Question Help/Info on getting a new car

Hello! I stumbled across this forum while looking for some information on getting a new car to suit our growing family. Hopefully someone will be able to help me out with our decision on what vehicle will be big enough for us. Right now we have a 7 year old, who is in a Britax booster seat (even though by law he doesn't need to be, but I like him raised up a bit because of the seat belt) and we just had a new baby last month, who is obviously in a RF Keyfit 30. We've talked about possibly having maybe one more child down the road, but that isn't for sure... and if you ask me, after just having a new one after 7 years, not going to happen for a long time, LOL Anyways, both of the kids are squished (literally) into the back of a 2007 Dodge Caliber. My son can't even buckle his seat belt without help, and even with my small hands I can't get in between his booster and the infant base to do it. And there is zero cargo room in the trunk after shoving a Kolcraft Contour stroller in there. With all the baby gear we lug around everyday, plus my son's soccer gear, there is just no more room! So I started thinking about trading in my car and upgrading to something a bit roomier.

I know you probably hear it a lot but, I really don't want to go the mini-van route. My parents have an old ('93 I think) Grand Caravan, and they LOVE it! But I've driven it, and I can't stand it. I like the crossovers, but I've heard mixed reviews about the cargo space. My budget is really tight, and I can't really afford anything over $17,000 AFTER adding on possibly $4,000 in neg equity. That is unless I can get a good deal on something. I was looking at the Dodge Journey SE (found one used in my price range), but I'm still afraid that the kids are going to be cramped in the second row, like they are now. So basicly, I'm looking for something with at LEAST one LATCH, room for a booster, and a decent amount of cargo space. And I guess if we do decide to have another baby down the road, then something that will haul 3 kids! I bet you're all going to say, "mini-van"! Hopefully not, but I would love to hear what everyone has to say and any info on the Journey, or other mid-line cars/suvs would be great! Many Thanks in advance!
~AnnaLe

First, don't judge minivans by a decade-and-a-half old model. Go out and try some more current models. I'd recommend:

• 2007-2008 Mazda 5 - Smallest minivan, with best gas mileage
• 2006 Honda Odyssey LX - Extremely safe, tons of room (this is what I drive)
• 2006-2007 Toyota Sienna CE or LE - Also extremely safe, and huge
• 2007-2008 Kia Sedona - Safe, but don't know much about it

If I only had two kids, though, I'd really be looking at large sedans like:

• 2006 Ford Taurus - Safe car, well under $17K
• 2006-2007 Ford Five Hundred - Safe, short production window
• 2005 Toyota Avalon or 2006 Avalon XL - Safe and reliable
• 2005 Volkswagen Passat sedan or wagon - Very safe, but smaller. Not a good option for 3 kids (I did seriously consider the Passat before I had my 4th, but it was just too tight.)
• 2006 Toyota Camry - Safe, and a bit tight, but possible for 3 kids
• 2007 Honda Accord - Comparable to the Camry (my sister drives an Accord, and my kids ride with her from time to time)

Whatever you decide, check out crash test results on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and NHTSA websites.

(I got all my prices from Edmunds.com's True Market Value tool.)

I have an 06 Kia Sedona EX and love it Has the highest safety ratings, very car seat friendly, 3rd row is stow and go (so you have lots of cargo room) It drives great and you can most definitely find them in your price range. Here is a pic. of the inside of my van with 3 car seats installed:

Wow! Thanks for all the great choices to consider, Ulrike! I've been looking at a few of those already, but I was getting so confused! This gives me a great baseline to start with.

And thanks firemom for the picture of your car! It looks like you have over double of the cargo room that I do now. I like the stow-n-go seating option, and it doesn't look like the kids would be squished at all. I'll have to do some looking around to see if there's one I can go look at and see how big it is in person.

If anyone else has any info or more options, let me know! Thanks again!
~AnnaLe

Yes, I will say to look at the new minivans and to try them out. Ulrike gave great recommendations. My family had a Chrysler van of likely the same generation as that Grand Caravan your parents had, cept it was the Town & Country edition (essentially the same, just slightly different options). The new vans are quite different. Well, the Japanese ones are. The American ones still aren't that great to drive and I haven't tried the Koreans yet. Honda prolly has the best drive overall, but the engine on the current Toyota Sienna is NICE.

Make sure you check out the safety ratings first. The newer ones should be ok, but some of the older ones, particularly the GM vans, had some scary crash test ratings.

I was recently looking for a newer vehicle, and although I didn't buy anything, I was impressed with the Ford Freestyle's space/options for the money. Most of the ones I looked at were $11-17k. They have a bench or bucket option for the second row, and a 2 seat bench in the rear. It has tons of cargo space with the rear bench folded flat. It would allow you the crossover type vehicle without the big price tag.

I drive a Mazda 5, and with just two kids you'll have plenty of room, and the middle row I have captains chairs, so no problems buckling! 3rd row folds flat. I drove a Ford Winstar minivan before the Mazda, and the Mazda does NOT drive like my van did! It turns on a dime and is pretty zippy but gets great gas mileage. We put upgraded tires on it a month ago and it improved the ride/road noise quite a bit. I love the sliding doors, no chance for my kids to put door dings into other people's cars, plus it makes loading them in the rear a lot easier then the 3rd row of SUVs IMO.