Safest car possible on a limited budget?

[Yellie417]

Please help!

On Monday we were in a car accident in a 2000 Pontiac Montana. It was totaled and now we're looking for a new car. We don't have a lot of money (the Montana was given to us by my sister instead of writing it off to charity when she moved out of the country). We used it as the family car. My husband drives a Prism to and from work. After the accident I've decided that I don't want the kids in the Prism.

So we need to hurry and get into something else. We'd even be willing to sell the Prism (2002) to be able to get something a little nicer, even if it meant becoming a one car family for a while.

Anyway, I probably don't need to share all of these details :-). I guess we're just a little overwhelmed. With about a $4000 - 6000 budget, do you have any suggestions for the safest car possible? I just bought two Radian XTs to replace the carseats that were in the accident. We also have a True Fit. Both kids are now back to sitting rear facing so we'll need some space in the backseat.

One car that we've looked at that's available in our area with a low gas mileage is a Suzuki Esteem Wagon. I did a search and couldn't find anything about that particular vehicle. Any insights?

Thank you, thank you so much for your help!

[freqflyer]

I'm not sure if this will work for you, but we just bought a 2003 Ford Focus for $5000. Its a pretty reliable car and I feel safe having my child in it. I'm not sure how the Radians install in it though.

[APT]

The Prism is just a Toyota Corolla. I would not replace that for any Suzuki. If the Radians fit and the Prism is in good shape, save your money for when it dies and you can get something nicer/larger/safer. How old are your children and what do they weigh?

Now, RF Radians will be hard to use the seat in front of it in most cars. Vans and larger SUVs have a big enough back seat for them.

[Yellie417]

Thank you for your suggestions. I'm looking at the Ford. It makes a wagon which my husband is really interested in. Does anyone know if the wagon version of any type of car (not just Fords) gives you any extra space in the backseat? Or are they just more spacious in the trunk area. Does the Focus Wagon have a bump in the backseat like Subarus?

So basically then, the only way to get Radians RF comfortably is in a van or larger SUV? Hmm, maybe it's back to the drawing board on carseats. DS is 28 lbs and DD is 32. I really want to try and keep them both rear facing until 40 lbs, but I am kind of shaken up right now from the accident. Maybe that's not a realistic option with the vehicle options we have. Or maybe there's a shorter seat out there that's still just as safe. They're both really long in the torso though so I liked these would get them a little further.

We can't find any safety info anywhere about the Suzuki Esteem. Are Suzuki's really that bad? The Prism is in the bottom 25% for driver death rates. It doesn't get too much worse than that. I'm a nervous wreck about cramming all 4 of us into a death trap. I'd be fine with just my husband driving it to and from work 4 miles away, but if we're going to be a one car family, I'd rather it be somethings safer and/or bigger. We'd even be willing to sell the Prism, but I don't know if we'd find a buyer. Who buys 2002 Prisms?

[kathysr98]

The Focus doen't have a hump to my knowledge..I've never seen one in a Focus. I currently have a Signo RF behind the driver's seat in my Focus, & a person as tall as 5'8" or so can drive. My Signo is not terribly upright, so you may be able to get even more room. You might try a Radian & your TF in the back of a Focus you're test driving to see how they work. It's also possible you might can get two Radians next to each other, leaving one front seat with more legroom if your DH is tall. My SIL had a Prizm, and I can totally understand not wanting to have your family in it. Hers was also way smaller than my Focus, so I think you're more likely to get RF carseats in the Focus. As far as more rear seat room in a wagon, I'm not sure, but I don't think it has any more.