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| JACK |
I'm glad I will still get to see Jack :) so now that brings us to the question.... WHAT VEHICLE SHOULD I GET?! We are followers of Dave Ramsey who says never buy new.... because they lose their value the minute you drive away- which I get but I'm having trouble finding what I want in the used department. I want barely used.... I don't want it to be a previous rental car because people say they beat those down. You can get accident checks on any used so I'm not too worried about that. I want mine to have all the works though. We've saved up for it so I want it to have all its bells and whistles. Throw in some seat heaters, sun roof, electric seat movers, gps, you know- the basics :)
I want a smaller SUV type car similar to the size of the Rav4 (Jack). I wanted a car that I could put Hadley's carseat in the back middle (for best safety) but I'm finding that to be more difficult (we won't get into seat belts and latch systems). Gotta have good trunk room still for strollers and suitcases for when we go on road trips. I'm leaning towards Chevy Equinox..... RECOMMEND A VEHICLE IN THE COMMENTS SECTION TO HELP ME OUT!
I LOVE my Subaru Forester. The back center seatbelt is a full seatbelt, not just a lap one. You can get Subarus with heated seats, wiper de-icers and other fancy stuff. We chose this car because it had some of the highest safety ratings and we knew we'd have this car when we started a family. And if you find yourself back up North, it is a tank in the snow. Mileage is good too for a small SUV. I get about 24-25MPG.
ReplyDeleteHyundai Santa Fe is good car similar to the rav4( I had one till my second was 5 months old), but a little bigger. My mom has a Santa Fe and we have gone on numerous trips with at least one of the kids ( rear facing) in it with strollers, luggage, misc baby gear, etc. and had enough room.
ReplyDeleteWe've had a Toyota Highlander for 2 years now and we love it. It is very roomy on the inside and has plenty of room for a car seat, dog crate, stroller, etc. I drive 18 miles one way to work every day (not highway) and I feel like it gets great gas mileage for a mid sized SUV. You mentioned a Chevy Equinox - I have a friend who loves hers and has plenty of room for her little boy and all of his gear, but I found it to be super uncomfortable for me to drive. I'm only 5'2" and I couldn't get comfortable in the driver's seat or with the seat belt.
ReplyDeleteHaha, Jack...Never knew. And didn't realize Mom had gotten rid of hers, heard they might try CarMax, but didn't hear the outcome.
ReplyDeleteWe had the Santa Fe and liked it until Marla switched from wanting to be higher up to not feeling comfortable being higher up. ;) But obviously we like Hyundai and the 6 year, 60000 mile bumper to bumper warranty is nice and price is right up front, but resale would be less. Friends have gotten Honda vehicles and they found that the year used vehicles were not very much less than new, so in those cases they went new but they paid a bunch. But in those cases, resale would be better. So it is a trade-off.
A friend has the Buick Enclave and they like that, but not sure about cost/reliability or anything.
I'd recommend getting a month subscription to the online consumer reports site and check out the reliability/safety ratings and reviews of the vehicles you're interested in and weight cost vs the other factors you want and then try and narrow it down to like 3 choices and then go test drive them. Also Edmunds is a good site with free info/reviews.
When we got the Sonata, we were considering the Altima as well and before driving them we thought the Altima would come out higher. After test driving we did NOT like the Altima at all and it was a much easier decision than we thought.
Some SUVs are based on the higher up truck type frames and some are based on the lower center of gravity car frames, so it definitely helps to go for a nice long drive. Some places even allow you to take a car home for a day or weekend when you get serious, but I'm sure there are stipulations.
Good luck!
I'd like to mention the always lovely Ford Escapes. I've had mine for almost 7 years (wow) and still love it. It's the perfect height and size. Our friend Erin has a newer one (you can see it when she comes to Max's bday party) and she likes it too. Def. do comparisons to the top 3-4 you like and test drive them to get a good feel.
ReplyDeleteYes, Mom did sell her car via carmax. She got a higher offer than we were even listing it for so we ran with it and it's gone!
Did not know Mom sold her car but Sandie has an Equinox and loves it. Great on gas and plenty of room. The Ford Escape has a lot of blind spots. Jojo has one and I had to put in a very wide front mirror for her to see the left and right side behind her. Good luck.
ReplyDeletetotally voting Subaru on this one. I love my outback but when the time comes I am going for a Forester like my sister has since it sits up a little more like an SUV instead of my wagon style. Love all the room in it and we took mine on our 2 week Honeymoon road trip as well as down to Long Island several times. It is great in the snow and I bought mine used with very low miles, heated seats and mirror de-icers. As you know Jen and Bob have taken theirs across country several times and up the mountains there to show us around. Mine also has the center "normal" belt instead of just the lap belt.
ReplyDeleteoh yeah, and on highways I can get about 28 MPG with 23ish for most of the local driving I do. The other people I coach XC with also have Subaru's and love them. It has great visibility as well for backing up and driving in general.
Deletewe had a CRV and loved it! we currently drive a Jetta Sportwagon - not quite in the minivan yet.... ;)
ReplyDeleteWaaaaaa ... I get so attached to vehicles!
ReplyDeleteBut with that said, I know that you have been wanting one. At least like you said, it will still be in the family.
I am sure whatever you get, you will love. I knew at one point you had thought of the GMC Acadia. Post pics when you get it!
Check out 2013 Mazda CX-5, about same size as Rav, have loved everything about it!
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