Kids and Cars

[jonnycat]

If you have kid(s) what is your ideal ride?
Does what you have work great?
Does what you have lack something, that is forgivable for the fact the car is still fun to drive?

I'm having one this year, and would like to stay with a mid-size sedan, but am open to hearing all opinions on what is best. I don't want to go the whole minivan route, as I still really enjoy driving, not just commuting.

Any info would be great, thanks.

[PINOY-X]

get an STI its a 4door + it has power .. and u can still put a kid sit in the back and it would be nice to drive in the winter... or u can always get a TSX roomy and still sproty looking ... i think most of the SEDANS out there now are pretty nice all depends on what u like ... or u could always go with an SUV

[bobby_lu]

Specify budget please.

RR Sport SC

[topmade]

I love my van. I said the same thing as you but after we got it, I have absolutely no regrets on it. They are higher so it's easier to get the kids in and out of them. If there are problems, you can attend to them without getting out of the vechile. You can toss the strollers in the back without trying to wedge it in a little trunk with your other baby stuff. And seriously they kick ass. A lot of the vans new and older have lots of power, decent handling, and good fuel economy. But also another reason we bought it is because I hated borrowing relatives vans and trucks because I had to move something that didn't fit in the car which was very common with us starting our family.

[xrayvsn]

I have an STI that I share with my kids in the morning. We also need a minivan since I have more than 2 kids, but if you only have the one child, your possibilities for a vehicle open up a lot.


http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q318/xrayvsn_sti/IMG_0044.jpg

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q318/xrayvsn_sti/IMG_0053.jpg

Kids love boost.

[al-ti2d]

^ lmao, that is pimp

[Masked Bandit]

An idea of your budget would help.


You can drop a child seat in just about anything. What I didn't realize the first time around was the amount of stuff that comes with a kid. Pick something that has enough space for TWO strollers. It's not that you'll need two strollers, but one stroller and all the other crap.

I bought the wife a CR-V and it's perfect.

[Doozer]

I went through exactly this last year! We didn't have a kid yet, although we knew one would be on the way (which it now is!).

You sound exactly like I did at the time. I ended up getting the Altima because it was exactly what I was looking for: a compromise of sport and function.

Other vehicles I looked at/drove:

Acura TSX - excellent quality, but small and horrible financing rates
Subaru Legacy - good, but felt cheap inside, and was about 10K more, for the same options, because of the AWD.
Ford Fusion (token domestic car) - not even comparable, particularly with resale value
Mazda 6 - second place, partly because 2 of my friends have them, and I didn't want the same car.

There were others of course, but you have to narrow down the list somehow.The Audi A4, and Volvo S40 were just out of my price range, for example.

My wife has an '02 Jetta which is 4-doors, but it falls into the same catagory as the TSX and many other cars I looked at: 4 doors, but still too small to be useful. It's not impossible, but it's a lot tougher getting the car seat in and out of the Jetta than it is the Altima. The back doors on the Altima give way more room to work with whatever's in the back seat, than the Jetta does. I've had no problems fitting 3 men + 3 hockey bags in the car, and still had enough power to pass most of the other cars on the road. :thumbsup:

Anyway, just my thoughts...

[mekeni]

get an SUV for the missus.. :thumbsup:

[ZorroAMG]

LMAO, please not an SUV!! Wagons are pimp...C or E-class wagon, 5 series wagon, A4 wagon SAAB wagon, Volvo wagon

or Mazda 5, Subaru etc Jetta wagon

They have the utility without the stupid height and gas wasting ability....all are very safe as well

[turbotrip]

Originally posted by mekeni
get an SUV for the missus.. :thumbsup:

:werd:

[jonnycat]

Sorry, budget for a used ride would be peferably $20K and less

A new ride, $32,000 ish

To help with my thinking process, the list so far is..

2004 Grand Prix GTP $17-20k
2005-06 Magnum $17-23k
2007 Mazda 5 $27K
07-08 Edge $34K+
07-08 CX7 $30K ish +


I currently have a G6 Coupe, and the travel system stroller wasn't even able to fit through the trunk opening.

[frozenrice]

Why do parents think that bigger is better? Bigger stroller = bigger vehicle like a minivan or SUV? :thumbsdow
It getting ridiculous the size of some of the strollers I've seen. They're almost bigger than a Smart car. I live on a bit of an incline. I sometimes see these moms with these huge ass strollers that they can barely push up hill because they're so big. Maybe that's why they need SUVs and minvans - so they can carry their stroller. Anyways, off topic.

I'd say a wagon FTW. If you can't fit your stroller get a trailer to pull it with.
I'd also add this. If you're not that picky, don't buy brand new since your kids will quickly puke, spill, sneeze, piss, splatter, smudge, all sorts of matter into the upholstry anyways. Save the money buying used, get scotchguarded and buy Happy Meals with the leftover money. You can keep the coins in the coin tray for the vaccumm at the carwash, you're gonna need it.

[wintonyk]

i work at the dock pickup at sears and its ridiculous the amount of crap and the size of the stuff for kids. One thing not even worth considering is the Accord. The trunk opening is too small to fit the average stroller in. Big trunk just small opening.

[frozenrice]

Unless it's one of these Accords :

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v219/frozenrice/photogallery_2812.jpg

[wintonyk]

hahaha sooo true