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

[cyclistca]

How about the Golf Wagon or is it the Jetta Wagon (Not sure what they are calling it now)? Plenty of room in the back and can be bought with a diesel.

 

[Vette73]

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

Yea we have taken the LARGE stroller and some smaller items. There enough room to hit the grocerry store as well. Not huge but if you fit in there correct plenty top work with. That and a CTS is a smaller mid-size as well. The STS is a large Mid-size.

 

[brblx]

that kia is tits.

why do you need a big back seat for kids you haven't had yet? keep the 3 until they're out of car seats (or longer).

 

[Jumpem]

that kia is tits.

why do you need a big back seat for kids you haven't had yet? keep the 3 until they're out of car seats (or longer).

You need a larger back seat with car seats than you do for adults to sit back there. Rear facing car seats for infants need alot of room.

In my Fit the only position it would fit was the middle. On the sides the back of the front seat prevented it from fitting. No such issue with my Outback though.

 

[Doggiedog]

Not for me.

I had a GS300 which isn't that small of a car and an E36 325i and they were way too small. We got rid of the GS300 and got an MDX. It is a pain to take child seats and strollers in and out of the sedans. Also, we had two kids so whenever the mother in law was in the car, she would be squished in the center seat. We needed a third row. When the kids are bigger, a sedan will work. That's what I'm doing now.

 

[StageLeft]

You need a larger back seat with car seats than you do for adults to sit back there. Rear facing car seats for infants need alot of room.

Rear facing car seats need a stretch limo to fit, they are crazy.

There are reasons to own a minivan but if NFS4 is truly only going to have one kid I see no reason in the world to get a minivan just for that unless there are other desires (like building a new house and wants to fit supplies in the vehicle). It's actually bordering on clinically insane to get a minivan if you only honestly have one child.

But, like I said, many people end up with more kids once they get started! Course you could then swap the civic for a van and keep the optima.

 

[Dr. Detroit]

Have a child - have never owned a mini-van or SUV/CUV/Wagon

Daughter was in her car seat back in the mid 90's sitting in the back of my Protege and all was fine.

Thinking back it was much easier to stay in contact with the child in a midsize/compact car than in a minivan as we could just reach back and hand her whatever she needed.

 

[amdhunter]

That's a Kia? Wow. That looks really really nice.

 

[T2urtle]

i keep that 3 hatch.. i love them...

for the first couple of years the back seat doesn't matter too much as long as it is a backseat. the hatch gives you a lot of options.


my parents took care of me and my brother on a 88 olds ~> 94 camry and a 88 corolla. almost 100% certain there was not too many issues. But then again we never had many road trips. Parents always paid other parents to drive on trips and etc.

Rather then getting things setup for a child and spending money, i would say wait it out and see what you need and adjust then.

I like a wagon idea myself, as i dont see myself having a kid with a G35 sedan. I wanted to get an older turbo forester or legacy GT wagon, both decent power and function.

 

[KIAman]

As a parent of 2 children and faced with the same dilemma, I went minivan because of the convenience factor of a taller roofline (this will save your back with younger kids who can't seat themselves), more room (do you have a truck? if not, this will become very important), and the freedom to transport 8 passengers if you ever need to.

But, to be honest, we really didn't need the minivan at all. We utilize the space in the back maybe.... 4-5 times a year and that is because of trips to Home Depot and back. We only have 2 kids and we hardly ever transport anybody else so the rear seats are folded in almost 24/7. We have dogs but our vet is mobile. We could have done fine without a minivan and save a lot on gas. If we had more than 2 kids, minivan would be an absolute must because I have seen no wagons or sedans that could fit 3 child seats.

If you must go with something, consider a Mazda5. They are the mini of the minivans. They have dual sliding doors and a tall roofline while being dimensionally smaller and better gas mileage. Or, just stick with what you have and save money. You can always change your mind later down the road.

 

[obamanation]

As a parent of 2 children and faced with the same dilemma, I went minivan because of the convenience factor of a taller roofline (this will save your back with younger kids who can't seat themselves), more room (do you have a truck? if not, this will become very important), and the freedom to transport 8 passengers if you ever need to.

But, to be honest, we really didn't need the minivan at all. We utilize the space in the back maybe.... 4-5 times a year and that is because of trips to Home Depot and back. We only have 2 kids and we hardly ever transport anybody else so the rear seats are folded in almost 24/7. We have dogs but our vet is mobile. We could have done fine without a minivan and save a lot on gas. If we had more than 2 kids, minivan would be an absolute must because I have seen no wagons or sedans that could fit 3 child seats.

If you must go with something, consider a Mazda5. They are the mini of the minivans. They have dual sliding doors and a tall roofline while being dimensionally smaller and better gas mileage. Or, just stick with what you have and save money. You can always change your mind later down the road.

Unless you're having twins, they wouldn't ALL be in car seats...right? You should give a little spacing between having kids, it's a little hard on the woman in terms of giving birth and definitely hard on the parents in terms of taking care of the kids. Also why can't you put the third car seat in the front and the two in the back? Admit it, most trips it's one adult driving the damn kids around while doing errands.. If you want to go on a family vacation, then you rent a damn minivan..

 

[KIAman]

Unless you're having twins, they wouldn't ALL be in car seats...right? You should give a little spacing between having kids, it's a little hard on the woman in terms of giving birth and definitely hard on the parents in terms of taking care of the kids. Also why can't you put the third car seat in the front and the two in the back? Admit it, most trips it's one adult driving the damn kids around while doing errands.. If you want to go on a family vacation, then you rent a damn minivan..

Sarcasm, ignorance or troll... I can't figure out which.

 

[Jumpem]

Unless you're having twins, they wouldn't ALL be in car seats...right? You should give a little spacing between having kids, it's a little hard on the woman in terms of giving birth and definitely hard on the parents in terms of taking care of the kids. Also why can't you put the third car seat in the front and the two in the back? Admit it, most trips it's one adult driving the damn kids around while doing errands.. If you want to go on a family vacation, then you rent a damn minivan..

Kids have to be in car seats or booster seats until age 7 or 4'9" tall in NY. See here: http://www.saferoads.org/issues/BoosterSeatLawChart.pdf.

 

[Fenixgoon]

any idea how many kids you want? there were 5 in my family, so a van was mandatory for us

if you only plan on 2-3, then i imagine a wagon would be preferable.


for a family vehicle, van >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> SUV (unless you need to seat 8. i dont think 8seat minivans exist, but some of the giant SUVs can sit 8)

 

[StageLeft]

As a parent of 2 children and faced with the same dilemma, I went minivan because of the convenience factor of a taller roofline (this will save your back with younger kids who can't seat themselves), more room (do you have a truck? if not, this will become very important), and the freedom to transport 8 passengers if you ever need to.

But, to be honest, we really didn't need the minivan at all. We utilize the space in the back maybe.... 4-5 times a year and that is because of trips to Home Depot and back. We only have 2 kids and we hardly ever transport anybody else so the rear seats are folded in almost 24/7. We have dogs but our vet is mobile. We could have done fine without a minivan and save a lot on gas. If we had more than 2 kids, minivan would be an absolute must because I have seen no wagons or sedans that could fit 3 child seats.

If you must go with something, consider a Mazda5. They are the mini of the minivans. They have dual sliding doors and a tall roofline while being dimensionally smaller and better gas mileage. Or, just stick with what you have and save money. You can always change your mind later down the road.

This is true about a van, it certainly does make it easier putting a kid into one.

Mazda5 is also a good pick. If there were more station wagons I'm sure any of them would suit well.

 

[Pulsar]

any idea how many kids you want? there were 5 in my family, so a van was mandatory for us

if you only plan on 2-3, then i imagine a wagon would be preferable.


for a family vehicle, van >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> SUV (unless you need to seat 8. i dont think 8seat minivans exist, but some of the giant SUVs can sit 8)

Nope - carseats will not fit safely 3 wide in any current sedan I'm aware of. With 3 kids, you need at least 2 rows of rear seating.

 

[Bignate603]

any idea how many kids you want? there were 5 in my family, so a van was mandatory for us

if you only plan on 2-3, then i imagine a wagon would be preferable.


for a family vehicle, van >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> SUV (unless you need to seat 8. i dont think 8seat minivans exist, but some of the giant SUVs can sit 8)

The Chevy Astro/GMC Safari was an awesome 8 person van, tons of room but was discontinued a while ago. The Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey both are minivans that both still offer 8 passenger configurations but I think the 7 passenger is standard. The Chevy traverse and Honda pilot are both crossovers that can seat 8 that offer pretty much the same utility as a minivan.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I only have one son who turns 8 in August and we own a Lexus IS250 and a Nissan Maxima. The Nissan usually ends up serving as the vehicle of choice for weekend getaways but the Lexus is fine too as long as we aren't taking a bunch of shit with us.

For a newborn, even 2, any decent sized 4 door sedan would be fine.

 

[obamanation]

Nope - carseats will not fit safely 3 wide in any current sedan I'm aware of. With 3 kids, you need at least 2 rows of rear seating.

Two in the back, one in the front.. I fail to see the problem here.

 

[vi edit]

I a leased Mazda5 and still kick myself for not buying it out at the end of the lease. It'd be the natural sucessor to your 3. It really is the almost perfect car for a small/young family.

The sliding doors are a thing of beauty. It's a perfect height for getting bulky infant carriers in and out and when the kid(s) get older it's much easier for them to climb in and out of. Plus the cargo room is second to nothing in it's class.

The great thing about it is that it has the turning radius of a tricylce, gets excellent milage (better than stated) and is fun to drive. And you don't feel like you've sacraficed your soul to the god of family functionality. It's a very reasonable priced, sized, and performing vehicle.

You don't *need* a van...but there's no way my malibu hatchback or my wife's equinox come close to the Mazda's functionality and ease of use getting my 2 year old in & out.

 

[RKS]

We have 2 kids and a lab that goes most places with us. My wife and I are shallow and neither wanted to drive a mini-van so we got the largest SUV we could afford. If we don't take the dog, we usually take the Maxima. Kids under three have a lot of "stuff". I suppose with just one kid you could get away with a larger sedan.

We are looking for a couple new vehicles and will probably go with a G37 and a mid-size SUV to be named later.

(and Jules I also installed a bullbar on the SUV in case my wife gets distracted for a few minutes; those pesky bike riders pop up suddenly)

 

[vi edit]

Two in the back, one in the front.. I fail to see the problem here.

Unless you have an airbag override, you are pretty much wishing serious injury or death on your kid. Front seats & kids = bad news.

 

[Bignate603]

Two in the back, one in the front.. I fail to see the problem here.

Where does your spouse sit?

 

[Fenixgoon]

The Chevy Astro/GMC Safari was an awesome 8 person van, tons of room but was discontinued a while ago. The Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey both are minivans that both still offer 8 passenger configurations but I think the 7 passenger is standard. The Chevy traverse and Honda pilot are both crossovers that can seat 8 that offer pretty much the same utility as a minivan.

i stand corrected then.

minivan >>>>>>>>>>> SUV period

 

[Proprioceptive]

Nope - carseats will not fit safely 3 wide in any current sedan I'm aware of. With 3 kids, you need at least 2 rows of rear seating.

This is wrong. My wife and i could fit three carseats ALL rear facing in our Toyota Corolla... it just wasn't comfortable for us. Since we got our Sonata, we can sit all three in the back rear facing with plenty of room for us. You can also do this in the Malibu, Camry, Fusion, and Accord. The secret is finding the right car seat.

http://www.skjp.com/products/97556/Car_Seats

At this site you can find the safest, and at the same time, narrowest car seat on the market. They're pricey, but would you rather spend thousands more on a minivan or hundreds for new car seats?

Oh, and by the way, those car seats will last your kids their entire carseat/booster lives. This, and all of the leading research now suggests that your children should remain rear facing as long as possible.. up to 40 pounds. The vast majority of car accidents are on the front end and a young child's spinal chord is still very fragile. I've done far too much research on this stuff now that I have kids...