Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We currently drive ’07 Lexus IS250 and ’04 Mazda 3 sedan. We are expecting our first baby in the spring, and will plan on having a 2nd (and final) kid in 2-3 years. We like to keep our cars 10+ years, so that is why we are looking ahead.
We are definitely trading in the Mazda 3 for a new car by the spring. My issue is I’m not sure what to get right now. These are the options I’m deciding between:
1) Trade in Mazda 3 for a 3-row SUV (Acura MDX, CX-9, Pathfinder, etc), and grow into it. Keep IS250 for long-term and use the 3-row SUV as the baby hauler. Use IS250 for kids as rarely as possible.
2) Trade in Mazda 3 for a 2-row SUV (Acura RDX, Sante Fe, Rogue, etc) and hope it can fit 2 kids. Keep IS250 for long-term and use the 2-row SUV as the baby hauler. Use IS250 for kids as rarely as possible.
3) Trade in Mazda 3 for a family sedan with big backseat & trunk (Camry, Accord). After having 2nd kid, trade in IS250 for an SUV/minivan.
A few more facts:
- IS250 only has 80k miles and is running great.
- We have a lot of family within 4 hours so we tend to take road trips often.
- Wife is open to a minivan in the future, but not for this purchase.
Which of the 3 scenarios would you recommend?
I suggest taking a rear facing infant car seat with you while shopping.
My wife and I were surprised when we found the Lexus RX350 had to have the front seats moved forward and/or seatbacks adjusted straight up to be able to fit the car seat in. Wife had a Volvo S40, which basically couldn't fit the infant seat at all, especially with me (6'-3") in the front seat. We wanted to try out the all new Sante Fe but it wasn't out yet when we special ordered her Ford Edge.
My vote would be to skip the sedan all together, we did and are glad, since we had our second kid right when the first turned 2. With the stroller (and getting it in and out), diaper bag, groceries, box of diapers, pack n play, getting these items in and out of a trunk would be a challenge.
Some of her favorite features are the power liftgate, and remote start, and leather interior. Good luck.
SUVs suck for families with infants because most of them are too high to get in and out. Try changing diapers inside. And worst of all, usable space is not very usable when you have 1 or 2 strollers to store.
Minivans are much well suited and designed for families these days. My wife can comfortably change diapers and feed the baby food while parked. I often bring a potty in the back for our kids so they easily walk to the back and sit down instead of driving around and looking for bathrooms.
Show me a SUV that can do that.
Any SUV with captain's chairs for 2nd row and a folding 3rd row can do that. Like the Santa Fe (non-sport). Also, crossover SUVs are not much higher than minivans. My 5-year olds have to climb in and jump out of my parents' MPV just as much as my crossover. Negligible.
I believe the advantages for a minivan are the non-sloped rear roof which can help with storage capacity and the sliding doors. They also tend to be longer for interior room, but you can just get something bigger than a mid-size SUV if you really wanted that (same goes for the sloping rear).
We have a 07' Durango and it's too small with our two kids (3yr and 1yr). Upgrading to a 2015 Suburban when they hit the lots. I'd go big with a SUV or minivan the first time. Minivans only are useful because of those power sliding doors. Someone needs to put those on a full size SUV, gold mine!
SUVs suck for families with infants because most of them are too high to get in and out. Try changing diapers inside. And worst of all, usable space is not very usable when you have 1 or 2 strollers to store.
Minivans are much well suited and designed for families these days. My wife can comfortably change diapers and feed the baby food while parked. I often bring a potty in the back for our kids so they easily walk to the back and sit down instead of driving around and looking for bathrooms.
Show me a SUV that can do that.
Don't forget about the sliding doors. Our kids are 6 and 5 and they still can't get out of our RX 350 without using the doors. This means an adult has to hold the door to prevent it from banging the car next to us. On the other hand, they can get out of our Odyssey fairly easily.
And yes, I agree with the OP about the RX being small. Clearly not a big car. However, I do like the size. Bigger than a CRV and smaller than a Pilot. For us it is a almost a perfect small car. Kind of wished it had a 3rd row.
a minivan is your best bet. You have no idea right now how much stuff you will haul once you have 1 (and more) kids. It is just a very comfortable vehicle. Just don't go by what "macho" guys say about the minivan.
My vote is to stick with what you have and worry about it later. I am usually not for changing cars too often either but I remember we traded in our Outback (which has great amount of cargo space capacity) for a minivan.
My sister-in-law had a Mercedes CLS when pregnant with her first, then a Volvo XC70 because she thought the wagon would be sufficient, and did not like the Mercedes offerings as the GL was too big to be comfortable for her. The XC lasted as a daily driver until she had the second child, within two years of the first. It was too small for all their gear, strollers, etc. and to do tasks like clothes shopping, Target/Costco, etc. She then drove an MDX for a while, but when she was having the third, that went by the wayside and she bought an Odyssey for the ease, since three in car seats was not a happy time in the MDX as she had tried it out with other nieces/nephews with her own. Since the Odyssey was not AWD, she has to keep a Volvo XC for winter because of the hills in their neighborhood, and driveway, where the Odyssey does not perform the best in snow/ice with the run-flat all-season tires on the Touring that they have. She remarked to me once, that she should have just gone with the Odyssey or the Sienna AWD when getting out of a car, since that's what another sister-in-law, and her sister, both suggested as fellow mothers. Now, since she has children who can get in and out on their own, and she wants 8-passenger seating, she is considering a larger SUV or another van, but the Odyssey Touring has a large console in the middle, though they do like the vacuum feature.
An MDX would likely be a good choice with two children, since you do not need the third row all the time. The RDX will be too small, if you plan to keep it for a ten-year life cycle.
__________________
All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
I would be fine with this option since there is no current new car that I'm lusting after (and it would save some $$). My wife doesn't like my Mazda very much (very loud car), but we could attempt to make the IS250 work.
The issue is the back seat is small, and my wife is fairly tall and sits back far. Rear facing infant seats are space hoggers and are supposed to go in the center for safety. Also she's had some back problems so she is concerned about constantly bending over to get baby in/out of a sedan (vs higher SUV).
I guess I'll have to try an actual infant seat to see if that is a reasonable option.
Right now, I have to lug my increasingly heavy son UP the step and into the back of my 4 Runner to get him in the center seat...so if your wife has back issues BE SURE you get an SUV or sedan that allows your butt to already be slightly above the level of the seats. My wife's Caddy SRX is like that.
If you're going to put the car seat in the center (where it is safest and does allow for 2 adult passengers to also fit in your suv), you're going to be doing a lot of bending and reaching one way or another. We have found it impossible in cars or suvs (cuz we have rented other vehicles on trips) to put him in and take him out without actually climbing into the car and sitting there.
Do yourself a favor and don't try to get clever by using infant seats that snap out of the car...I can't imagine having to do that with a bad back.
Frankly, most suvs with third rows have suck third rows that no one wants to sit in. If you're really wanting a third row, get a minivan.
My first choice as of now is to keep the current cars. I’ll have to test an infant car seat in the IS250 to see if it’s possible. The issue is my wife is 5’7” with long legs and likes to sit far back, so that could be an issue with front space. The Mazda 3 is not an option in the Atlanta heat (very weak AC + black interior).
Then we can worry about upgrading when we have a better idea of how much space we will need, since we are just guessing at this point.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
