Car Buying Research Help

This is by no means a commentary against the poster here, but not enough room for two kids in a Honda CR-V? I will preface this by saying that I don't have kids, but my parents did. My sister and I were carried around in a Nissan Sentra, a Nissan Maxima, Dodge Spirit and Mazda 626. I don't recall ever not having enough room. The world still turned back when there weren't SUVs.

I see this whole thing with big cars and space as another example of our out-of-control consumption. We don't need it, but we buy it anyway.

 

Thing is, it's HER idea! She's serious about three consecutive kids. February 2008, May 2009, March 2010.

EDIT: I completely forgot, this is the reasons I log into this thread: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/

Great site.

 

The difference is, in eight years you might have another couple years left before you need to sell the Toyota. The Dodge will be fit for nothing but recycling into beer cans by then.

 

Look at a Toyota Sienna. Have had it for 3+ years now and absolutely no regrets. Runs like a top. Well laid out for us (2 boys 6 and 9 now). Great storage and not bad gas mileage (avg. 19 around town, 20+ on freeways). Great resale too.

I would suggest looking at a 1 or 2 yr. old minivan and you could get a great deal.

Minivans are a much better way of getting your kids in and out of the car than the CR-V or other SUV. Sliding doors, folding seats, kids sit high and get to see out, captains chairs for parents.

American? Although I drove a Mustang for 13 years (2 cars), the little things break down whereas with the Japanese cars the little things do not wear out and stay solid. Plus the cars just hold up better. That comes at a cost but one well worth it.

consumerreports and KBB definitely. Edmunds has been helpful. We've bought and sold 5 cars in the past 10 years.

Good luck.

 

Don't forget about Nissan. The Murano is the answer to the CR-V and you maybe able to get one a bit cheaper. I just purchased a Nissan product and the dealer said that Toyota and Honda are seeming to get a bit of a head about them, overpricing their products. Still can't go wrong, but you probably get more value with a Nissan or Mazda.

 

Yes to Nissan. No to new Mazdas because they're now little more than rebadged Fords with Ford mechanical parts. Avoid, avoid, avoid ...

And while I don't want to come off overdefending Toyota or Honda, the Nissan Murano wasn't exactly a superb bang for the buck, either. Nice vehicle, especially where SUVs/crossovers go, but quite pricey.

 

I'm sorry if I ever gave you shit on this site. You are apparently married to a crazy woman.

My condolences.

 

At least she's always breast-feeding!! Which is always a nice look.

 

Meaning, it's on the small end for an SUV. Yes, there will be space for two kids, but remember: you have to have enough room for all of their crap too. My cousin has two kids under the age of five (one boy and one girl...remember, if you have one of each it can be hard to share the stuff because boys want GI Joes and girls want Barbies...or so I've heard) and she drives a minivan and when it comes time for family vacations, it can get pretty cramped in there. Plus, you need room for strollers and car seats and if you're going to have more than just you, your wife and your kids (if you get there and you're meeting up with friends and family), you'll have to take more than one car.

 

My wife drives a Toyota Sienna and I drive a Honda Element. I would highly recommend either. They both run beautifully and get decent mileage for their class.

The Element design is a love-it-or-hate-it, but functionally it's fantastic. Plenty of room, the rear seats fold away, and you can literally hose off the rubber floor if you need to.

 

I'll pile on for subscribing to Consumer Reports. It saved me more than $7,000 on a car and $1,000 on a washer and dryer within six months.

I think that's pretty good motivation for signing up.

 

If you're looking for room and gas mileage, I've heard good things about the Ford Escape.