off topic but pertains to child safety lol

my car is on its last wheel.  poor thing is moving on to 100,000 miles and is horrible on gas and isnt running like she used to.  i GULP am considering a minivan!! i cant believe those words just came from my finger tips but ill tell you why lol.  my son is playing football.  i have to tote a huge back of equipment, chairs, sun cover, stroller, well you moms know what im talking about!  the tahoes and subs are way too expensive and not great on gas, but i think the mv's arent as great either.  i drive a lot!  what do you all drive, and is it great for storing tons of stuff, and how is the gas milage and how has it been for you with mechanical probs?  my dh has a toyota corolla he bought for his long commute and its been the best car, but i think toyota vans are pricey. maybe i should go used?  any ideas ladies!! btw, lol, it can be an american or foriegn car (sb that was for you lol).  

[Kim1989]

i drive two cars...eh .well my mom has all three but i drive two. i have a lil sports car acura mdx (2 door, 4 seater, even though its really squishy if your in the back)

the other car i mostly drive now is the acura mdx 2004 (4 door, 7 seater, with a HUDGE trunk) its an suv but i love driving that car and its so much easier to drive with him in it. its got PLENTY of room, more cupholders than i could think of, SPACE! and a hudge trunk! HUDGE! my lil sports car has a hudge trunk to but to get his carseat in that car, i have to climb in just to put him in his seat and its just horrible trying to drive that car with an infant.

my rsx gets GREAT gas miles, the suv eh not so much, to fill it on the most expensive (here in jersey, fairly cheep) it takes 72 bucks! over i like driving the suv as my mommy moible because of the room, height, comfort, etc

[tiredbuthappy]

i'm stuck with my practical, fuel efficient corolla too. i wanted to get something bigger, and since we'll hopefully start TTC in the fall, i am dreading squeezing 2 car seats into the back seat. but in order to afford a second baby, i gotta hold on to my practical, fuel efficient corolla :( So i'll just read the responses and dream of a new car...

if i were to get something new, i would probably look into a cross-over - my brother has a RAV-4 and he said it gets good mileage.

[2ndBaby]

I just bought a Tahoe because I wanted the space and heat/air vents in the back (hello-it's 109 degrees here!), but the dealer introduced me to the Dodge Journey.  It is a new vehicle for the 2009 model year.  A 4 cylinder SUV crossover-type vehicle.  Roomy-can have a third row seat if you choose-and very innovative when it comes to storage...under seats, under floor boards, etc.  I had my heart set on something else or I would've looked harder at the Journey.  Something to think about...

Whatever you look at, read customer reviews at msn . auto

[nursekim]

I just bought a Toyota van last night.....DH's nonpractical 10 year old  mustang finally gave out.  I was pleasantly surprised at the prices....I remember looking at them 5 years ago when I bought a car and thinking they were waaaay too expensive.  I shopped around and got a nicely equipped model for a great price.  Today was my first day driving but so easy to get a 6 year old and infant in and out.  Great storage...,...I will just have to see about the gas economy.  

About buying a van my husband said "I am officially old (30) I have become my parents, we are now the owners of a minivan" LOL

[K1990]

I just got a 2008 Nissan Rogue in March and I love it, it has a huge back, so it would have plenty room for all the gear.  It has 5 stars for safety and I love it, you can never lock your keys in your car because it has an intelegent key, so no more digging for the keys in your purse because if you are close enough to the car you can unlock it by touching a little button on the side of the car.  It is a SUV and very comfy and roomy.  I don't know what you want to spend or anything but mine was $26,000 fully loaded so it's not bad and well worth it because I love it!

[K1990]

Oh and its a cross over so it gets wonderful milage for a SUV.  I get 26-28 mixed highway and city and 30 if its mainly highway.

[babyscience]

I drive a Land Rover, it is a gas hog.  We rented a minivan once and I fell in love with it.  There will always be that stigma that goes with it...but they turn on a dime, are somewhat easy to park, better on gas, comfortable, spacious, and you can walk anywhere in them!  Haha!  I would get one...it is really practical for everything!

[pertykitty]

id drive the supercharged landrover if i had an extra $75,000 haha.  i will just put a blower on mine and... wait there goes the gas lol.

kim i love the new acura mdx (is that what its called?) but boy they are pricey!  i dont know how you do it.

tired i understand, i would keep driving mine but its not running well and we have dumped more money into it lately than we care to admit. i have a 2000 isuzu rodeo, NEVER BUY ONE lol.

we wont ever agree so i guess ill end up with whatever when one of us gives in lol

[have 2 kids]

I drive a Tahoe.   Gets 18 MPG.  Not great but I need the room for hauling kids around.
I can't bring myself to do the minivan.

[girliegrl1723]

i have a pontiac torrent, which is similar, if not exactly rhe same thing as a chevy equinox. just last weekend, i was able to fit ALL of edwards gear, our beach supplies plus a cooler in the back back and me, edward (in his carseat), my husband and his sister, quite comfertably. i get good gas mileage. with gas prices these days, its been more to fill up, but i dont think i ever paid more than $52 to fill. it super safe and reliable and i have had it for over a year and - knock on wood - have had no problems yet. i am not a fan of those HUGE suv's and wont be running out to buy a minivan anytime soon, so this was the perfect comprimise for me. my husband drive an 07 chevy silverado (p/u truck) which fits edward caeseat but not much else, so we pretty much end up taking my car to every family function. we even drove it to maryland (we live in jersey) a few weekends ago with all of our luggage and again, it was pretty comfertable. listen to me, i sound like a commercial! haha. good luck car shopping :o)

[Kim1989]

PERTY-....no its not the new acura mdx. its the older model. its a 2004. we got it in january of this year. my mom went out for an oil change at the dealership for her car and came home and told me i had to go to the dealership with her. eh ok i went. she said she wanted me to look at a car with her. well they had (our car) a suv that had just come off lease and was reduced because it wasnt new. and she loved it! it was 20,000 even though i tried to tell her we could have gotten a acura TL for that price and it wouldnt drink gas. we aruged about it for a good hour and she talked me into it.

we compaired the new mdx and the older mdx,

new mdx, its very pretty on the outside, suv, but smaller, smaller trunk, more $!!!!!
old mdx, VERY big, HUDGE trunk, hudge inside and hell was cheeper than my lil car!

and she tried to tell me once you have a baby your going to need the biggest trunk you could find and sure enough. his stroller is in the trunk now (it cant even fit in my trunk) along with his pack and play. becuase the last row folds down it makes it that much bigger

so even though the mdx ian older modle and is used, it didnt look it and had more room than the new mdx

[GNicole]

I drive a GMC Yukon (equivalent to the Tahoe). Love it!!! Not great on gas,  love the room, captains seats in the middle row (like a minivan) and then it has a back seat also, not alot of room with the back seats up unless you get the Yukon XL (equivalent to the suburban), love the DVD player although Avery doesn't! Great for hauling and I feel very safe in it! Also love Onstar (remember last weeks incident)! They are pricey but there are some great deals going on right now-I just saw the commercial the other day! Good luck with whatever you decide!

[Kim1989]

o yeah its Acura MDX....my moms got a thing for acura, she says the last, she travels with her job and has to drive all over the eastcoast sometimes weekly, and makes trips to md all the time, we've driven to florida 3 times in that car...shes put a lot of miles on her car and she says it still runs great. she hasnt bought an acura in about 20 years

[babyscience]

I would love a supercharged Land Rover also...haha.  Unfortunately we could only afford the base model LR3 V6 (first years model 2005).  I dont think they make a V6 now (which I couldnt imagine why, so it lags a little on the go and you probably shouldnt tow anything with it, hehe)!  Oh but we had to get the heated seat option, even though we live in So Cal we like a warm Bum!
My friend has the same year and color LR3, but it is loaded with everything and a V8!  It is funny to see where all my blank buttons (covers) are and what actually belongs there!  Like there are additional cupholders that pull out.  I have the slot...but mine dont pull out.  It is like would it have killed LR's budget to throw in the cupholders in all cars!  I also dont have auto lights...what is this world coming too!  Haha!

[babyscience]

Oh to add to safety, I do feel safe in my lunch box car!  LOL, my DH hates when I call it that...it is actually his but I drive it now.  But it is true, it looks like a lunch box!

[Tanker Chic]

Right now, I have a 2005 subaru legacy sedan (not wagon), with a turbo so it requires super premium gas (91 octain).  It only gets around 21 mpg, but I love the way it looks and drives.  

DH has a mini cooper which is not very practical.

We are looking into getting rid of the mini. We looked at the Toyota Highlander which we both love, but I hate spending that much on a vehicle.  

Some friends of ours got the Saturn Vue SUV.. it is really nice and not quite as expensive as some of the others..

[pertykitty]

my mom has a highlander and loves it. it hasnt had one problem.  im torn between looks and convenience.  having two now its not bad, but what if i have another?  where would that baby sit? lol. those are all things to think about.  what if you end up with twins hannah?   i need something better on gas though, i drive 2 hours a day taking my son to school and picking him up, so i get tired of the gas bill i have now.  we have considered moving but our lease isnt up till feb.  ugh lol

[vasdi]

I have a minivan...I don't have ani kids yet but the mv is very usefull...even for thing like grocery shoping. It is not bad for gas and we use it whenever we go camping or even if we need to move furniture around.

[RockRose]

I've had two minivans in a row,  and now I drive a 2008 Honda CRV.  The first minivan was a Plymouth Voyager POS,  and the second was a Town and Country that I liked a lot.  But I really like the CRV better - it has less passenger and cargo room than a van,  but more than a car.

It gets 23.4 miles to the gallon - I know this because the little thing on the dashboard tells you what gas mileage you're getting.  ;D

Happy shopping!

[Tanker Chic]

PK

Bite your tongue!!  Family of 4 is all we need :)  

That is why I'm not going to use and fertility meds this time.  One good follicle is enough for me :)  

[surprisebaby]

I drive a CREW CAB 2007 GMC2500 series short box 4x4  series and to be perfectly honest.  It is not horrible on gas.  We bought a cap for the back,and we haul all the hockey, lacrosse, golf, whatever in the back....TONS OF ROOM.  I'll bet they are having a great deal on trucks these days...because of gas prices.  Don't get the "EXTENDED" cab....for the simple reason that these doors open together....(suicide doors...) and when you are grocery shopping....really difficult to get your cart in there with ya!
I love my p/u truck...we were gonna get the dreaded mini van too, but with 3 kids, there wouldn't be as much cargo room.  Our truck seats 6 and I am usually sitting in the backseat with LOTS of leg room!  And the best part is now we have something to drag our "Work and Play"  camper trailer  around with too.  Can't drag that with a mini van....

[Fourpaws]

I am looking into getting a tahoe. ***** on gas, but has tons of room. I drive a jeep liberty now and I can barely get the stroller in and the car seat barely fits! The gas isn't that great either.I get 15 mpg! I can't bring myself to get a minivan either though they are great with the size/seating. Lexus makes a very nice looking minivan.I saw one the other day. I bet they are expensive though?? I like the small suv's but they don't hold much stuff! I wasted my money buying this liberty. I thought (before I had a baby) that this car would work for a new baby but I was wrong. When I have the car seat in, the person sitting in front of it has to put their seat pretty much in the dashboard! Like I said, the gas mileage isn't that good either for a V6 3.7 liter.  Now I am upside down on my loan!! Ugh!

[surprisebaby]

they have trucks now...(I know dodge has one...not sure about the others?) that you can switch to "HIGHWAY DRIVING" for better gas mileage...turns it into a 6 cylinder from an 8 cylinder???  Not sure .. but this helps tremendously with GAS prices skyrocketing the way they are.  Wish ours had that option.

[GNicole]

My Yukon goes from a V8 to a 4 cylinder on the highway-it helps a little with gas.

[pertykitty]

well i dont do much highway driving.  my son goes to a better school but its across town. stupid us didnt think about the drive when we moved into our house.  we are just renting so its an easy fix but not till the lease ends.  we dont do camping trailors lol so that isnt an issue.  id love love love a tahoe or yukon, but dh will NOT buy one because of the gas .  i have a 16 gal tank and when school is in i use 1/4 tank a day, ya nuts!! we arent looking just yet, he has to see what kind of job he lands but its never too early to shop.  who knows, i might just keep my hoopty till it just wont run anymore!