Accord, Camry, other? for 3-across nanny car

[leealo]

We just got rid of our junky "nannymobile" because the repair bill was nearly double its value. We need a new car for our au pair to drive our children, and want something reliable as a tank. We plan on driving this car into the ground, but definitely want to be pre-owned /used for value reasons.

We have a super narrow garage and have had au pairs hitting the sides even driving the old sedan, so the Ford Fusion and Taurus are out of the question (are just as wide as my Flex SUV!).

Children riding in the back are currently 3 years (tall and skinny - 26 lbs) and 1 year old (will be out of bucket and into a convertible any day now). Backseat will need to accommodate 3 carseats...may have another on the way in the next year or so. 5'10" (and growing!) teen will often ride in front passenger.

Priorities:
- Safety
- Legroom (tall driver and teen passenger + RF carseats)
- Reliable/low-cost repairs'

Considering:
Accord (but 2010 and before had some safety issues?)
Camry
Sonata (but molded back row terrible for carseats?)
Impala (but immovable headrests are bad for FF carseats?)

Anyone have specific recommendations? Or some kind of smaller-than-a-minivan suggestion?

 

[Guest]

Honestly, once you get to the pre-owned (meaning not the newest/current designs), just stick with Accord or Camry. Whichever you can get the best deal on. The newer (last gen) Accord had the biggest back seat IIRC. That might be your best bet for 3 across in the back.

I assume you meant Ford Fusion? Altho the Fusion is on the small side in the midsize class, but the Focus is a compact car. If the Focus truly is too big, you need to just park that car outside cuz you're talking subcompact and you're not gonna find a good 3 across solution in a subcompact car.

 

[SavsMom]

Honestly, once you get to the pre-owned (meaning not the newest/current designs), just stick with Accord or Camry. Whichever you can get the best deal on. The newer (last gen) Accord had the biggest back seat IIRC. That might be your best bet for 3 across in the back.

I assume you meant Ford Fusion? Altho the Fusion is on the small side in the midsize class, but the Focus is a compact car. If the Focus truly is too big, you need to just park that car outside cuz you're talking subcompact and you're not gonna find a good 3 across solution in a subcompact car.

This -
I would look at the Accord as it does have a bit more room than the Camry. Either way they are both good choices.

I would also look at the Mazda5 - plenty of room in a small package with good reliability.

 

[leealo]

Yes, I did mean the Fusion! Thanks for catching that. I had not considered the Mazda 5...in fact didn't know it existed! Thank you! I'm a bit concerned about where the massive stroller would go with carseats installed, however. Maybe next to the 3rd row child? trunk space looks negligible. Looks like vehicles like this are why they quit making wagons!

 

[SavsMom]

Yes, I did mean the Fusion! Thanks for catching that. I had not considered the Mazda 5...in fact didn't know it existed! Thank you! I'm a bit concerned about where the massive stroller would go with carseats installed, however. Maybe next to the 3rd row child? trunk space looks negligible. Looks like vehicles like this are why they quit making wagons!

Id say next to the 3rd row child so long as you could properly secure it.
To give you another option - I know there are members on this board that have done 3 across a Toyota Corolla - so that may work as well.

 

[cantabdad]

Most of the mid-sized sedans, including the the Accord, Camry, and Fusion (and even some smaller vehicles like the Focus) seem to be about the same overall external width -- 72", give or take an inch. So if the garage is really an issue, I would certainly double check its dimensions and the sizes of the vehicles you're considering.

I recently checked out the 2013 Accord and it seemed pretty good for 3-across. It was redesigned for 2013, so I am not sure about the older models. You should be able to get 30 mpg overall and since new ones sell in the low $20s, a lightly used model will be well within range. Honda traditionally does well on reliability measures.

The Mazda5 is a great little car, slightly narrower (69"), and many people on this forum manage to make it work with a stroller behind the 3rd row. (And consider also that a new stroller that folds even smaller is a relatively small expense compared to a new car.) Gas mileage is a little lower than your preferred range, though.

If you're open to a hatchback, the Toyota Prius is actually one of the most relable vehicles out there, per Consumer Reports, and is also a little narrower (69"). The trunk is bigger than you might expect. It's not necessarily ideal for 3-across but there are multiple threads on this site with successful 3-across setups in the Prius.

 

[CMeMeC]

My parents have an impala and it's very car seat friendly. I've done a 3 across many times. It also has a roomy trunk.

 

[thepote]

My parents have an impala and it's very car seat friendly. I've done a 3 across many times. It also has a roomy trunk.

Last time I rode in an Impala I didn't even 5-step in the back seat. Have the redesigned the back in the newer models?

 

[clmchrissy]

The Accord isn't the most 3 across friendly. I had a 2006 and while you can make it work, it's not that big of a back seat and has bolsters on the outboard seats and a hump for the middle seat.

 

[CMeMeC]

Last time I rode in an Impala I didn't even 5-step in the back seat. Have the redesigned the back in the newer models?

I don't know. There's is a 2007ish model.

 

[tesslouise]

A 2007 Ford Focus might fit 3 car seats. Mine fit an infant seat and two FFing seats (in 2008). I haven't driven a newer Focus, I know it was completely redesigned. But ours has been reliable. The A/C went out but otherwise we've had no problems. (And the A/C is fixable, we just haven't done it, DH only drives it 1-2 times a week.)

 

[MotoMommaNH]

The Accord isn't the most 3 across friendly. I had a 2006 and while you can make it work, it's not that big of a back seat and has bolsters on the outboard seats and a hump for the middle seat.

They redesigned in 2008. I have a 2010 and there's very little hump. I keep DS seat installed in the middle with no issues. Still have some side bolsters but they've never given me issues with installs.

 

[leealo]

Thanks all for the ideas. I've pretty much settled on a Camry, but now I've spent about 10 hours visiting dealerships and getting the runaround from used car salesmen Once I even scheduled a test drive, called just beforehand to check the car was all ready, and then arrived to learn they couldn't find the key! Ugh where is the apple store for used cars? Why is this so difficult! Surely someone could streamline this process. I guess it's called buying a new car?

 

[Guest]

Thanks all for the ideas. I've pretty much settled on a Camry, but now I've spent about 10 hours visiting dealerships and getting the runaround from used car salesmen Once I even scheduled a test drive, called just beforehand to check the car was all ready, and then arrived to learn they couldn't find the key! Ugh where is the apple store for used cars? Why is this so difficult! Surely someone could streamline this process. I guess it's called buying a new car?

No. Unfortunately, new car dealers aren't necessarily any better. Ok, if you go luxury, some brands (mostly Lexus) make more of an effort to improve customer service (Toyota forces the Lexus dealers to; but every Toyota dealer I've been to tends to be pretty awful).

It's a grind. We've been there. We feel for you. Just keep pushing through. At least with a Camry, it's very popular so you've got a lot of options. Keep going until you find the right car for the right price.

 

[SavsMom]

No. Unfortunately, new car dealers aren't necessarily any better. Ok, if you go luxury, some brands (mostly Lexus) make more of an effort to improve customer service (Toyota forces the Lexus dealers to; but every Toyota dealer I've been to tends to be pretty awful).

It's a grind. We've been there. We feel for you. Just keep pushing through. At least with a Camry, it's very popular so you've got a lot of options. Keep going until you find the right car for the right price.

Y'all need to visit the dealer I used to work for -

www.earlstewarttoyota.com

Huge customer service advocate.