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We got a two row SUV for when we were planning on having kids, wife is due in November. With one child, it has plenty of room for the baby, car seat, stroller, groceries, playard, etc. If we plan on having another we'd consider getting a slightly bigger SUV.
A lot of baby things fold up neatly for transporting these days. We got the 4 Moms Playard, it folds up easily and can fit with a stroller in the back with plenty of room to spare.
Goodness! Why do people think they need to run out and buy some SUV because they are having a child? When I was a kid, we just had a car and there were 4 of us. Buy a wagon of some sort not some primitive SUV that doesn't handle well and in turn makes driving them WAY more dangerous. Avoiding an accident is 100 time better than having one and plowing into the pile up. I never understood why people think SUV's are safer? Because they are better in some test with a head on crash? Here is a thought. Swerve out of the way with a good car and DON'T have that crash. You can't swerve very well with an SUV, nor can you brake and swerve at the same time very well. That are crap and always will be. Keep the cars you have, save money for the $100K++ college bills you are going to have.
Goodness! Why do people think they need to run out and buy some SUV because they are having a child? When I was a kid, we just had a car and there were 4 of us. Buy a wagon of some sort not some primitive SUV that doesn't handle well and in turn makes driving them WAY more dangerous. Avoiding an accident is 100 time better than having one and plowing into the pile up. I never understood why people think SUV's are safer? Because they are better in some test with a head on crash? Here is a thought. Swerve out of the way with a good car and DON'T have that crash. You can't swerve very well with an SUV, nor can you brake and swerve at the same time very well. That are crap and always will be. Keep the cars you have, save money for the $100K++ college bills you are going to have.
My thoughts as well. No reason to buy a HUGE car to transport a 10 pound baby and their gear. It will fit in most cars trunks.
I'd probably wait too. It's not like you have two Corvettes or something, and would have to take 2 cars to get 3 people somewhere.
One kid fits easily in the back seat, so take your time. At some point you're going to end up just loading more crap into the car because you have a car big enough to load more crap into. I've lived this and witnessed it. Pretty soon that mid sized SUV isn't going to cut it anymore either.
Before you know it, you will spend the entire night loading your new Suburban for a weekend road trip with 2 kids, not because you actually need all the stuff you are packing, but because you just never know if you might need all the stuff that you now have room to bring along. Then the Burb will need a roof box and bike rack, and one of those trailer hitch platforms for overflow. Hey, we're going for 4 days, might as well bring the bikes and skis and golf clubs and charcoal grill and clothes for a formal dinner and soccer balls and pool toys. Honey, does your sister still have that guest bedroom we stayed in for the last 25 visits, or should I pack a tent and camp stove now that we've got room to bring it along?
Goodness! Why do people think they need to run out and buy some SUV because they are having a child? When I was a kid, we just had a car and there were 4 of us. Buy a wagon of some sort not some primitive SUV that doesn't handle well and in turn makes driving them WAY more dangerous. Avoiding an accident is 100 time better than having one and plowing into the pile up. I never understood why people think SUV's are safer? Because they are better in some test with a head on crash? Here is a thought. Swerve out of the way with a good car and DON'T have that crash. You can't swerve very well with an SUV, nor can you brake and swerve at the same time very well. That are crap and always will be. Keep the cars you have, save money for the $100K++ college bills you are going to have.
Goodness! Why do people think they need to run out and buy some SUV because they are having a child? When I was a kid, we just had a car and there were 4 of us. Buy a wagon of some sort not some primitive SUV that doesn't handle well and in turn makes driving them WAY more dangerous. Avoiding an accident is 100 time better than having one and plowing into the pile up. I never understood why people think SUV's are safer? Because they are better in some test with a head on crash? Here is a thought. Swerve out of the way with a good car and DON'T have that crash. You can't swerve very well with an SUV, nor can you brake and swerve at the same time very well. That are crap and always will be. Keep the cars you have, save money for the $100K++ college bills you are going to have.
It's part of the re-branding that some first time parents go through, more than anything. It's like the opposite of a mid life crisis, like first time parents crisis or something.
Goodness! Why do people think they need to run out and buy some SUV because they are having a child? When I was a kid, we just had a car and there were 4 of us. Buy a wagon of some sort not some primitive SUV that doesn't handle well and in turn makes driving them WAY more dangerous. Avoiding an accident is 100 time better than having one and plowing into the pile up. I never understood why people think SUV's are safer? Because they are better in some test with a head on crash? Here is a thought. Swerve out of the way with a good car and DON'T have that crash. You can't swerve very well with an SUV, nor can you brake and swerve at the same time very well. That are crap and always will be. Keep the cars you have, save money for the $100K++ college bills you are going to have.
Rear-facing seats and giant strollers are space hogs. I know I'm the minority, but at 6'7", there wasn't a single sedan out there in my price range that would fit the rear-facing seat behind me. We sat in every model we could find at the last car show.......nothing.
And, again, I know I'm in the minority, but my SUV will out-handle most sedans thanks to AWD, a center of gravity no higher than the sedan platform it was based on, and 255s on all four corners. I don't mind truck-like riding vehicles, but since my wife and I share this vehicle and she isn't a fan of driving large vehicles at all, having something with car-like handling and manners was a big concern. And, to that end, the Flex delivers.
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?
With 1 kid, either of your current vehicles are perfectly fine. We had a Honda Fit for the first 1.5 years of our son's life and never had a problem fitting stuff (pack & play, stroller, booster seat...). Why not keep your Mazda 3 and get a minivan or a larger SUV when kid #2 arrives?
Given your scenarios, I would choose 1. I think you are better served in the long run by having more trunk space.
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