We have to buy a car

[emubird]

Any suggestions for a decent one? We're looking at Mazda5, Honda Fit, Honda Odyssey, VW Passat, and Volvo wagon. Maybe we flirted with some Subaru thing as well. I'm hoping to get something that's about 3-5 years old.

 

I personally think the Odyssey is too big and too gas hungry, but my husband really likes it. I like the Honda Fit, except it only seats the 4 of us and there are times when we need to do 5. We'll have 2 cars for awhile, but once our old one bites the dust, we'll be back down to one, so a car that only seats 4 might turn out to be a problem. Also, my husband wants something a little bigger as he's hoping it will be safer. The Mazda5 is somewhere in between those two and that's what we're looking at more seriously. Does this seem like a good choice? Any others we should consider?

 

I also have to figure out where all that money I've been stashing for a car has ended up and get it back in the checking account.

[The Girls' Mom]

I've been driving a Kia Spectra for 3 years, and love it. It fits all 5 of us (and we are not small people!) and has lots of trunk space. It sips gas, and we've not had any trouble out of it. Mine is a '06 model.

[Laura Corin]

Do you have an independent website in the US which compares the safety of different cars? When we were car shopping two years ago, I was surprised that the Ford Focus (which we ended up buying) was rated extremely highly for passenger safety on the European site, despite being a smallish car. We can fit three in the back so long as they are slim. My automatic gets 35 miles to the gallon (not brilliant) but the manual gets better mileage.

 

Laura

Edited July 28, 2010 by Laura Corin

[BeautifulLife]

Any suggestions for a decent one? We're looking at Mazda5, Honda Fit, Honda Odyssey, VW Passat, and Volvo wagon. Maybe we flirted with some Subaru thing as well. I'm hoping to get something that's about 3-5 years old.

 

I personally think the Odyssey is too big and too gas hungry, but my husband really likes it. I like the Honda Fit, except it only seats the 4 of us and there are times when we need to do 5. We'll have 2 cars for awhile, but once our old one bites the dust, we'll be back down to one, so a car that only seats 4 might turn out to be a problem. Also, my husband wants something a little bigger as he's hoping it will be safer. The Mazda5 is somewhere in between those two and that's what we're looking at more seriously. Does this seem like a good choice? Any others we should consider?

 

I also have to figure out where all that money I've been stashing for a car has ended up and get it back in the checking account.

 

We have the Honda Odyssey and LOVE it. It has made traveling with kids and dogs SO much easier! We take it to NJ a few times year, camping, kayaking... it's very practical. We also have a Toyota Prius though so my DH commutes with that during the week and we drive it around on weekends. Generally, whoever is going to drive the most miles in any given day will take the Prius. The van has been sitting most of the summer but when we go on trips, it's a blessing.

 

A Fit and an Odyssey serve very different purposes! I would figure out what uses you want out of a new car first and what its main purpose will be. That will narrow down your choices!

Edited July 28, 2010 by BeautifulLife
typo

[Dana]

You might also go for a test drive in the Fit. We just got one :)

There are only 3 of us, so we fit fine. There is a center seatbelt in the back so you can fit 5 people in (theoretically). I'm not sure how it would work in practice though - so if it stays one of the cars you're considering, checking it out at a dealership will give you an idea of how everyone might squeeze in - or whether it should be off your list.

 

The one thing I'm finding frustrating with it is how tiny the rear window seems. I use the side mirrors much more and just can't see as much as I'd like out the back. I imagine it would be much worse with someone in the middle seat in the back.

[emmsmama]

I've been driving a Kia Spectra for 3 years, and love it. It fits all 5 of us (and we are not small people!) and has lots of trunk space. It sips gas, and we've not had any trouble out of it. Mine is a '06 model.

 

Dh and I just bought a used Kia Rio Hatchback in April and I'm very happy with it. It's an '02, but it only had 60,000km (I'm in Canada so we go by km) on it when we bought it for $4000. It has air, auto windows, auto locks, and seats 5, though admittedly the 5th does get squishy. It has a surprising amount of trunk space and the the rear seats fold down if I want more room. Thus far it's been great on gas. Dh and I are kicking ourselves that we didn't buy a used car earlier so we wouldn't have wasted money on new cars over the last 10 years!

[Garga]

Well, no matter what you do, buy used--2 years old is good. Cars depreciate in value waaaay too much and you're just throwing money away to buy it new.

 

Even if it needs repairs, it's still cheaper to repair a car than to lose the depreciation of a new car.

[mmasmommy]

We just got a great deal on an Accord. It seats all 5 of us comfortably and gets good gas mileage. It's an '07 and had 33,000 miles on it. Depending on your budget that might be something to look at.

[rafiki]

.

[WishboneDawn]

Check out Hyundai. They don't have very good resale values because of their reputation but their build quality rivals Honda and Toyota and they have excellent warranties (5 yr/100,00 kms) so you can buy one that's a few years old and still have some warranty left on it. They also tend to offer a lot on base models that other makers only sell as options so you can get a lot of car for your money.

 

Your other picks are great but they all hold their value extremely well and so won't be that cheap.

 

We have a Tucson and it's probably close to what you'd need. It's basically a wagon disguised as an SUV. Ours has a 2L engine and is better on gas then our previous car, a '98 Elantra wagon with the same size engine.

 

Hyundai is sort of the secret for savvy used car purchasers.:D

 

Kia is another good choice. They're cheaper as well and basically Hyundai's in disguise although you might want one that's on the newer end of your scale as they do build their cars in a different factory and weren't up to Hyundai's standard until the last couple of years after a corporate crackdown.

[BikeBookBread]

We love our Subaru Outback wagon, but it is definitely a 4-person vehicle while the girls are in boosters. I've tried to crunch back there, and can do it in a pinch, but saying it is "tight" is generous. We have an '05, though, so perhaps the newer ones are roomier. The mileage could be better, honestly; we only get 25 mpg, and it is tuned up and maintained regularly.

[Mrs Mungo]

Safety ratings:

http://www.iihs.org/ratings/default.aspx

 

fuel economy:

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/

[MommaOfThree]

So funny .. We just got a brand new KIA Soul .. LOVE IT!!!!!!

 

We are in financial trim down mode in our house, so when we sat down to look at gas prices, car pymts, insurance, etc. we realized we could sacrifice our Kia Sedona (that we purchased used) to save a little money. ((while I loved the space, the occasional usage of the extra space wasnt worth the little extra in gas & insurance for us))

 

-I started comparing smaller cars that one booster seat and two boys could fit comfortably in (while still having cargo room for my kids football equipment).

-I also looked at the lowest prices (because after all we are trying to save money).

-Then insurance MPG ratings.

-Of course, insurance agent got the call for comparisons.

 

Then, I check out the comparisons here:

http://autos.msn.com/research/compare/compare.aspx

This website is great because you can compare side by side..

 

We ended up with the Kia Soul for these reasons:

-Price (got the base model, starts at like $13000)

-Cargo Room

-Seating room (out of its competitors it had the most leg, hip, shoulder & head room)

-MPG

-Insurance (@$10 less a month than the van)

-Warranty

-Return customer discounts & trade in's offered at our local Kia dealer

 

We were able to stay within $10 of old car payment (saved in insurance) and have the piece of mind that the 10 year/100,000 mile warranty offers, while saving on gas!!

 

Kids love the cool factor (shoot, so does Mom) & it's quite affordable!:auto:

[gingersmom]

I had a Subaru Forester that I loved (till it failed inspection).

 

Just weeks ago I purchased a Honda CRV. I love it!!!

 

My tall (and growing) son no longer complains about the back seat. It has amazing trunk space (way better than my subaru).

 

It gets excellent safety ratings and does not cost a fortune.

 

I would definitely check out the car reviews before you decide on any car to make sure the year you are looking at checks out okay.

[Alyce]

It has ample room for 5 and is okay for gas mileage. It has a pretty good history of holding up over the years. We actually bought a Prius last year but i was looking at that during my "middle age moment". I had a hatchback when we first got married so I wanted another one and the great gas mileage was a good excuse. We drove an Avalon this last winter and we all fell in love with it. It was so smooth, quiet but very responsive and like I said fit 5 easily. If I had to do over again we would have bought an Avalon. When I was looking at Prius' I was comparing them to Mazda 5 and ultimately found little difference in the two of them esp in leg room and head room. They had more trunk space but otherwise they weren't much difference

[emubird]

Thanks for the suggestions! Now we have a few more ideas.

 

Our problem, of course, is that we want to stay with one car. When my husband drives, he's generally hauling a bunch of stuff, so he'd like a van. When I drive I'm generally running errands and getting in and out of tight parking lots, so I'd really like something smaller -- and with better gas mileage. Seems my needs ought to trump his, seeing as I do most of the driving, and driving a huge car around just so he can haul something big once a year seems pointless, but we'll see.

 

Actually, what I'd really like is a car without power windows or those silly remote keys that cost hundreds of dollars. I don't know if one can even find those anymore -- let alone in a used car.

[ereks mom]

After driving a 1997 Plymouth Grand Voyager, I find the Santa Fe fun to drive! It gets decent gas mileage, has good acceleration (seriously lacking in my van), and best of all right now when the temps around here are near 100 degrees, the a/c works great so the interior cools much faster than it did in our huge old van. Hyundai vehicles are among the most reliable cars on the road--comparable to Toyota & Honda, but the price is usually considerably less than Toyota or Honda.

[iquilt]

We have owned two Odyssey minivans, both used a few years when we purchased them. I have found that I get great gas mileage for carrying around 4 people at all times and 5 people on road trips. They are safe, excellent with wear and tear (my current van has leather seats which I have found to be a must with children for easy clean up) plus I've always had plenty of room for the required car seats. My oldest has graduated from a booster because she is big enough, but my other two will be using them for a lot longer (size wise I think my middle child will be learning to drive in her booster!). Anyway, we have plenty of room for us and I can park my minivan just about anywhere. I only wish I had a back up camera, but I have learned to back my van into many a tight space using the three mirrors and a little patience. HTH