What would you buy?

[Eresh]

I have 2 boys ... 3yo and almost 6yo (probably will be 6yo when I pull the trigger on a new car). I moved my 3yo to a FFing True Fit for the Christmas lights, but his usual seat is a Diono that he was RFing in before that. My 6yo will be in a Frontier 85 in my car.

I currently drive a Suzuki SX4, a compact 4-door and I'm sooo, sooo done with struggling to fit a full load of groceries, + stroller, + car seats. Not to mention there are no more Suzuki dealerships in the U.S. for recall work, etc.

My conundrum is I can't decide between classes of vehicles. I'm drawn to smaller cars like compact SUVs/CUVs (Mazda CX-5, Honda CR-V, Ford Escape) for the driving experience and fuel economy. But looking for a vehicle I will be driving through the kids' elementary and middle school years, should I realistically be looking at a larger vehicle? Maybe a Mazda 5 or a full mini-van?

This would be a commuter car as well as kid transporter. My husband and I are separated and I effectively have sole custody, so I don't have access to a second vehicle to switch out with.

ETA: We're in northern VA so we usually get snow in the winters .... everything from a slushy inch or two to 2ft+. I've driven a couple 2FWD cars in the snow and am fine but would prefer an AWD all else being equal.

 

[cantabdad]

I guess I will chime in here, for whatever it may be worth, since my family has some of the same considerations-- 2 kids, one-car family, trying to balance fuel economy (for commuting) with kid- and gear-carrying capability.

The two things I would think about are:

1. How much do you anticipate transporting other people's kids? In some suburbs there may be a social expectation that parents ferry each others' kids around to school and activities, whereas in the city where we live many families don't have a car at all, and it's less of a consideration.

2. How many miles do you log in a year and how important is fuel economy? If you're doing more than, say, 15,000 mi/yr then it probably makes sense to at least consider something like the Toyota Prius V or the VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI.

Otherwise, within the compact SUV / crossover category I personally think the standouts are the Honda CR-V for reliability and family-friendly features, and the Subaru Forester and Outback for safety and all-weather performance. We bought an Outback over the summer and have been very happy with it.

A bunch of our friends have the Mazda 5 and it's definitely a great vehicle for its niche. You can't carry 6 people AND tons of stuff, but you can definitely do 4 people + lots of stuff or 6 people + minimal stuff. Its gas mileage actually isn't much better than the full-size minivans (21 city / 28 hwy) but you will save a ton on the upfront purchase price (about $19K new, with anecdotally lots of room to negotiate, versus $29K+ for the base model Odyssey).

Keep in mind that you can always lease a car for 2-3 years and see how it goes. Leasing used to be generally a bad deal for the consumer, but now the nationally advertised specials are often reasonably good deals -- and it's nice to have the option of walking away after a few years if you realize you really need something bigger/smaller/different. Consider also that your peak cargo needs may be soon behind you, once you're done with the stroller, pack-and-play, diaper bag, etc. -- in which case a typical family sedan like an Accord or Camry would be a good match.

 

[P1ally]

My mom has a cx-5, love it! A Mazda 5 would be great too!

 

[tesslouise]

I love my Mazda5 but if I were regularly driving in snow I'd look at getting bigger rims with bigger tires. The "sporty" tires are fine most of the time but can be slippy/squealy in the rain.

 

[Patriot201]

As a fellow Northern Virginian (hello!), I will chime in on a few of the "issues."

1) Fuel Economy. With our HORRIFIC traffic no matter where you go, and what time of day, I would choose a vehicle with the best fuel economy possible because we know that we waste a ton of gas just sitting in traffic!

2) Societal Expectations. This is an interesting society here. Depending on where in NoVA you are, expectations for hauling (other people's) kids around might be quite high. That isn't true in all areas of NoVA, but in certain areas, it is DEFINITELY true!

3) Weather. Because we do get snow and ice, but the roads aren't reliably well-cleared, I understand your concern about AWD.



As a single parent with no access to a second car, it might be worth considering a small SUV because of its cargo flexibility. Should you need to carry large items from, say, Lowes, an SUV might offer you more flexibility than would a sedan.