- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
Northern California Babies
Poll: Family cars
I keep wondering if we need to upgrade to a bigger car (we have an Accord), especially as we are enjoying biking more and are using a bike trailer. We usually end up going biking with my parents so everything fits in their van. Also, then we *might* try to drive to LA instead of fly. But then again, my cousins with two elementary aged kids are downsizing their minivan to a Prius!
[Poll]
Bonus:
What kind of gear can you fit into your car?
What kinds of longer road trips have you gone on?
What's your dream (non family) car?
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Poll: Family cars
I am obsessed with my minivan. We have a 2011 Honda Odyssey and I just can't say enough good things about it!
What kind of gear can you fit into your car? TONS of stuff. The trunk space is great and you can fold down the 3rd row for even more room.
What kinds of longer road trips have you gone on? None really in the minivan...Monterey is the farthest we've gone...so a little more than an hour.
What's your dream (non family) car? I have it...it's a 67 convertible mustang. If I had to pick another I'd go for a 69 mach 1
We have 4 kids (1 will get her own car this year) and we went from a Saturn Outlook (which I loved, minus the sunroof leaking issues) that seated 7 to a GMC Yukon. I felt I had more cargo room in my Saturn and getting the 3rd row down was easier but the Yukon seats 9 and we wanted something that we can haul all the kids, plus Phoebe (our dog) and friends if needed. I just couldn't go down the minivan route, but I will admit, my parents have a Chrysler minivan and it is easier with the kids.
What kind of gear can you fit into your car? With the 3rd row down we can get quite a bit in, but with the row up, probably only a few grocery bags.
What kinds of longer road trips have you gone on? So far we've only gone to Santa Cruz in it, and not everyone went. I actually don't know how we would ever get to Disneyland in it taking all the kids and all the stuff they would need, we would probably have to load stuff up on the cargo rack up top.
What's your dream (non family) car? I really really loved my Saturn. Really loved it. It was fully fully fully loaded, but it had sunroof leaking issues that they couldn't fix, refused to fix and DH finally got fed up and said it was time to trade it in. I would have to say that was my dream car.
We have 3 kids plus visitors every other month that fill our Sienna
I use it for road trips to CA to WA and back and then just little trips 2-4 hours. I can fit a couple of bikes in the back since the rear seats split but still not enough room everyone's bikes. Camping we also have to split the seat. Occasionally we use it like others use a truck, but then the kids have to stay home with DH or I.
At times I wish I would have got the 8 seater for a little more versatility.
If I had stopped at 2 kids or only 3 kids and no visitors I would have got a CRV (we get snow) otherwise I would have looked at an accord, camery, prius, etc. Heck if I only had two (and stayed in the bay area) I would have just kept my Corolla.
What kind of gear can you fit into your car? We have a 2004 Honda Civic Hybrid. Now that we have two kids, the amount of gear that we can fit has gone way down. I'd say we can get two full-sized suitcases and an umbrella stroller in.
What kinds of longer road trips have you gone on? We haven't gone on any road trips since Theo was born, but before that, we took it to Disneyland, San Luis Obispo and lots of trips to the bay.
What's your dream (non family) car? I love BMWs.
We have 2 "family cars" We have a 2001 Ford Excursion and our BMW. I have my Jeep which is also a family car but it is usually just Sara and I who drive around in it. If we are doing trips or have a bunch to carry we take the Excursion. We took the 3rd row seat out and have tons of room. If we are doing day trips we take the BMW.
OOPS forgot the bonus questions:
What kind of gear can you fit into your car?We can fit tons in the Excursion. In fact we can put Sara's PW 50 motorcycle in the back of it. What kinds of longer road trips have you gone on? We have gone to the San Diego desert, Nevada, and up to Oregon in the Excursion.What's your dream (non family) car? I have my Jeep and DH has his BMW.
107 Read/listened to in 2011: 91 Books/16 Audiobooks
Read 2012: 33/50
I have a Mazda Cx9 and love it. And here's why:
1) It's an SUV but is not built on a truck frame like so many of them are. It's built on a car frame and it really drives more like a car than a truck.
2) It's got the biggest cargo area in it's class (at least it did when we bought it). It's also the longest and I was really worried about driving it - especially since I was also in an accord and it's HUGE compared to the accord.
3) I love the blind spot monitoring device. It's a great tool to help you transition from a sedan to an suv. (Basically a little light goes on in the side mirror when there is a car in your blind spot - or next to your car. If you put on your blinker to get over while there is a car there, it actually beeps at you and warns you that you're about to do something stupid.)
My Escape is a workhorse
What kind of gear can you fit into your car? it can fit a stroller, groceries, a costco run AND the dogs' travel crate
What kinds of longer road trips have you gone on? just this past weekend we went up to Ft. Bragg and a few years ago it survived a trip to orange county and back
What's your dream (non family) car? somewhere i'd like someone to unload an "eleanor" mustang for next to nothing :P
I voted "other" b/c we have 2 cars, an older accord (96 I think) and a Toyota 4Runner.
What kind of gear can you fit into your car? The 4Runner has a lot of space in the back, and the seats fold down for more room (no 3rd row though), if we were to bring bikes anywhere, we'd have to use a bike rack. The Accord, has a huge trunk (as you know) so we can fir quite a bit there too.
What kinds of longer road trips have you gone on? With gas prices high, we use the Accord when DH is home (that's his car) for errands and whatever, the longest we've gone is to Monterey- which is about 3 1/2 hours from here. We just took the 4Runner camping, and had it packed to the brim plus pulling a pop up trailer, it was pretty tight. That trip was almost 5 hours away. We also take both cars up to Lake Tahoe, 4Runner in the winter and Accord in the summer.
What's your dream (non family) car? 1969 Dodge Dart Swinger
We will be upsizing to either a Suburban or Expedition EL within the next couple of years, a 3rd row will be a must if/when we go for #3. If you are planning on having more children, I would say get a bigger car (although my SIL has 2 in a newer Accord with no problem- but also has a larger car for when they need to bring the gear).
We have a Honda Civic that we love. I keep joking with DH that if we don't have a 2nd child then he can get a car instead. He chose a Tesla (LOL!) because it costs as much as a child does.
What kind of gear can you fit into your car? Not as much as I would like. A stroller and a trip to Target or safeway and it is full.
What kinds of longer road trips have you gone on? We have gone down to LA and a seperate trip to San Deigo, plus one with DS up to Oregon.
What's your dream (non family) car? For DH it would be a Tesla and that is fine with me. Something with great gas miles or electric is at the top of my list but it doesn't need to be a Tesla, just something that preforms well.
My car is a 2011 Acura RDX and DH has a 2007 Nissan Xterra, the family car is mine, we only use DH's if we go to Tahoe.
I love my car, I carry the BOB and all that kind of basic kid stuff. The car fits EJ's Britax Boulevard...
We go to Monterey monthly, SLO about 2 times a year and we are planning to go to Disneyland in Dec and San Diego in Jan/Feb. We are easily able to fit our suitcases, the BOB, the pack'n'play and a cooler with snacks and EJ's food. We have not had a single problem packing the acura with stuff.
I gotta be honest...I am not a big car freak anymore (used to be), I think when we buy a new car in 8-10 years to replace mine I will get an Acura MDX (teenagers pack heavier and need more sports crap I have noticed) but DH and I think we are going to be loyal Acura buyers from now on because it has been the best experience in buying, in owning, in servicing, etc. I have never been so in love with the whole car experience as I have with Acura. DH is planning to get a TL in about 4-5 years.
So if you are looking at brands...hands down Acura, even used should you choose that route. I hated the Toyota, Honda, Chevy (not hate here, actually liked them but they have nothing on Acura), Nissan, and Lexus experiences, pushy sales people, grumpy service departments that were never on time, difficulty with getting taken home and picked up while being serviced. If you want to know more about the Acura buying experience you let me know and I can compare and contrast each place I have bought a vehicle and the after experience (though Chevy was the next best experience, I would recommend their sales and service departments too).
Money Matters The other half's blog.
EJ is growing up too fast!
We have a CX-7 and it's OK (when it's just the 3 of us) Q sits in the middle so fitting someone else in the back is tight (but works for non-super sized people). The City-Mini is a tight squeeze to fit long ways. I have that, the emergency kit, diaper bag, extra jackets/clothes/blanket and it's a little tighter than I'd like. The stroller has to be right in the middle so shopping trips get a little tough. With the carseat in the middle, I can't fold part of the backseat down and the backseat has quite a slope so it's a smaller opening at the top than the bottom.
I think I'd really like a mini-van especially as Q gets bigger and I drive his friends around too.
Oh, and we've been to San Diego (Q and I went for a month) and we've all been to tahoe (with an extra petite passenger)
I started with a wagon that I was in love with but it was totaled in an accident. I couldn't find another one like it so we went with a cross over. I still miss my wagon. The newer ones aren't anything like the older ones (in my opinion).
I've now got a Kia Sorento with optional 3rd row seating. It acts as cargo space when we need it but passenger space in a pinch. I'm thinking of getting a trailer hitch put on for when the kids graduate from tricycles to bicycles.
We have a Honda Pilot. I think it's a mid-sized SUV. Not sure what to classify it. We are very outdoorsy so we use it for snow/beach/biking etc.
What kind of gear can you fit into your car?
Bonus for us, we can do 3 kids across the backseat w/o using the 3rd row to fit all of them in. We have used the 3rd row for family in town, trips to dinner etc.
We usually don't put things in our car except maybe double BOB stroller or Burley bike trailer. We have a hitchmount for our bikes, ski rack for our snowboards and a Thule roof rack if we want to carry a bunch of stuff (usually when we go home for xmas or for travel).
What kinds of longer road trips have you gone on? My parents live 4 hours away, my brother 4 hours in a different direction, Tahoe and Disneyland are our long drives.
What's your dream (non family) car? For me I've always been an SUV girl so I wouldn't change it. I'm always putting surfboards/boogie boards/ski's/snowboards and bikes in my car that I can't imagine not having an SUV for those sort of things.
Me, too! I had a Nissan Sentra up until April so this was a big change for me, but I'm very happy. With the two kids we couldn't fit anything but ourselves and a stroller in the car. With the Kia, I have tons of room.