type of vehicle??

[acornmom]

Hope you all can help with this.... we have a 10 year old and are expecting twins in Jan/Feb... we are looking at trading in two of our vehicles (keeping his precious truck LOL) and I am not sure what would be good. I know we need something for two car seats but also some comfy room for the 10 yr old. We have a tendency to travel long distances (3-5 hours) and want comfort but want good milage and decent pricing too... any suggestions?? Thanks to all of you.

[lw918]

I'm in the same situation as you My DD turns 8 next month and we are expecting twins in april. I currently have a SUV that seats 5, but want to get something bigger. DD likes to bring her bestfriend everywhere and I'd like room for at least one more passenger. In all the looking I've done I've, very sadly, come to realization that I'll probably be purshasing a mini van. HAHA! I've always said I didnt want one. I looked at a lot of tahoes, extended suv's etc. They are great, but the gas mileage is terrible and they are expensive. Even used the prices are crazy! Also, something I noticed is that most of them have a bench seat in the middle which means either laying it down to get to the carseats in the back or removing carseats everytime someone else needs to lay it down to get in the back. The vans have more room, usually more options, and are way lower in price. It seemed to me that a used van is literally about half the price of an suv with the same amount of mileage. A lot of the van's come equipped with DVD players which is nice for the older ones. I live in an area where an SUV comes in really handy (snow, etc) but I'm sure I can survive with a van. I looked on consumer reports and it seemed the honda and toyota vans were ranked pretty high. Of course, they are also a little bit more expensive. I'm not sure if you're buying used or new, but the grand caravan also ranks high and there are a lot of used ones available.
I'm not sure if this helps you at all, but just thought I'd share my findings.

[acornmom]

yes, it does help thanks!.. we are also looking at the different mini vans and like the toyota and honda. I am anxious to hear from other moms and their thoughts too. Good luck in the pregnancy and vehicle shopping

[twinmom]

Hi Ladies. I have 16 month old twins and expecting a singleton in Oct. I have recently gotten rid of my toyota highlander and got a Honda Odessey. I never never never wanted a mini van. I would have preferred to have a 3 row SUV, but I must say I love the van. It is absolutely perfect for moms. Hands free door and trunk opening is perfect for when you have both hands full with babies.....lol It rides smooth and holds7-8. The seats fold down flat so you have lots of room for strollers, toys, and other baby supplies. Good luck with the car hunt.

[Arabsrcool]

I gotta agree that Mini-vans are the way to go. I am soooo not a mini-van mom, but guess what....I just got a mini-van. I love it for its practical purposes and the room and options it gives. I bought a Town and County, would have really liked the Honda, but it was substanially more expensive. I looked at all the SUV's, third seat etc, but the expense to buy one and keep gassed up was alot more than the mini-van. I still catch myself walking out in the parking lot looking for my Accord (which my husband drives now, lucky dog!) and think, wheres my car??!!!.

We plan on starting FET in January, so if it works, I will use even more room in the van!

[acornmom]

what made you go with the vans you each picked? We are looking between a honda and a toyota and wondered what made "the one for you guys". Thanks again for any help

[riogirl71]

I don't know about minivans but I would like to offer my 2 cents on car seats. After much research we talked to a lady that teaches the California Highway Patrol on car seats. She says the best car seat is the Radian by Sunshine kids, the reason I am posting this is that the radians are very comfy but also a bit narrower than regular car seats so that you have room to put 3 in a row or 2 and have someone still comfy sitting next to them.

Congrats!