Saturday, February 3, 2007

To buy or not to buy...

So, I am really wanting a new car... Yes, I love my Honda CRV but I really need more space (and no, we are not having any more kids!). Logan wants to have his friends over from school and we just don't have any room for an extra car/booster seat. We can only fit 4 people in the car so it is tough when my in-laws come visit or when Meg is in town. I have been looking around and here are my thoughts. I really DO NOT want a huge SUV such as an Expedition or Denali- they are just way to big and out of our price range! I have been looking at the mid-sized SUVs with the third row option. Some of them are okay but they really are cramped and there is not a lot of space. Plus my options are a bit limited. So, should I go for the mini-van? I really like the Honda Odyssey, Toyota Sienna, and Nissan Quest. And they are pretty good for the price you pay. BUT I just don't know if I am ready to take that leap, to go that route. Help! Advice needed! Kim, Karen, and Sarah- I know you all love your vans. Is it worth it? Owning a mini-van? Being "that Mom"... please let me know! You all know me, once I get something in my mind, I want to act fast. I am thinking of going and test driving this week. I'll keep you posted...

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Lets see...I do love the space in the van. I wish though, that I had a smaller car for day to day driving, as the van doesn't get that good of gas mileage and we really don't need that much space when it's just the 3 of us. If you are looking at MV's, I would go for honda or toyota, those are the top rated. I think the honda even has something that switches the car to 4 cyl. so it conserves gas. We also looked at the Pilot and Highlander, and when the 3rd seat is in use, there is NO trunk space at all! I definitely wouldn't do a larger SUV - given the state of the world, you don't really want to buy a big gas hog! I wish they would make a hybrid minivan or diesel subaru. Good luck and keep us posted!

Laura said...

Thanks for the advice, Karen. I appreciate and value your opinion. We'll see what happens once I test drive and get prices for a few different options. I'll keep ya posted!

Unknown said...

HI, this is Karen's SIL Laura. I never thought I would be 'that mom' either.. always quoting, "I WILL NEVER OWN A MINIVAN", but I gotta say I love my van! I have a Toyota Sienna. We have twins and had the same issue.. family fit "okay" in our Subaru, but forget it if we needed to take anyone w/ us... like one of the kid's friends - as a mom group thing or at a later date. Not to mention when my parents are in town.. we have to take two cars everywhere. We looked at the Toyota and the Kia... and LOVED the Toyota. Good luck deciding. I feel much 'freer' now that I have a larger car to accommodate my entire family.

Laura said...

Thanks for the advice! The Toyota Sienna is top on my list. I also like the Nissan Quest. They both are on the sporty side and have ample room. We'll see what happens...