For those w/ kids, is a wagon/minivan/crossover a must? Can a midsize sedan suffice?

[NFS4]

OK, this is kinda long...

My current car, a Mazda 3s hatchback, will be paid off in November and I'm already plotting out what I want to purchase next. I love the versatility of my hatchback, but I rarely use all of the cargo space.

However, we plan on having kids with the next two years -- and I plan on keeping my next car for at least five -- so I want something that is going to be family-friendly as well. Only problem is, I refuse to purchase a minivan, and my wife isn't keen on driving a crossover. I personally am not a fan of crossovers either and prefer a more sporty vehicle.

That leaves a midsize wagon (something with some horsepower), but the options in the sub $30,000 market are few and far between. You've got the Subaru Outback, you've got the "defies categorization" Toyota Venza (which I kinda like), and that piece of dog shit Honda Accord Crosstour.

So that brings me back to a sedan. My parents didn't seem to have a problem carting me around as a kid in sedans; same with my wife. If I go the sedan route, the options are plentiful and I have my eyes on one in particular: the Kia Optima.

It's largish, has a large back seat, a large trunk, and gets 34 mpg hwy with a 274 hp turbo four engine. What more could you ask for?

But then again, I've never had kids before, so I don't even know what I would need to bring along for even a weekend trip with a kid in tow. I'm guessing just a stroller, car seat, and some clothes. But hey, what do I know.

So my question is, can you get by with a sedan with a kid, or is it always best to go with hulking machine like a minivan/crossover?

Kia Optima:

pics deleted.
admin allisolm

 

[Jumpem]

No. You can't fit much in a sedan. Getting a stroller in and out of a trunk is pain (is it even fits in the first place).

I consider my Outback perfect for the task.

 

[Arkaign]

You answered your own question in the OP, although yeah, the deluxe strollers are bulky. I can fit one in the trunk of my Focus though

Minivans are freaking awesome though, big, comfy, roomy, quiet, safe vehicles that get surprisingly good fuel economy along with dirt-cheap insurance (and invisible to cops). Yeah they don't look cool and they're not going to Laguna Seca anytime soon, but who gives a shit what anyone else thinks, it's about you and your kids.

 

[NFS4]

No. You can't fit much in a sedan. Getting a stroller in and out of a trunk is pain (is it even fits in the first place).

I consider my Outback perfect for the task.

They're supposed to be building a wagon version of the Optima... for Europe

Wish they'd bring it here too.

 

[yh125d]

Oooh, I hadn't seen the '11 optima, that looks sweeeeeeeet


I'd drive a kia if it were that one

 

[Keysplayr]

Unless it is HUGE (I bought a Chrysler 300C), consider all the extra stuff you and your wife will have to bring along when you have kids.
Stroller(s)
Playpens
Diaper bags
toys
Car seats

Those are the basics. Forget about when they get older.
Sporting equipment.

My wife and I bought a 2000 Mercury Sable new, and a 2000 Camaro Z28 for me. This was before we had kids. The kids came along, and we had a time getting all the kids stuff mentioned above into the trunk. Not fun.

We now have my Chrysler 300 which can fit no less than 5 people in the trunk, and a Ford Escape. The escape isn't that expensive (unless you go hybrid) and it has plenty of room in the rear for everything that we have needed.

And it's not enormous like a Yukon or Trailblazer. It's easy to park to. But get your mind off of that Kia sedan. YOU WILL HATE IT WITH KIDS. My wife's friend has one of those and she has 3 kids. She cannot wait until her lease it up to get something larger. She hates it.

Hope this helps.

 

[NFS4]

We only plan on having one kid (well, that's the plan ). Something like a minivan or a crossover for one kid seems like overkill.

 

[StageLeft]

That optima does look nice. Of course you can live with an econobox and kids, many do. My wife pushed us into a minivan when we had kids and I admit it was nice. Now that our youngest is well out of strollers the minivan only ever serves these purposes:

1) More seats when people visit (for us who gives a sh*t, really, we have two cars, right?)
2) Awesome for trips to home depot
3) Put things in it like bikes

We just bought a Prius and use it for everything and that will include family trips. I do like the size of the minivan but if I could get a wicked deal on a midsize sedan right now and was in the mood I would replace it. I would get a hitch and a trailer, though, because really it's nice being able to drive things back and forth from the hardware store plus I suppose it could take a couple of bikes.

Those new big strollers are huge, though.

You may want to consider getting a minivan just until your youngest is out of strollers and then scrap it. When you're not using them for their carrying room they are not fun to drive, not quick, and get bad mileage. In all meaningful ways they are superior to SUVs, though.

Or not scrap it. Really it is great being able to throw anything in the back and not worrying about it

 

[StageLeft]

We only plan on having one kid (well, that's the plan ). Something like a minivan or a crossover for one kid seems like overkill.

It is. We got the van when we knew a second kid was coming. I can tell you now that our maxima was just fine with one kid. The ONLY time I cursed its size (and I did) was going to Home Depot. Otherwise no worries.

Chances are great you'll have at least one more kid, though.

 

[NFS4]

It is. We got the van when we knew a second kid was coming. I can tell you now that our maxima was just fine with one kid. The ONLY time I cursed its size (and I did) was going to Home Depot. Otherwise no worries.

Chances are great you'll have at least one more kid, though.

See, we're currently a two-car household. My wife has a 2004 Civic EX that she absolutely LOVES to death. She wants to keep it another five years or so -- more power to her, but I want a new car!

As for trips to Home Depot, that's where my dad comes into play. I just borrow his Nissan Titan Crew Cab Long Bed whenever I need to haul/tow something When I was moving from my rental house to our current home that huge beast really came in handy.

 

[sdifox]

one car : Wagon
2 cars :sedan and minivan

 

[Pulsar]

Believe me - you WILL need something larger.

The aforementioned stroller - you can get a small one, but you'll be killing yourself. The larger ones have the pockets for all the odds and ends you need with kids (bottles, cereal, diapers, 5 changes of clothes, wipes, formula mix, whatever). Believe it or not, but with kids, you don't just pick up and go to Mcdonalds. It's a production to even leave the house.

You NEED something larger. The first time you've got that stroller in the trunk and want to drive a couple adults somewhere, and realize that the car seat won't fit in the dinky trunk along with the stroller...

Don't worry. You'll only be turning in your man card for the next 18 years. Welcome to parenthood. It's a hell of a ride, and the acceleration is better than a vette =).

 

[BassBomb]

My parents raised me and my sister with a Nissan Stanza, no pets for us I would say it was perfectly fine..

If you have pets and lots of gear you need to roll around with I would shoot for a wagon over a SUV (but thats just me)

 

[Proprioceptive]

We have two kids. 1 and 2 1/2. It would be nice to have a minivan because we're planning on a third kid, but we just bought a 2011 Hyundai Sonata with several things in mind. We had a Toyota Corolla, and as you can imagine, it's just too small.

1)We don't know if down the road we will be able to afford two cars, so we got one that we know we can fit three carseats in comfortably.

2)As far as the stroller, we have a double jogging stroller that fits easily in our trunk.

3)We don't have to sacrifice the MPGs

4)Still have something fun to drive (at least more fun than a minivan) and much better looking.

5)Even on long week long trips, we still have plenty of space for all luggage

6)Oh yeah, and the comment about the car seats in the trunk? Come on... they fit perfectly fine, at least in my Sonata. I haven't had any problem fitting anything in my trunk. The only annoying part is having to unhook and reinstall the car seats when you need them out of the way.

7)You can still fold down the rear seats for extra cargo space if you need a trip to Home Depot or something (granted not as much as a minivan, but you have to make SOME sacrifices)

All in all, I'm happy with my purchase and look forward to saving a hell of a lot of money down the road. Even with THREE kids. If we decide to have a fourth down the road, well, then we'll be considering a minivan, but that's a huge IF.

 

[StageLeft]

Nobody "NEEDS" a minivan. I have one and like it but the vast majority of people in Europe don't seem to have them and plenty of Americans also never go bigger than a midsize sedan. Growing up the biggest vehicle our family of five ever had was a cavalier wagon. It's not ideal but I wouldn't buy a car just to satisfy an unusual and fairly rare need and seriously a midsize will hold luggage for three people and a hugeass stroller in its trunk. Just not luggage for four and two huge ass strollers.

 

[Zap]

My parents had a Ford Pinto. Granted I was the younger of two kids at around 6 years old at the time so no need to haul a stroller, but my point is that you make do with what you have. Bringing playpens? Seriously? A couple years ago I made a cross-country jaunt in my Mazdaspeed 6 with three adults and two babies both in car seats, plus all assorted paraphernalia for the babies. If you have less space, basically you pack less. If you have more space, you'll end up packing more. That's all there is to it.

 

[obamanation]

I grew up with 3 other siblings and when I was 6, my mom was still driving us around in a Volvo 240DL Station Wagon but when I turned 7, she got to upgrade to a Toyota Camry (NOT station wagon). I think the reason why my dad got the Volvo Station wagon is because he had these visions (much like you people) of a vehicle stuffed with kids and crap in the trunk but it never turned out that way. She continued to drive us to school in that Camry until we either left the house or became capable of driving our own cars. She still drives that Camry to this day.

So, considering that my parents had 4 kids (including myself) and we managed just fine with a sedan when we were a little older, I believe that NSF4 would suffice with a 2010 Toyota Prius just fine.

1984 Volvo 240DL Wagon:
Passenger space:89 ft3
Luggage Volume:41 ft3

1993 Toyota Camry
Passenger space:97 ft3
Luggage Volume:15 ft3

2010 Toyota Prius
Passenger space:94 ft3
Luggage Volume:22 ft3

The Toyota Prius provides the hatchback ability for when you still have to deal with strollers and when they're older and you don't need the hatchback ability, you'll still have the mileage and passenger space that one would desire in a car. The Prius would definitely be enough for the OP's needs unless he plans on turning his wife's vagina into a Clown Car and having 15 children.. then you can just get a passenger Van and leave it at that.

 

[Bignate603]

Nobody "NEEDS" a minivan. I have one and like it but the vast majority of people in Europe don't seem to have them and plenty of Americans also never go bigger than a midsize sedan. Growing up the biggest vehicle our family of five ever had was a cavalier wagon. It's not ideal but I wouldn't buy a car just to satisfy an unusual and fairly rare need and seriously a midsize will hold luggage for three people and a hugeass stroller in its trunk. Just not luggage for four and two huge ass strollers.

You can get by just fine in a sedan with one kid. For a second a wagon starts looking pretty darn good to haul all their crap. Once you hit three kids you're pretty much looking at a minivan or a 3 row SUV. With all the kids, the stuff and their friends you're just not going to be able to carry everything all in one vehicle.

 

[franksta]

Small sedan is workable but large sedan is where it's at. I've got both.

Small Sedan

Large Sedan

No minivans or goofy crossovers, but I do have a 2-door pickup truck and a VW Beetle in addition to the above pictured rides. :biggrin:

 

[HarryLui]

Stick with the 3?

 

[NFS4]

Stick with the 3?

Back seat is rather tight in my 3, which is why I was looking at midsize sedans.

 

[Jumpem]

Back seat is rather tight in my 3, which is why I was looking at midsize sedans.

Stick with a wagon, or crossover if you get snow.

 

[Vette73]

I have a 1 year old and a CTS and we get along just fine.

That KIA looks nice.

 

[rdp6]

I have one each wife and 20 month old daughter, 2007 Passat, deluxe stroller, and backpack for baby gear. If you need to pack a carry-on and check 2 pieces of luggage for each person when you fly then I guess you need a cargo-oriented vehicle. If you are practical about what you really need to haul for your baby, then the Civic will be fine (as you already know).

 

[NFS4]

I have a 1 year old and a CTS and we get along just fine.

That KIA looks nice.

How does your trunk hold up on trips? Any leftover room?