My stupid car came back from the garage today, having received a new head gasket and a number of other repairs, totaling £670 worth of work. It was only after he had completed this work that the mechanic decided to tell us that is needs another £1500 worth of work to get through the MOT in June. WHAT??
So.... we're in the market for a new car. We're going to use this as an opportunity to get a lovely new family car. What features or attributes would you be looking for in a great family car?
bananas / 9628 posts
Auto lift gate! This sounds stupid, but not having to open/close the trunk yourself is awesome! Leather seats are much easier to keep clean. I wish I had an auto starter installed so the car could be warm/cool upon getting in.
pineapple / 12526 posts
Get a 2nd opinion before you write it off! The dude may be just trying to squeeze money out of you. We got effed on DH's MOT in November from a shady mechanic.
But yeah:
4 doors
Auto doors/windows (sounds stupid, but Ive had cars without)
Key fob for unlocking/locking/trunk popping
Preferably leather seats
Good sized trunk for stroller convenience
And if Im dreaming, heated seats, steering wheel stereo controls, and an iPod/AUX input jack.
papaya / 10570 posts
@loveisstrange: Yeah, good point. He's not *my* mechanic, either, it's my inlaws' mechanic. I was refusing to book it in for repair while I was still on maternity leave because £700 is another month off work for me but my DH was adamant it needed doing and spoke to his dad, who called his mechanic.... and the rest is expensive history. Oh and I'm going back to work in 2.5 weeks. Sigh.
watermelon / 14467 posts
4 doors, Key fob, decent back seat/trunk space. Also, consider your height when having to put the baby in the back several times. Our car is smaller (a Nissan Versa), but it would be hard for me to put the car seat in it's base in a full-size SUV.
bananas / 9227 posts
Station wagon or compact SUV. Leather seats for easy cleaning. Heated seats would be glorious, but unnecessary. Enough room for large carseats plus ample trunk space.
papaya / 10570 posts
@SugarplumsMom: An SUV would be a bit of an indulgence where we live - it's in the middle of a big city - but I'm going to quote you when I make my case to DH because the car I have fallen in love with is an SUV crossover!
@avivoca: That's a really good point! DH is 6ft2 but I'm almost a foot smaller and am already finding it hard to lift LO in her car seat (I'm a weakling) never mind lift it high up!!
bananas / 9227 posts
@Cherrybee: I really like the way crossovers look! SUV's aren't common around here either, but station wagons seem to be. What crossover are you thinking about getting?
papaya / 10570 posts
@SugarplumsMom: I really like the Mitsubishi ASX. It has a glass roof!! 
I think DH is leaning more toward a Ford Focus (the second pic).
They're both great cars.
wonderful pear / 26210 posts
I prefer a smaller car, but we're also only a family of three.
I like a hatchback type car as opposed to a sedan, with fold down seats. I don't need it to have a lot of fancy add ons, but I do like the power lift gate in the back. That saves me a lot of trips back and forth.
GOLD / pineapple / 12662 posts
@Cherrybee: Both DH and I have an extended sunroof (like the one you posted about in the Mits ASX), and LO *loves* to look up through the ceiling!
papaya / 10570 posts
@MsLipGloss: Aaaaaagh! Another great reason to buy the ASX!! I'm making a note of these for DH! 
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