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Recommend Your Mamma Wheels!
New baby means new car for momma. Honestly, after friggin' stroller shopping for two months, you'd think car shopping would be a cinch. Not so much. Before I knew I was pregnant this year, I had my heart set on the new Volvo S40 as my next car. I've taken a step back and don't think it will be practical for the 2+ kids we plan on having over the next few years. If someone can convince me otherwise re: the Volvo, please do cuz momma loves, wants and needs that sporty sedan! But I'm open to bigger sedans, SUVs, station wagons (of the cool variety), nad everything in between.
Please recommend your preferred kid-mobile, whether you own it or not!
I have just a few stipulations:
*Leather seats
*No mini-vans (Is there some sort of secret society one can join for this? Because I'd like to take a vow. Who's with me?)
*Large trunk
*Preferably not American made, but I can budge on that if it has good ratings.
*Doesn't have to be new.
TIA!!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Recommend Your Mamma Wheels!
I have a Volvo V50 and lovelovelove it. LOVE! However...i really want an XC 60. The V50 fits BOB and the dog, and the XC 60 is bigger without being as huge as a XC90.
I am with you 110% on the no minvan thing. I don't see how they offer more room cargo wise and why would I need to haul 7 people? I don't like that many enough to let them all in my car at once. The sliding door would've been nice a few times with the infant seat, but not enough to commit to 5 to 7 years of driving.
BFF has a Honda hybrid compact SUV and she LOVES it. It gets great gas mileage and it's easy for her to get her son in and out of his carseat. There's plenty of room for her Graeco stroller in the trunk area, too. I can't remember the model, though. It's a 2006 and she got it used, but it only had about 2000 miles on it.
She also loves the fact that the seats are heated.
Unable to even.
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You don't understand the appeal of Benedict Cumberbatch / think he's fug / don't know who he is? WATCH SHERLOCK. Until you do, your negative opinion of him will not be taken seriously.
Okay this is hilarious...lol and probably the best rationale I've heard yet. MMMmm I LOVE that new volvo XC60. That one might break the bank though! I am considering one of the Volvo wagons though. I just love them and they still have that "cool" factor.
I have a CR-V that I do like.... and that we bought about 6 weeks before learning we were having twins (we were doing IUI and clomid at the time... why didnt I make the connection???)
2 infant seats were snug. BOB (duallie) is a nightmare in the back... no one besides the twinks goes in back... but there IS room for them... its OK...
we are not planning on a 3rd kiddo... who knows though.
We are considering the Odyssey (grumble grumble)
I would like to test out and try: Pilot, Highlander, Volvo x90 and the Acura MDX... But I am a Honda/Toyota girl... do love volvos too, but DH would need serious arm twisting on that one!
Well who doesn't? If someone also comes out with a car that has a built-in bidet AND heated seats, I'm sold.
We are Volvo people! lol. We currently own 2 and my old car was one too. (You may remember the tree landing on me while driving 60MPH on the highway.. totalled the car and all I got some some glass cuts and a bruised hand while I was 33 weeks PG with Audrey)
My old car was the S-60. I loved it. I thought it was sporty yet big enough for everything I needed. DH then got the S-80. Bigger than the S-60 but still fun to drive. It's very zippy! When suddenly finding ourselves car shopping unexpectedly, I knew I wanted another Volvo. I had my eyes set on the XC-90. We did look at new XC-70's and I really like them too. Not sure why I ended up with the 90, but I did! The only think I do not like is black leather. Looks dirty. I loved my old car and DH's car's tan leather! It is NOT a big SUV by all means. It's pretty small really. I already do not know what to get next time, since we will quickly outgrow my XC-90!
I have had XC-70's as owner loaners and LOVED how much visibility I had while driving! 2 weeks ago I had a S-40 and it was fun to drive, but VERY small! I could not imagine having one with a family. tfarabians had one when Cruz was little and she quickly went to the XC-90 too!
We bought our first one at Sandberg in Lynnwood and our 2nd 2 at Barrier. We've had the BEST service from Sandberg and awful service at Barrier, FWIW. They could not find the source of a strong gas smell and basically told me I was imagining things. Sandberg found it. Also Barrier just gives you an Enterprise rental car as a loaner. I've always gotten crappy 2 door tin can without power locks or windows. Sandberg gives you another Volvo!
Leather is a MUST have for me too! Wipes clean!
We LOVE the heaviness of the Volvo's and we know first hand the safety aspect of them too!
Totally with you on the mini van thing.
I have a great mom car, I think, but it is American made, so you probably wouldn't be interested:
Dodge Magnum
*Huge! (my favorite part)
*Ultra smooth ride (also my favorite part, I like to float)
*Leather/heated seats
*Huge wagon back
The 2008 was the last year they made it, so I guess it wasn't that popular.
TTC #2 for a million years: SA normal, CD 23 bloodwork shows nothing amiss, ovulation detected. Next step: ? maybe CD3 bloodwork to check eggs? All out of pocket, so limited IF tests/treatments.
My mom car is an american made Chevy Tahoe. It seats all of us (+ 1 skid and 2 100 lbs dogs) nicely.
with one kid, you can get anything. I have had an Accord and a Camry since Be was born and I liked them both.
I would recommend a sedan over an SUV. It's hard to lift an infant seat up into the back of an SUV IMO.
And dont knock the mini van til you have more than one kid. Once your whole back seat is full of car seats and you cant' put extra people in your car or bring friends home for play dates, you might just warm up to the mini van.
What is the problem with mini-vans? Seriously?
Anyway, I guess I'm not in the "cool club" cause I drive a mini van and I LOVE it!
You might be able to find a used one, but they are brand spanking new so unlikely. I got my V50 as a 3 year old lease return for half MSRP. Maybe keep your current car until #2 is on his/her way and then get a slightly used.
I agree with NancyDrew about Barrier. Best sales experience, but horrible service. I'll need to try Sandberg next time. I have to admit that I really liked the Kia Rio I got a loaner last time. Nice to know I could step down in car if need be.
As soon as you have 2 kids and want either of them to have a play date after school, you will want more room.
Here is another vote for the Volvo XC 90. Scott has one as a company car and we will be looking to add an XC90 to the family when we are preggo!
another reason I'm stopping at 1
Don't get a wagon or sedan if you're planning on having more than 1 child. Imagine trying to lean over and put a toddler in a carseat in the back of a car while you're pregnant. It kills your back. And, if your belly is as big as mine (I hope for your sake that it's not), sitting in the back seat and lifting your toddler over you toward the carseat is not an option.
I just traded in my car for an SUV, and it is MUCH easier to get Evie in and out of an SUV than it was to bend down and try to get her in and out of a car. It's a lot easier to lift a child up into a seat than it is to lift the child, bend down while holding the child, and reach in, especially when you have an enormous belly.
The other reason to get an SUV is cargo space. Even with a roomy sedan or wagon, you're not going to have any room in the back seat with 2 carseats. Your trunk will be packed full with a double stroller, diaper bag, etc., so you won't have any room in the car for groceries or all of the stuff you buy at Costco that you never knew you needed until you saw it. Unless you really want to store your stroller in the garage and take it in and out of the trunk every time you need it, an SUV is a much better option.
I have an American SUV, but I *love* the Toyota Highlander hybrid. I also really like the Acura MDX. Both were more spendy than we had in mind, so we bought a Ford Explorer and I like it a lot. My only complaint is that it gets lousy gas mileage.
Thanks everyone for your reviews. This is super helpful to hear and has me considering options I hadn't before (but not a minivan...never that).
All Hail Volvos!! I've always loved them.
So of course since there are so many Volvo owners on here I must ask how they are on maintenance? I've heard mixed things. I've already scoped out a few private quality volvo repair places since I abhor taking cars to the dealership (unless it's under warranty). I hear they are high maintenance, but I guess that depends on one's definition of the word. I drove a BMW for 4 years and that was high maintenance. After that a Volvo doesn't seem quite so bad. I know in the past Volvo has been solid in safety. Are the newer models as reliable too?
Right but we're not stopping at one. We're probably not even stopping at two, or three. My goal with this vehicle purchase is to get the car we'll have with our first two kids at least. Then we might change cars again.
I have at least 2-3 friends with 3+ kids (one with ALL boys...rough, tough ones too) and they all seem to have survived without a minivan. That's evidence enough for me that it can happen.
There are SOOO many cars that fit 7 people that are NOT minivans. I would so drive a Suburban or Expedition or Navigator ANY day over a minivan. Aside from the doors that open automatically and easy in/out, I don't really see why the hype? You can get just about the same functionality out of some of the larger SUVs these days.
I don't see myself warming up to a minivan anytime soon. In fact never. Just NMS. No offense to anyone who drives them. I get why they do. Just not for me. Kind of like a lot of things in this world :-)
This totally sounds like me "The stuff you buy at Costco that you never knew you needed...."
We are debating cars right now. Not really sure I want the full size pickup as my car. (it is 4 door). I really don't want another car, but we are thinking about it.
No real decisions or even testing driving, but leaning towards one of the mid-size SUVs that seat 7. Right now we want to go look at the GMC Acadia (or the Chevy traverse).
We want something that will grow with our family. My brother that has 2 kids feels they've outgrown their sedan/wagons because as Jill said, you can't take anyone else in the vehicle once you get 2 car seats in there. If any family comes to visit they always have to take multiple vehicles.
There are so many options if you consider both sedans and SUVs, I think we are going to break out the spreadsheets this weekend and start taking notes...
Well, if you're going to have at least 3 and want this to last through that stage, you'll need something that seats more than 5. I havent' seen SUVs with real 3rd rows that are very usable or have any leg room back there... my DH has an MDX and that 3rd row is a joke.
If you go test drive bigger SUVs, I would just make sure you feel like climbing in and getting to the back row is easy so you can buckle kids in. That's one thing that's nice about the vans - you can walk between those captains chairs to get to the 3rd row. With SUVs dont' you usually have to fold up a seat to get to the 3rd row? That's tough if you have a car seat there. Or else you just need to make sure your car seats are in the back row. And farther from you. Just things to consider when you go to test drive them.
I have my same ol' 2007 Subaru. I refused to get anything else since it's a really nice car, and I've only had it a year. My guy's grampa car (1998 Beige---BEIGE---Camry) was on the chopping block though, so he upgraded his car to...
2005 Honda Element
These babies are awesome! Consumer Reports gave it very high marks. Like ridiculously high. And my former mechanic husband was a stickler for that.
Good Stuff: tons of head room and room in the car in general, rubber flooring, back seats that fold up easily and can be taken out easily, a usuable front seat even when there's a rear-facing car seat, it's not a minivan, it comes in fun colors, the back has a split tailgate for easy diaper changes, easy loading and a better chance of not bonking yourself on the head. We were able to fit two suitcases, a pack n play, a cooler, two cloth grocery bags, a play mat, a boppy, and our old fashioned pram into it, the thing corners like you wouldn't believe, getting in and out of parking spots is amazingly simple (no two point turns), there's great privacy for breastfeeding, and because of the way the interior is set up, it doesn't get nearly as hot in there as my car did when they both just sat out in the sun, the a/c is good (as with most Hondas) and there are some nice cubbies throughout.
The only major downside that I could find was that you can't put a kid in a rear-facing car seat the traditional way because the pillar gets in the way. So he has to take the seat off the base, put her in it, and put the seat back in. Also, getting in and out of the back seat would have been painful post-partum because of the pillar arrangment. And if you're used to luxury, the road noise might bug you. We just put some dynomat down (bought it on Amazon) and it cut it down.
Doesn't look like they come with leather seats, but there are Honda Clubs who discuss all kinds of ways to upgrade and personalize their cars, and I've seen a few posts on it.
PS: I'm so with you on the mini-van thing.
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I have a Toyota Highlander and I love it! Ours is a little older, 2002, but DH and I have already said that when his car goes, we might just replace it with another Highlander.
It drives like a car, has plenty of room for kids, dogs, and cargo still. Also, I like that I can actually see out of it. Because I'm so short, I had the hardest time finding something that wasn't impossible for me to see out of. We focused on SUV's that were built on a car chasis as opposed to a truck chasis as that seemed to make a huge difference for me.
Also, it isn't so high that it is difficult to get in and out of for me and I can easily reach into the back seats.
The only thing is, we're pretty sure that it is a 2-kid car only and we'll need something bigger if we have more than 2. But, we also have the dogs and they go many places with us so fitting their kennels in, along with carseats and all the kids' crap is a consideration. For now, I totally love it and we have more than enough room for everyone.
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Okay this is like the 3rd or 4th vote for a highlander. How tall are you by the way? I'm a shortie too...lol So I think I will have the same problem.
I actually have been eyeing the Honda Element. DH thinks it's fugly. He doesn't have to drive it though; I do. :-) One thing about it though that concerns me is can three people fit in the back? By all pics it look like the back is a two seater which just really sucks :-(
I'm 5'2". I'm a shortie. Seriously though, we test drove SO many SUV's and I had such a tough time seeing out of many of them. This one I have great visibility out of without pulling a muscle checking blind spots.
This was also a major sticking point for us because I can't drive DH's car because I can't reach the pedals. Not even kidding.
Yep we're like the same height. Good to know. OMG you can't reach the pedals on DH's car? That's hilarious. DH can't drive my current car because it's a manual. I know how annoying it can be to have one spouse not be able to drive the other's car. Makes going place a bit of a task sometimes...Then again, you're supposed to be riding in the backseat anyway, right? ;-)
Yep, it's only a four-person vehicle. The middle of the back (at least on our 2005) has a plastic cupholder setup, so it wouldn't exactly be comfy, nevermind the seatbelt thing.
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I bought my Subaru Outback when I was PG, and although I love it now, can't see it being the righ car for us with 2 LO's. I love the room in the back. I always keep the stroller in there and I can fit the dog and a days shopping at Costco. If we do transport people, it's tight though. W couldn't fit 2 carseats and have DS drive; the seat would have to be back too far and an infant seat or rear facing wouldn't fit behind his seat.
We have family that visits and it's at PITA to have to take 2 cars to dinner or the park or the grocery store so we will most likley upgrade to a Pilot. It has a 3rd row, and no there is not a ton of room but it won't be used every day, it will be used when we have family or children (play dates) to transport and need extra room. SImilar to the Highlander, it's build on a car frame and drives like a car. THe new body style is NMS though so we'll have to buy a used one.
Great now I want to go car shopping, I'm sure my hubby will thank you later.
I've never had any mechanical problems with my volvo. We got them to throw in all the milage maintence and oil changes when we bought it so that is the only reason we take it in to barrier. Otherwise I just had my rear brakes replaced and it was $130 which I thought was very reasonable! I drove a BMW for several years and after that I had a porsche. My porsche's brakes were $1400!! volvo's repairs are much less than bmw, porsche and audi.
When you buy from barrier you get free car washes which I love! I realize that is not a reason to buy a car but if your going to buy a volvo might as well get a free car wash!
I also have to agree that I like having a sedan with a toddler because Cruz climbs in himself these days and it was always much easier to get the infant seat in and out of the car because I didn't have to haul it clear up into a high car and I have a bad back.
Another thing is I would never buy a volvo new again. I bought my s40 new and I just cry when you look at how much value they lose driving off the lot! Barrier certifies their used cars and most come with a warranty and if not you can buy it!