New Car - I can't decide
I have to get a new car (probably this weekend). We've been looking for months and I have to get one before the snow hits. I just can't decide what to get.
I had my heart set on a SUV (Sequoia/4Runner/Tahoe) but now, with this second baby coming I'm considering a mini-van. 
I swore I'd never own one, but friends that have one love them for kids.
Ugh. They get better mileage, easier to get kids in and out of. Would fit my greyhoud and stroller with two kiddos and good for car trips....but it's a mini van! I've only ever had SUVs. And with the snow, the SUVs do great, however, the mini-vans (I've been told) do well also since some are all-wheel drive.
I don't know what do to. DH is no help as "It's your car, he just does the negoitating".
FWIW - I'd have this car for the next 8-10 years and then get a new one.
BFP#1 1.28.10; HB 6w5d 2.18.10; No HB 3.8.10; Natural m/c 3.9.10 at 9w3d
BFP#2 - 7.22.10 DD born 3.16.11
BFP#3 - 8.11.11 DS born 3.27.12
Re: New Car - I can't decide
I never did understand how they are easier to get kids in and out of. You'd have to crawl into the back row or across the bench or captain's chairs to get the 2nd kid in, right? Whereas with a 2 door car you have a door on each side.
In any case, maybe if I had a dog I'd feel differently, but I don't forsee myself getting a mini van even if we have 2nd child. I just don't like them!
Growing up in the era of mini vans, my family only ever had a 4 door family car. We did fine, even on long car trips.
BFP #2 4/13/10. Bridget born 12/28/10
BFP #3 Finn born 8/11/15
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Just bite the bullet and do it. I've always been very anti-MV, until I had Isaac. Now? The convenience is amazing. ETA: I don't have a mv. I have a Jeep Liberty that is entirely too small but works for now. We will possibly consider a mv or a larger SUV for #2.
If you have the dough, the VW, Toyoya and Honda minivans are pretty decent looking...for minivans. The Chrysler Town & Country/Dodge Caravan are the SAME chassis (body) as the VW. Chrysler makes it. A few of my friends have them and they are actually really nice. If you can find a used one a couple of years old you can get some really great deals.
If you're going to have it for 8-10 years, I would say go for it.
Twin boys born too early at 17w4d and 18w2d in February 2010
Transabdominal cerclage placed September 2010
DS born at 35w1d in February 2011
Twin girls born at exactly 36w in February 2013
I say just go for it -- get the minivan. If there is more room, then by all mean, do it. We fit fine in my Jeep Compass right now, but with two kids, heck no.
A friend of mine upgraded to a van from a Ford Escape and she loves it.
Possible 3rd option? Volvo or Subaru station wagon. Kiddos in the middle, Greyhound in the rear!
When DH's truck was totaled, we bought a (used) Volvo sedan...I wanted the station wagon, but this was less expensive.
They get really good gas mileage & are VERY safe. (Not as sure about the Subarus, but everyone & their uncle seems to have one & love it.)
GL & let us know what you choose!
Get an SUV but get one with captains chairs in the back, that will make it easier to get the kids in and out and you'll have the same set up as most minivans now just slightly higher up. That or look at a crossover like an Acadia or Traverse or Flex, at least it's not a true minivan!
I second this. We bought a 07 Tahoe this year that has captains chairs in the middle. I would NEVER buy one with a bench in the middle...for the same reason as mentioned above. That being said, the chairs are higher than in a van, so I do have to work a bit harder to get DS in his seat. We got the Tahoe for the towing factor (even though we don't have anything to tow) but have already used it for the hitch...to bring equipment to our house to build a deck and for a hitch attachment for storage for going on vacation. I'm not sure how much room for storage a van has, but the hitch attachment was amazing. We literally stored 90% of our stuff on it (suitcase/cooler/chairs). Neither DH nor I were too pumped to look into a van and we really love the Tahoe! Plus getting a nice used one (ours was owned by a single business man who used it for highway travel only), we got a huge knock off what a new price would be. GL!
Go for the minivan. With 2u2 it will make your life a lot easier. They have power sliding doors that open with a push of a button, you don't have to worry about your door hitting the car next to you, while bucking a kid in their car seat, and you have a safe place for your toddler, while tending to the baby (you can open one door and have them walk over to their seat, while you fasten the baby into their car seat).
Unless you go with an XL SUV (tahoe, escalade, etc), the suburban will the the only SUV that will allow you to have a third row and enough trunk space for a stroller. I have a Cadillac SRX and not only is my third row a PITA to access with car seats, but my "trunk" can hold maybe a single umbrella stroller with it up.
We just bought the new Jeep Cherokee Laredo. Obviously not a minivan. But it's easy enough to get DS in and out of, and would be just as easy with a 2nd kid (not that we have a 2nd nor do we have any immediate plans for a 2nd.
And its a really nice SUV.
Ditto. My sister (she has one 2.5 yo and two 10 month old twins) has the Yukon (same as the Tahoe). She didn't get the XL model and 100% regrets it. She wishes she would've gotten a minivan. The twins are in the captain chairs in the second row and her oldest is in the back. My sister has to crawl through the hatch to get her oldest in her seat. The second she has just one stroller in there, she doesn't have room for anything else.