WWYD? Expecting our 3rd and considering purchasing a new vehicle

[jerseygirl07067]

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This is such a tough decision for me as I am quite frugal but also practical. I currently drive a Jeep 2001 Cherokee with 131,000 miles. Thanks to the research I've done here I've learned that I can fit 3 car seats across, but will have to get some different seats. Things will still be tight if the 5 of us go on a trip, we will feel like a bunch of sardines, but it beats a new car payment. We also just put $1400 into our Jeep for some repairs and much needed maintenance. But that darn Jeep always seems to have something going on with it, (for example last weekend we had to repace a headlight and the hydraulic trunk levers to the tune of another 70 bucks) I know if we continue to take care of it and maintain it, it will run for a long time. And of course, it's cheaper than a car payment each month.

But on the other hand, I have some concerns about safety should we ever be in an accident. The Jeep Cherokee is quite boxy and there's very little "meat" on the sides of the car. The kids are pretty close to the sides of the vehicle putting 3 across and I always fear what would happen should we ever get hit there. Our 2001 model does not have side impact air bags either.

So, after some discussion with DH, we are considering the possibility of selling it (or our other car, a 1997 Honda Accord with 210,00 miles) and purchasing a minivan. .....Gasp......deep breath....there I said it! A minivan! I always said I'd never drive one but after seeing my friend's new Toyota Sienna it made me realize how much safer it is, and how much more practical it would be with 3 kids.

But it kills me to have a car payment since both of our cars have been paid off for several years, and I see people driving around with much smaller cars than a Jeep Cherokee with 3 kids across in the back. But both of our cars are higher up in mileage, particularly the Honda, but our mechanic seems to think we may be able to get another 50,000 -100,000 miles more out of it. (I am a big Honda fan for this reason). So our other issue, is which car should we sell? Ironically they both have the exact same private party and blue book value, even though the Honda is way higher in miles.

I just don't know what to do. We are going to test drive a few over the coming weeks and it's nice because we don't HAVE to buy anything right now. A car payment is doable, but not as preferable, since I work only 10 hours or so a week to be with the kids on their non preschool days. When they're in preschool 2 days a week, I work.

Please help me decide! WWYD?

(I also x-posted this in the lounge)


Marcy

[AnnieW625]

We opted for a 06 Honda Pilot over a minivan and have been very happy. However if I were to have twins we would have to have sold DH's long paid off Toyota Corolla and gotten a Camry, Accord, or a van. So glad we are only have one this time:) .

If you haven't had to have much work done on your 97 Accord I'd keep that over the Jeep. Accords run forever (least 50K like your mechanic says), or hopefully in your case to where you might be able to save up a bigger down payment for a year or so then you can replace it with another Accord.

I can't really help you much with the van issue, but I'd probably get an Odyssey based on the luck I've had with my two Hondas.

Also don't forget to think about looking at used vehicles too.

Good luck!

[egoldber]

Well, the most frugal thing to do is to continue to drive your current vehicles. If it were me, that's what I would do if you can stand it. You can always change your minds later and buy a minivan if it doesn't work out.

[jjordan]

If I were you, I'd probably save money like crazy for the next few months, with the intent of buying a used minivan in May or so (since your next lo is due in June).

Despite the blue book values being equal, I'm thinking you could probably get more selling the accord than the Jeep, in part because with the climb in gas prices last fall, there is renewed interest in sedans.

Jill

[o_mom]

I don't know if it will help you or not, but that vehicle has Gen 3 seatbelts which are considered a high risk of failure. I personally would be concerned about putting three across in the back with the potential to unlatch the seats. See here for more info on Gen 3 belts: http://www.unsafebelts.com/

[JTsMom]

Well, only you can say how much driving a new car/van would be worth to you, and if you can truly afford it or not. Of course not having a payment is the way to go if you can, but I will say I LOVE my Sienna, and I only have 1 child. Our philosophy is usually to drive cars until they start nickle and diming us to the point it's no longer worthwhile, but we got such a screaming deal on the Sienna, we bought a little earlier than we had planned. For us, it was a great decision, and you'd have to pry that van out of my cold, dead hands. LOL

Can you try to put away at least the amount of the car payment every month for a few months to see how you could fit it into your budget? Then just apply that money to the purchase, to lower your payment a bit.

[fivi2]

I agree with pp - put the money that would be the car payment into a separate account. You will see if you can really afford a car payment and save up the money either for a used car or a decent down payment.

That said, I would not be comfortable driving a car with a history of breaking down with small children (it sounds like your Jeep has had some issues). Dh and I both had ancient cars when we got pregnant - I traded in mine (always in the shop) for a CR-V. I kick myself every.single.day for not getting a minivan (we had twins). If we decide on a third dc, we will definitely get a minivan. The sliding doors are my main thing!

[caleymama]

Can you try to put away at least the amount of the car payment every month for a few months to see how you could fit it into your budget? Then just apply that money to the purchase, to lower your payment a bit.

:yeahthat:

I think you have some time before you need to make a decision one way or the other, so I agree with doing a trial car payment for a few months. Also, assuming you did get rid of one at some point, I would part with the Jeep before the Honda b/c of the history of repairs, the fact that it's *not* a Honda, and the Gen3 seatbelts. We have a '98 Wrangler with 160,000+ on it and Gen3 seatbelts, but it's DH's commuter car primarily and it's still kicking so we've hung onto it.

[hellokitty]

I agree with the others. Start saving now, but keep your Jeep and see how it goes with 3 across. If it doesn't seem to work out, THEN you can consider getting a minivan. If you do get another car, I would opt for the minivan over another SUV. I had a friend (who had two kids) and found her new Honda Pilot to be very small, a couple yrs later, she ended up with a minivan. I think the biggest problem was her own hangup with minivans. She saw my minivan right after she bought her Pilot and immediately regretted not just going with the minivan.

[mmaimp]

I faced a very similar situation last year and was all sent to get a minivan when the stock market went to pot. I drive an 02 Jeep Liberty with less miles then your Cherokee and my DH has an 03 Accord.

We decided to keep the Liberty for now and I have all three across the back seat. We don't go out with everyone that often since my middle child rides a bus to school. I do pick up my older DS daily from school. Because it's winter DH or myself usually takes one child out on errands and the other stays home with the rest.

I have a Snugride on the passenger side, a Fisher Price BPB in the middle and a Nautilus behind the driver. The only time we use the BPB is if we have all three children in the car. Even though my boys are 2 years apart they are the same height and we don't need to switch the straps around on the Nautilus.

We decided that we will rent a minivan for trips until we can afford to purchase one. Now I just need the stock market to do better for DH's commissions go up so we can make that purchase.

[KBecks]

Minivans are great. If you ca swing it, go for it. You can look for a good value on used or a finance deal on new and take your time to shop.

[KrisM]

We have 3 across in a Malibu and "pretend" we have a car payment each month. It goes into saving instead and when we have enough, we'll buy a minivan. That way, if we absolutely need the money, we have it, but we won't have a car payment when we do get the minivan.

[boogiemom]

This is a tough decision and I just went thru this myself, somewhat. We just picked up a new Sienna on Saturday. I couldn't stand the thought of the DREADED minivan so last time we bought a car, 2005, we bought a Highlander w/ the 3rd row. Seemed like a good compromise and it was a great vehicle....for the most part. I only have two kids and will not have more but, I find we need the extra seating quite regularly for friends or family. The 3rd row in the Highlander was a pain to get in and out of and was already too small for my 7-yr. old. He is a big 7-yr. old. I can't imagine trying to mess with 3 across on a daily basis. Seems like a royal pain. I could live with it but it would be inconvenient.

I would not want to live with a vehicle that was needing regular repairs because you just never know when you're going to need to get somewhere and the car craps out on you. That would make me very concerned that I could get somewhere with my kiddos and be stranded with a broken-down vehicle. We decided to bite the bullet and trade in the Highlander for the Sienna partly because of the incentives available now. A friend bought in the past couple of years and paid as much for her basic Sienna as I did for my much better equipped version this past week. Not cool. We took advantage of a cash back incentive and found a pretty low interest rate thanks to all the recent rate reductions.

I feel much safer in the Sienna than I do in my DH's 1998 Chevy Blazer thanks to the side-curtain airbags that protect all 3 rows. The safety features in these vehicles are amazing compared to what they were several years ago. I can't wait for our first roadtrip in this vehicle. It will be SO much nicer than the trips in the Highlander. Our Blazer only has 70,000-ish miles on it and there is NO WAY I would want to take it on a long trip.

I would probably go ahead and get the minivan because I now know how amazingly convenient it is. I LOVE it and would NOT want to go back. The kids are loving their extra space. The safety features are outstanding and I do not have to worry about the car getting me where I want to go.....or getting me back home. I did not want to make the move to a minivan but I am SO glad I did it. I just with I had done it sooner.

Good Luck!

[randomkid]

Marcy - sent you an e-mail.

[shishamo]

I have not read all the replies, but if I were you, I would keep the current car for a while and see how it goes. I kept our 4 door sedan for a year after my third was born and I *knew* I needed a car with a 3rd row...no matter what I do, my kids do not keep their hands off each other. Really, a safety issue for me!

That said, I know two people who had a minivan (and 3 kids) and decided to downsize (Prius and Jetta). So 3 in a row could be done.

Congratulation on the 3rd, by the way!

[jerseygirl07067]

Thanks everyone! We are going to take our time looking and researching, and in the meantime sock away money each month as if we had a car payment if we do decide to purchase a vehicle. You all have given good input, and I also want to thank the posters who mentioned the safety issues with the Gen 3 seatbelts. I had no idea about this. That's why this board rocks!

I am going today to look at a Sienna and an Odyssey just to see. That way, should we decide to get a new vehicle down the road, we will have it narrowed down to the specific make and model we want.

The nice thing is that there's no rush, so that's a good thing!

:)
Marcy

[caleymama]

Thanks everyone! We are going to take our time looking and researching, and in the meantime sock away money each month as if we had a car payment if we do decide to purchase a vehicle. You all have given good input, and I also want to thank the posters who mentioned the safety issues with the Gen 3 seatbelts. I had no idea about this. That's why this board rocks!

I am going today to look at a Sienna and an Odyssey just to see. That way, should we decide to get a new vehicle down the road, we will have it narrowed down to the specific make and model we want.

The nice thing is that there's no rush, so that's a good thing!

:)
Marcy

Good plan! Also, if you don't already, go browse around at car-seat.org. There is a lot of info and a wealth of experience there regarding vehicles & carseats and what combos work and what combos don't. Of course with a Sienna or an Odyssey I don't think you can go wrong, but it never hurts to have all the info you can.

[heatherlynn]

I agree with others - put the car payment each month into a bank account (or whatever) then in May or so get a minivan. Get a Sienna - 3 full sized seats in the middle row. I have an 08 Odysessy and I love it, but my oldest can sit in the back or in the plus one seat. I'd hate to do 3 car seats in the middle row, or have to put one or two in the back and try to get back there to buckle etc.

[Momof3Labs]

Since safety is a concern with the Jeep, why not make the Honda the "kidmobile" for a little while and see if that works better for you? We will probably need a new car at some point after the twins arrive, but are putting it off as long as possible because it's possible that our current vehicles (Odyssey and Passat) will work for us longer than we expect, especially since DS1 will start full-day school in September. We've been putting away a car payment per month since our Odyssey was paid off a year ago (the Passat was paid off several years ago), and the longer we can wait, the more cash we'll have for this new vehicle.

[maestramommy]

Dh and I had this conversation when we first found out we were pregnant. It has now become a series of ongoing short conversations. We currently have a 2001 Nissan Pathfinder and 2005 Accord. It's funny (to us) that in CA we hardly drove the Pathfinder, but out here the 4WD has become very useful. Anyway.....

We are also frugal, and right now Dh's job is uncertain, so we are really pinching the pennies where it makes sense. Our decision for now is to hang on to both cars and live with 3 across until it becomes unbearable/undoable. We ARE able to get 3 across with the seats we have, but once the baby is out of the infant seat, we'll have to get a Radian. We might even have to replace our MA with another Radian. As many mommies have pointed out to me, it's cheaper to replace your carseats than it is to buy another car. What WILL suck is that everytime MIL or my parents come to visit we will have to take two cars. But that doesn't happen very often anyway.

IF one of your cars was on its last legs, I would definitely replace with a minivan. But if finances for you are tight and/or uncertain right now I'd try to get by with what you have. Can you get 3 across in your Accord? What if you were to replace the seats?

[WatchingThemGrow]

What WILL suck is that everytime MIL or my parents come to visit we will have to take two cars. But that doesn't happen very often anyway.


You think this will, but...we just did it less than a month ago. We went out to eat and DH took one kid and my step-father. Mom and I took one kid in another car. When we finished dinner, DH and SF took both kids (could've been 3...) and put them to sleep. Mom and I got to stay out shopping for an hour or two. If we'd had a van, we would've ALL been required to pile back in the car and get home by 7:30. I'm finding lots of good things come from having 2 smaller(ish) cars.

[maestramommy]

You think this will, but...we just did it less than a month ago. We went out to eat and DH took one kid and my step-father. Mom and I took one kid in another car. When we finished dinner, DH and SF took both kids (could've been 3...) and put them to sleep. Mom and I got to stay out shopping for an hour or two. If we'd had a van, we would've ALL been required to pile back in the car and get home by 7:30. I'm finding lots of good things come from having 2 smaller(ish) cars.

LOL! Now THIS is a plus I didn't think of before!

What I'm thinking about more is when MIL visits, we will probably drive down to MA to see her brothers' families. Last time we went we were able to cram another person in the backseat. This time (we have two convertible seats now, so no third seat) we'll have to drive another car just for one more seat. Which right now sounds rather hokey. But, Im' sure we'll get over that as well.

[jerseygirl07067]

Unfortunately, the Honda Accord is a coupe! I bought it in 1997 so back then kids were not on my mind. It would be okay if I only had to use it occasionally, but for every day it would drive me crazy! Sammy can buckle her self in her carseat, but Julia still needs help and that would be a royal pain. The coupe is very low to the ground, and getting the baby seat in and out is very hard!

:)
Marcy

[codex57]

We got rid of the Cherokee after about 6 months. Yes, in that short of time, things started to go wrong. Traded it in for a Civic, which lasted about 10 years and a LOT of abuse (two trips through college and one grad school). And the Civic after 10 years was still in about as good shape as the Jeep was after only 6 months. Cept the Jeep had nicer paint and a ton less mileage.

Nothing wrong with a minivan. Most efficient use of space in a vehicle. After 3 kids, how picky about looks do you really want to be? I prefer my sanity.

[AnnieW625]

I got rid of my 96 Accord coupe to buy the Pilot in 06. I loved that car so much; even at 9 mos pregnant! I still miss it and wish I would've even tried putting DD in the back seat of it, but we opted to sell it for a good price because it still had less than 150K miles on it! You'll probably never find another car like it! Don't get rid of it then, but I highly doubt you'll be able to get two car seats and infant seat in the back at all.

[brittone2]

We bought an Ody a few years ago (an 05 model) and we've been very happy with it. We only have two kids, but we regularly have my parents in the car with us, and my mom and dad come take us out to lunch about 1-2x a week, and it is nice for us to all fit sanely in one vehicle. We also do road trips often enough, and it helps to have the space for the four of us plus our very large dog (85ish lb).

One thing pointed out here when we were discussing minivans vs. SUVs is that you have much better visibility of kids in a parking lot w/ a minivan. You don't have doors in the way, and you don't have to worry about them opening doors into vehicles. With 3 kids, that's something to consider.

I'd typically say try 3 across and it may not be as bad as you'd think. BUt...if you are concerned about those seatbelts (I probably would be), etc. it may be worth buying something else. One reason we bought the Ody was the side curtain airbags too. I had a CR-V before t hat that I really liked, but we wanted/needed something a little roomier for our situation. The model year of CR-V I had got bad reviews for driver side impact too IIRC. I loved that vehicle overall though, and they did fix the driver side impact issue in the newer models I thinkl.

[maestramommy]

Unfortunately, the Honda Accord is a coupe! I bought it in 1997 so back then kids were not on my mind. It would be okay if I only had to use it occasionally, but for every day it would drive me crazy! Sammy can buckle her self in her carseat, but Julia still needs help and that would be a royal pain. The coupe is very low to the ground, and getting the baby seat in and out is very hard!

:)
Marcy

Rats! We were looking at the 05 coupe because the 6 cylinder had stick, but I saw it was only two door, and that was the end of it. You might want to consider trading in your Jeep towards getting something else. We got our Accord because at the time it was the only one (out of our choices) that had side curtain airbags.

Maybe like the other pp said, put money away each month like a car payment. Then I would live with the difficulties of the Accord until I could afford something else. I don't know anything about the Jeep and the seatbelts, but if they were truly risky I wouldn't put my kids back there.

My hurdle will be living with getting the baby out of the middle seat for the first year +. That's the only way we can get 3 across in the our Accord.

[WatchingThemGrow]

My hurdle will be living with getting the baby out of the middle seat for the first year +. That's the only way we can get 3 across in the our Accord.
Really? The Radian in the middle didn't work? We have a 2001 Accord and, although I haven't tried to get all three seats in it, we have a Radian FF outboard and a MA RF center. It really does look like there's enough room for the SR behind the driver. Ours is currently out on loan, so I'm not able to try it out right now. Putting the baby in the middle seems annoying.

ETA: Brittone2, what year CR-V doesn't have side-curtain airbags? Our 2005 does, but I wasn't looking for them prior to 2006, so I didn't research the older models.

[brittone2]

Really? The Radian in the middle didn't work? We have a 2001 Accord and, although I haven't tried to get all three seats in it, we have a Radian FF outboard and a MA RF center. It really does look like there's enough room for the SR behind the driver. Ours is currently out on loan, so I'm not able to try it out right now. Putting the baby in the middle seems annoying.

ETA: Brittone2, what year CR-V doesn't have side-curtain airbags? Our 2005 does, but I wasn't looking for them prior to 2006, so I didn't research the older models.

This was like one of the first big redesigns...2001 or 2002?? I think?