SUV purchase help

[vegas]

I know this has been asked before but I've never paid attention because I never wanted a new car. Now DH is driving me nuts about trading in my Infiniti sedan because he thinks we need something roomier for the two kids. I'm more of a car girl than an SUV girl so I've had a hard time finding something. Our other car is a Land Rover but DH wants 2 SUVs since we take turns picking up/dropping off the kids and both need the room.

He wants the following:

1. Lots of cargo space
2. Decent mileage (hybrid would be awesome, but not a requirement)
3. Under 50K
4. Prefer used but nothing older than 2010

He'd like a 3rd row, but I really don't want all of that car. The Land Rover feels gigantic to me. I'll take recs for both but prefer something that doesn't feel like a boat.

Recommendations?

[Deleted]

I would look at either the Honda Pilot or a Toyota 4Runner or Sequoia. My coworker has a Pilot and a Highlander and I wouldn't recommend the Highlander for you because it doesn't have as much space as the Pilot.

[rikki]

It doesn't have a third row, but my last car was a Lexus RX350. It drove much more like a car than a SUV. The cargo space seemed good to me but I don't have any kids, so I am not sure what you would think. It's definitely more roomy than an Infiniti sedan though.

[LoveTrains]

I just rented a chevy traverse when I was out on the west coast and rented a car. It had a third row of seats in the back and in the middle it actually had two captain's chairs. It was very spacious and great to drive. I normally don't like american cans and I don't know anything about the reliability, but the car was easy to drive and seemed to get decent mileage.

The third row in the back easily flipped down and back up.

[carfar]

I really like my highlander hybrid. It is kinda pricy since its hybrid, but mileage is great for an suv. People always comment about how much room there is. There is not much room for cargo if you use the third seat. Also I can't speak to car seats since we are still working on getting a kid to put in. One seat. We also looked at the pilot ( drove more truck like to me, didn't like that) the Volvo xc90 (really liked it, but the gas mileage wasn't good and that was very important to us ESP if we were going to pay that much for a vehicle.

Our other problem was a lowerikrage used highlander was very hard to locate. Even new ones were super low inventory at the time. That may have changed now, but we called like every dealer in a 2 hour radius to try to find what we wanted mileage and trim package wise.

[mrsgindc]

I really like the Buick Enclave but it may be too big for you.

[Deleted]

I really don't understand why you need another vehicle. Does he ever have to drive your car? Can you not fit the kids in your car?

[jackie011]

Does it have to be an SUV? What about a Subaru Outback wagon? A friend just had a second child and they traded in her Jetta wagon for an Outback and she raves about it all the time. It feels like a sedan to me.

[Deleted]

I have a crossover - Infinity FX35. It has tons of room and might be a good compromise. My last car was a small SUV (Rav4) and honestly this has more room.

[Deleted]

What about an acura MDX? We have one and it is great-- roomy, but doesn't feel like a boat.

[hbomdiggity]

I would think the crossover like a Lexus rx and Infiniti pp mentioned would be good compromise.

[vegas]

Aug 19, 2012 11:20:08 GMT -5 @kcpokergal said:

I really don't understand why you need another vehicle. Does he ever have to drive your car? Can you not fit the kids in your car?

Nope, he never drives my car he just thinks it's too small. He's probably right, it's a tight squeeze with the car seats. The two front seats can't really recline much and the trunk won't fit our stroller without me taking off the wheels. But I do love the car and I don't mind the space (or lack thereof). It's a 2005 with 150K miles so it isn't new, but it gets me around.

I've considered both the Acura MDX and the Infiniti. I really like the EX. We're going to go drive it and see what we think. Keep the recommendations coming, I really appreciate them!

[dexteroni]

I don't understand why you would let your DH make you get a car you don't want when he'll never have to drive it. If you don't want a new car, tell him to knock it off.

That said, if you would like something with more room, I second the recommendation for a Subaru Outback. We have one and I really like it - it's roomy, is way better on mileage than most SUVs, and it drives as smoothly as a sedan.

[vegas]

I mean, it's not like he'll never drive it, but he'll have his own car. I think he just wants us to have two cars with enough room. Trust me though, if I'm not sold I won't go for it. I can get by just fine with my car. Is it kind of a pain to have no space? Yep. Am I too cheap too care? Yep!!

[Deleted]

Congrats on your new addition!

[curbsideprophet]

I agree that it does not sound like you need another car. In any case, have you looked at the Prius V

[vegas]

Aug 19, 2012 12:41:10 GMT -5 @246baje said:

Aug 19, 2012 12:14:53 GMT -5 vegas said:

Nope, he never drives my car he just thinks it's too small. He's probably right, it's a tight squeeze with the car seats. The two front seats can't really recline much and the trunk won't fit our stroller without me taking off the wheels. But I do love the car and I don't mind the space (or lack thereof). It's a 2005 with 150K miles so it isn't new, but it gets me around.

I've considered both the Acura MDX and the Infiniti. I really like the EX. We're going to go drive it and see what we think. Keep the recommendations coming, I really appreciate them!

Do you have a G now ? Because yes with 2 carseats that car would be tight.

If you are checking out Acuras look at the RDX, the 2013 model is the same size as the Infiniti FX , gets something like 28 mpg and is about $10K cheaper than the MDX. My good friend jus bought one and loves it!

Yes, that's what I drive now. Thanks for the recommendation on the RDX, I'll check it out.

[penguingrrl]

If you don't want an SUV you definitely don't need one with two kids. Right now our only car is a VW Beetle and we're perfectly content. We will need a second car soon (we left NYC and DH will need a car to commute with starting in Oct, I'll need one to get my daughter to and from kindergarten since we don't get a bus) and will likely go bigger since we're expecting #3. We actually can get all 3 seats in MILs 2006 civic but buckling DD1s booster is really difficult, so we are probably going to SUV or minivan now. But with 2 kids we're content with our beetle (aside from wanting 4 doors). We even fit all of us plus luggage for a 10 day trip (including double stroller) in the beetle, although it was tight.

[Deleted]

Aug 19, 2012 12:41:10 GMT -5 @246baje said:

Aug 19, 2012 12:14:53 GMT -5 vegas said:

Nope, he never drives my car he just thinks it's too small. He's probably right, it's a tight squeeze with the car seats. The two front seats can't really recline much and the trunk won't fit our stroller without me taking off the wheels. But I do love the car and I don't mind the space (or lack thereof). It's a 2005 with 150K miles so it isn't new, but it gets me around.

I've considered both the Acura MDX and the Infiniti. I really like the EX. We're going to go drive it and see what we think. Keep the recommendations coming, I really appreciate them!

Do you have a G now ? Because yes with 2 carseats that car would be tight.

If you are checking out Acuras look at the RDX, the 2013 model is the same size as the Infiniti FX , gets something like 28 mpg and is about $10K cheaper than the MDX. My good friend jus bought one and loves it!

My mom and boss both have an RDX and I feel like its really small on the inside. My mon thinks it's too small and it's just her, her H and their dog. My boss is complaining about the space all the time and she has 2 car seats in there.

[rikki]

I have a 2011 RDX and I like it, but loved my RX350. I liked it a lot more at first, but after having it about a year I am thinking about getting something else. Unfortunately I can't pinpoint what I don't love.

[shopgirl07]

Just wanted to say congrats on your new little girl!

[vegas]

Thank you NQB and shopgirl, I appreciate it!

[rikki]

Didn't realize that you had her! Congrats!

[kate1482]

Are you guys tall? My boss use to drive a FX35 and comming home from the hospital with their second they realized she couldn't move her seat back far enough to drive comfortably. They ended up getting a Honda pilot.

[cosmowife]

If you are an infiniti girl, what about the new JX? It looks awesome! It might be just above your price limit, and I guess you won't be able to get it used, but it looks so cool! And they designed it so you can put car seats in the second row and still easily get to the third row. If I had a ton of money to blow on a car, I would definitely be getting that

[vegas]

Aug 19, 2012 14:10:28 GMT -5 @fivedogs said:

Aug 19, 2012 13:03:44 GMT -5 @246baje said:

.
I'm laughing at the people who are saying you don't need a bigger car. She is taking the wheels off the stroller to fit it into the trunk people! That is adding more complexity to just going out than I'd be interested in.

I'm not saying she doesn't need a bigger car. I'm saying that if she likes her car and is the primary driver, then I would not want my H telling me that I needed to get an SUV (especially at 3 days pp). And if she doesn't want an SUV, there are plenty of bigger sedan options (with better trunks for strollers).

And some strollers are just not designed to fit easily in trunks. If she likes her car and wants to keep it, a different stroller is way cheaper than a new car. Or maybe she finds a great new car she likes - also awesome. It's the husband mandate that would drive me crazy.

Just for the record, he's not bringing it up for the first time now 3 days pp, he's been suggesting it for months. I think he's concerned about my comfort and the comfort of the kids. It comes from a good place, I just like my car and I'm cheap.

[maddysmum]

I'm leaning towards to new Infiniti JX for my next car.

That said, we've got two kids, a giant stroller (Bugaboo - so it is bulky and two pieces) and a giant dog and we've got a Land Rover and Mazdaspeed6 sedan and do just fine. We like the SUV for the kids and I, and the fun car for my husband/me when I don't have kids.

I don't think that there's any point to moving up to and SUV if you don't genuinely want to.

[jr009j]

I loved the way the fx35 drove but it's cargo space was way too small. I recommend watching YouTube reviews to get a sense of how much cargo space a car actually has.

I love my mdx.

[Deleted]

My boss has your car, no way would I want even one kid, let alone two, in that!

I love the Lexus RX350/RX400h (hybrid) and with your requirements, that is what I'd probably get. I love the way the MDX looks but I didn't like how my BIL's drove (although his is older so...)

What about the Murano LE Platinum? My friend has it and it is very comfy as a passenger in the backseat, and he loves it.

[Deleted]

We have a Volvo XC90 that I like a lot. It has the third row option which we keep down for the extra cargo space but it's not super huge. I don't have any problems maneuvering it around a small parking lot and I'll be the first to admit I'm not the best driver in the world