please help me with my new car interior!!

[mzchung]

Hello, we are in the process of buying a new car that will be the primary car for me and the 2 kids (DD is 18 months now and DD#2 will be born within the next few weeks).

Circumstances have made it possible for us to get our car immediately but only if we take the "ivory" seat option...but we are worried that ivory seats will get really dirty...the seats of the car we saw at the dealer today were already quite dirty and this is a new car. Does anyone out there have any experience with a white interior with kids (or even without kids) and can help me out here? I am worried that even being really careful the kids are going to inevitably spill something on the seats and stain them...considering how dirty the car at the dealer was...and that was just from adults getting in and out of the car.

If we take the black interior seat option, it would definitely not show as much 'dirt' but we then have to wait 3 months for the car, and we could really use it right away.

Please help!!!!

Thank you,
Calla's mom

[Kungjo]

Personally, I would wait for the darker interior. My kids eat and drink (sippy cups) in my van and it's inevitable that it will get dirty. EVEN IF you don't allow them to eat and drink in the car, an ivory interior will get dirty. Kids don't pay attention to when their shoes or clothes are dirty. They will climb and step all over your seats in fun. I would keep that in mind when making your final decision.

Also, accidents do happen. What would happen if your newly potty trained kid peed in your car or a sick one threw up? How easy is that to clean off and how stress would you be trying to keep an ivory interior clean?

[cstack]

Brrrr! White and kids. I'm thinking that's an inequality, not a good equation. Honestly, those, I'm not thinking black is any better. Black shows way more dirt than you would think. Are there other options. I've found the best interior colors for kids are medium tan and grey (boring I know, but they just don't seem to show the dirt - well unless you allow a purple crayon to melt on them, but that shows on all colors...). Actually, the best color I ever had for not showing grime/dirt/food/etc. from kids or adults was red, but I haven't seen that color option since the 80's, so I'm not sure they even make them anymore.

Mind if I ask what genius car Mfgr. decided that white (or ivory, call it what you will) was a good color for anyone?

If you go with the ivory, see if it can be Scotchguarded, that may help. Cover the back seats with a seat cover or light blanket, and buy cheap area rugs for the floor. That will make it looke a little less attractive, but it will also cut down on the dirt that will accumulate. HTH

[himom]

Ivory would scare me, but it would be frustrating to wait three months. Is there another dealer in your area that may have the black in stock?

Or have you considered buying seat covers? We had them in our car for 10 years, and when it came time to sell it we pulled off the covers and the seats were really clean.

Our newest car has a dark grey interior, but we got customized seat covers made for it anyway. The best thing about them is I can pull them off and throw them in the wash whenever DS steps on them, spills something, etc or when they just start to look dirty. And they are doing a great job keeping the seats nice.

Depending on what kind of car you buy all you have to do is Google "car seat covers" and you'll come up with a load of different options, from Neoprene "wet suit" types to those designed to look just like regular seats. There are cheap cloth ones and really expensive thick ones.

HTH, and good luck!

[Momof3Labs]

I wouldn't do ivory. We get the most dirt from shoes bumping and rubbing, even though we put towels down to protect the seats as much as possible. Unless you are willing to remove shoes every time they get in the car (too much hassle for me with two little ones) and never feed them in the car.

[LarsMal]

I wouldn't do ivory either. We were in a similar situation when we recently bought our minivan. I didn't really want a white car, but it was the only one on the lot that had the darker interior, and that was more important to us than the outside color. I'm so happy we went with the grey interior.

Good luck!

[gina]

I have black int. It mostly shows dust and the dirt that can be vaccumed out or wiped off. Once I give it a good cleaning It's (almost) as good as new.


Gina E

DD 15 yr
DD 11 mo

[alexsmommy]

I'd wait. I know that's a pain, but I can't even imagine how dirty an ivory interior would be for us within even just a week. I was so fed up from the mess both my DSD (13) and DS made, we went over our car budget to get leather this time around - in grey. My previous car had dark grey cloth interior and even that would get grungy on a regular basis, thus the leather. Remember, soon enough a front facing kid can kick the seat in front of them, which they seem to prefer to do when they have muddy feet. Older kids like to climb into their own seats too, which can involve dirty shoes on the seats as well.
Alaina
Alex Feb '03
and #2 in early summer '07

[miki]

No way would I get ivory. I have a tan interior and it shows plenty of dirt just from DD stepping on the seat to get into her carseat by herself. Imagine that with sandy shoes from school, muddy shoes on a rainy day, red clay from the parks around here . . . Then there are all the accidents that can happen if you allow food/drink in the car. You can clean up what you see but I always find bits I missed that end up ground into the seat. Definitely no white interiors for me.

[luvmypeanut]

Yep, wait for the black interior if you can. I have tan leather and the seats and seat backs always have footprints on them from the kids getting into the car and kicking the set in front. They can be wiped, and I was really diligent with it before, but honestly I don't have the time to be wiping down the seats after each ride. And my dd has a habit of kicking the doorframe and door, because she can and there's a vent there, and it's not leather and hard to clean.

My next car is going to have a dark interior, no matter how much I like the lighter interior.

[table4three]

I'd definately wait. We have tan leather interior and it is amazing how dirty it looks after only 2 years. I wish we had something darker.

[pittsburghgirl]

My Camry had a grayish tan interior and it definitely showed dirt, not hideously so. My new car has black, and while it shows fuzzies, bits of paper and the like, it doesn't show the actual dirt. I just vacuum it regularly. With the Camry, I had to scrub at the spots.

Marilee
mommy to James
http://b3.lilypie.com/CSwdm4.png