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.
My husband and I are currently living in the city with our three month old and are working on moving to the suburbs very soon. We are a one car family right now. This was a first car for the both of us and before we had the baby we only used it for very large grocery trips and taking the dog to the vet. Since having our son I find myself using the car more and more to the disgruntlement of my husband (we have a 2008 dodge magnum srt8 and my husband is convinced it is going to be a classic collectible car one day ). Our house is going to be a fixer upper and so I want to wait to make a car purchase until the house is done and we know there are no huge unexpected costs before we dig deeper into our savings for a new car (we believe in saving and buying the car in full).
When this time comes I am wondering if we should go with the 3 rowed 2014 Nissan Pathfinder or the 2014 Subaru Outback? In both scenarios the magnum would be parked into the garage where it is played with and coddled by my husband and his friends but is very rarely ever driven. We have one child now and defiantly plan to have at least one if not two more. If we buy the outback we could either keep it as our main driver until we out grow it and then trade it in for a larger vehicle (I have heard Subarus are great for resale), or we could keep the suburu for my husband, and I could buy an additional larger vehicle (perhaps at this point a minivan or something to that affect). If we plan to remain a one car family we could buy the pathfinder and never need to upgrade or we could buy the pathfinder and buy an even larger additional vehicle for me as our family grows and have my husband keep the pathfinder.
Both my husband and I work from home except for when my husband takes a cab to the airport on frequent business trips. I guess my question is if it weren't for commuting, in a suburban environment, how much does a family need two cars? Also how much additional space do you need with each additional child in a suburban environment and with all the driving that goes on in a suburb how long can people reasonably expect to keep their cars without them becoming dangerous money pits?
My husband and I are currently living in the city with our three month old and are working on moving to the suburbs very soon. We are a one car family right now. This was a first car for the both of us and before we had the baby we only used it for very large grocery trips and taking the dog to the vet. Since having our son I find myself using the car more and more to the disgruntlement of my husband (we have a 2008 dodge magnum srt8 and my husband is convinced it is going to be a classic collectible car one day ). Our house is going to be a fixer upper and so I want to wait to make a car purchase until the house is done and we know there are no huge unexpected costs before we dig deeper into our savings for a new car (we believe in saving and buying the car in full).
When this time comes I am wondering if we should go with the 3 rowed 2014 Nissan Pathfinder or the 2014 Subaru Outback? In both scenarios the magnum would be parked into the garage where it is played with and coddled by my husband and his friends but is very rarely ever driven. We have one child now and defiantly plan to have at least one if not two more. If we buy the outback we could either keep it as our main driver until we out grow it and then trade it in for a larger vehicle (I have heard Subarus are great for resale), or we could keep the suburu for my husband, and I could buy an additional larger vehicle (perhaps at this point a minivan or something to that affect). If we plan to remain a one car family we could buy the pathfinder and never need to upgrade or we could buy the pathfinder and buy an even larger additional vehicle for me as our family grows and have my husband keep the pathfinder.
Both my husband and I work from home except for when my husband takes a cab to the airport on frequent business trips. I guess my question is if it weren't for commuting, in a suburban environment, how much does a family need two cars? Also how much additional space do you need with each additional child in a suburban environment and with all the driving that goes on in a suburb how long can people reasonably expect to keep their cars without them becoming dangerous money pits?
It depends on your driving habits and how well you maintain a vehicle.
My daily driver is a 1995. It has all oil changes and is meticulously maintained. I drive 13 miles round trip for work.
I could and would take it on a long trip to Florida or somewhere far like that at any time.
I have 3 kids and have never needed a minivan. An SUV was always ok. We run a sports organization so the gear takes a lot of room. Before that we only had a two row SUV and it worked just fine.
I have friends that own subarus. They absolutely love them and wouldn't think to get rid of them. That goes for anyone I know that drives one.
If you both work from home, you can get by with one car for quite some time in the burbs. If that changes make sure there is one available for each of you.
I think the type of vehicle is really personal preference.
I think the type of vehicle you drive is a very personal preference. It is hard to make a decision for someone else.
I always like to have a larger, 3 row SUV when my kids were younger. We have 3 children and when they were all doing activities we wanted room so that we could take a friend and still have room for their sports equipment.
Do you plan to have more kids? You don't really need 3 rows unless you have 3 kids or drive other people around a lot. A lot of people with 1 or 2 kids around here drive subaru hatchbacks and are just fine. When our kids were preschool/elem school age we bought a car with a 3rd row. It is folded down most of the time. We only put it up when we have out of town visitors to drive around or kids to carpool. It is perfect for that.
I guess I was more talking about the two row vs. the three row, if you think we will need two cars, and how long you think it is reasonable to keep a vehicle. Our son is only 3 months old now, and I can't believe how much stuff a person so small could need. As previously stated we would like to have 1 if not 2 more. I would rather be a one car family, but in the suburbs is this realistic? How many people in the suburbs do you know do this?
How often do you see people with cars that are 10 years old or older in a middle to upper middle class suburb? I often read threads of people saying they would like to keep their cars until the wheels fall off and then others typically give a sarcastic comment of "we'll see." Why does this seem so unrealistic. Say we kept the car in the garage and kept up on the maintenance like oil changes etc, what would be a reasonable time frame to keep it?
I guess I just feel overwhelmed about the car situation because we just had the huge lifestyle change of our son and are now making a second by moving to the suburbs. Before I posted this I started looking for a convertible car-seat so I would have options when he out grew the mico (they're smaller than other infant car-seats and have higher weight limits) I can't tell you how overwhelmed I am by just reading all the different threads and opinions. Did you know that some people are keeping their kids in some sort of seat until they are 12yrs old? In 4 more years they will be driving!
With the trend moving toward using car seats for longer, and keeping them rear-facing for longer, I am thinking there will be better 3 rowed suv options down the road as automakers start to put more of an emphasis on accommodating car seats and making 3rd row access easier with them in mind. But then I am thinking, I can keep the third row down and have the extra room but still had the option of extra seating for my in-laws etc. But then I am thinking this maybe overkill and in the snow belt it would be nice to have the famous Subaru awd, reliability and savings at the pump...
If we had another baby in say two years from now and then a third two years after that, how long do you suppose we could keep the outback? How much do you think we would be wishing we had bought the pathfinder with all the extra room it can provide? I am looking for parents who made similar life style changes. What did you do? Did it work out? What would you have done differently? Have you noticed most other people agreeing or disagreeing with your findings?
Who cares what other people do? I live in a middle to upper middle class suburb and people drive everything from Ferraris (ok, I've only seen 1) to 10+ year old trucks and SUV's. Our cars are 10 and 13 years old, both purchased used. We have a friend in his late 30's who just sold the car he drove in HS. A Subaru should last for a long time, but if you outgrow it, you can buy something else.
Being a 1-car family when the car is your husband's baby that he wants to keep in the garage to look at instead of drive is not feasible.
If you are buying new, I suppose I'd go ahead and get 3 rows. You should be able to keep that car for a long time. ETA I haven't looked at the new pathfinder, but keep in mind, if your kids are close together, and all in car seats, you may be climbing in and out of the back seat to buckle one of them. This is why people get mini vans.
I guess I was more talking about the two row vs. the three row, if you think we will need two cars, and how long you think it is reasonable to keep a vehicle. Our son is only 3 months old now, and I can't believe how much stuff a person so small could need. As previously stated we would like to have 1 if not 2 more. I would rather be a one car family, but in the suburbs is this realistic? How many people in the suburbs do you know do this?
The two row vs three is a difficult question. We have three kids and we always had three row vehicles when they were smaller. When the kids got older (elementary school) they started to do more activities. We found that it was useful to have a third row so that we were able to take a friend with us to certain places. Since I sometimes needed to ask other parents to help out with driving my kids I needed to be able to reciprocate. With three kids that meant a three row vehicle.
However, your son is a baby. You won't need a three row vehicle for many years. We found having one was very handy but it isn't a necessity for you at this point.
I do think you need 2 cars in the suburbs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bmollhag
How often do you see people with cars that are 10 years old or older in a middle to upper middle class suburb? I often read threads of people saying they would like to keep their cars until the wheels fall off and then others typically give a sarcastic comment of "we'll see." Why does this seem so unrealistic. Say we kept the car in the garage and kept up on the maintenance like oil changes etc, what would be a reasonable time frame to keep it?
It really depends on how much you drive. I see a mix here in my suburban areas. Some people have new cars every few years. Others keep them for quite a while. We keep our cars until they start to cost us too much in maintenance. We just replaced our VW. It wasn't that old (2008) but it had around 100K miles on it and VWs are very expensive to fix when they break. However, our 2007 Yukon XL has around 100K on it and is running GREAT! It just depends on how much you drive and how a car holds up under use.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bmollhag
If we had another baby in say two years from now and then a third two years after that, how long do you suppose we could keep the outback?
It depends on how much you drive. With one car and two drivers you will not be able to keep the car as long as you would if you had a second car.
I have had two Pathfinders, and honestly they do not have that much interior room. The headroom was awful, and we could not wait to sell ours after we had twins.
Unless you are in a completely walkable neighborhood, being a one-car family will be nearly impossible as kids age and get into more activities. You will want more flexibility in case the kids get sick at school and need to be picked up, etc.
In my suburb, which does not get a lot of snow, moms drive mostly SUVs like Suburbans/Yukon XL/Escalade or minivans. I highly recommend that you get the Subaru now to ease into being a 2-car family, and then when you have more kids, trade it in for a Honda Odyssey minivan.
They are very reliable and are built on a car chassis so they are easier to drive, and a minivan puts the back seat at your waist height. Believe me, it gets VERY old trying to bend over constantly to buckle and lift babies and toddlers. Car seats and baby carriers are what make sedans and wagons harder to use over time. Plus, the trunk space makes it hard to pack strollers and groceries etc.
We had our Odyssey for 10 years, and I would still be driving it today but it was totaled when we were hit by a delivery van.
A third row is only accessible by older kids anyway.
That's what worked for me. You have to buy what is right for you. Your family's needs will change over time. Nowadays with 2 teens in the house, the 5 of us are rarely in the same vehicle at the same time.
When I said a one car family I meant buying one for my husband and I to share and not considering the dodge a car at all because I doubt its leaving the garage much and when it does it won't be for errands. I was more asking if my husband and I would need separate cars while still keeping the dodge in the garage.
The new pathfinders had a redesign in 2013 which is why I am considering it. They have this 2nd row sliding ability so that people can get to the 3rd row with a ff car seat installed. Also it is supposed to be pretty spacious inside. It and the infiniti jx35 and 2014 qx60 (the luxury car version of the new pathfinders) are supposed to be the "minivans" of the crossover world. The reason I am a bit apprehensive to minivans now is because I live in the Snowbelt and most don't have awd. I like the ground clearance of crossovers/raised wagons and their awd abilities. With another car for really bad weather I would consider the mini van for its convenience, but not as a one car household.
When I talked about how long you can keep a car I mentioned middle class to upper middle class because I wanted to know what people with a disposable income were doing. I personally don't mind driving an older car, but I noted most people in other forums consider the idea some sort of pipe dream, as though it could never happen, or that it wasn't practical. I was wondering why this was a common belief as I'm sure it has a basis somewhere even if others disagree with it. What is their rationale for this sentiment. Also is a cars life (when upkeep is the same) based more on millage or years?
I think we will get the one car now and decide later if we wish to keep it and buy another or trade it in and remain sharing a car.
Is there anyone who had a raised wagon with say 2 kids + 2 adults + dog? Was it too cramped?
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.
). Our house is going to be a fixer upper and so I want to wait to make a car purchase until the house is done and we know there are no huge unexpected costs before we dig deeper into our savings for a new car (we believe in saving and buying the car in full). 
