Post for the guys (& gals)...Car Show!

[BabbyO]

The fam went to the car show this past weekend. It was fun...maybe not as much as last year, but that's because DS1 wasn't interested until about 10 minutes before we left...then he was mad because we were leaving.

Anyway, DH and I lusted after "our car" again (the Subaru Outback). We've been wanting to get this car for 2 yrs but everytime we think we've got our schmidt together and can afford a new car something comes up and we can't.

So, other cars we liked were the Prius V and continue to be impressed with the Accord. We also love the Forester but think the Outback is a better fit for us.

We were surprised that the Volt didn't impress us as much once we were able to get in and see it upclose (last year it was at the show, but you couldn't get in and see it as upclose).

So what are your favorite family cars that aren't minivans? What are your favorite commuter/family cars?

[Penny's Pappa]

I LOVE my '07 Outback and I'd definitely buy another. For a wagon, it's exceptionally fun to drive. It handles well and it's got a little more power than I expected. That being said, when I buy another OB, I want to bump up to the 2.5L turbo rather than the Base model that I currently have. Cargo space is ENORMOUS. If I put the seats down I can fit a 6' long table in the cargo area no problem. I've even hauled back 16' long pieces of baseboard in this thing!

My wife has an '05 Hyundai Santa Fe that we really enjoy as well. It drives much more like a truck -- the seats are more upright and the view is higher. She feels safer in it because of the better view.

[BabbyO]

Hmmm...we looked at the Santa Fe last year, but really didn't like it compared to the OB...but it was a newer model, so maybe that is the difference. We felt like the OB was a lot more bang for your buck when it came to actual passenger and cargo space.

We have an 04 Forester and wish we had a slightly newer one...if we did we wouldn't be so cramped with the carseats and looking for a new, bigger family car.

I was amazed at how the cargo space looked smaller in the OB compared to the Forester (its really not smaller). I know it's because the OB has a sloped back and the forester has the boxy back...but it was really deceiving.

[AngelaS]

Dh has a truck provided by the company.

I have a Toyota Sienna.

DH's midlife crisis-mobile is a 6 speed Dodge Challenger. It's rather fun to drive. ;)

[artvandalay]

We :heartbeat: our Outback! It's a great car. Everyone that I know that has one is really happy with theirs. They hold their resale value really well and we've never had any problems with ours. My DH drives it now because with the 3 kids I need a van, but before the 3rd kid came along, it was "my" car.

[Penny's Pappa]

Hmmm...we looked at the Santa Fe last year, but really didn't like it compared to the OB...but it was a newer model, so maybe that is the difference. We felt like the OB was a lot more bang for your buck when it came to actual passenger and cargo space.

Yeah, it's probably just the model years. The 05 Santa Fe lacks cargo space compared to my 07 OB, but the seating area is MUCH more spacious. I could barely sit in the passenger seat of my OB when Penny was rear-facing. There's so little leg room in the back seat (to maximize cargo space I'm sure) that we had to move the passenger seat almost all the way forward so the carseat would fit. I simply couldn't sit up front without eating my kneecaps. It's better now that shes FF, but we never had those problems with the Santa Fe.

Other than that though, I think Subarus are incredibly well-engineered cars. They're in a league of their own really.

[BabbyO]

Yeah, it's probably just the model years. The 05 Santa Fe lacks cargo space compared to my 07 OB, but the seating area is MUCH more spacious. I could barely sit in the passenger seat of my OB when Penny was rear-facing. There's so little leg room in the back seat (to maximize cargo space I'm sure) that we had to move the passenger seat almost all the way forward so the carseat would fit. I simply couldn't sit up front without eating my kneecaps. It's better now that shes FF, but we never had those problems with the Santa Fe.

Other than that though, I think Subarus are incredibly well-engineered cars. They're in a league of their own really.

We are in the exact same position with DH's Forester. I'm pretty much the only person who can sit in the passenger seat because DS1 is RF in a convertible. It is tight for DH, too, because the infant seat is behind him. The newer Foresters & Outbacks have more passenger space in the back seat. We had a 10' Forester on loan for a couple days and DS fit RF behind DH with no problem. The newer Outbacks have even more room. We test drove the Santa Fe last year and the Outback had significantly more room both in the back seat and in the cargo area.

So wanting our new car.....

Though we may test drive the prius V....just to see what it's like. DH wouldn't ever get one....but I may be in the market in a few years. Our corolla is pretty small.

[AnnieW625]

We have a 06 Honda Pilot, and an 01 Toyota Corolla. I drive the Pilot and DH drives the Corolla. We are looking to replace the Corolla with one of the following cars in the next year. So far we have only test driven the Passat TDI.:
*VW Jetta TDI (either wagon or sedan w/a manual)
*VW Passat TDI (w/manual or might do a Manu-matic because it has the nicest interior),
*Volvo S60 T5 (this car with leather is beautiful inside and only comes in a manu-matic)
*Subaru Legacy (also comes with a manual, and a manu-matic, and the LTD. is nice inside)
*Mini Cooper Countryman (also manual; DH wants the forth coming AWD John Cooper Works edition; I want decent gas mileage).

We might also consider the Accord EX sedan, but I am not just loving the looks of the car right now and while we love our Pilot we really want to try something else with less cookie cutter styling. Also with gas prices the way they are I think diesel might be a better way to go because we commute a lot. DH isn't sold on hybrid technology, but that is another post in itself.

[BillK]

So what are your favorite family cars that aren't minivans? What are your favorite commuter/family cars?

I love my 2011 Ford F-150 SuperCrew Lariat 4 x 4. It's White Tricoat Platinum Metallic (fancy name for pearl white) with Adobe (tan) leather - heated/cooled seats, Ford Sync system - all the bells and whistles but Nav and Moonroof. Loving it so far at 3900 miles! There is sooooo much room in the backseat - both boys immediately said "we can STAND UP when we get in!"

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-jltVJkElxHc/Tn81BzfqPLI/AAAAAAAAAK4/xqlKpZpYqK8/s640/2011-09-25_09-47-48_27.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-siFWAN2o0FU/Tn81uVhDPJI/AAAAAAAAALY/ItIrwlJdYgs/s640/2011-09-25_09-49-32_986.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Zbg10-Sn02A/Tn82tOIov6I/AAAAAAAAAMA/YxHZTQ65cr0/s640/2011-09-25_09-52-11_596.jpg

[AnnieW625]

Nice truck Bill! And Bill (and TamiRuns) I am still uber jealous of your yard! Beautiful!

DH can't wait to replace my Pilot with a truck and is hoping for a top of the line 4 door Toyota Tacoma or Nissan Frontier. Hopefully in 3 or 4 yrs. that will be a reality.

[elliput]

We bought a Prius V at the end of December and are really loving it. I am really impressed with how comfortable it is and how much leg room there is in the back seat. We also have a Ford Expedition, which is a great family vehicle, but is not very easy on the pocket book.

[trales]

We really wanted the Prius V, we ended up with a 12 impreza instead since the day before I made my decision we had a major snowstorm and I really needed the AWD. I still lust after the Prius V. It is such a nice car.

[Aarohismom]

We just bought Prius V Three. Love it! Comfortable ride, lots of legroom in the back and spacious cargo. It feels like mini minivan.:)

[BabbyO]

I love my 2011 Ford F-150 SuperCrew Lariat 4 x 4. It's White Tricoat Platinum Metallic (fancy name for pearl white) with Adobe (tan) leather - heated/cooled seats, Ford Sync system - all the bells and whistles but Nav and Moonroof. Loving it so far at 3900 miles! There is sooooo much room in the backseat - both boys immediately said "we can STAND UP when we get in!"


Very nice truck. I miss having a truck. DH never got into truck and since I have the 80+ mile/day commute, I won't be getting a truck any time soon.


We just bought Prius V Three. Love it! Comfortable ride, lots of legroom in the back and spacious cargo. It feels like mini minivan.:)

So glad to hear there is some Prius V love here...It maybe my next car....or maybe they'll have something totally different when its my turn to buy! :)