Need suggestions on safe car models?

I'm not thinking of buying a car within the next 6 months, but I will be wanting a new one as soon as this one is paid off(2003 toyota corolla sport). I am not satisfied with my corolla and want something slightly bigger and safer. I want something with good gas milage that can sit 1 husky and 1 adult for day to day travel but able to fit 2 more large adults on outings.
I don't want a minivan after what I heard about the statistics of 3rd row passengers in accidents. I don't think I want an SUV because of gas milage and rollover problems. So I'm thinking I'm down to cars and trucks, and I don't think a truck will fit our situation so I'm going for car.
I'll want it to be like 16,000 or less, and it must have all the up to date safety features(antilock breaks, good air bags, ect).
My mom suggested a PT cruiser, but I think its like a minivan in the back, not a lot of space between the back door and back row... thought I've never looked at them closely.
Any suggestions? I want a bunch if you can name a lot. I always start way ahead of time looking into things before I buy them. I think by the time I've narrowed and located what models I like, test driven them a few times and all it'll be about the time my car is paid off(since I'll do everything in my 'free time').
TIA

I really love my Chevy Malibu Maxx. The other night I had a Turbo Booster, a Cosco(probably summit) and an adult in the back seat. The adult was a little tight, but not unbearable. It has LATCH in all 3 positions, but you can't use all 3 at the same time...if that makes sense. The price is a little high for what you are looking for, so maybe a used model would be better suited to you. I have the base Maxx model, and the only thing I wish it had was Side Impact Airbags.

Susan

I have the Hyundai Elantra which is comparable in size to the Corolla. It has been great, but I would recommend the Sonata. I think it is around the price you are looking for and comes with a ton of extras as part of the base price. To get the price you want, though, you will need to get it during a sale or at the end of the year, after the newer cars have come out. I know my aunt got a car seat in the center with two adults next to it in her Sonata and it was pretty comfortable. Mileage is decent, too, not as good as the corolla, but it is a larger car. Good luck searching. I know it is such a bear to find a car in the lower price ranges that has a good reputation, good crash results and good mileage, at least for us it was tough!

We just got an 04 VW Jetta wagon a few months ago for $17,000. Even though it's an 04, it was brand new, it had sat on the lot for a year and they didn't sell it (this is Juneau, AK, so it doesn't really surprise me.) I love my Jetta! We just had dh's parents up to visit for a week after Christmas and all five of us fit, it was a little tight in the back (RA rf in the middle with seatbelt, dh's parents in the outboard seats) but I think part of the reason it was tight is because FIL is larger (tall and big). I am almost 6 feet tall, and I usually drive, so the drivers seat is always almost all the way back but my MIL had plenty of room (she's tiny). In about 2 weeks my friend is coming up to visit with her 7 month old, so we will have a rf MA and a rf RA in the back, plus one adult, not quite sure how it's all going to fit, but I will make it work, lol! One of the things I love about our car is even though it's a base model, it has side curtain airbags, heated side mirrors (very important during an Alaska winter), ABS, all that kind of stuff. I've been really impressed with it so far. Good luck, I know what a PITA car shopping is!
Sarah

FWIW, DH has a Jetta and we have 2 RF RAs and a booster in it now. I haven't put a MA in it yet but if I did it would go in the middle. With the RF RA on the passenger side there's just enough room for an adult in the front passenger seat. Overall, I like the Jetta. It's a great car for DH's commute and we all fit in it if we need to. It's a fun car to drive too!

Sharlene

I meant to say around 16,000 not under, lol.

I've always liked the jetta but I don't think it'll be roomy enough. I believe it's the same size as the corolla and we need more room. I'm wanting something I know will be safe. I am not pleased with the corolla(I had 2 wrecks in it before they fixed whatever it was that was wrong with it- the car would lock up/maybe even go dead/ during hydroplaning and you couldn't do anything but hit whatever was infront of you, luckily this was before I got pregnant with DS and we havent had any even near accidents since, but I'm definitely not getting another one, it's also very cramped for us).

I'm thinking some sort of sedan, since the corolla is a compact car.

I was looking at the honda's(civic, but probably too small- and accord, maybe the right size). Depending on what kind of deal I can get I can probably go higher. We are in little town USA where car lots are filled with brand new past year models, so finding a good deal isnt hard.

I say definatly look at the Chevrolet Malibu Maxx. I really couldn't be happier with it. The base Maxx model has the same chasis as a Saab and the car really does look European. It has a hatchback and all the back seat splits and the front passanger seat lays flat if need be.

Susan

we'll be getting a late model Hyundai Sonata to replace my old car (a '93 Cadillac Sixty Special) with and the Sonata is actually roomier than the Caddy. I can EASILY fit my boys' boosters in the back seat with DD's MA, or even her Fisher Price Safe Embrace, and that's a pretty wide seat.

how do I know if a chevy is a good quality car?(not done too much car shopping). I've had bad car luck, so I'm worried about getting a car that'll need a lot of tune ups or other problems.

My dad has had Chevy trucks for as long as I can remember and he's never had a problem with them. This is my first Chevy and I have less than 9000 miles still. I do have a recall out on my car---but it's for the visor mirrors---no biggie in my book. I think every person has their "fav brands" and will tell you bad things about the others and the good things about theirs--but that's with anything.

A site I've started to look at when purchasing something is www.epinions.com It seems to have write ups by car testers. Plus people can put in what they like and dislike about a car. Like everything--take it with a grain of salt, good and bad.

Susan

My dh is a "Chevy guy", and most of the vehicles we've owned have been GM, with the majority of those Chevy. (A '91 Hyundai Excel, '88 Nissan van, '93 Chevy Cavalier, '88 Chevy Astro, '89 Chevy Corsica, '93 Cadillac Sixty Special, '96 Jeep Cherokee, plus dh's "project" cars: several Chevy s-10s, a '73 El Camino and an '84 Fiero.)
The only ones that were replaced due to mechanical issues and not crashes were the Nissan and Corsica, despite the fact that they've all been OLD (except the Excel, it was only 2 yrs old when I bought it, but it wasn't replaced b/c of mechanical issues either. lol I hit a 5 pt buck.)

My friend has a Malibu Maxx and we fit an Evenflo infant seat (with the base), Morgan's BG, and Cody's Wizard across the back. It was tight, but doable. Before she had her baby, we fit an Evenflo Chase and a Sungride and an adult comfortably in the back. Lots of leg room, aka RF'ing carseat room, too. I think she gets about 25mpg and they paid $21K brand new, so a year old would probably be right in your price range. It's not a car I personally would choose, but only b/c I'm an SUV type person. She hasn't had any problems with it, other than a really strange powersteering recall. It was the first year out though, so you kind of expect some little problems. I did like that you could use LATCH in any postion. Oh! and there's also a table in the back. LOL
I know you said no SUV's, but my other friend has a Honda CRV and it's pretty nice. TONS of room in the backseat, even more cargo space (I am amazed by how much stuff we can cram back there, even with baby junk like strollers) and pretty decent milage. I think they are pretty resonably priced, esp if you are willing to go a year or two old.

ohh yeah I forgot to look at how many MPG they do. My car gets good milage IMO. I don't do any highway driving but maybe once a month but I can get about 400 miles to one full tank(and it holds like 11 gallons so thats like 36mpg).

I've always secretly wanted a hybrid, I wonder how they are safety wise. I know they are a little more expensive depending on which you get, but it might be worth it, lol

I think most cars are pretty reliable these days, so any brand would be fine. You might want to look into cars with longer warranties. Our Hyundai has a 5 year, 50,000 mile warranty. For us, that means 5 years without repairs! We can also add another 5 years to the warranty, if we want to pay for it. Most manufacturers only have a 3 year, 36000 mile warranty, unless you want to pay extra. Something to think about when choosing.

I get about 25 MPG's. I got mine when they still had all that employee pricing going on. With trade in, we came in around $17000 I think.

Susan

I purchased a ford freestyle in August and love it! It offers seating for 6 or 7 depending on which model you choose. The goverment gave it 5 stars front and side impact and 4 star rollover resistance (but the independent testing agency, I can't remember their name, started testing it and also gave it a 5 star or best pick for front crash test rating--don't quote me on that it was a long day at work) It is built on a volvo xc90 chassis, and has volvo safety cage ect..ect... We live in a resort town (think lots of snow and inexperianced drivers) my point is that I'm a freak about what I drive but just cannot swing the payments of toyota/honda minivans and refuse to drive an suv and awd is a must. Anyway, my suggestion is to check it out at a dealer. Personally, I wasn't nuts about how it looked from the outside (and the website didn't make me fall in love with it either) but my friend said if you drive it you will love it......and she was right. Depending on what "deal" ford has going on I think you could definately be in your price range. Hope that helps...just another two cents worth.

I think it's www.iihs.com that gives the Freestyle good ratings (???) It has heaps of good info, at any rate.
I'm not afraid of rear impacts (particularly for properly restrained children), so I'm going for the Mazda5 as soon as the crash tests come out for that (if they are good! At least there are heaps of airbags in it, lol)....my Honda Odyssey is just too big for me, anything with only 5 seats is way too small...
The PT Cruiser has loads of room behind the rear passengers, it's nothing like a 7 seater SUV with the seatbacks practically up against the glass at all, more like a 5 seater SUV with a much lower risk of rollover, really. But sedans are great, too....the Malibu really DOES do very well (with side curtain airbags, those are truly a must for any new car).

Well I guess since I don't have Side Impact Airbags, I'll be getting a Boulevard when my time comes. I really like the way it handles...it feels very sturdy on the road. I like at the "extras" that come on the basic model.

The table
power everything including drivers seat
adjustable pedels so I'm not shoved up against the steering wheel
Driver Info Center


Susan

So many choices! I will have a lot of test driving to do.

I'm thinking the malibu might be on the smaller side though(as well as the accord). I saw one today in front of me at the red light and it looked like the same size as my car.

The size I'm looking for is like my sister's car, I think it's a ford tarus. It's the step up from the focus, like the camry is the step up from the corolla(in size terms).

I'm looking for about that size, maybe not quite as long though, it felt like driving a boat when I was babysitting for them, hehehe. Nice and roomy though, and driving a new car always feels odd.

I heard the PT cruiser gets good gas milage. I'll have to make a written list of all the ones I want to test drive. I will definitely test drive them a bit to see how they handle. I heard some dealerships will let you take them overnight.

I looked at the toyota prius today and it was an adventure(just the online 360*).

Unregistered said:

I'm not thinking of buying a car within the next 6 months, but I will be wanting a new one as soon as this one is paid off(2003 toyota corolla sport). I am not satisfied with my corolla and want something slightly bigger and safer. I want something with good gas milage that can sit 1 husky and 1 adult for day to day travel but able to fit 2 more large adults on outings.
I don't want a minivan after what I heard about the statistics of 3rd row passengers in accidents. I don't think I want an SUV because of gas milage and rollover problems. So I'm thinking I'm down to cars and trucks, and I don't think a truck will fit our situation so I'm going for car.
I'll want it to be like 16,000 or less, and it must have all the up to date safety features(antilock breaks, good air bags, ect).
My mom suggested a PT cruiser, but I think its like a minivan in the back, not a lot of space between the back door and back row... thought I've never looked at them closely.
Any suggestions? I want a bunch if you can name a lot. I always start way ahead of time looking into things before I buy them. I think by the time I've narrowed and located what models I like, test driven them a few times and all it'll be about the time my car is paid off(since I'll do everything in my 'free time').
TIA

Click to expand...

Minivans are generally regarded as the safest class of vehicles on the road. At least a few top models are among the safest vehicles, period.

There was some hype a few years ago about the danger of third row seating when loaded with heavy adults. Unfortunately, the article did not reference any public studies and didn't clarify a lot of their claims. In reality, fatal rear crashes are relatively uncommon; side impacts are far more dangerous to properly restrained passengers. The main risk identified for some third row seats is to adults in seating positions without shoulder belts, without head restraints and where the third row seat is very close (inches) to the rear. In such a vehicle, the weight of the adults could load a poorly designed seat back mechanism to fail, causing whiplash injuries or head contact with the rear hatch. Properly restrained kids in appropriate carseats would not have the same risk that was overstated in that article a few years ago. Also, most current long wheelbase minivans have shoulder belts and head restraints in all seating positions as well as up to a couple feet between the rear seat and hatch. My daughter rides in the third row of our minivan and I am extremely confident she is very safe- probably much safer than I am in the driver's seat...

Many 2006 car-based SUVs are also a very reasonable option, particularly when equipped with stability control. The improved handling, lower center of gravity and modern suspensions reduce the rollover risk considerably compared to previous designs of some truck-based SUVs. Inexpensive models like the Honda CR-V get top safety ratings and have every important safety feature standard. Just 5 years ago there were almost no SUVs I would have considered for my family. Today, there are quite a few reasonable options.

For 2006 cars, less expensive models like the VW Jetta, Hyundai Sonata, Chevy Malibu and Honda Civic are among the safest choices in their class.

Whatever you buy, insist on side impact airbags with head protection for all rows of seating. Stability control is essential for SUVs and highly recommended on all other vehicles, too.

You might also be interested in a couple of our webpages on the topic. The first includes some recommendations in most classes of passenger vehicles as well as links to other resources on the topic:

<a href="http://www.suvsafety.info">Suvsafety.info</A>

<a href="http://www.suvsafety.info/thirdrow.html">Recommended Vehicles with Third Row Seating</A>

Good luck!