What would you do? Car advice needed...

[jyllebean]

We are about to purchase a new car for me to drive with the kids. We've got a 2 yr old and 4 month old. We are planning to have 1-2 more kids, probably another in 2-3 yrs. I was all set on the Honda CRV thinking it would be perfect with 2 kids and we can squeeze three carseats across for a while once the 3rd is born, then we'll trade up to something bigger. My favorite things about the CRV are that it's small and gets good gas mileage and it looks sporty. Now DH's work will be paying for all of our gas! Am I crazy to do the CRV with 3 across or should I just go for the bigger car now (probably a van...). I really wanted to delay the van but now I'm wondering if I should just swallow my pride and do it. Or have any of you done 3 across and was it that bad??

Thanks!

[WatchingThemGrow]

JUST BTDT. Three weeks into my Odyssey ownership, I'm not believing we were thinking we'd do 3 across in my CRV for a year THEN get a van. Why didn't anyone come right out and tell us?? If you have to make a choice now and you do plan to have more children, it (to me) only makes sense to go ahead and get the van. If you weren't really able to purchase something new and needed to make do, you could, but it does get old having to keep your floorboard clean b/c you have to stuff several kids into the backseat of the CRV. Then there's the config. issue. We had FF DD and RF DS1 sticking their fingers up each others' noses and into each others' mouths. Then he was biting her toes. At the same time, she was grabbing DS2's pacifier and putting it back in with those grimy fingers. Or, DS1 was reaching over and grabbing DS2's hands b/c he could see someone was over there.

When you have your 3rd DC, you'll feel the need for more space and more convenience. A big part of me wishes we'd done it before his birth b/c it has been time-consuming to do it with 3. Going to the dealership w/3 for a few hours was very painful. Getting 3 grandparents to come over and watch them so we could go do the paperwork was hard. You can't just leave 2 toddlers and a newborn with ONE babysitter like you do 2 kids. Going to the dealership to get the accessories installed for a couple hours on Monday was just hard enough I'd say to do it before #3 arrives if at all possible. As DH said, "If we're having the 3rd DC and we want convenience in our lives, why would we tough it out through the first year THEN get a van that would make life easier?"

The power doors that slide open are SO much easier in parking lots and for every entry/exit. The kids can climb into their seats themselves, and all I have to do is load the baby and buckle the big ones in. MUCH easier than reaching over one seat to buckle the middle kid, lift the others on each side then hurry up and shut the door so the other drivers can pull into the parking space next to us. We just love our 2009 Odyssey that I didn't even want to get.

[maestramommy]

If you know you will most likely get a van in the future, I'd just get it now. It'll be cheaper in the long run. Nice deal with having gas paid!:applause:

[wellyes]

Get the van, definitely!!

The CRV is based on a truck platform and has a distinctly bumpy ride.... not so fun for someone looking to go through 2 more pregnancies in the next couple of years.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I'll be the voice of dissent against a van (and a CRV :)). You want to TTC in 2-3y. That's a pretty good way off and you never know how fast TTC will be. That's a long time of driving around a bigger than necessary car, imo.

As for the CRV, I'd get a sedan instead. I have a Honda and get it serviced at the dealer. I have looked at all the cars and can't figure out what the advantage of a CRV is over an Accord or Civic. Is it just because it is taller that people like it? Easier to get the kids in? It doesn't seem to have any more interior room than one of the sedans and the trunk space seems smaller. I think a family of 5 would be more comfortable in an Accord, personally.

I guess since you have to get a new car and you will have gas paid it might make more sense to go bigger. But, what about something like a Mazda 5 instead? It's a nice in between car. You'll easily have space for your family of 4 and have space for more kids in the future.

I guess I would just not go with a really big car when the need for it is so far off in the future and not guaranteed either. I tend to shrug my shoulders when friends expecting #2 buy minivans though. :)

Beth

[KrisM]

I'll be the voice of dissent against a van (and a CRV :)). You want to TTC in 2-3y. That's a pretty good way off and you never know how fast TTC will be. That's a long time of driving around a bigger than necessary car, imo.

As for the CRV, I'd get a sedan instead. I have a Honda and get it serviced at the dealer. I have looked at all the cars and can't figure out what the advantage of a CRV is over an Accord or Civic. Is it just because it is taller that people like it? Easier to get the kids in? It doesn't seem to have any more interior room than one of the sedans and the trunk space seems smaller. I think a family of 5 would be more comfortable in an Accord, personally.

I guess since you have to get a new car and you will have gas paid it might make more sense to go bigger. But, what about something like a Mazda 5 instead? It's a nice in between car. You'll easily have space for your family of 4 and have space for more kids in the future.

I guess I would just not go with a really big car when the need for it is so far off in the future and not guaranteed either. I tend to shrug my shoulders when friends expecting #2 buy minivans though. :)

Beth

I'll agree with Beth. We figure we'll get a van eventually, but my car is fien for us for a while yet. Why put miles, wear and tear, etc on the minivan if we don't need it. This way, when we do get one in a couple years, it should be the only van we need to buy.

Another plus about a sedan is that you have a trunk. I really like being able to not worry about tying down everything in a minivans open cargo area. You don't want your groceries flying around the cabin in case of an accident, so things should be secured.

All that said, I do have 3 across in my Malibu Maxx. It's not ideal, but it's not horrible on most days. And, with DS1 going to kindergarten this fall, it will decrease the amount of time all the kids are in the car together.

[Momof3Labs]

I'll be the voice of dissent against a van (and a CRV :)). You want to TTC in 2-3y. That's a pretty good way off and you never know how fast TTC will be. That's a long time of driving around a bigger than necessary car, imo.


I'd say it depends on how long you normally keep cars. For us, we buy them to drive them into the ground, so buying something like a new CRV to last only 2-3 years would be a huge waste of money (cars depreciate the most in their first few years of life) only to trade in that nearly new car in on another new car.

If you want to stay with a smaller car for a few years, why not buy something used and plan to buy a new minivan when another child is on the way?

[WatchingThemGrow]

Oh, I forgot to add that part of our decision-making conversation included how close our DC are, how old our parents are, and how they might need us to be able to transport them in the next few years, and how much it would enable us to enjoy weekend getaways, being able to trade babysitting for friends' kids during the weekday, etc . We were over-stuffed in the CRV when we went to the beach for 3 days, and we have several opportunities for visiting family and friends by car. Doing those things in a van vs. our Accord or CRV just seemed a lot more sane. The Ody seemed cheaper than therapy, too ;)

you have to look at the whole picture, specifically for your family and lifestyle.

Our used CRV was a lot more comfy than our older Accord as far as loading, double stroller retrieval, getting in/out pregnant, etc. We didn't lose too much selling it 3 years later, so it was a bargain.

[AnnieW625]

We have one child and in 2006 we were also going to get a CRV, however after DH drove it in the test drive he just wasn't impressed at all (that was the older boxy style). Then we drove the Pilot and we liked how much more spacious the car felt and knew we'd be able to get two convertables in the back and possibly three if needed once our family expanded. There is a huge amount of storage space in the car and DH was really happy that we didn't have to get a van! With one child the van would've seemed like soo much wasted space. The only time I regretted the purchase was when gas hit $4.89 a gallon last summer. Otherwise we have been very happy with our car and will drive it probably till it dies.

Another friend of mine with a 1 year old who has a 2005 CRV said that she wishes they would've bought the Pilot too, but they ended up selling her hubby's truck and getting an Expedition recently.