Sell me on your vehicle « Hellobee Boards

Sell me on your vehicle

By avivoca Jul 7, 2016

We've been pre-approved for a vehicle loan, so now we are looking at vehicles. Yay, except the amount I'm willing to spend cuts out the majority of vehicles I want. So if you have an Odyessy or a Sienna, I'm not able to get one, which makes me super sad.

We've been looking at or driven the following:
Subaru Forrester
Chevy Equinox
Kia Sedona
Nissan Rogue
Ford Edge

So tell me what you're driving. We currently have a Nissan Versa and are looking for a second family car. It needs to fit two carseats and a double stroller plus a dog.

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30 comments

catgirl
nectarine / 2018 posts

Jul 7, 2016

I have a 2013 Nissan Rogue. I absolutely love driving it, as does DH. BUT it really doesn't have much space. In order for DH to be able to drive the rear facing car seat has to be behind the passenger. Our stroller, the Britax B-Ready, takes up almost the entire truck.

On your list I would get the Kia Sedona. It's supposed to be the best van after the Honda and Toyota.
avivoca
watermelon / 14467 posts

Jul 7, 2016

@catgirl: I'm looking at it for sure. It doesn't have AWD though, which is important to my husband. We also wouldn't have the RF car seat behind the driver.
LindsayLou
persimmon / 1322 posts

Jul 7, 2016

I have a Subaru Forester and I love it. I have zero desire to drive anything else and will be so sad when my car needs replacing. I have an older model (2001), but my mom has a newer one (2013 I believe), so I have experience with both.

I love how foresters drive, and handle in all sorts of weather. They hold up well. My mom and I are both short, and feel like the seats are designed for people our size. Car seat installation is easy, and I even had 3 car seats for a year while I was nannying. It was a jigsaw, but it worked. We have one now, and there's still plenty of space for a second.

One of the best things about the forester for our family is how much cargo space it has for a smaller car. My husband has a sedan, so my car is our all purpose transport. It fits lumber, furniture, luggage for a road trip, Costco groceries, etc.

Eta: we have our rear facing seat in the middle, if/when we have two rf seats, we'll put the second one behind the passenger seat. We were able to fit the infant bucket behind the drivers seat, but it was a tight fit for my husband.
MOMTOLITTLEB
persimmon / 1188 posts

Jul 7, 2016

We have a couple of family members with Forresters and they love them! We considered one for me but my husband really likes Toyotas.

I have a new Rav4 and I love it but I know it's not on your list. It will be big enough for me if we ever have two kids but we do also have a larger SUV that we usually take when our whole family is together.
catgirl
nectarine / 2018 posts

Jul 7, 2016

@avivoca: Definitely understand wanting AWD. As I said the Rogue is great to drive. We live in New England and it's great in the snow. What year of the Rogue are you looking at? The 2014 and later has more trunk space than my 2013.

We are totally a Nissan family - we also have an altima and have been very happy with both. I think I was just a little disappointed because the Honda CRV I had before had way more trunk space. I also know we have a somewhat large stroller. But it's a tight fit when we fill it for a week long trip.
looch
wonderful pear / 26210 posts

Jul 7, 2016

I loved our Toyota Venza. It's like a small suv on a car chassis. Tons of space in the interior and it has a nice sized trunk.
jetsa
grapefruit / 4663 posts

Jul 7, 2016

Are you looking for AWD?
skipra
pomegranate / 3350 posts

Jul 7, 2016

My dad has a Subaru Outback, which is not on your list, but I LOVE it. Plenty of room for our 2 car seats + me (at 29 weeks pregnant) in the back seat and the trunk space is huge. I think the gas mileage is pretty good and it is great to drive. We borrow it whenever we visit and we would have gotten one if we didn't need the third row.
avivoca
watermelon / 14467 posts

Jul 7, 2016

@catgirl: It has to be 2009 or later, per the bank. I've driven a 2015 and really liked it, plus a coworker has a 2010. I'm not married to AWD, it's just something my husband likes. If he had his way, we'd get a Jeep, but the backseat is just too small for carseats.

@jetsa: T wants AWD. I don't care. I just want my double BOB to fit and both my kids, plus another adult if I need to. Ideally, I'd get a van, but I can't get an AWD Sienna with what I want to pay for a vehicle.
jetsa
grapefruit / 4663 posts

Jul 7, 2016

@avivoca: this is not in your list but I'm in love and it meets your requirements. I love my Hyundai Sonata. I traded in a Honda Pilot for it and will never go back. It has more room in the back seat than the pilot fits my double in the trunk, gets great gas mileage, and has room for an adult in the passenger seat. I have sis rear facing behind my drivers seat without issue. We bought the pilot because at the house we were at then AWD was required and that greatly limits your choices it was a good vehicle just cramped in the second row, expensive, and the gas mileage wasn't that good. Here's the thread I posted awhile back http://boards.hellobee.com/topic/recommend-your-family-sedan
snowjewelz
wonderful kiwi / 23653 posts

Jul 7, 2016

My parents is on their 2nd or 3rd Subaru Forester (and probably the 4th or 5th Subaru in general). My dad is a die hard fan. It's probably the most affordable AWD plus great safety ratings. DH doesn't like Subaru's but he's a car snob and a die hard Honda fan (we have a Honda CRV).

I drove my BIL's Nissan Rouge for a while and was unimpressed.
Cole
grapefruit / 4649 posts

Jul 7, 2016

I'd be careful with the Edge, Ford doesn't seem to give a flying fig about car seats. They frequently have seat belts with air bags which don't work with some car seats. It's hard if not impossible to fit three in the back because of the way the seat belts over lap. This may vary with packages they offer on the cars but definitely pay attention to it. It's really nice being able to fit three even if it's cozy.

For what it's worth, we got a great deal on a 2015 Volvo XC60 with very low mileage, it was well under the cost of a new Edge with a few upgrades. It's an awesome car, we really love it.
youboots
honeydew / 7622 posts

Jul 7, 2016

I'm obbbbbbbsessed with the Flex. It's so awesome.
matador84
papaya / 10560 posts

Jul 7, 2016

Not on your list but I have an outback and it is amazing. Two britax carseats in the back, room in the middle, although a little tight. A tall husband with seat back and still some room. We take tons of road trips and plenty of cargo room in trunk. It drives so great and handles awesome in the snow if you live in a cold/snowy climate.
avivoca
watermelon / 14467 posts

Jul 7, 2016

@matador84: I like the outback but I can't find it for the price/mileage I need within 100 miles of my zip code.
Caly
nectarine / 2765 posts

Jul 7, 2016

I love my 09 Forester. I bought it new and it's held up very well *knock on wood* It handles well in all weather (ice, snow, rain, etc) and I like that I can see out all sides well with little blind spots. Car seats have been easy to install and the gas milage is decent. It also has had good safety ratings from what I remember. The back carries a decent amount of stuff (double stroller and groceries, etc). Overall, I definitely recommend it!
matador84
papaya / 10560 posts

Jul 7, 2016

@avivoca: bummer!! we got ours below invoice (bought new as a 2013 in 2012).

I actually just got mine serviced yesterday and a dealer emailed me this morning saying they need gently used Outbacks and would be interested in buying mine back. HA!
Mommy Finger
pomegranate / 3272 posts

Jul 8, 2016

I really like our Equinox. And it can definitely fit all that you have depending on the size of your dog. . .
sungirl
apricot / 309 posts

Jul 8, 2016

I have the Ford Edge and I love it but I'm not sure it's large enough for your needs. We have 2 FF car seats and that leaves a small middle seat that only accommodates a small adult or a medium dog. And once my double Bob is in the trunk it's hard to fit much more. If we travel as a whole family we take DH's suburban.
bloved
persimmon / 1114 posts

Jul 8, 2016

I have a (2008) Ford Edge and I really love it. One of the best features is the spacious trunk...much bigger than a lot of other SUVs I've seen. It also has a decent amount of leg room in the back and comfortably fits my two car seats (no idea about fitting a third).

Eta- we frequently travel with my black lab in the trunk and he has plenty of room. But I think it would be tight to fit a double stroller and the dog at the same time. However we have done it with the dog, a pack n play and all of our Christmas presents when visiting family over the holidays.
YogiRunner
clementine / 849 posts

Jul 8, 2016

I feel like you can't go wrong with the Forrester. Subarus are the best! I also used to drive an Equinox and really liked it. The backseats can move back and forth which is a neat feature, and it was all around very comfortable. Only complaint is not enough oomph on the highway, especially merging from the on ramp.
josina
pomegranate / 3973 posts

Jul 8, 2016

Not on your list but I just bought a 2012 Chevy Traverse and LOVE it. It's Chevy's version of a mini van. The 2LT has AWD and plenty of space for everything you need. Right now with 2 kids I keep the 3rd row folded down so lots of storage room. Baby on the way so we'll have 2 car seats in the middle and room for DSD to get in the back.
avivoca
watermelon / 14467 posts

Jul 8, 2016

@josina: Thanks for the rec! We drove one last year for a week. It was so difficult for me to get H into her RF car seat because it was so tall (I'm 5'5), but I think we are going to look at them again.

Does anyone drive the Mazda5 microvan? There are a couple of nice ones in our area that we are going to check out.
avivoca
watermelon / 14467 posts

Jul 8, 2016

@MUI831: We have a medium sized dog (65 pounds) who really doesn't ride in the car much, but sometimes we do need to take her places. We drove an Equinox last fall when we went to a family reunion and it fit everything we needed for the trip (cooler, pnp, luggage, etc.).

@YogiRunner: Ah, the only one in our price range in our area sold yesterday! So I'm keeping an eye out because my husband really liked the look of it.

@sungirl: Thanks!
Mommy Finger
pomegranate / 3272 posts

Jul 8, 2016

@YogiRunner: I 100% agree with your thoughts on the Equinox. Especially the lack of "oomph"
threeplusme
cherry / 248 posts

Jul 8, 2016

It's not on your list but I love our chrysler town and country minivan. Prior to it I drove a Subaru wagon which I loved too but it was too tight for three car seats along with lots of gear for frequent road trips. The Chrysler and dodges are more affordable than Hondas not sure about siennas.
Beth24
cherry / 223 posts

Jul 8, 2016

Love my Forester! I live in a really snowy climate and it is the best suv I've driven in the snow. Fits everything I need it to and is great to drive.
ladybee
grapefruit / 4079 posts

Jul 8, 2016

You know I love my Pathfinder.
MenagerieMama
pear / 1547 posts

Jul 9, 2016

We almost got a Forrester because I grew up in. Subaru family, but the Honda CRV has better safety data and we love ours. We bought a 2006 used and it's great! Will definitely get another to replace it when that time comes. We have 2 dogs and right now just one LO. We have a roof rack that we put a cargo top on for extra storage.
oskarsmommy
kiwi / 625 posts

Jul 9, 2016

We have two, yes TWO Hyundai Santa Fe's. (A 2013 & a 2104) We looked at Subaru, but you get a lot of luxury for your dollar with Hyundai. Neither my husband nor I didn't want to have to drive the "other" car, when we were car shopping for a second new one. I think that tells you how much we love it!

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