Wife is pregnant, looking for new vehicle! Need advice.

K

Kimo

New member
Hey everyone,

Well, I'm going to be a father! :) Baby's due in Jan.

That means I need to look at trading my car in for a more practical model. I have a silver 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT. I'm going to hang on to it until we get closer to the due date, but I'm starting the search early.

I'd like to get something that has 4 doors ;), but I'd like to stay away from the gas guzzling SUVs since gas is rediculous here ($2.33 last I checked). I've been looking at wagons and larger sedans. I'd like any input and/or suggestions. I'd like something that is reliable, SAFE, and not too expensive to maintain.

I'd like to stay at or below $25,000 new.

Specifically:

What is the track record/reliability/performance of Nissan, Mazda, VW? I know Toyota is pretty reliable, and that Honda rusts :angry (my wife has a civic)

I am interested in the VW Passat Wagon, my wife likes the Camry. I still want a car that's fun to drive ;)

Thanks so much for the help!
 
There are quite a few decent cars in that range. Personally, I like the Mazda 6s hatchback. Good sized, great looks and the performance isn't too bad.
 
My parents have had outbacks for the past 10 years. (Leased) I was never impressed with their engines. They always felt really sluggish and revved higher than I am used to.

Thanks Jared :)

I also like the Mazda 6 hatchback, but I was under the impression that (no offense intended) any Mazda that didn't start with RX was crap :)

I looked at the mazda website and they look like a nice car - 220 Hp?! Pretty decent, and more than I expected.

Do any of you own one of these?
 
Congrats on the upcoming baby, your life will never be the same.......It will be BETTER!!!!

When I was in your shoes years back I went with a Jeep and that always had enough room for everything that you need to carry with a small one, and believe me its allot. I drove the grand Cherokees and they always worked well, but can be costly on gas with the V8 models. I now drive a Nissan, Murano 6 banger 260 HP auto transmission, and get about hwy 28 city 22, has plenty of room all the child safety seat hookups, and air bags everywhere. Handles like a car and performance is right there. It has a continuous drive transmission. Head for http://www.kbb.com to read about the transmission, very fuel economical. I love the car has great lines for me and it comes in two wheel drive and AWD.
 
We were in your shoes not too long ago. We went with a wagon, more for the space, but found it to be great for changing diapers in the hatch area. The back was flat, large and easily accessible. We know some of our friends with sedans would change their babies on the back seat when they were out, but seats aren't really flat so the baby could roll. Also, you can keep everything in the hatch, so when it's time to change, you're ready to go.

I would suggest the Subaru Legacy GT. From your last post, seems like you didn't like Subaru but things have changed in the last 3-4 years.
 
Scott P said:
There are quite a few decent cars in that range. Personally, I like the Mazda 6s hatchback. Good sized, great looks and the performance isn't too bad.
Click to expand...
And if I might add, they are pretty reliable, too (at least according to some ADAC (German) charts):).

BTW Kimo,congratulations:).
 
Kimo Congrats!

There are A LOT of cars on the market for you to choose from... and I think your going at this with the right idea .. Here are some of my personal recomendations

Ford Focus (You could even get your hands on a 5 door hatch back SVT which is a great car and lots of fund to drive) and the best part great gas milage, Reliable, and handles awesome.

VW Jetta Fun car to drive ... not so roomy in the back its deffinatly lacking leg room!

Ford 500 Im not sure of the starting price but I belive its around 23k I just recenlty had the opertunity to drive its big brother (Mercury Montego) Ford is finnaly getting it right Solid car drives great very comfortble and not to mention LOTS of room!

Volvo & Audi also have some really nice offerings in that price range!!
 
If you don't know already GM is giving that employee discount. I just bought a fully loaded chevy 1500 crew cab for 24,### sticker was 33,###. Can't beat D plan.
 
Congratulations! You definately want the four doors...one of the first things we did when my daughter was born was to trade in the two door for a four door....6 weeks of getting a baby and carseat out of a two door....not easy on the back. You might look at a Honda CR-V and see if it meets your mileage requirements. Its zippy 4 cyl I-VTEC is not a gas guzzler and it has the nice flat back compartment for baby changing. Its raised height makes it more comfortable for getting small persons and their carseats in and out of the back as well. Also lots of hauling space....you will soon learn just how much stuff you can cart around when you go mobile with a baby. Even the new 05's are in your price range. I enjoy driving mine, but it is definately a different ride than a sedan.
 
Congrats to you Kimo. You have alot of great times ahead of you. I would suggest an Altima SE. Reliable cars and awesome cars. They are around 23k in my area.
 
I forgot to mention in my above post that the scion xb is a really good Box truck lol. My dad has one it gets 30 -35 mpg depending on how heavy your foot is. I'm 6'7 300 pounds and i have plenty of room in front and back. It don't look that bad either.
 
Congrats to you and your wife..
I would suggest you look at a mini-van, as stated above you would not believe how much stuff you will need to carry around and also for changing diapers.
They are easy to get in and out of , are safer with a higher hit zone, and many now have automatic doors so you don't have to reach for a handle when your hands are full of precious materials;) The Mazda is a smaller one, the Chryslers have the fold down seats so you can use one side for diaper changing and the other for seating if needed...
BTW...Antonio is a nice name:D
 
Kimo said:
I also like the Mazda 6 hatchback, but I was under the impression that (no offense intended) any Mazda that didn't start with RX was crap :)

I looked at the mazda website and they look like a nice car - 220 Hp?! Pretty decent, and more than I expected.

Do any of you own one of these?
Click to expand...

I recently bought a 6i hatchback (4 cylinder, 5 speed). I was looking for both utility and economy and feel I got an awesome balance in the 6i. I am very pleased with it, but definitely sacrificed power (160hp vs. 220hp) going with the 4 cylinder. Been getting a solid 28.5 mpg, which is a huge improvement over the Toyota T100 pickup it replaced that got 20mpg.

If gas mileage is not as important to you, they have excellent deals going on the 6 wagon (which is 6 cyl only) which is a very spacious and sporty vehicle.
 
Congrats.......get used to being called Dad.

We have three children, 3,5,7 and the "first car" is a extended Chrysler LXI minivan. It can hold three " baby seats" side by side on the rear bench. We took the seats with us when we shopped to be sure they would fit. Just a thought if you plan to have more then one child.

The Camry would get my vote if I could ever travel that lite with the family.
 
I'm a GM fan especially with the deals on right now Saturn are good but maybe a little 4 door truck like the Colorado IIRC they’re getting in the mid 20s mpg easy, but I think anything over 12 mpg is good.
 
Congrats!

My honest opinion, is that the new cars for 25k are going to loose their value way to much, and youll get nothing on a trade in.

I would look toward a 2 year old 3 series Bimmer, or a 2 year old Mercades. Both can be had with 40k or less miles and under 30k.

I would also look into the Jag, whatever the 30-ish k model is new.

My .02 of coarse, but for the same money, i would pick one of those.
 
Seeing as you're starting to grow your family (congratulations!), I don't think GM would be a very good idea, as they have really bad resale value in case you need to change it up down the road. Quality isn't the best on all models, either.

I second the Murano as they're bigger than most people think but get very nice gas mileage and still retain a great powertrain. For something smaller, maybe look into the Volvo V50...nice little wagon, a little bigger than the Focus wagon.
 
You all are great! I really appreceiate the advice, and it gives me a lot to think about. I'll welcome any more opinions, keep em coming :)
 
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