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Cars for Moms - comments, concerns and wants!
Calling all moms! What are you looking for in a vehicle?
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Reliability
Decent gas mileage
Manual transmission
Sporty good looks
Smooth, road-hugging ride
Front wheel drive
Pep for highway merging
Comfortable seating for 4-5
Cargo room/room for dogs
Excellent sound system
I found all these (and more) in my 2004 Mazda6 Sport Wagon. It's a terrific car.
C. C.
I need baby in a safe but close position.
I need space for all her stuff.. stroller, car seat.. with room for other passengers too.
I would like a minivan, because the doors slide to the side instead of opening out, I take a while buckling and unbuckling her out of the seat in parking lots and I do not want to ding other cars or mine with the door wide open.
I want some sort of distraction for her, like for her to watch her Wiggles DVD.
I love the idea of power doors/back door on a mini van, so when I have my hands full with her and purchases I can open car very easily..
MOM's really need alot out of their vehicles...
http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/list/top10/103745/article.html
You might check out these discussions:
Mazda6 Wagon (2004)
Malibu MAXX vs Mazda 6 hatch/wagon vs Outback
The comparsion topic might give you ideas about other vehicles to suit your needs.
kirstie_h
Roving Host & Future Vehicles Host
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h)
Review your vehicle
Most 3-row crossovers require that the second seat tilt, fold, or slide to get to the third row. Even if a child seat fits in the third robew, the issue of getting back there may be too large a hurdle unless you want to load/unload that child in from the rear hatch over the seatback.
Most car specification listings will tell you how many LATCH fittings they have, and I would probably use that as a guide, regardless of how many passengers the car says it can seat. The Mazda6 seats 3 in the rear, but only has 2 LATCH positions.
kcram
Host - Wagons
A really good bet is the Volvo XC90. You shouldn't have a problem there, and the middle seat has a built-in booster seat, meaning you wont have to try to cram three huge pieces of plastic across. It's also a great car in general.
A friend of mine also got three across in the Acura MDX, but honestly, I don't see how she did it. A lot depends on the width of your child seat, which can vary more often than you'd think.
Let us know what you decided!
With two off-spring now 7 and 8, we didn't need the third seat, and wanted "dirty" cargo space, which the pick-up provides with a cap on the bed. Incrementally longer than a Burb/Yukon, but less money for a heavier duty truck. Only beef is sometimes parking can be a pain, but that's life with a full-size truck.
Cmon now -- how about setting up some criteria here, like:
- How many people do you need to carry
- What is your budget, car payment-wise, insurance-wise and fuel-wise
- What do you ask of your car other than pure physical space (like handling and fun, f'rinstance)
- Is reliability and resale value of any consequence to you at all
Once you have answered these questions honestly, I think you'll find that the choices offered are average, poor and worse. May I suggest some alternatives?
How about ANY station wagon other than a German one? (They are usually Mercedes or Audis, which have abysmal reliability, astronomic maintenance costs and terrible resale value.) A Subaru Forester (or its Saab equivalent) would be a great choice. Sparkling performance and handling with reliability to match.
You MUST have a large SUV, you say? How about a Sequoia? Nice and large, with Toyota quality and resale value into the bargain.
Only need room for five? How about the ultra-cutting-edge Scion xB? You will ALWAYS be noticed (especially if it's in hot tangerine), you will only sip gasoline, and your kids will think you're the coolest thing since (well, whatever they think is cool nowadays). Another good choice is the Honda Element, although it only has seating for four, which probably won't do.
There are many good choices out there -- I just don't think American dinosaurs are it. Sorry....
For small families I think a Forester (btw, there is no Saab version. The new Saab SUV is based on the Chevy Trailblazer, like a million other SUVs), or Pilot would do very well.
mad tite JDM yo!
PS - I have two slobbery dogs and 2 kids in car seats. When all go somewhere our drive of choice is the old Volvo wagon, otherwise known as the "Roving land of Barbie doll and action figure body parts" which I find in every nook and cranny.
The new Mazda 6 wagon looks real sharp with the sport package and big wheels all for around mid to upper 20's and handles great also. Subies new wagons look real nice and have upgraded interior materials and great high safety marks..
I have to laugh seeing these maybe 5'-3 women coming out or sitting behind the wheel of a land barge Landcruiser or Hummer.
Thanks!
The new E wagon, although painfully pricey, is a real beauty, better looking than any SUV could dream, and unlike a SUV, it isn't pretending to be something that it isn't. If I found I was a Halliburton heir or otherwise came into a fortune, I could see myself in one.
Accord wagon in NA? I know they sell it elsewhere...and it is kind of interesting.
Help me select a Wagon
Upcoming Wagons & Crossovers
What Wagon Would You Like To See Offered?
kcram
Host - Wagons
As far as cars for moms; well, it's been four years since our first child; we've now got two, and there is NOTHING I can say or do to get my wife to give up her Honda Accord coupe!
Actually, the two car seats fit in the back seat of the Accord just fine. For family trips we take my Volvo S70, but we've never wanted for passenger or cargo space in either car (and this includes family trips from Iowa to Massachusetts at least annually.) I'd like to get her a wagon (or get me a wagon and have her drive my car...either way is fine by me) I guess I've always been mystified by people who have one kid and decide they need a Honda Odyssey or Chevy Tahoe.
kcram
Host - Wagons
The downside he gets killed at the pumps, 8-9 mpg.
Before we got our mini-van I joked to my wife about buying a used limo. Think how cool the kids would look pulling up to school in that.
kram -- You're right about the safety issue. But isn't that already an issue in many minivans and SUVs, where you have to fold and flip a seat to get to the third row? I shudder to think of what would happen in an accident... I've never really thought about it before, but it's a serious question.
I have my minivan configured for my convenience -- the second row seats have the space in the middle, which makes it easier for me to load my daughter in her carseat (because it's right next to the open door). The carpool kids have to climb into the second row, and cross to the third row by squeezing between the two second-row seats. I had been thinking about putting the second row seats together to make it easier on the carpool kids (especially now that my daughter is almost 3). Now that I think about the difficulties of exiting the car with my current configuration, I'm even more likely to make that change. Thanks!
kcram
Host - Wagons
http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/list/top10/103824/article.html
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h)
Review your vehicle
http://www.chevrolet.com/safety/latch/
that will tell you how many car seats you can fit in any of their cars, or conversely, which cars will fit the number of cars seats you have. You can also find illustrations of where to put the car seats depending on if you want to use LATCH or prefer to belt them in. This may be an industry first and it is very easy to understand. Way to go Chevy!
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I'm going to have to disagree with that statement. The only thing 4x4 helps with getting started off the line in low traction situations. After that, they stop and steer just like any other vehicle on ice...that is to say, poorly (in fact, more poorly than a car, given the greater mass and higher center of gravity.) Now, if by "up north" you mean "in the mountains of Colorado," then a more dedicated off-road machine (read: truck-based SUV) would defintiely have an advantage over a car. If you mean something along the lines of "the suburbs of Minneapolis," I submit that a well-designed car is the superior (and safer) choice. There are plenty of cars available with all wheel drive, and with lower centers of gravity, better mileage, better impact protection, and better handling, they're easier to live with on a day-to-day basis.
I've lived in snowy climates my whole life (Massachusetts, Colorado, South Dakota, New Hampshire, and Iowa, in that order) and have owned front drive, rear drive, and four wheel drive vehicles. I've never been stuck in any of them, ever, and found the 4x4 (a GMC pickup) to be the most difficult to deal with in everyday driving.
For a family vehicle that I trust with my kids' safety, make mine a wagon. A V70R would do nicely.
SUVs offer a false sense of security. Because people think that they are safer, they drive the vehicle in icy and snowy conditions as if the roads were clear.
From my experience in the northern states, there are several critical factors in safe driving:
1) Tires and the other mechanical components in the vehicle must be properly maintained.
2) All drivers need to develop experience in snowy conditions. Mall parking lots at 3 am in the morning are great places to practice driving in snowy conditions.
3) Speeds need to be reduced. I am not saying that you should drive 15 in a 55 zone but they should be reduced for the weather conditions.
hope both you and he are aware that the right side bucket in the second row can be flipped forward, making access to the third row pretty easy. There is a latch on the right side of the seat, unless they changed it from my 1996 Carvan with the 4 bucket seats.
You can't get access to the third row seat any easier than this, with stow and go. It will still seat four in back very easily.
http://www.msnusers.com/Myminivan/shoebox.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=12
The old concept of "divide and conquer"...you put one kid in the second row, the other in the third row, on opposite sides of the car. Then, they can't touch each other....
We have three kids in car seats and six car seats , I did not want to mess around with switching the between vehicles and making all the adjustments. With the built in You will not need to make any adjustments.
If you are just having your baby though it could be up to 2 years before you use the booster seat. Infant seats are always rear facing.
So long as you plan on having the car until your child is old enough to use the booster, it's probably worth the $300 for the convenience.
Good luck and congratulations on baby #1!
The old concept of "divide and conquer"...you put one kid in the second row, the other in the third row, on opposite sides of the car. Then, they can't touch each other....
Yes, something like this
http://sc.groups.msn.com/tn/66/10/Myminivan/1/c.jpg
For me, this would make a perfect vehicle.
5-speed is a must
sunroof is a must
Sliding doors would be great
Smaller than an Odyssey but with more cargo room than my Accord.
Plenty of front legroom .. (husband is 6'6)
Decent power with great gas mileage
Reliable
AWD would be nice as well.
So far the Mazda5 came close but the engine is a bit high-strung. There doesn't seem to be anything that meets all of that criteria but an Element meets most and is fairly inexpensive.
Really? I dunno, maybe I just pack really well; when our first child was born we had two coupes in the family; she's now 4 1/2, with a 19 month old brother, and we still have one of the coupes. The Cavalier (a hunk of metal more useful in its ore state; I wouldn't wish a bottom-line Chevy on my worst enemy's dog) was traded for a Volvo 740, which was itself replaced by an S70...we've still got the Accord coupe, and have never wanted for space. I've got to admit, though, now that the Accord is getting long in the tooth, the Mazda5 had caught my eye...
I guess the whole point of this rambling is that I've never understood the "We've got a KID! We need a MINIVAN/SUV!" mentality. We've gotten the whole family and all the accoutrements in the S70 for trips from Iowa to Massachusetts and back with room to spare.
My requirements are thus:
-5 speed preferred, but overlookable if the price is right (call this the "S70 corollary," if you'd like)
-Sunroof? Oh, it has a sunroof? OK, whatever. (the 740's leaked, and I've been leery of holes in the roof since...they're nice and all, but I keep my cars a long time.)
-Good mileage
-Decent power, but I certainly don't need to be a Schumacher (neither Michael, Ralf, nor Tony)
-Despite living in snow country, would prefer NOT to have AWD...I'd rather not contend with the extra weight, complexity, and mileage penalty. This portion of Iowa's flat-ish, so hill climbing ability is moot; we live in the city, so the roads are plowed in a timely manner.
-SAFE (after all, I've got two kids to transport.)
But hey, that's just me. YMMV. Given these requirements, if I had the money to replace the Accord tomorrow, I'd have a shopping list of three: Passat TDI, Mazda5, and Volvo V50.
The van has also served it's purpose on road trips and for trips to the home improvement store. The Little Giant Ladder Gee just bought would've been difficult, if not impossible, to get in the Accord with the car seat in the middle. We rarely drive the van unless we are all together, have additional passengers, or we are going on our monthly drop-off of all of our recyclable items.
Another factor that probably contributed to our buying the Ody was the size of little Gee's car seat and stroller. Both take up a good amount of space as the car seat is the 3-in-1 and the stroller takes up about 1/3 of the Accord's trunk and all of the space in the Si with the cargo cover installed.
With all that said though the Odyssey sure is awesome! 240HP with a DVD player make that thing THE best car in our driveway for long trips. Gas mileage isn't too bad. We average around 25-26 MPG with the front/rear AC on and 3-4 people in it.
I do have a friend who's 6'5", and he's got a kid and an S70, also. He liked mine so much he ended up buying one of his own.
I wish we had picked out a larger car when our kids were younger, like you did. My husband and I are both tall, too (he is 6'4", I'm 5'10"). When my kids were younger, of course I checked that the car seats fit and it was easy to help the kids in and out of them, room for the strollers, etc. Well, we bought a mid size sedan (V850), which fit the bill, and we still have and love.
HOWEVER - tall parents have tall kids, and at about 5 years old, my oldest started out growing the back seat. Her knees hit unless the passenger seat is pushed forward all the way, which makes it hard for all four of us to fit comfortably.
Now we have a slightly larger car that does fit us all (Pilot), and I hope it will continue to fit until the kids are old enough to drive themselves!
On the other hand, we trashed the old car so much, its nice to get a new car, for any reason!
It appears that you are right about tall parents = tall kids. My son just hit the 15 month mark and with the seat all the way back in the Odyssey his legs are long enough for him to be able to kick the back of seat. Kind of amusing to me but a bit disturbing to Gee when he's trying to sleep.
It was partially our fault for not doing a bit more research. We just assumed the Accord would be more than big enough and it probably was. We also have that condition known as "Chronic Car Buyer Syndrome" which probably cut the Accord's interior room by half
Our goal now is to drive what we have (04 Accord, 03 Civic Si, and a 94 Lexus) until 100,000 miles. If the perfect car comes along we might trade but as of right now there is nothing that satisfies EVERYTHING we both want.