if you had 3 in carseats..which type of vehicle?

bobandjess99

Senior Community Member
If you had 3 in carseats, and were looking at getting a new vehicle, would you get a sedan, minivan, suv? (other?)

Right now, I am heavily using fuel-efficiency as a priority factor in determining which vehicle to possibly get.....along with safety, of course. I only have 1 right now, with one coming in January, so 2 total in carseats, plus me and dh.....But then I was thinking...what *if* a third kid came along....unexpectedly...? (and my friedndkeeps taunting me that I'm having twins...I am NOT! well, not that i know of...:whistle:)
so then, i started thinking about what vehicle to get if I had 3 in carseats....
suddenyl, all the econoboxes I had been looking at suddenly are out of the running, and I am NOT liking ANY of the larger vehicle choices...withthe exception of some of the SUV hybrids, NONE of them get good mileage at ALL. Not a SINGLE minivan gets 20 mpg. Not a ONE. (BTW, I am talking about the NEWLY calculated mpg ratings - if you haven't checked them out, you should, they are SHOCKING!! The civic was busted down to 25 mpg!!!)
And a suv hybrid is so far out of the budget, I might as well be pining after the moon.......

So, say with a $15,000 budget, and 3 kids(5 people total) to seat, and you REALLY want good IIHS ratings......
what do you get?
 
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Erika Ruth

New member
We had 2, sometimes 3 carseats in a 98' Honda Accord with NO problems. (2 Marathons and a snug ride fit fine, as well as 3 marathons).

We would have kept it for 3 kids, but my in laws traded us for a minivan that gets 15 miles to the gallon.

We got 24 miles to the gallon or better in our Accord (it was a 4 door stick)...

(360 miles between fill ups, and 14 gallons at the tank on a 16-17 gallon capacity tank).

I am totally comfortable with a sedan for 2 kids, with the possibility of 3. We just don't drive that much, so 15mpg wasn't so bad (We really don't drive that much, I used to fill up once a month).

Erika
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
Kia Sedona used to get bad MPG, how's the new one? That's safe and cheap.. (my honda ody gets about 300 mper tank, about 15 gallons...so that's um...not good? lol, about 20, if i turn the a/c off when i accelerate, lol). Mazda5 too small? Heck, don't feel bad about not getting a hybrid, our escape hybrid only gets 27mpg, that 36 they claim in the ads makes me want to cry... My mom's volvo S80 only gets 17mpg, though!
 

bobandjess99

Senior Community Member
Kia Sedona used to get bad MPG, how's the new one? That's safe and cheap.. (my honda ody gets about 300 mper tank, about 15 gallons...so that's um...not good? lol, about 20, if i turn the a/c off when i accelerate, lol). Mazda5 too small? Heck, don't feel bad about not getting a hybrid, our escape hybrid only gets 27mpg, that 36 they claim in the ads makes me want to cry... My mom's volvo S80 only gets 17mpg, though!

Actually, depending on whether you have the 2wd or 4wd, it seems the new estimates are very accurate to what you are getting. The 2007 ford escape hybrid is NOW rated at 27(4wd)/30 (2wd)mpg, so right about what you are getting.

Most vehicles lost about 15% under the new calculations, so a car previously rated at 30 mpg is now probably rated about 25 mpg (like the civic, wah!)
Also, the hwy rating are always a lot higher, but hwy ratings mean nothing to me...I drive within a 7mile by 5 mile square that is my small city, going about 25-35 mph and stopping every 30 feet, so a vehicle that gets really good hwy miles but crappy city mileage is just dumb for me.

According to the site, the sedona was previously rated at
18/25 and is now rated at 16/23, so it actually did not lose very much, but still!! 16 mpg? I have a full size van I own that gets 13, why would I spend a ton of money to get an extra 3 mpg? :confused:

about the Accord...the ratings now list it as getting 21/28, but if I were to get one, it would have to be an auto, which knocks it down to 20 mpg - and 20 mpg for a car is just not good enough, IMO. Am I just being crazy unrealistic?

If you search in the "family sedan" category, the highest MPG that is NOT a hybrid, is a hyundai elantra. With a whopping 25 mpg!! UGH! That is the BEST fuel efficiancy you can get from anything larger than a compact car! (and the elantra has crappy crash test ratings)
EVEN in the "small car" category, unless you get the civic hybrid, the BEST, most efficient cars are the corolla, yaris, versa, fit, minicooper, civic, rio, sentra. those all get from 25-29 mpg. the best is 29!!!!!!! 29 lousy MPG from a tiny little box on wheels!

Am I the only one supremely annoyed by this?

The reason I want to get a new car os to have it be A. safer and B. more fuel efficient.

but our van, which is ancient, is within 3 mpg of a brand new minivan, and dh's stupid Metro, while about as unsafe as it gets, gets 36/44 mpg!!!!!

I hate that cars are getting WORSE with mpg. 10 yrs ago, there were half a dozen cars that got 35+ mpg - now you are LUCKY to get 25!!!
i know all the blather about them being safer, heavier, needing more power, therefore getting less mpg, etc, but it still sucks.

That's all really, I think it sucks.
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
I remember being disgusted with CAFE standards in 1990, and I've never gotten happy with them since then (I remember learning about that in an environmental science class...one high mpg car could raise the average for the low mpg cars...it sucks!)
Heck, I even remember when cars had mpg on their ads, then it went away for many years of large SUV's, now it's back again...and lower! WTHeck?

It sucks, there's really no excuse for it :mad:
 

Defrost

Moderator - CPSTI Emeritus
That's why I got my Mazda5 - good mileage, great price! :) No IIHS ratings yet, but overseas tests have been excellent. With 2 in harnessed seats (3 at most ;) ), the screwy rear-row shoulder belts wouldn't even be an issue.

And I do get 28 mpg on the highway in mine; it's a stick-shift, though, not sure if that makes a difference. Haven't checked in-town mpg, but it's not as bad as my Astro was!
 

safeinthecar

Moderator - CPS Technician
LOL and wishing I had the option of considering MPG and crash ratings when buying a car. Usually for me it's more along the line of what is in the budget of the cash I have on hand, or who will actually be willing to give me credit. I've had lot (and lots) of very used cars and more than a few on long term loans from family members, but I've only ever had an chance to pick a car once. However, I've managed 3 in a row in many, and survived crashes in quite a few.

I've done 3 in a row in

2000 Saturn

2002 Nissan Altima ( I crashed this one, rear-ended a jeep going 50mph coming home from work because I hadn't had time to eat all day and was thinking about dinner so hard that I wasn't looking where I ws going)

2000 Lincoln Continental

99 Thunderbird ( crashed 3 times, none of them my fault, and all occupants uninjured)

2004 Nissan Quest ( this one was crashed too, not my fault though, T-boned when a lady ren a red light)

2007 F350

90 Surburban

80 Olds, Toranado (2 door)

These are just the cars I've personally used for 3 in a rows on a consistant basis. I've done many, many for other people or for once in a while.

I'm very impressed with the crash worthiness of the Nissans I have owned. Nissan swiped a Volvo safety engineer a few years ago, so that probably helped.

Also, if it helps, the first car I ever bought brand new was a neon green Geo Metro. I swear, that car had a big HIT ME sign on it. I was hit about every 6 months in that car. You would think people would NOTICE the neon green pregnant roller skate that sounded like a lawn mower, but NO! I think that car was magnetic or something. Anyway, That car was put back together more times that ajigsaw puzzle, and no people were ever injured in it. One time I was rear ended by a cadilac, which was rear ended by a fullsize truck. Both of those cars were totalled and the guy driving the truck was taken off by ambulence, but the geo only had a dented trunk and I ( 5 month prog at the time) was fine.

Kimberly
 

UlrikeDG

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
We went the 7-8 passenger SUV/Minivan route, because we wanted the option to bring more than just our family of 5 in the vehicle with us. (We started out with the Honda Pilot, because our options in Germany were extremely limited, and we felt we needed to be able to handle 8 passengers in a pinch and switched to a 7 passenger Ody when we got back to the US, because a minivan is SOOO much more convenient!)

If you're very confident that you won't be having another baby (or a dog) in the near future, or you have the means to "upgrade" if you suddenly find that your family of 5 is going to become a family of 6, there's nothing wrong with saving gas and getting a sedan.
 

geekgal

New member
Kia Sedona used to get bad MPG, how's the new one? That's safe and cheap.. (my honda ody gets about 300 mper tank, about 15 gallons...so that's um...not good? lol, about 20, if i turn the a/c off when i accelerate, lol). Mazda5 too small? Heck, don't feel bad about not getting a hybrid, our escape hybrid only gets 27mpg, that 36 they claim in the ads makes me want to cry... My mom's volvo S80 only gets 17mpg, though!
Do you have the FWD (non 4x4) or the AWD (4x4) Ford Escape Hybrid? I don't drive like there's a robin's egg under my foot, but I easily get an average 33+ MPG in our Ford Escape Hybrid. It takes a nosedive in very cold temperatures or very hot but I live in South Central TX and even in summer the average is 32-33 MPG. My entire gas/mileage history is posted over on GreenHybrid -- http://greenhybrid.com/compare/mileage/car/2391.html
36 MPG is definitely attainable but requires one to drive in a manner most Americans don't seem to be willing or able to drive -- as though the speed limit is an actual limit and not a suggestion on where to start once you jam on the gas. ;)
 

chelle80

New member
Get an Impala :) I can fit 3 easily in the back seat, good fuel economy, and great crash test ratings.

Ditto!!! I have a 2002 impala and i have a FPSVD, regent and radian(but could fit either another FPSVD/MA or SS1). It cost about $40 to fill up from empty(at $2.95 gal) and i get between 350-400 miles to the tank, depending on if i am driving in the city or interstate.
 

amyg530

Active member
if i could get anything, i'd want a honda oddsey, of course that has always been my "soccer mom dream car" my friends think i'm crazy!
 

brightredmtn

Well-known member
Have you looked into diesel or bio diesel? My mom had two diesel VWs before she got her civic hybrid (right before the hybrid craze got so huge so it wasn't THAT much more.) In her diesels she got unbelievable mileage. The pollution on a diesel is also not as bad as it looks. While they look like they are puffing out a big cloud of black smoke (and they are) from what I understand it is particulate matter so it settles on the ground and doesn't get trapped in the air as opposed to carbon monoxide pollution.

How about an old Mercedes diesel sedan? That would for sure be big enough and totally safe.

From what I understand about hybrids too is that the bigger the car is the less mileage is effected and it's just more about super low emissions. Which is still great for the environment but doesn't help your pocket book.

Are the new mileage reports listed on the car websites or is this some other site I need to know about?
 

Defrost

Moderator - CPSTI Emeritus
Have you looked into diesel or bio diesel? My mom had two diesel VWs before she got her civic hybrid (right before the hybrid craze got so huge so it wasn't THAT much more.) In her diesels she got unbelievable mileage. The pollution on a diesel is also not as bad as it looks. While they look like they are puffing out a big cloud of black smoke (and they are) from what I understand it is particulate matter so it settles on the ground and doesn't get trapped in the air as opposed to carbon monoxide pollution.

We've got a diesel '01 VW Golf and we love it. We've never had the billowing black smoke you described, either. It's a great car, and I love the gas mileage - 35-40! The only complaint is the timing belt needs replaced every 75K miles, so we've had ours done twice, and that's about $500 each time. So a bit of a bite for a maintenance issue! It has excellent crash-test results, too, and my '01 has LATCH a year before it was legally required, plus side-curtain airbags.
 

Gypsy

Senior Community Member
I have a 2006 Kia Sedona, I get between 400 & 475 miles on a tank of gas. I have no idea what the MPG is.... how big is my gas tank?

LOL


ETA: My gas tank holds 21 gallons, so that would be about 19-22.6 MPG I have a good mix of highway and city driving.
 

Defrost

Moderator - CPSTI Emeritus
I have a 2006 Kia Sedona, I get between 400 & 475 miles on a tank of gas. I have no idea what the MPG is.... how big is my gas tank?

You forgot to add that installing seats is a DREAM. Even 3-across the rear row! Even the Regent with the recline bar! ;)
 

bake1856

New member
We went with a minivan in that situation. If you're looking at a Kia you should look at a Toyota too. We were surprised to find that we could get an 8-passenger 2007 Sienna for only $1500 more. I'm sure they get similar gas mileage. Overall we spent a little more than we planned but I figure a Toyota should last quite a while.

karen
 

TN Mary

New member
An Odyssey would fit the bill too in terms of combining top notch safety, decent gas mileage, a very USEABLE 3rd row with a nice DEEP trunk.

Although for safety, I would only look at 05+ (nothing older).
 

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