Carseat Friendly, Fuel Efficient etc etc??

[amldaley]

We have quickly discovered that a Jeep Liberty is not great with a carseat, a stroller, a 6 ft tall Daddy and a third adult passenger (my 69 yo mother) and groceries.

Any recommendations? No huge SUV's and nothing with a price tag = to Ivy league tuition. Fuel efficient? Good service record? Resale? Does this even exist?

What do you drive, with whom on board and what do you like or not?

[Joolsplus2]

Just say no to a Ford Escape... men taller than 6 feet have to fold themselves in half to fit in it (i know, almost the same as what you have, I'm just crossing it off your list for you first, lol).

[cimberdog]

If you only have one carseat, I have to say I LOVE my Honda Element. I have one that does not have those weird looking gray side panels though. It's super fun to drive, a 4-cylinder so it's great on gas mileage, has a lot of zip and go, is AWD, plenty of leg room, and no carpet so easy cleaning up kid spills. Plus, my DH is 6'2" and I am 5'9" and we have room to spare.

People either love 'em or hate 'em as far as looks go, but they run about $23,000 and besides being a Honda, have a kick a$$ stereo for those times when mommy is driving without passengers :)

[kijip]

We have a Toyota Camry. We do ok on gas. We regularly drive it with my son in a Regent and my husband, my mother and me. My husband and mother are basically each 6 feet tall (husband 6'1" and all legs and arms, mother 5'11" but only because she has started to get shorter in her later years- she was 6 feet barefoot in her 30s and 40s). I am the better part of 6 feet (at 5'9, I am the shrimp in the family). We used to do this with a Wizard instead of the Regent and a stroller in the the trunk. Groceries/costco trips and other bags no problem (I always have file boxes and the like in the trunk from work). Once baby is born, to get three adults in we may need to find a more narrow seat for my son. And it would depend on me or my husband sitting int he back and not minding a snug hip to door fit. With 1 seat, it is easy peasy. I find the Toyota sedans to be generally easy to install seats in. And they hold their value over time. Ours has side airbags in the front and rear, which is a plus.

[Emmas Mom]

We have a Honda CRV & love it. DH is 6'4", we have two car seats in the back seat & there's plenty of room for a stroller & lots of groceries in the back area.

[WatchingThemGrow]

CR-V here too. We can get 3 adults (thinnest one in between the Marathons in back), double stroller, single stroller,potty, groceries and 2 kids. The RF MA for an infant makes the passenger side tight, but not too bad for the short amount of time we use it at that angle. We have a gently used one, and it couldn't be more perfect for us right now. We got a 3rd carseat to fit in the middle, just in case we need/want to.