July 2013 Moms

If you love your car... Rec please?

Yes, after 5.5 years sans car we decided we may want one... as much as I adore being environmentally friendly and saving thousands a year in gas, tax, maintenance, and so on... it's getting quite difficult to go everywhere by bike with a toddler because:

1) I can't take much weight apart from him, so you can imagine how difficult grocery shopping has become
2) I can't take my stroller on the bike, (in theory I can but I don't because it takes too long to engage it to the bike), so when going for long periods of time we end up carrying LO who is not little anymore.
3) It freaking hailed on us last Friday, it hurt a lot, we got super wet and achy and I had to keep biking under falling ice for 20 minutes. It had hailed on me before but as a single person I could always park my bike and lose some time in a coffee shop or a store. Not with a hungry, sleepy toddler who needs to get home! (It was our worst experience so far!).... chances are, weather in Holland is not improving anytime soon and our winters are looooong...

So after reading lots of forums I cannot make my mind about the car we want/need... I'd love comfort, space and efficiency... what are you driving?

Now we're 3 but I'd like to keep this car as long as possible so space for 4 or 5 would be better...

TIA :D
Daisypath Anniversary tickers     Lilypie Second Birthday tickers
Surprise BFP on 11/02/12 EDD 07/06/13 --> Express wedding on 12/29/2012 --> G was born on 07/15/13
*Multicultural family raising a multilingual toddler: Spanish, Italian, Dutch and English


Re: If you love your car... Rec please?

  • My Honda Accord has been a very good and reliable car.
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  • Can't speak for myself - left my car behind when we moved to Boston (and Zipcar just aint the same, YKWIM?)
    But 3 friend-couples with a little one (or 2) of their own bought cars in Germany this year:
    image (Golf Variant)
    image(Focus Turnier)
    image(Peugeot 207)

    Notice a trend back to the station wagon? ;)

    The ones who have the VW love it, the two others are not complaining (at least to me).

    Hope you find something you like!
    The original: Aug2013
    The remix: Feb2017
    The encore: coming Oct2019

     
  • haddocky said:
    My Honda Accord has been a very good and reliable car.
    This.  We bought a pre-owned Accord last year (I think it was a 2011 or 2012) and its working well for us.  
    K & M married 10.8.2011 *** BFP 7.17.2012, EDD 3.21.2013, Miscarriage at 6 wks 3 days *** BFP #2 11.7.2012, beautiful Tess born 7.11.2013
  • We have a Honda CRV and Honda Accord.  We love both of them.  The CRV is what we use for trips and family outings.  The Accord is used mostly for MH's business.  We hope to upgrade to the Pilot at some point, but the CRV is great.  
  • We love love love our Subaru outback
    Ditto this :)

    So sorry you've been having trouble getting around. The hail sounds like hell :(
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  • Thank you ladies, now I can actually do research on fewer models. I think in these matters it's better to hear some personal comments than read 100 reviews.

    The Accord and Civic look super nice but then I think I'd also look for something pre-owned in that case

    @missymr yes, too bulky is a no no... even if I love big cars haha but there's no space for breathing let alone parking! so all the subaru mamas, I envy you, that looks amazing!

    @econmama I was thinking hatchback too but I don't even know my reasoning, is it easier to fit things in the trunk like that?

    @amparo1981 I actually saw today that the Golf Variant is the family car of the year 2014 here, but God it's expensive! I think we'll get something around 20k euro. And yes, the majority of cars owned by families in Holland are station wagons, I guess Germany is the same...

    @Fayga yes, it was terrible... LO was crying and I was about to... I think I cried a little when we finally got home, like tears of relief...



    Daisypath Anniversary tickers     Lilypie Second Birthday tickers
    Surprise BFP on 11/02/12 EDD 07/06/13 --> Express wedding on 12/29/2012 --> G was born on 07/15/13
    *Multicultural family raising a multilingual toddler: Spanish, Italian, Dutch and English


  • edited December 2014
    econmama said:
    Our 2004 Honda Civic has 175,000 miles and is still kicking. It's the perfect city car. 

    I think we're goign to replace it shortly with a Honda Fit. We like the idea of a hatchback with kids. 
    I'm also on Team Honda. We have a CR-V, but I also like the Fit a lot, particularly if parking is an issue.

    ETA: I think a hatchback is HUGELY useful - every so often, you're going to want to move something big, and in that case, you can lie the seats down, and get a lot more space than you would with a standard trunk.
    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
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  • My husband drives a Passat and I LOVE it. We got it a year old with a ton of features for a very reasonable price. It has heated seats and a sun roof and drives AMAZING. It handles really well and drives so smooth, plus it is big enough for the kids. I would highly recommend it!!!!
  • mermomof6 said:
    When my kids all move out I want a Prius! I've loved that car for a long time but have always had too many kids!
    Haha, I'm totally picturing you driving a school bus for the time being ;-)
    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
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