Suggestions for a new vehicle??
 

I have a Jeep Compass, which I liked perfectly fine until the baby came. Now it's too hard to get the car seat in because of how the doors are and the seat is too far back but there is not enough space for the passenger with the car seat in the back. It also is too high to put the huge damn stroller in the back which takes up the entire back part. I am thinking of something different and wanted to know if anyone has any suggestions. I need something that is good in snow too.. Something big enough for baby gear..

special license required.. but this would do the trick.

http://www.acig.org/artman/uploads/c-130j-3.jpg

Cass. Luckily my husband is a commercial pilot so he has that license. It's about the right size for all the baby crap a person drags around too.

New ford explorer is pretty sweet and the sync system is badass.

http://www.topbuzznews.net/wp-conten...lorer_2011.jpg

http://news.vehiclevoice.com/Ford%20...2011%20R34.jpg

http://www.ford.com/suvs/explorer/

Since you already drive a Compass and apparently don't care about looks, jump up to a Grand Cherokee. I had a 4runner when my son was born and the backseat was too small for the baby seat so I traded it in on a Grand Cherokee and the baby seat fit just fine. It was also great in snow and the V-8 was fun.... thirsty,... but fun.

Get a minivan

:lol: well then there ya go. Though I have to admit I'm curious what the original post said.

Oh well, c'est la vie :)

Good luck in your search!

minivan, built for kids.

Just corrected my grammar so it made sense.

What minivan? I hate how boring they all look It's gotta have some guts and not be a zillion dollars .

Get a beer truck.

Two birds with one stone.

I hate that they switched it to a crossover platform... Ruin a semi decent SUV.

They were making it bigger and bigger... Had they kept going they would have had to rebadge it and call it an expedition

Late hubby and I had an exploder. Won't buy a ford again anytime soon.

The Kia Sorento is a pretty nice riding and handling crossover with decent room and cargo room for fairly little money. When my current beater car dies I will probably be replacing it with one of those.

I'm disappointed in you....:tt:


Sherrie - go for a Subaru. You have the option of the Outback, Forester, or Tribeca.

Outback
http://static.usnews.rankingsandrevi...68/img_047.jpg

Forester
http://static.usnews.rankingsandrevi...76/img_089.jpg

Tribeca
http://static.usnews.rankingsandrevi...77/img_089.jpg

A Mazda 5 with snow tires would be "good in snow." I call it a mini-minivan. It has sliding rear doors, so it's easy to get stuff (kids) into and out of the rear seats. It can seat 6, if the last two are pretty tiny or four, with a good amount of cargo or 2, with a SHIT-LOAD of cargo. It's pretty good on gas too.

http://www.mazda.ca/eng/Vehicles/maz.../3dViewer.html

Yeah, my 94 explorer is the same size as the current escape. :lol:

I just prefer a RWD based vehicle, with true selectable 4x4.

Traverse... the new version of minivan.

BIL has one and it's a nice vehicle for what it is. A brat hauler.

I love our Subaru but I also know that they've gotten damn expensive over the past few years. I figure if you're spending money on something that the kids are just gonna eff up you may as well not put as much at risk :lol:

I wouldn't know about that... I stole mine!

At least I feel like I did. I got mine 1 year after Erik, higher sticker price and I owe about the same as him for payoff. Which, to me, isn't much.

Who makes the traverse?

I like the Mazda 5 but my best friend in the states one and I drove it and liked it. Just wish they were 4 wheel or awdrive.

Mother fucking THIS. :bash:

Chevy
http://www.chevrolet.com/traverse/

It's also available from GMC as the ACADIA and Buick as the ENCLAVE.

My sister in law has the Enclave and it is nice!

I think a mini van would be best, just for the sliding doors. The Traverse are very nice but still quite high off the ground for hoisting a baby seat into it.

I wonder how much cheaper a car is in the states, after you factor in customs fees....

My parents just bought a Sorrento. I hated the idea of a Kia, but theirs is fantastic. AWD, great seating and as much power as this vehicle needs. I did 3600 highway and city miles and the only complaint is stiff seats over 500 miles or more. We did the Michigan to Virginia trip twice in the course of a week with 3 adults 2 tweens and their junk...no complaints and we drove through the east coast blizzard and it handled it no problem.

Or used from Saturn as the Outlook.

How is this possible?

I could see if it was a Porsche 911, but not an SUV.

Is your passenger 300 lbs?

Your suggestion was ignored, because that vehicle doesn't look "macho" enough for Americans.

Charging $35K for what amounts to a Ford Ranger with a roof was getting a little long in the tooth.

Honda Ridgeline. The under-the-bed trunk will hold a stroller. Mine has held a whole bunch of shit since I bought it.

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u...472_2732-1.jpg

Didn't even know the ridgeline had that. Gains a point in my book.

Ever been in a Compass? They are NOT very big.

hmm, can't see the pic so it may answer my question, but what if you want to haul stuff IN the bed.. then stuff in trunk is trapped.

Plus I doubt that door is water-proof

Back seat is so narrow that the front seat has to be almost all the way forward to get the bucket style car seat in. Makes for a cramped passenger.

Oh and I love a Mazda 5. Don't think hubby would go for one though.

The person who asked the question seems to have read it. She also seems to be saying that it wouldn't be macho enough for Western Canadians either :lol:

How often is a mom hauling stuff in the bed? I don't even haul that much shit in the bed. And if I do, I take out what I might need outta the trunk first.

Talking about my Ridgeline? It's waterproof.

idk, on a shopping trip maybe?

If you aren't going to haul stuff in the bed then why have it?

Get an SUV / CUV and keep all of your shit out of the rain, and have more room and / or seating options.

My bro, wife, and their 1 yr old had a Tahoe that was nice when they went out of town. So much crap to bring just for one child. Jeeeez. They traded it in for something smaller and got the Cadillac Crossover. Super cool vehicle. It is "cramped" compared to the Hoe. Also the rear door area is like a hatch back. Not a lot of space.

http://dekstopwallpaper.org/wp-conte...-wallpaper.jpg

When people start spitting out kids, they suddenly "can't fit the baby in the back seat". My buddy just called me on the same thing and I told him to get a full size wagon.

Get a Caprice wagon. lol Preferably of the late 80s vintage with the 4.3L FI engine.

Any late '80s car that has been driven in Canada is likely a loose collection of rust, at this point :lol:

That's kind of a personal question, don't you think?

luv our honda odyssey, can't beat it for a kid hauler, esp. little one's

when the kids get older, suvs are alright, but power sliding doors and power rear hatch are great

do you plan to have more kids?

get an '09 EX-L + (we have an '08 Touring odyssey) or newer odyssey, power rear hatch is standard

Another thought; the Honda Element. They aren't going to be made anymore, but there are likely still some around. A friend has one and the utility is undeniable. It's available in 4WD. The looks are take it or leave it though.

With 1 kid we had a 2004 Subaru Impreza. Car seat butted right up against the back of the passenger's seat. Nice little car, fun in the snow.

Kid 2 came and we got a 2006 Outback wagon. This was good for 2 little ones but narrow. The 10" of ground clearance made it nice to drive in the snow. That thing went just about anywhere.

Kid 3 came and we got a 2007 Honda Odyssey EX+L. Love the features. Doesn't go worth crap in snow. We looked at the Tribecca and the Traverse before going with the Odyssey. We didn't want to have to fold down seats to get to the back.

We have 3 under age 4.

Just suck it up and go minivan. The rest of us appreciate that the sliding doors will keep your kids from giving us door dings.

Holy crap.... you know how that happens, right?

After having three I would certainly hope so, or someone is just a bit more than somewhat gullible.

I see your point...if you're shopping for construction equipment or some shit. Access wouldn't be hard if you had to move a few shopping bags out the way.

True.

Ridgeline would be more trouble than it's worth for a mom who is trying to maintain control of a baby/kid and get shit out of the comparment in the bed. Minivan is really where it's at for kids and the new ones can fold down all the chairs/take em out and you can haul a bike easy in one.

4.3 wtf? Why wouldn't you get the 350?

Normally I would reply with something like, "I'm not sure, can you show me?" but for some reason that doesn't seem appropriate right now because Audrey is going to read this in a minute. :lol:

There will be no #4 but if their is, we're calling him Jesus.

:lol:

This

I looked at a Toyota mini van today as well as the Venza.. Kinda in love with the Venza. Also looked at the Mazda 5 which is nice but seems a bit smallish when you sit in the back seat as an adult. Venza + AWD = about 36K... ouchie

:lol

The woman's boss just got a Kia Sorento. Seems like a decent rig, and he likes it. AWD, V6, 3rd row seating is about worthless, but just leave 'em folded down and you have a flat cargo area. He's getting ~22 mpg with mixed driving.

Nigga gas is 3.60 a gallon here. redflip

If I was to get a Minivan, I'd def. go with the Grand Caravan. I rented one of these and def. the most fun I've ever had in a minivan. Based on an older Mercedes platform, the thing drives as close to a german car as it gets in the minivan dept.

an new sienna, i like the looks, better then the new ody, but it drives squisher then an ody. i think sienna as great for senior citizens......my M-I-L has had 2 xle limited, no kids others the ours. and my old boss has a new sienna, '10 version, no kids.....

and if i could get rear TV w. duel screens, wish i had that.

do you put the baby seat in the venza?

you can buy an '09 ody touring, top of the line w/ everything, nav + RES for that much if not less.

power doors are a godsend. when your walking out w/ kid and diaperbag in tow.......press the button..........boom doors open, drop in kid. easy peasy.

who gives a crap what others think........your a mom.

The traverse has a nice 3rd row. I may not be tall but I can even sit back there. Uma sits back there all the time.

Yeah, that's supposed to be the closest competition to the Sorento. About a $6k price gap equally loaded.

I wouldnt drive a mini van if it was the only vehicle made. I rather pay someone to charter the kids around.

Here's a quick list of small SUV's.

http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com...-Compact-SUVs/

Most of those small SUV are just modern station wagons.

Porsche 918 Sypder
http://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/...sche918-sg.jpg


http://www.futurecars.com/news/hybri...el-hybrid-kers

Does it come with the LATCH system? :lol

for like $200k I would hope so

Vehicles are a LOT more expensive up here... sigh..

Hubby and I talked about a new vehicle today, he thinks I should suck it up and drive the Jeep for 10 years, I told him if I was going to keep a vehicle for 10 years I never would have bought the Jeep, I would have bought something a lot nicer. He's pretty frugal and obsessed with the babies Education Fund so getting him to think about putting money into something else, like say , a house with a back yard or a better vehicle is going to take some doing. I still think I will end up with one by this fall if I can get him to like it as much as I do..

If you both work hard, and make decent money. You need to spend some of it now. IF you don't, you won't enjoy the fruits of the hard work. Shortly you loose sight and ambition to keep working hard.

Fuck the kids education that what student loans are for

I whole heartly agree. And derf is a father of 36.

I still paying on student loans.

Trust me the kid won't appreciate the money.

exactly.. my daughter is headed to college next year and it's all on her own.. she needs to earn it, period.. parents nowadays hand everything to these sniveling little brats.. and as we get older and the country crumbles because we can no longer be the crutch for these worthless motherfuckers..

shit did you hear forcier got kicked out of michigan and his dad went to work it out? give me a fucking break..

Reports are saying that ppl saving for their kids school is part of what's hurting the economy. They should put that money either toward something for themselves or to a retirement fund. You can get a loan for school, you can't get a loan to retire.

I dont have a problem with him having a bit of student loans, but not a butt load like what will likely be necessary when hes of university age. My hubby doesnt want him to have loans since he didnt.

Easy. Join the military.