OT: I need some advice for cars and don't know where to look!

[shelly3girls]

We are starting to research a new car to accomodate our growing family. We are selling our 300M b/c it does not fit 3 car seats. We already have a Pilot that we love but need something with more storage space b/c we travel by car a lot. I do not know where to look for advice on SUVs and how car seats fit in them. Does anyone know any websites where I can find this info?
I really want to be able to fit 2 boosters and a carseat across the first bench if need be (for our beach trips) and prefer it to seat 8. We have considered the Expedition and Sequoia but have no experience putting the carseats in. Sorry for this being so off topic but I just didn't know where else to ask, everyone here is so helpful.

 

[anabelle]

We have an Expedition and really love the room for long trips. But be advised it takes a lot of cash to fill it up. I would consider the crossover vehicles that are out right now. We used to call them station wagons.. Now they are cool crossover vehicles. Go figure. They offer all lot of the room you are looking for but with much better gas mileage. If you want to tow something then you should stick with the larger SUV type vehicle. My next vehicle is going to be a Nissan Quest.. It seats 8, drives like a car and looks cool. It is not a crossover and not quite a mini van.
For websites you could try www.autos.msn.com and go to the decision guide for help. Then try your carseats out at the dealers.

 

[JMCDAD]

edmunds.com is a great car site

 

[AUDramaQueen]

We have a Sequoya and love it! Yes, it does cost a lot to fill up so if that's a factor then it (as well as most SUV's) is out. BUT, we have a booster seat, and two child seats all on the first bench and they have plenty of room. There's also enough room so if you remove the booster for an adult to sit on the same bench, they are comfortable as well. There's lots of space for luggage even with the third row up. We looked at the Pilot but were concerned there was no cargo room when the third seat was up. We took ours to Disney earlier this summer and had no problems with space. I highly recommend it. Just go test drive a couple different ones and see for yourself which one suits you and your family the best.

 

[Colinsmom]

Have you tried playing with the seats rather than changing the car? Different brand seats fit differently, and you might have to play with the order to get the best fit.

For seating that many people, plus gear, IMO nothing beats a minivan. Not the most fashionable choice, perhaps, but not the gas guzzling monster that most of the large SUVs are!

 

[tinafromidaho]

just break down and get the minivan. The big SUVs are just the same but don't have the "minivan" stigma attached to them. The new pontiac montana has a front end that looks like a lot of SUVs now, and tons of room.

 

[rt2dz]

Going throught the EXACT same thing. I love my car so it really is very upsetting to me. Anyhow...

Talk to people you know who have bigger cars. Get their take on them, pros and cons. Ask the big question, "if you had it to do over again, would you buy the exact same make and model?"

In order to save yourself some time you may want to actually do this step first, pick up a Consumer Reports guide on cars!! Mine is on SUVs, Wagons, Minivans, & Trucks exclusively. Consumer Reports also has a website, but I'm not sure what info is available for free & what you have to pay for. Besides, I find the book (magazine) easier, it's much more portable than my computer. I read mine cover to cover only skipping those vehicles that I knew wouldn't fit the car seats & those of us not in car seats.

Next, go to the dealerships (devote a day depending on how many models make your list), looking at those models. Many you'll take a look at and decide to forget it, others you'll test drive. I had 8 on my list--3 vans & 5 SUVs. After this day we had it down to one van (Honda Odyssey) and one SUV (Toyota Sequioa).

Then, go to the websites. Build & price the cars in the running. Figure out the values (MSRP, Dealer Invoice, Wholesale [this includes holdbacks & dealer incentives]) on your new car and the value of your old car. Edmunds.com, kelly Blue Book, and the National Automobile Dealers Association are great on this. I highly recommend the new car reports from consumer reports for the new car, but skip it for the trade in. It is amazing that by knowing the numbers what a much better deal I was getting. Dealerships dropped down prices by thousands after they figured out that I knew.

Decide what your first choice is (mine is the Sequioa, but do to the fact the van is cheaper to gas up, insure, maintain, & purchase in the first place & probably more convienent with very little kids, I'm getting the van) and go get quotes from dealers. My highest quotes came from the internet sources of carsdirect.com and car.com, FYI. My best quotes came from using the "find a dealership" & "get a quote" button on the official manufacturer website for the vehicle. And that was easier since I did not have to go in and go through all the muck that goes with going into a dealership & could/would shop dealerships further out. I don't mind driving an hour to save $2000, but not just to go bargain in the first place. Save this for when the decision has been made. My middle quotes came from the dealerships I walked in to. My quotes varied dramatically. From full MSRP, and above a couple of times, to just about wholesale.

Now is a great time to buy a 2005 new. Either dealerships need to get rid of it because the 2006 is out or is about to be. That is a bargaining tool in and of itself. Sales are also very lull.

Most importantly, take your time and don't be pushed. And when you make your decision, stick to your guns! I had one dealership that gave me a great price, but then wouldn't dealertrade to get me the interior color I wanted after they said they would. I walked out, and amazingly enough, got a better deal (by only $500), but hey, it was wholesale price exactly--they needed to just reduced the 2005 inventory.

Sorry so long, but that is the info I have for you.

 

[rt2dz]

Here’s a list of websites I just ran across. Sorry I’m not including the links; you’ll just have to cut and paste

Pricing for new & used cars: Autosite.com, Edmunds.com, intellichoice.com, kbb.com, nada.com, & vmrintl.com (used only)

Vehicle reviews & comparisons: autoweek.com, automobilemag.com, caranddriver.com, epinions.com, motortrend.com, autos.msn.com, nctd.com, roadandtrack.com

Maintenance/ownership costs: intellichoice.com, Edmunds.com

Safety/crash results: hwysafety.org, nhtsa.dot.gov, safercar.gov

Fuel economy/emissions: amesaward.com, fueleconomy.gov, epa.gov/greenvehicles

And don’t forget consumerreports.org

 

[BraveMom3]

Mom of three children, and wife to one hubby, driving and loving my Excursion for 4 1/2 years now. My children are now almost 13, 9, and 8 yo, and we have been driving our Excursion around town and to WDW for about 8 trips now. We love our Excursion. I looked at all the larger SUV/Van-type vehicles, but the Excursion had absolutely the most interior room. When I first started out, one was in a booster seat and two were in car seats. I loved the fact that I could practically stand up in the vehicle to arrange them in their seats. In addition to the seat room, there is tons of "packing" room. We stay gone on one of our trips each year for about 2 1/2 weeks, and I am able to fit all our supplies comfortably in our car (only luggage for 3 children and myself-hubby only joins us for a few days of our trip).

 

[shelly3girls]

Thank you for all of the advice. I will definitely look into all of these resources. I think we prefer the SUVs b/c we found that our Town and Country (just sold it this year b/c we started having major problems with it) did not have much storage space. We really need to be able to put duffle bags or suitcases in the rear. Are there any minivans that offer this space behind the third bench?

DH drove an Expedition and a Sequoia and we still like both. We will have to check out the sites listed above to compare them.

 

[tlbwriter]

Car-safety.org is an excellent website dedicated to carseats and family cars. Lots of good buying info. Three seats will fit in almost any vehicle - even a tiny Neon. The trick is getting the right seats in the right configuration.

 

[rt2dz]

Car-safety.org is an excellent website dedicated to carseats and family cars. Lots of good buying info. Three seats will fit in almost any vehicle - even a tiny Neon. The trick is getting the right seats in the right configuration.

You are absolutely correct; however, the problem we found is that not every seat is as safe as it could be--safety varies from vehicle to vehicle. In other words, not every carseat fits into every car the same. I'm fanatic about making sure that I have the safest seat possible for the vehicle I drive. And I found that the smaller seats that would fit three across in my car weren't exteremly safe for my car. I may be a little fanatic on that, but I have good friends who are paramedics and I hear awful stories, and I know people who've lost children in car accidents (not to any fault of their own) for not having very safe (for their car) carseats.

I think we prefer the SUVs b/c we found that our Town and Country (just sold it this year b/c we started having major problems with it) did not have much storage space. We really need to be able to put duffle bags or suitcases in the rear. Are there any minivans that offer this space behind the third bench?

I agree with you on much preferring the SUV. I, personally, wouldn't drive the Ford because I've had such problems with Ford (ie, not getting recall notices, not honoring warranty without letter from lawyer, their knowingly putting bad tires on vehicles, their knowingly using faulty switches on several vehicles that cause the engine to spontanously catch on fire even when turned off & then not recalling all vehicles with the switches, etc). I love the Sequioa though--it's my dream car.

HOWEVER, part of the reason we went with the Odyssey was because we do travel by car quite a bit--several long weekends a year, Disney once a year, and some other vacation once a year--and we decided the Odyssey had more room. It has underfloor storage and there is a larger cargo area with a board (accessory) that goes over the top for layering--underfloor storage and top storage; as an everyday thing, the stroller goes beneath and then I can put groceries/shopping bags below or vice versa. We also found there is more interior room for the kids to not be piled up on one another and be more comfortable. Plus, we added the luggage rack to the top for our longer trips so we can haul more stuff more comfortably, but we would have done that (had a bigger need to) even if we got the Sequioa.

To give you an idea of what cargo room you have: Ford Expedition has a rear opening of 50 x 35 (in) and cargo box (l x w x h, in) of 77 x 48x 29 with a maximum volume load of 62 cu ft and max load of 1400 lbs; Toyota Sequoia has a rear opening of 50 x 39 (in) and cargo box (l x w x h, in) of 68 x 43 x 35 with a maximum volume load of 59 cu ft and max load of 1320 lbs; The Honda Odyssey has a rear opening of 45 x 41 (in) and cargo box (l x w x h, in) of 80 x 38 x 38 with a max. volume load of 66 cu ft and max load of 1320 lbs.

And again, the fully loaded van cost me less to purchase than a very base Sequioa; then it is cheaper to insure, fill up, and maintain. And to me, while I won't drive a vehicle that doesn't meet my needs or horrible to me in some other way, I wouldn't spend a fortune on a vehicle either--it's a way to get from point A to point B, hopefully comfortably.

I do have to admit, I'm not a big van fan. It was a major concession on my part to even look at them. I was really surprised I liked the Odyssey, and I still didn't really want it. But practicality wins out--although I did tell DH that I would only drive it a maximum of 5 years (3 without complaint, then it will be paid off, so...).

 

[aplejax76]

We are / were looking for a new car. Hubby swears by www.cars.com. It tells you everything you need to know plus reviews. It helped us decide on what type of car we wanted. What we could afford. We were very prepared when we finally got our car. Good Luck!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[fiveacesmmb]

We just bought a new Nissan Quest last wednesday!!!! I love, love, love this car!!!!! Very spacious inside......doesn't look like it outside, but wait till you open the doors. Sliding doors opens wider than other vans so getting into third seat is a snap. Also third seat is stadium seating...it's higher than 2nd row, also third row is very wide. It has little storage bins....everywhere. And the cargo space in the back is also very deceiving. Lots of space. I have a rather large stroller that fits flat...not on it's side. Also has lots of grocery hooks for shopping bags and such. Even has a hook for your purse. All in all.....just a pleasure to drive as well. And the base model comes with quite a lot of features. We just bought the base, and I paid 22,000...out the door!!!! What a deal!!! What a great van for the money!!! And lastly, it's cool looking!!!! People have turned there heads when I drove by.....and it's the car not me....LOL!!!!!

 

[ryanmilla]

I have to say, and this is coming from a man, I was all about the SUV. When our family started to grow, we started looking at larger SUV's. But after reluctantly checking out the Honda Odyssey, I was converted. We bought our Honda Odyssey in 2004 and I absolutely love that car. It is VERY comfortable to drive, easy to drive, great visibility from all directions and unbelievalby roomy. I do a lot of home-improvement projects and I can easily stack loads of 4x8 plywood or drywall sheets in there. Couldn't do that in most SUV's, even the large ones. And the gas mileage is much better. And putting kids into car seats is soooooo much better.

I know the SUV's look a bit better, but I wouldn't discount the minivans yet.

A great place to look is consumer reports. The website is a subscription site, but worth it.

 

[5kwallace]

I love the Ford Expedition. I have owned 3 in the past. Three months ago my DH talked me into trading my 2004 Expedition for a Toyota Highlander. The only good thing that I can say about the Highlander is that it is saving me @$100.00 a month in gas. I really miss my Expedition. We took a trip to WDW in April in the Highlander. What a mistake! No room like my Expedition. I really love all the features that you get with the Expedition. I have never had a problem with any of my Expedtions. The only reason I traded was for the gas mileage. I am looking forward to when I get rid of my Toyota and go back to the Expedition. The car seats are really easy to install. The power fold 3rd row seat is great. It folds flat when you do not need it. The keyless entry (number pad on the door panel) is great. You do not have to worry about locking your keys in the vehicle.

 

[shelly3girls]

Just when I thought I had it narrowed down now we need to add the Odyssey and Quest to the list! Thank goodness we are in no rush and have plenty of time to check out all of them. Thank you again everyone, I knew all of you would offer tons of advice!

 

[Berrygood]

I have a 2003 Exepedition that I've had for almost 3 years and love it. All seating positions have lap/shoulder belts, but unfortunetly the middle seats don't have adjustable headrest. It also has side curtain airbags. All three positions in the middle seating row have LATCH. The middle seat in the middle row can slide forward up to 11". Both sides fold up to allow access to back row which has power fold down seats with plenty of leg room. The power fold down seats are great, they are there when you need them, but don't take up alot of space when you don't.

I got the DVD play and navigation system, and boy, I won't get a car without them again.

There pedals adjust foward and back to allow for various leg lengths and the seat, mirror, and pedal positions can be set to memory and are linked to the key fob remote so when you hit your, it goes to your settings.

My 5 1/2 DD is in a Britax Wizard that is in the middle seating position. I've have another wixard and a husky installed on either side of it with no problem.

There's a database at carseatdata. org
That tells you what child safety seats work in what cars. I believe it's compiled by people that have acutally tried them.

HTH