Ah, the station wagon... or minivan?

Well, now that our DD is almost 6 months old, and my DH has gotten a new (local) job that will require a driving commute, I need to "give up" my Acura Integra to him and shop for the dreaded "family car." We are very anti-SUV (due primarily to the lousy gas mileage and the fact that they cause so much damage to other drivers on the road in accidents), and I've test-driven enough cars to narrow things down a BIT, but I'm in a state of total confusion.

I'm vacillating between a couple of station wagons (the VW Passat and the Saab 9-5 Wagon) and a minivan (the Honda Odyssey). With only one child (so far), I know we don't really NEED a minivan right now and I hate to drive around with all that empty capacity until our 2nd child comes along (and perhaps makes us LOVE a minivan). On the other hand, we intend to buy and use this car for the next 10 years, so should I just suck it up and buy the minivan now? The Honda drove wonderfully and really didn't feel that much like a minivan. On the other hand, I'm only 31 and don't think of myself as a minivan kind of person yet. Perhaps I'm just holding onto some sense of freedom that no longer exists. :)

Also, I'm really curious about people's experience with both the Passat and the 9-5 station wagon as family cars. I loved the Passat's roominess (esp. leg room) and we'll be able to test-drive the top-of-the-line GLX this weekend, to see how the V-6 engine performs... but I'm wondering if I'm paying too much for a car that doesn't quite feel luxurious enough. I could buy a used Saab for a similar price, and though I haven't test-driven the Saabs yet I understand they have lots of bells and whistles that will make me comfortable.

Anyway, not to drone on... all you Odyssey, Passat, and 9-5 drivers -- how do you like your cars? Any service problems? Or is it just heaven?

[Momof3Labs]

We have an Odyssey and a Passat wagon, and like both a lot. The Passat is enough car for one child, and enough car for local driving for two children, but I couldn't imagine packing for a driving trip wtih two children. Plus, once you have two kids, you can't really fit any other passengers in the Passat.

[KrisM]

I don't have experience with any of the vehicles you are asking about, but we went through this last winter. I had a Ford Probe and it was nearly impossible to put a carseat in it, so I needed a new car before the baby. We went through the whole minivan or station wagon thing, too. We decided on the station wagon for now. If we need a minivan for kid #2 or #3 then we'll get it then. For us, the cost differential (both in upfront pricing and continuing cost of gas) was a big part of it. Also, we figured that if I need a minivan eventually, my husband would get my wagon to drive on his commute.

We also looked into rental costs. For $300, we can rent a minivan for an entire week. So, if we need the space for a trip, we can rent rather than having all that extra space every day.

I ended up with a Chevy Malibu Maxx, which is closer to a hatchback than station wagon, but our only true wagon options were the Saturn (too much road noise), the Taurus (sluggish drivetrain), and the Focus (again with the road and tire noise). We are limited to buying American cars, so your choices were not an option for us. (Our limitation is due to living in Detroit and having employee pricing at all three American companies (includes DCX), which makes it much cheaper).

I don't know if I helped at all, now that I read this. good luck.

Kris,

You have helped a great deal. I hadn't really thought too much about renting a minivan, but that's a smart suggestion. Also, my husband and I had a huge argument about whether (when/if we get a minivan) it would mean that we'd have BOTH a minivan and station wagon, or whether we'd want to have at least one fun "adult" car. It helps to know that someone else's husband would be driving a station wagon to work. :) Oddly, my husband didn't mind that idea, but I was horrified at the idea that we wouldn't have a fun car (even a 4-door) just for the two of us that wasn't an obvious "family car."

I guess it's time to admit we are a family. :)

Nancy

Mom to Rachel, born 5/24/04

There are quite a few threads about minivans, so you may want to do a search and check them out. It'll be quite helpful for you and your DH in making a decision.

Just my two cents: We have the Honda Odyssey and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!!!! We got it when we had one child (with another on the way) and I couldn't believe we waited so long to get one. I drove an Acura 3.2 TL prior to the van and when we had to take the van in for normal service, we put both car seats back in our Acura so I'd have a car go out on errands w/ the kids that day. Needless to say, I was thrilled when we got the van back! Love how high it rides too. Helps w/ visibility, especially when we're driving along side SUVs.

With regards to the empty capacity: You'll be surprised how much you'll need it and how convenient it is to have on a day to day basis, especially when loaded with the stroller, baby gear and groceries (especially Costco runs) that you'll do.


Did I mention how much our family loves the van? :P

We have an Odyssey and I love it. It is so comfortable and it is really smooth to drive. We only have 1 child so far, but I love the extra space. We also have 2 dogs (Great Dane) so it is of good use.
We have the sedan Passat and it has good space but with 2 car seats on the back, there isn't space for no one else.

[C99]

We're getting a station wagon, probably a VW Passat GLS. My parents' first car was a Saab, so I grew up with them making raspberries at every Saab we ever saw on the road, so I'm biased against them. Plus, I think they'd be out of our price range. We really wanted a Volvo wagon, but again, couldn't afford it. I also made the argument that Kris makes below: if we really need the space of a minivan, we can rent one. I don't want to parallel park a minivan -- I think a wagon will be hard enough! We were orig. going to get a used VW, but then realized that we could probably get a deal on a 2004 since dealers here are trying to offload them for the 2005s.

[Karenn]

I have a Passat wagon. We've had it for 2 years and bought it when it was 2 years old. I'm really happy with it's functionality. So far, it's been OK even with 2 kids. We bought a Thule carrier as our "minivan alternative" and it provides the additional cargo space that we need. (The Thule holds a pack n play and pliko stroller quite nicely.:) ) There hasn't been a time when we've felt the car to be too small.

I'm beginning to feel like my Passat's been spending a bit too much time in the shop though. Volkswagen hasn't been the best about dealing with an oil leak problem that we've had. I know that a good share of the blame lies with our particular dealership, but it seems to go a bit beyond that from what we can tell.

Still, I really like driving the Passat and each time we leave the repair shop I say to myself, "now that we've got this last problem fixed, I'm sure it will all be fine." As you can tell, I really WANT to like this car! I hope it will let me.

We don't have a minivan, so I can't really be much help with that, but we do have a Passat. Ours is a sedan instead of the wagon (we bought it pre-Taran), but we absolutely love it. We've got a 1.8 Turbo, and honestly, I think it drives just as well as the V6. (I should mention ours is a standard transmission though.) It's got plenty of room for both of us and Taran, and we've fit two people in the backseat with him as well. Now granted, I wouldn't do that for a long trip, but usually if we're going on a long trip that involves driving with more than just us, it's with my Dad and he's got a minivan already.

Now, our Passat has enough "bells and whistles" for me, but I suppose it depends on what you're looking to have in a car too. We do have a few optional things on it that don't come standard though. (And I'm pretty sure we've still got the sticker in the glove compartment, if you're really curious. ::blush:

If you do really like the Passat, Audi is basically more or less the upgraded version of the VWs. (Kind of like Acura is more or less the upgraded version of Honda, to give a comparison.) They're owned by the same group (or are the same company, however you want to word it).

-Melissa

ETA: A bit more about the car, I realized I should clairify something!

Taran, November 20, 2003

http://lilypie.com/baby2/031120/0/5/0/-5/.png
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbo...n_gold_12m.gif - Twelve months and counting!

I was hoping to get a 2004 Passat as well but the dealers here are basically out of them... so act fast! :) Good luck with your new car! I will warn you -- having test driven the GLS -- that it does feel just a little bit underpowered. If that would annoy you, I'd be willing to pay the extra bucks for a GLX.

And I wouldn't worry about not getting a Volvo. These days, they're not as reliable as they were because they're manufactured by Ford and Ford just doesn't understand how to put together a complicated vehicle the way the old Volvo engineers did.

Nancy

Mom to Rachel, born 5/24/04