Car shopping today

[nannerl]

In an effort to start more threads....

Car was ruled a total loss yesterday, so today we have to go try and find a replacement. I'm not excited-- I loved our old car, and I wish the guy hadn't hit us in the first place. We are also on a tight time frame and I'm just not the kind of person that can buy a car in a day. Ugh. Ugh ugh ugh.

But, that's life. So, car shopping. My car was a Subaru Outback, and after W and I walked away from the crash, I'm tempted to just be Outback 4 Lyfe and be done. Practically though, we have three boys and they won't quit growing. I'm wondering if we should look for something with a third row. I'm not that interested in a minivan. We were going to check Mazda CX-9's and maybe Honda Pilots. Anyone have a Toyota they like?

Only thing I'd really like to have is all wheel drive. The weather around here is unpredictable and we need at least one car that can handle slop.

[Deleted]

We love our Subaru too. They're making a 3rd row SUV next year or maybe this year, sadly that doesn't help you now. We have the Forester and love it. It has a larger storage area, but I think a bit smaller leg room, than the Outback.

[lauranicole91]

We are team minivan. We just bought a used Toyota Sienna and it's amazing.
If you want all the features of a minivan, but disguised as an SUV, a Chrysler Pacifica is a great option!

[kkfeb04]

I will never not have a Subi. I have a Legacy and that doesn't help you.

[imimahoney]

If you want a big car, the toyota highlander is great.

[monarobinson]

Also team minivan!! But if I had to drive an SUV, I'd definitely get a Pilot. Sorry that your car is a total loss. I used to handle those types of claims in my former life so if you have any questions, I'm happy to help.

[bean47]

I love my minivan but if I didn't, I would consider a highlander.

[sandj82110]

We just got a Honda Odyssey in February, I really like it. I don't think we will go back to a non minivan anytime soon. We had a chev Equinox and while it was ok I would not get another.

[blane12]

I drive a Ford Edge and really like it, but it would be too small for 3 growing boys. My mom has a Toyota 4 runner which has a third row and she loves it. Glad you guys are ok, but it sucks your car was totaled!

[fryjack2]

We have an Acura MDX and I like it. I know rjamz has a highlander and loves it. Everyone I know who has one loves there's as well. An old co-worker had the Mazda and raved about it.

We looked at BMW x5s, Subaru Outback, Volvo x90s, and Ford Explorers.

The Explorer was huge. The x5 not big enough and only had basically a jump seat for the 3rd row, the Volvo was okay, but trunk room almost non existent with 3rd row in use, and the Outback didn't have the extra seating we ended up wanting.

Sorry to hear about your accident but glad you are all ok.

[mlkgls]

Another vote to look at a highlander; it's definitely on my short list for my next car. 

My 4Runner is 10 years old and has never, repeat, never ever given me any trouble. :::knocks on wood::: I would like to drive mine for a few more years, but am probably team Toyota for life now. I believe the newer 4Runner has a 3rd row, but looks humongous compared to mine.

[mlkgls]

ETA: I'm glad you were all okay!

I'm also a nerd and have had a consumer reports subscription forever if you're interested in what CR has to say about a specific model.

[teamhayes]

I have a Toyota Highlander and love it!

We also had a rav 4 which we weren't fans of before that we had a Acura MDX which was ok but the highlander is much more roomier

[teamhayes]

I think rjamz has the Honda Pilot and that also looks nice

[teamhayes]

Like I LOVE my highlander

We did a 3 yr lease and I seriously would release it again and I'm the type of girl who needs a new car every 2-3 yeatsv

[vthokie]

We got a new Honda CRV. No third row, but ridiculous leg room. I love love love it but I may go a bit larger for you guys.

[katfco]

I love our minivan, but now that the kids are old enough for us to not need so much gear on trips, I want our next car to be a CRV. If I had 3 kids, though, I'd definitely still be looking for a 3rd row and would probably stick with a van. I love the versatility of our van. Fold-down seats and electric doors!

[laurensmomma]

My DH got in an accident this past week, and we'll find out if it's a total loss early next week. It's old with a ton of miles (200k+), so I cant imagine that insurance will want to fix it.

We only have one kid and two dogs, but we'll probably look at an Explorer. DH will get my Rav as his commuter, and I'll drive the new car. We just need more room when traveling, which we do a decent amount of.

Glad you two were okay!

[thedahliharpa]

Team Outback unless the A-holes at work take it away from me next month when the lease comes up.
We also have a 2013 highlander. It's great in terms of features and space and all that. I think it drives like a truck though. DH is always trying to take my car because it's so much more comfortable for him to drive despite being a big guy.
We loved our 2005 Volvo XC90 but idk how they are these days. Honestly, if we had a 3rd child we would get a Odyssey or Sienna. With an extra loud stereo system to redeem ourselves.

[nannerl]

Hi ladies! Thank you so much for all of your input and suggestions. I'm definitely marking this thread for future car shopping reference.

We ended up buying another Outback. We just had zero time to shop-- the insurance company was only going to cover the rental until Thursday and car dealerships are closed on Sunday, so the choices were for DH to take more days off next week to car shop, me to shop with the kids (or try and arrange a ton of childcare), or just go with what we knew.

I did have to return one of the high backed boosters to Target yesterday because the array I bought was about three inches too wide for the backseat. I think we have a trio of seats now that will fit just right. But, yay Target! They were awesome while I was trying to figure everything out (plus, our trusty old seats will be recycled and not dumped in a landfill).

I still wish the jerk hadn't hit me and theres still some paperwork that I need to deal with next week, but everything is working out as well as it could be. Im just really grateful that no one ended up in the hospital.