New vehicle

prayingformiracles

14w3d pregnant with quads and husband is ready to trade in jeep to get a van. Are we pushing it or is it better to do now than wait til I'm too miserable to drive?

AandStilltrying

New cars are stressful and exciting. I would do it now cause as the date gets closer, all you'll worry about is nursery, am I prepared enough, what still needs done, and holy crap I can't sleep!!!!

sasky

I don't think there's any reason to put it off. It took DH and I a while to research, sort out our priorities, test them out, and then finally go through the process of leasing a van (as opposed to buying, which was something else we had to figure out).

Plus as you get bigger it will be tough to get in and out of any car. A van is much easier than a jeep because of the height off the ground.

basil2

It scared me too much to get the van early (my pregnancy was uncomplicated but the thought of having to drive a van after a loss was enough to make me wait).
We did do research and test drove a few early. So we knew what we wanted (Honda odyssey) and figured it wouldn't be overly hard to do the actual purchase with only DH if I was on bed rest. Somewhere around 30 wks I started feeling pretty crummy and we figured we'd do it.
Good luck

rlk2

I just bought my minivan last week and I'm 16 weeks. I don't think it's ever too early. Although I am such a planner and that was one more thing I could check off my to do list.

BabyKsMommy

I bought a minivan at around 12 wks. I didn't want to wait till it was 105 degrees to be out looking at cars.

I also got a honda odyssey. It's the only only that all 6 seats have rear tethers so keep that in mind.

lynnyrd80

We started looking during end of the year sales last year, but I was only 11 or 12 weeks.  So, we felt like it was too soon.  We ended up putting it off and were sitting at the dealership while my mom watched our one week old twins and 2 year old at home.  It wasn't fun.  Depending on when you're due though, it might be worth waiting until the model year changes or end of year to get the best price.  We ended up getting a Honda Odyssey too.

carrotcake06

basil2 said:

It scared me too much to get the van early (my pregnancy was uncomplicated but the thought of having to drive a van after a loss was enough to make me wait).
We did do research and test drove a few early. So we knew what we wanted (Honda odyssey) and figured it wouldn't be overly hard to do the actual purchase with only DH if I was on bed rest. Somewhere around 30 wks I started feeling pretty crummy and we figured we'd do it.
Good luck

We took this approach. We did all the research and made the decision early. I wouldn't agree to make the actual purchase until much later - I think it was around 30w as well. We decided against a minivan and got an Acura MDX (same platform as the Honda pilot).

mer313131

We also did our research early and decided early on to get the Honda Odyssey. However, due to some circumstances, we ended up with the Chrysler Town and Country...actually bought it today. There are some great rebates on the 2014 right now because the 2015 are just coming out.

LittleLady77

We waited too long and DH had to sell and buy a car while I was in the hospital

StacyH0507

We bought a minivan when the boys were around 6 weeks old. We tried to make it work with our Jeep but a van is so much easier even with just two newborns! 

diz1313

We still have no idea what we are going to do. I drive a tiny Honda Fit and we have a 4 year old.... So I know eventually my pretty orange baby will have to go. DH drives a Toyota Highlander though, so at least for a while we will just take his car if we need to take all of the kids somewhere. There's really only so much money and we have so many things we need to get before getting me an SUV or van that can take is all. not to mention I don't want a van.....

1blueridgemama

We got lucky in this.  Bought our Toyota Highlander a few weeks before we knew we were even pregnant.  Thank goodness we got something with a third row!

I would recommend at the very least getting the researching out of the way.  That, to me, is the most time-consuming.

legaleagles

We need a bigger car. I have the twins and a 3 y/o. We were able to fit all carseats in my volvo xc60, but it's just too small of a car for us. We need something with a 3rd row (mostly to separate DD from her brothers). We kept meaning to go at least test drive cars before the boys came, but we thought we'd be fine since the carseats all fit. Now we have a 3 year old and 3 month old twins and we're going to have to spend a lot of money on babysitters just to go car shopping - totally sucks. We're now waiting until October when DH gets his bonus so we can just pay cash and hopefully that'll help with our negotiations. 

Cassi215

I'd say get it ASAP. I wish I would have done this. I have twins and I'm stuck in a little Jetta. The more room the better. Babies require a lot of stuff to keep them happy

bumpuser924057

We dicked around for way too long trying to decide if we should go ahead and shop for the minivan, and then I found myself sitting in an uncomfortable chair all day at the dealership at 32 weeks pregnant while my feet swelled to the size of bread loaves. Get it now. You won't regret it.

erinwithtwins

I too have a highlander and love it!

mssugarbaker

I think it's also good to consider that this might be a good time of year to purchase a vehicle as car companies are sometimes running good deals as the new model years come out.  Just something to consider. We traded in my Jeep for a minivan when I was about 4 months along.  My favorite feature was that it had adjustable gas/brake pedals so I didn't have to move the seat up too close the steering whee/air bag.  And as much as I want to trade it in for an SUV now, I will say that those sliding doors come in handy when trying to maneuver baby carriers.

MrsCali_Bride

thecheshirekat said:

We dicked around for way too long trying to decide if we should go ahead and shop for the minivan, and then I found myself sitting in an uncomfortable chair all day at the dealership at 32 weeks pregnant while my feet swelled to the size of bread loaves. Get it now. You won't regret it.

This, but I was around 35 weeks and extremely hungry. Not so good when pregnant with twins and you have GD. We bought the van 12 days before I delivered. It was definitely cutting it close. If you don't buy right away, at least do your research and have a decision made early on.

Wishing35

I don't think it's too early at all. Your going to want to make sure you have enough room before you buy car seats, stroller etc. If you even think it's possible you will have another child in the next couple years a van is a must!

prayingformiracles

Thank you all- we did end up getting a town and country. I want to get it detailed and cleaned good before the babies get here. I also wanted to make sure I felt comfortable driving it and knew the blind spots before I get too big. I think we are going to really love it!

We did look at SUVs with 3rd rows and found that I had a difficult time getting a car seat in the back (I'm 5'9"). They only option would have been a suburban and the gas mileage is horrible and price is out of our budget. Sad to see the jeep go- but relieved to have one more thing accomplished!
thanks for all the feedback and advice!

skeppler1

Cassi215 said:

I'd say get it ASAP. I wish I would have done this. I have twins and I'm stuck in a little Jetta. The more room the better. Babies require a lot of stuff to keep them happy

You think you have it bad, I have my Golf still...oh man we have no room. My poor DH can't fit in the driver seat since we had to pull them up so far for the car seats in the back and the passenger seat isn't any better.
Thank goodness we will be looking for a SUV in the beginning of the new year....it can't come soon enough.
My DH has a Nitro so we always use his SUV when we are out as a family.