August 2015 Moms

Help on vehicle ideas...

I want to trade in my 2012 Dodge Durango (which I LOVE), because our payments are too high and refinancing isn't an option because it's already 3yrs old. What I am looking for is an SUV with a 3rd row seat that is relatively inexpensive (yes, I understand this is hard).  It doesn't have to be new, it can be used!  It does have to be wide enough to fit 2 car seats in the middle row, and at minimum 2 kids in the back. Can you mama's tell me what you drive (SUV wise) and what you love and or hate about it.  We are going looking this weekend and googling all the vehicles doesn't give me actual user insight! 



Cody Lane - 4/22/2004
Colten James - 9/9/2005

Isabella Ann - 7/20/2012

SURPRISE!!!  Emma Leigh - due 8/27/2015 (c-section date 8/7/2015)

BabyFruit Ticker

Re: Help on vehicle ideas...

  • I drive a nissan armada and I love it!! Other then it being a bit of a gas guzzler... It fits a total of 8 people and is super spacious. My husband and I are tall and we can even sit in the middle row with tons of room & the third row isnt bad either.. my kids love it too ! And with our little one on the way there will be a total of 7 of us in the car. :)
  • We just bought a new Toyota 4-runner. We're having twins and no other kids. I LOVE my new 4Runner (traded in an 08 4Runner for it). And it does have 3rd row seating which folds flat. That was a big requirement for me since we have a big dog. You definitely can only get kids in the third row, there is little leg room back there. Another option you might want to look at is the Toyota Highlander. The salesman told us the third row in those has more room, we were just already sold on the 4Runner. Good luck! And FYI they started adding third row seating in the 4runners in 2014 so that's as used as you could go in that model
  • Loading the player...
  • Do you have a third row in your Durango? If so do you use it regularly? I only ask because third row SUVs can be a pain getting kids in and out of the third row (depending on age and independence level of the child). I have a GMC Acadia and I love it, but so far I've only had to use the third row occasionally when watching a friends child in addition to my own. We had to get her in and out through the trunk, with a double stroller in the trunk as well and it was doable, but would get annoying if we had to do that every day.

    I'm very anti-mini van, however I've rented a minivan twice while on vacation, and it really is A LOT more convenient. I'm hoping we can just fit three car seats across my second row so I don't have to worry about it (I should probably try that soon lol) but if not I'm going to look into the newest model of the gmc Acadia (my same car, but newer) because it appears online that it's an SUV with captains seats in the second row, which will make getting children in and out of the third row much easier. Maybe that would be a good option for you?
  • Yes, we have a 3rd row now and with adding new baby, it'll be 6 of us in the vehicle now.  Our older kids use the 3rd row especially on longer trips as they don't like having their little sister distract them during their movies.  LOL! 



    Cody Lane - 4/22/2004
    Colten James - 9/9/2005

    Isabella Ann - 7/20/2012

    SURPRISE!!!  Emma Leigh - due 8/27/2015 (c-section date 8/7/2015)

    BabyFruit Ticker
  • I drive a dodge journey, has 3 rows and the middle row folds down when needed and I love it. I had a Durango before the journey and I wouldn't go back to the Durango. The journey is cheaper, fits 7 people... 2 of which are in car seats and gets great gas mileage, I fill up for about $35 and can get 400 miles to a tank of gas.
  • dev85dev85 member
    I Love my GMC Yukon Xl (8 seater)...but it's not cheap. I'm a FTM, and I have the feeling that I'm not going to like the payments once baby is here!
  • I'm lame and went the mini van route with us about to have 3 kids in car seats. Hello Honda Odyssey, goodbye all notions of still being young and cool :-O
    Pregnancy Ticker
    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
  • The main reason I need an SUV versus a Minivan is the towing capability.  I have to tow my kiddos trailer with their fair animals. @aseajack, does your journey come with the towing capability of the durango?  I can't seem to find much difference in the two other than the options they come with.



    Cody Lane - 4/22/2004
    Colten James - 9/9/2005

    Isabella Ann - 7/20/2012

    SURPRISE!!!  Emma Leigh - due 8/27/2015 (c-section date 8/7/2015)

    BabyFruit Ticker
  • I have a 2013 Chevy Traverse and I love it! We bought used so we did end up getting the higher up version with all the bells and whistles! We have captain seats in the second row and the 3rd row has plenty of leg room. I am 5'7'' and fit back there comfortably. Now with a stroller the trunk space will be limited. That would be a downfall for you. We usually just have the back row folded down. When I have a stroller back there is is usually the City Elite so that is a bigger stroller. I have not put my snap and go in the back of the car yet. I know the car we bought has towing capacity. We have not used it... My husband just insisted on having it for his imaginary boat. I have also heard great things about the Honda Pilot and Ford Explorer. 
    photo 8e32bb2b-42a7-49d2-85df-cab52864175d_zpse525d043.jpg Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker

    BabyFruit Ticker
  • I have and love my subaru, but am in the same situation, considering a larger vehicle. concidering the subaru tribeca. Not sure about towing capacity with that, but all wheel drive is nice.
  • The reason I want to trade in my Durango is because our payments are $550/mo and we can't refinance it because it's already 3yrs old.  I want something with payments that are cheaper, especially since I am choosing to be out of work 12wks after the birth of the baby.  That's one payment I make, and with getting only 60% of my paycheck on STD, it's just not something I want to risk being able to make the payment on.



    Cody Lane - 4/22/2004
    Colten James - 9/9/2005

    Isabella Ann - 7/20/2012

    SURPRISE!!!  Emma Leigh - due 8/27/2015 (c-section date 8/7/2015)

    BabyFruit Ticker
  • The reason I want to trade in my Durango is because our payments are $550/mo and we can't refinance it because it's already 3yrs old.  I want something with payments that are cheaper, especially since I am choosing to be out of work 12wks after the birth of the baby.  That's one payment I make, and with getting only 60% of my paycheck on STD, it's just not something I want to risk being able to make the payment on.

    I would for sure go the used car way if this is why you want to trade. You can find some great deals!
    photo 8e32bb2b-42a7-49d2-85df-cab52864175d_zpse525d043.jpg Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker

    BabyFruit Ticker
  • I have a Ford Explorer and love it!! Mine has the third row which folds down. The payments are a little high but we decided to get the fully loaded package. We did look at a few models that came with the basic package and payments were around 350 a month (these were used vehicles). It seems to me like SUVs are getting more and more expensive.
  • I'm not sure what the towing capacity is on the Durango but I believe the journey is 2500. Our payments are kind of high because we have crappy credit but we bought our 2014 last year for $22,000 only had 60 miles on it, vs the Durango that was nearly $40,000 new.
  • Thanks ladies! We are on our way to test drive a new Dodge Journey and a used Chevy Traverse.



    Cody Lane - 4/22/2004
    Colten James - 9/9/2005

    Isabella Ann - 7/20/2012

    SURPRISE!!!  Emma Leigh - due 8/27/2015 (c-section date 8/7/2015)

    BabyFruit Ticker
  • We are anti mini van but omg traveling is so much cheaper and way easier. I'm having #4 so I let my husband buy a ford excursion since he isn't ready to own a mini van. We travel a lot though and live 20 min out of town so I told him we would see how bad gass got us and after 6 months we will reasses and get a mini van if it will save a lot of money.
  • We have a GMC Yukon that we bought for cash. Car payments are the worst and I am so much more content driving a few year old vehicle that I don't make monthly payments on versus brand new. I should also note that my husband is very mechanically inclined, so vehicle repairs are not a concern. I love our Yukon, it has heated seats, captains chairs in the middle row, dvd player, leather, and is completely comfy for our family. 

    Good luck on your vehicle search, it can certainly be stressful and overwhelming.
    BabyFruit Ticker
  • dkizz82dkizz82 member
    We just traded in my tiny, paid off, Honda Civic coupe for a used Kia Sorento. I love it! We got payments at $236 a month for 4 years. Good luck!
    Pregnancy Ticker
  • Today didn't go so well. They offered us $16k for the durango when bottom of the barrel KBB puts it at $23k. We may be stuck with it for now... :(



    Cody Lane - 4/22/2004
    Colten James - 9/9/2005

    Isabella Ann - 7/20/2012

    SURPRISE!!!  Emma Leigh - due 8/27/2015 (c-section date 8/7/2015)

    BabyFruit Ticker
  • malonc2malonc2 member
    We have always owned our cars but decided to lease this time around. My husband has a company car now (all expenses paid) so we splurged and I got a new Honda Pilot with all the upgrades. I LOVE it so far! So spacious and although the third row is tight, the trunk is huge when it's folded down. Good luck!
  • Today didn't go so well. They offered us $16k for the durango when bottom of the barrel KBB puts it at $23k. We may be stuck with it for now... :(

    Obviously that dealership must not be as competitive as others. We shopped multiple Honda dealerships and found one that gave us a huge deal, the others all sucked. I know if you buy a vehicle and sell your old one, you can get more out of them. We had our credit frozen when we went to look (thanks anthem hack) and that gave us all sorts of leverage because we literally couldn't buy unless we went home an unfroze it. Hope you figure out what you can get!
    Pregnancy Ticker
    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
  • dkizz82 said:

    We just traded in my tiny, paid off, Honda Civic coupe for a used Kia Sorento. I love it! We got payments at $236 a month for 4 years. Good luck!

    I had a Kia Sorento and loved it! We traded up to a Toyota Highlander and it does ride smoother but price-wise there is no beating the Sorento :)
    DS1: 8/3/10, DD1: 8/17/13, DD2: 8/13/15
    Twins lost to due to partial molar pregnancy: September 2011 
    ~~PAL, PgAL Always Welcome~~
  • We just sold our car on Craigslist for $4.5k more than the dealership offered us. Definitely worth a try!
  • I heart my minivan :)

    Me too! With baby #3 on the way I finally had a valid reason to purchase it (in DH's mind).


    TTC#1 for 19 months with PCOS and MFI IUI#3 + injectables = BFP!!!!  Beta#1-134(13dpiui) Beta #2-392(15dpiui) 
    #1 born December 2011
    TTC#2 - Beta #1 -51@10dpo Beta#2 -1353 @16dpo
    #2 born May 2013
    TTC # 3 June 2014 BFP 12-1-14
    #3 born August 2015 
    #4!!!!!!! due June 2017 
  • We have a Toyota Highlander, but getting an armada soon. You should look into minivans that might be your cheapest option.
  • I wish I could do a minivan, but unfortunately for us, that is not an option.  Although the room would be nice!!  We have to have an SUV and in all honesty, we really need a larger one, BUT, I am willing to have to drive our big diesel truck to pull trailers for 6-10months until we have a stable footing again finance wise.  I'm cutting corners wherever necessary to help us get by while I'm out of work. 



    Cody Lane - 4/22/2004
    Colten James - 9/9/2005

    Isabella Ann - 7/20/2012

    SURPRISE!!!  Emma Leigh - due 8/27/2015 (c-section date 8/7/2015)

    BabyFruit Ticker
Sign In or Register to comment.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards
"
"