1st Trimester

Vehicle buying help

We are currently a one car family and I'm finally actively looking for a second vehicle.  Driving my husband to work every time I have a doctors appointment is not appealing.  Especially since he needs to be picked up during nap time.

I am going between a van or small SVU.  We are looking at the odyssey, sienna, Rav4, CR-V, Edge, and Escape mostly.  Because of our budget most of the cars we can afford are between 2006-2009.

Any pluses or minuses on these vehicles?  One reason I'm leaning towards a van is to be able to hit a button and have my toddlers door open and close behind her as she gets in the car so I can worry about settling the baby and know she is safe in the car.

Thanks for your input!
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Re: Vehicle buying help

  • We are looking at a minivan- loved the oddyssey and will also be buying certified pre owned because if budget
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  • We bought a CR-V in the spring and I couldn't be happier with it. I know a lot of people with various models (2008 and 2012 just in our family) that really like theirs too. 

    This is baby #1 so vans weren't even on our radar so I can't compare the two, but the CR-V was my favorite of the small SUVs. My second favorite was the Hyundai. We looked at both the Santa Fe and the Tucson and didn't want the size of the Santa Fe (didn't fit well in our garage) but the Tucson didn't drive quite as smooth. My H is pretty loyal to Toyota but I felt the RAV-4's console was way too busy. 
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  • I had a 2011 CR-V and we loved it!! Now that we are expecting our third we traded it in for an Odyssey. I love the Odyssey so much more than the CR-V because of room and features. It is seriously an awesome car! Good luck on your purchase :)
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  • I have a Ford Edge and I love it :).
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  • I have a 2007 Rav 4 and I really like it.  I'm 5'10" and drive with the seat all the way back.  A RF car seat does not fit behind the driver seat when it is all the way back.  If you are tall, this could be an issue.

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  • LOVE my odyssey....the automatic doors that open/ close, GPS, DVD and tv ( which has definitely helped on long trips) and plenty of room for our family of four plus the dog.....now expecting one more!!!!
  • We just bought a Mazda 5.  They call it a "micro-van".  We love it. We have had 2 adults and 4 kids, all in car seats, some rear-facing, in it a number of times.  They all fit easily.  We're now expecting our second and have no worries about fitting our two rear-facing car seats in the middle row, even with my "unnecessarily tall" husband having his seat all the way back.

    It gets the same millage as a sedan and you can parallel park in the same sized space.  We test drove a couple of vans and looked at a few other options that can seat 6, and this was by far our favorite option.  It was priced in line with many cars, new.
    PgAL (MC@7w 29/10/11 - lost you before we knew we had you)
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  • I got a Sienna when we had our second. Just traded it in for another Sienna. We thought about trading for an SUV but the Sienna made so much more sense. I love the automatic doors, it's so made for families with kids and it has a lot more cargo space. We traded it with 100k miles on it and not once did anything go wrong with it other than normal wear and tear. That said, I've heard great things about the CR-V and Rav4.

  • We need to upgrade to a larger vehicle and after much research we are going with the Toyota Sienna, probably a 2010. Automatic doors is very high on the list of reasons why I want a mini van, as well as space for kids and cargo as we travel a lot. But really, sliding doors ;) We dediced to go with the Sienna over the Odyssey because the Sienna has slightly better ratings over all, and is a few inches wider which could make or break fitting three car seats across, which is a necessity for me as I babysit and will need to fit 5 car seats some days.

    I can't speak to most of the other vehicles, but I will tell you that with 2 kids I would never get an Escape. My brother has one a 2005-2006, I think, and it's not as roomy as it seems. We had a very difficult time fitting our infant seat in the back and there was no way we could fit two RFing car seats and still let anyone taller than me drive (and I'm only 5'4"!).
    Mama to two sweet girls
    DD1 Feb 2010
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  • I am totally all about the van!!  I am pregnant with my second and have a Toyota Camry but thinking about upgrading to a Sienna!!
  • We are also a one car family with a Pontiac G6 which has been great and for a car holds a lot of stuff cargo wise.  We are looking into getting an SUV in the next couple of months and have been looking at the KIA Sportage and Sorento.  I love the 2014 Sorento (fell in love with it at the auto show last year) but DH keeps switching his top picks.  I do love the Edge as well.  We know a few people with the CRV and they do not like them, one turned their lease in early because of a lot of problems with it.  Good luck shopping!

     

  • You should look into the new Nissan Pathfinder SUV. Im pregnant with my second and im looking to get a SUV. My friend has the Nissan Pathfinder and raves about it. Very nice vehicle that is roomy and has great gas milage which is important to me. Good luck on your search and let me know what you decide on!
  • Laura_ElaineLaura_Elaine member
    edited October 2013
    We just bought a second vehicle... a van... and this is #4 for us! The taking him to work/pick up during naptime was horrendous! And fitting three carseats i b the backseat was not so fun either. Actually, him working an hour drive away, and our 2002 Pontiac Grand Am dying a very expensive to fix death resulted in my aunt giving us a car (her husband, my uncle, died in June, so she gave us his 1997 Toyota Corolla).
    Anyway, we bought a 2002 Pontiac Montanna in excellent condition for $2,300. Seats 7, push button on the sliding passenger door. Whoever had it before us had bought a $100-or so permanent air filter that helps the van get better gas mileage. The only issue is the fuel float (what tells the gauge how full/empty the gas tank is) doesn't work bt to fix this small thibg, we'd have to buy an entire new $800 fuel pump. Not happening. So, we keep track of how much gas we put in and how many miles we go betweeb fill ups.
    I know Pontiac Montanna wasn't on your list, and you're looking at newer vans than 2002, but maybe check out if there are any common issues with these vehicles in the years you're looking at and see if that affects anything.
  • Dodge Journey!!! Crossover SUV that is very nicely priced

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  • Dodge Journey!!! Crossover SUV that is very nicely priced
    You seem to be having the same issues with your ticker as me! Ahh, so frustrating.  I've saved mine like 30x
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  • Sienna here. I like the auto doors, but I try to strap my toddler in before hitting the button. The doors would easily close on his hand if it was in the way. My four year old knows better, but just something to consider. Base Siennas are cheaper than base odysseys . I also think Siennas might be easier to find preowned, at least that was my experience. Have fun!
    Anna Kate 10.17.2009 Alexander 6.10.2011 Baby Girl 6.2014
  • just traded in my Toyota Camry for a great pre-owned certified Toyota Sienna...i love it!!!!  I am so excited to not have doors banging into each other and i love all the space!!!!
  • We considered them both as well, small SUV or mini van. We ultimately decided on the mini van b/c of a few factors:
     the remote doors, as you mentioned
    the fact the the doors slide & can't be flung open & hit other vehicles 
    overall usually better mpg then SUV
    and they're just sooo much easier to get the kids in & out (or for them to get in & out themselves)
    GL!
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  • We have a Town and Country and love it. I have a toddler, one on the way, drive my niece around a lot and 2 dogs. The room is great and minivans were made for families and they think of everything to make life easier. We looked at an SUV with a 3rd row, but I couldn't lay down the second row with car seats in it to let someone in the back and it would be super annoying to tell an adult to climb over the second row to get in the very back.

    DD1: IUGR, low AFI delivered at 36 weeks

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