you are considering having a kid I would definitely look for something with at least 30 cubic feet of cargo. Anything less and you have to squeeze groceries around stroller or pick between talking chairs to outdoor activities or the diaper bag.

 

[EmersonandEvie]

We test drove a few cars yesterday. B fell in love with the Prius he drove. We have one on the way that's a smaller, less bells-and-whistles version (he drove a Four, ordered a C Two). He is very excited about it!

I drove a Rav4, which was a great car and I really liked the way it felt. I'm waiting for our local store to get another Rav4 or a 2015/2016 Honda CRV or HRV in stock. Until then, I'll drive the Echo.