Question 3rd Row in Wagon or Crossover

awlobo · Oct 20, 2010

We are expecting our 3rd child around Thanksgiving. So, we are looking to move up from our BMW 325i. We'd really love to have a wagon or crossover to drive on a daily basis. I do not like big SUV's and am not quite ready for the mini-van. So we're looking at used wagons in the 2000-2005 range with a 3rd row. Anything we can buy for $9000 or less. We will have a 4 year old, 2 year old, and infant. All of which are very small for their ages.

On a daily basis, we would put the kids 3-across in the 2nd row. But when we needed to haul passengers, we would have extra space with the 3rd row. We test drove an Audi with a factory rear-facing 3rd row, but I don't know the details about age, weight, height, and safety for those seats. Would anyone here know? Are there wagons with forward facing 3rd rows? Can you safely add factory seats to used vehicles?

Thanks for your input!

Guest · Oct 20, 2010

With your kids, the 3rd row wagons are out. You can consider a larger midsize car and just do 3 across.

However, I'd seriously consider a minivan. Used to own a 2003 325ci that we gave up cuz it didn't fit an infant seat. I know how you're gonna feel giving up a BMW. DW is still sad about it. She was always highly resistent against minivans. Until we took a trip to Hawaii and rented one.

Now, she's looking forward to trying to figure out how we can get the new Odyssey. I'd recommend trying to get a Honda minivan cuz it drives the best and the crappy handling won't bother you as much as all the other ones. The $9,000 limit may be a problem (I haven't really looked at prices).

Lisa in WV · Oct 20, 2010

We used to have a Taurus wagon with a third row. However, the third row seat faced the rear of the car, and car seats could not be installed there as per their owner's manuals.

kathysr98 · Oct 21, 2010

You will need a vehicle with a forward facing 3rd row to be able to install car seats on it. There are a variety of options in higher price ranges, but since the crossover is a fairly new vehicle design, there may not be many available in your price range. I do know you can find a Ford Freestyle in that price range. I recently bought a 2007 Limited model w/ 70K miles for $12K, so an older model should be possible for your price. Other brands may have first generation crossovers to consider as well. Another good option to consider is a large sedan. I drove a Ford Five Hundred for while, and believe a three across would be no trouble at all, and the trunk would hold half the contents of a small apartment, so it or a similar sized vehicle should work unless you need to carry more than 5-6 passengers.

cookie123 · Oct 21, 2010

I always recommend a minivan to people having their third, because I personally lasted a few months before I was going out of my mind. We ended up losing oodles on our new sedan and trading it in for a minivan when #3 was a few months old. I have to say I liked driving it okay, so much so that I was hard pressed to give it up when it was time.

If you're planning on doing 3 across everyday and are in the car a lot, all that togetherness in the back seat is chaotic, and also the noise is very close to you.

I have noise issues, I think! Anyway, if you need a new car anyway, it might be time to take the plunge.

I think my dd has a 2003 Sienna, and it works well for her. It was about $10,000 if I recall correctly. Her kids are older, the the 2 year old is rf in the captains chair behind the driver, the other is out. The 2 bigger kids are in the rear outboard. They have been capable of harnessing up themselves for quite a long time.

SafeDad · Oct 21, 2010

Volvo, Audi and Ford have/had wagons with rear-facing third row seats. They all had limited ranges of use. Your 4-year old might be close, but you would have to verify in the owners manual to be sure. You would also want to make sure they fit, in terms of the 5-step test, because you cannot use a booster in those third row seats. They are smaller than average and tend to accomodate kids well, but a small 4-year old might be too small, even if they are within the height and weight range in the manual.

A base level 2007 Mazda 5 is close to your price range, might be something to consider as it is a glorified wagon. Also, a 2004-2005 base Chrysler Pacifica is another 6-passenger wagon to consider for 10k or less. Both of those might work much better than the wagons with rear-facing third rows.

awlobo · Oct 21, 2010

Thanks for all the input! Especially on the Mazda5 and Chrysler Pacifica. We really like those vehicles, but didn't realize they were in our price range.

Question 3rd Row in Wagon or Crossover

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