I'm driving a Honda Accord and in a couple years, I plan on upgrading to the crossover SUV like, the Toyota Rav-4, Mazda CX-7, Ford Edge or Nissan Murano.
I think my Accord is fine for now for one kid. It has leather seats which I hear is a good thing to have. It's a sedan so it should be easy to get the kid in and out.
What do you drive? Is it kid friendly? Are there any features you wish you had in a car?
coconut / 8305 posts
I actually drive an 89 bmw 525 and it's been really kid friendly so far.
It's pretty big on the inside so I know baby will fit with DS just fine and could probably even fit another one if I have it that long.
I don't forsee ever getting an SUV of any type just b/c I'm definitely a car person.... and hopefully if we do end up having too we won't have too for awhile.
kiwi / 686 posts
We drive a Toyota mini-van, and we don't even have kids yet! We also have an old Mercury Grand Marquis, but it doesn't have heat or air so I doubt the kids will be in there often.
wonderful pear / 26210 posts
It's funny you posted this, we're thinking of the same cars you are. I am leaning towards the Murano heavily, though. I need to check out the placement of the anchors for a car seat tether, but since we're likely only having one kid, we don't need a huge car.
We're currently driving an Audi A6, it's fine, but the trunk is a pain.
admin / watermelon / 14210 posts
we don't have a car but i want to get one next year. trying to take two kids on the subway is a nightmare. my dream car always has been and always will be a stationwagon. not sure which one i want, but i shall have a stationwagon one day oh yes i will!
hostess / wonderful apple seed / 16729 posts
@Looch- I love the Murano but it's slightly pricey-er than the others. I don't like the Nissan Rouge, though. Hmm, maybe things will change in a couple years with cars and my budget. 
grapefruit / 4056 posts
I am just going through shopping for something more family friendly, I am 14 weeks pregnant with baby #1, and currently drive a Mitsubishi Eclipse - so not a family car! I wasn't sold on station wagons but I test drove a VW Passat Wagon and really liked it, so I think I will be trading my car fro that next week.
GOLD / wonderful coffee bean / 18478 posts
I also drive a Honda Accord and it's very kid friendly. My hubs has a Mercedes SUV and it's not any roomier for when we have #2 but the truck space is bigger.
hostess / papaya / 10540 posts
I have a Civic, not so fun to put a kid and his gear in it. We're currently "borrowing" an SUV from the in-laws that they want us to keep. I don't love it, but since it's a free car that is more useful for lugging baby gear around we'll probably keep it until we've saved up to pay for the SUV I really want.
honeydew / 7917 posts
We have an Acura TSX and a Mazda Miata. Needless to say the 2 seat convertible is not kid friendly. Funnily enough we bought the car when I was only a few weeks pregnant but didn't know it. Five years ago we purchased the TSX with the intention of it being a family friendly vehicle with back seats and four doors. Haha. I can't believe I didn't scare my husband away at that point. We had only been dating for a year, and we were still so young. The car has served us well the last 6 months, and I absolutely love everything about the car.
We are keeping an eye out for a station wagon in our future. It's the perfect family vehicle.
honeydew / 7968 posts
we have a highlander and i think it'll be pretty kid friendly. we need to put in 2 carseats, so i guess we'll see when we have our kids.
pineapple / 12234 posts
We have a Honda Element right now. It is kid friendly, I can rinse it out which is helpful. We're thinking about buying a toyota highlander for me.
hostess / wonderful honeydew / 32460 posts
We have an Infinite G35s and a Toyota Prius! Both cars are kid friendly.. Going to trade in the Prius for something bigger when we have baby #2.
cherry / 201 posts
we have a saab wagon which is def kid friendly and we have an acura sedan. when a little one arrives we'll trade in our acura for either another wagon or for a crossover / SUV of some kind.
hostess / watermelon / 14932 posts
I drive a 2000 Sentra! It's the tiniest little thing. DH drives a 94 accord but the heat controls are broken, so there'll be no baby in his car. we are thinking of finding a 6k or so minivan, small SUV, etc and then he would take my car. Up in the air - will all depend on finances when baby comes, because right now our cars are workable though not ideal. 
persimmon / 1194 posts
We have a Lexus RX350 and i think its kid friendly and a good size for a family. We actually got it this summer in hopes that we would have a baby soon to drive around in it.
GOLD / pomelo / 5167 posts
I have a Toyota tercel and even though it's small it was okay. With 2 it might be a little more complicated but the husband has a Mazda CX-7
hostess / wonderful persimmon / 25556 posts
@mrsbee - I love the Subaru wagons. They've got a modern look to them but they're such great cars at the same time. Someday I will get one of those!!
I drive a Mazda 3. I love my car. It's perfect for me and I think it will be perfect for a baby/child, as well. My huband drives a Toyota Camry and it's of course a great family car. Both of us will have our cars paid off by June of 2012. Can't WAIT to be able to save those payments each month!
GOLD / wonderful apricot / 22646 posts
I currently drive a Pontiac g6 and DH drives a Ford expedition. We are definitely in the market for a smaller SUV/crossover in the next couple of years.
While we can definitely make both of our cars work, we are planning on a new vehicle purchase in the next few years.
apricot / 340 posts
I drive a Honda Accord, which is pretty kid friendly, but we're planning to trade it in for a Honda CR-V next year. Hopefully, the new 2012 design is nicer in person. I wasn't too keen on the online photos, but we'll see. I'll have to check it out at the LA Auto Show in a few weeks.
cherry / 166 posts
@mrsbee-I 2nd the station wagon! I'd love to have one. My family thinks I'm nuts but I'm just not a mini van kind of gal.
Right now I'm driving a paid off Ford Escape. I like it enough to consider getting another one if the station wagon doesn't work out. I'll be driving it for probably another two years until DH's car is paid off. Our goal is to only have one car payment at a time.
pear / 1664 posts
I drive a 2008 Honda Civic exl; hubs has a 2008 Nissan Rogue sl. We have no plans to upgrade when we have a kid unless the car has a safety/maintenance problem, but they're still pretty new. For now we're quite happy with our vehicles; they are paid off and THAT is the best feature for a car to have!!
My mom drove tiny little cars my whole life without a problem so...I guess we'll see how I feel about it. But I have owned SUVs before, I just feel more comfortable (and oddly, safer) in small vehicles that are low to the ground and easy to maneuver. (My civic feels HUGE compared to my old 70s VW bug I drove for several years...hehe.)
I do think I'd switch to a station wagon eventually; I always wanted one (is that weird?) and my current fave is the BMW wagon--the 3 series. I also like the Acura ZDX; it's a 'big' station wagon, not quite SUV but pretty big. (Like a honda crosstour accord if you've seen those.) I really can't stand vans. I have always been a sort of 'car nut' and they were never my thing!
cherry / 112 posts
Currently we have a corolla. I love this car (I've had it for 10 years - it was my first car!). But, it's 10 years old. Which means lots of safety advances have been added to cars and I would prefer to have a slightly newer, slightly larger car when we have kids. A Subaru Outback is what we're leaning towards... but man I love not having a car payment!
hostess / wonderful apple seed / 16729 posts
@Chopsuey119 - I just heard on the radio last night about the Toyota V. It's suppose to be like the Prius except larger. I need to see what it looks like. I might be interested. I do have a few friends who love their Prius.
cherry / 190 posts
@HeatherlovesKenny - I wanted an Element so bad for my first car! But my dad said a Civic would be a better fit for me with resale and gas mileage. Still wish I'd gone with the Element though, that washable feature totally sold me. And the fact that all the seats fold away! So nice.
A couple of months before we got pregnant we sold my Civic and got a Hyundai Santa Fe. It's the cheap version of the Honda CRV or other crossover type SUV's. I love this car, it's awesome. It looks way fancier than the pricetag. Plus it makes it so easy to cart around our two 50lb dogs and a baby when we go to grandma's house.
GOLD / wonderful apricot / 22276 posts
I have a 2005 ford escape and its on the smaller side of the SUV's but it will fit kids for sure, I am a nanny and so far I have been able to fit 3 carseats in it (although it was tight), but we will be keeping it until it dies, hopefully FH drives a blazer, its a little older a 2000 but he has just recently fixed a lot of things on it, so his should be good for kids too.
apple seed / 2 posts
I drive a Volvo XC70 station wagon; definately family friendly and I absolutely love it. The seats in the back actually fold up to be booster seats, like this http://0.tqn.com/d/cars/1/0/o/b/1/vna_09v70_booster.jpg
I also like that the dog gets her own space in the back
grapefruit / 4554 posts
I drive a 2011 Subaru Impreza and DH drives a 2010 Chevy Traverse. And we don't plan on upgrading, seeing that DH's car can fit up to 7 people and we are only on child #1.
wonderful pomelo / 30692 posts
Honda Accord! Great mid-sized vehicle for kids! My hubs drives a Toyota Corolla though, which is a smaller car and not as kid-friendly, but presumably I'll be carting the children around most of the time.
persimmon / 1472 posts
We just sold my sister my old 2003 Subaru Forester (loved that car but would serve her better as a first car for grad school in GA) and got the Lexus RX350. So far, love this car as well! After getting the Subaru 5 years ago, I knew I couldn't go back to a sedan. Station wagons have great cargo space and passenger space. DH wanted something a little comfier and we bought the RX350 Certified Pre-Owned from a Lexus dealer for half the price of a new one - and it's only 2 years old! You can't even tell it's used and it still has a dealer warranty on it for a few years yet. I will never buy a brand new car again!
grapefruit / 4400 posts
I drive a compact (Chevy Cavalier) and the hubs drives a 2000 Nissan Maxima. We both want a mid-sized SUV eventually when my car bites the dust. Something like a 4Runner (I'd prefer a Highlander because they're a bit smaller). We only expect to have two kids, so we won't need anything bigger (and would be able to deal w/ the sedan & compact combo we have now).
My car drives me crazy. I don't have power locks or keyless entry, so I can imagine it'll be a PITA to get a baby in/out.
nectarine / 2797 posts
We have a Honda Civic and a Honda Fit. For one kid, I think we will be fine with the current cars. We tend to take the Fit when we are traveling distances, and it's got a good amount of cargo room. I guess we'll find out how well it works once this kiddo arrives!
apricot / 302 posts
I drive a Jetta Sportwagen and LOVE IT! I used to drive a truck, but that was not fun in Dallas traffic, so I decided on a wagon instead of an SUV. It has plenty of storage in the back, yet parks easily and is really nimble in traffic, which I need.
grapefruit / 4817 posts
I drive a Chevy Tahoe, so very family friendly. My husband drives a Chevy Silverado, which is also pretty huge inside.
kiwi / 575 posts
We have an Audi A4. No kids yet but I think it'll work for when our little one is tiny. We plan to move and if it is to the 'burbs, we'll have to get another vehicle. Thinking of either a used Mercedes station wagon E320 or a new Honda CRV. I love them both! If we stay in the city, we'll keep just one car.
pea / 15 posts
I have an suv..Ford Edge.. we bought it because it has excellant safety ratings and has the side air bags.
grapefruit / 4278 posts
I drive a Mazda 3 and I love it, but I'm a little concerned about being able to fit the car seat in. I think eventually we'll upgrade to some sort of cross-over, but with my commute I don't want to give up the great gas mileage.
pineapple / 12802 posts
We drive a lexus RX 300. I think it's pretty kid friendly. Fits both DH's kids in it perfectly and by the time our own comes along the eldest will be out of a carseat all together and the youngest will be in a booster seat which leave plenty more room for a babyseat.
GOLD / eggplant / 11517 posts
Same as OP. I drive a Honda Accord (an older model) and will be upgrading to the Nissan Murano or something similar most likely in the next year or two. Hubby drives a Nissan Sentra but will probably upgrade to a truck or something else larger. He's from the country and is sick of his small commuter car. It is limiting his ability to do big house projects and other things that require a truck bed.
persimmon / 1341 posts
I drive a 2011 Toyota Camry which we bought this past summer with the intentions of it being my "mom car". I had a Carolla and knew there was no way I would be toting a kid in that! I always thought I would need (and wanted) a crossover SUV but my husband convinced me to go with a car with better mileage since I commute 45 minutes to work and will be driving to our parents a lot (45 minutes) once we have kids. We agreed this will be our 1 kid car and then we'll upgrade when the 2nd comes along.
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