We are expecting baby # 3 in November and have been car shopping for about 3 months now! Ugh, I am so overwhelmed. Ha Ha. We started out going with the mini van route and were looking for either a Dodge Caravan or Honda Oddyssey. Then we decided that we wanted to go the SUV route b/c we are more outdoorsie type and do a lot of camping (need a car than can pull a pop up). So we have now been looking for a Durango. Wow.. it has been so hard to find what we want. We are buying used so that we can pay cash and our budget is about $14K or so (want to be less, but we all know how that is, haha). I am finding some Durangos but they haven't been quite what we wanted yet. It always seems like you have to give up something on our list. I don't think my list is all that bad; leather, sunroof, DVD, and the 3rd row has to have the split fold down (to fit stroller). My two gives are the DVD and sunroof. Don't have to have them, but would like them. It just keeps seeming that we either find only leather or cloth seats with the DVD and sunroof. And, as of right now, we still have time (since baby isn't due till November) that we do not have to settle on a vehicle just yet. So, I am still holding out till we find just the right car.
So, on to my questions, haha. Since we have been struggling to find the right Durango, does anyone have a suggestion on a SUV that has 3rd seats that they love? I am just starting to doubt that I will find the perfect Durango and am now wanting to start looking for another type. I don't think I am that picky ??, I hope not. But, please, any suggestions would be great.
We will need to fit 2 booster seats and an infnat carrier.
Thanks!!
I would go with a Honday Odyssey . . . we have one with 90K miles and still love it. It has leather & dvd (no sunroof). You can't beat it for kids and travel.
I agree with you - automobile shopping is a big pain in the you-know-what.
I used to sell cars, so I'll give you a few tips I've learned along the way.
First, find a car dealership that you like, even if they don't have the car you want in stock. Ask around and find one that has a good reputation. Then go armed with the list of things you NEED and things you WANT, but will be willing to sacrifice. If they don't have the car on the lot, chances are they can find it for you. Most dealerships are affiliated with other car lots. Dealerships will also trade between each other. If the dealership you choose doesn't have exactly what you're looking for, chances are they'll be able to find it for you. Make sure the dealership offers an inspection on all used cars. I worked for a Honda dealership and they did a 25 point inspection on all used cars.
Second, don't tell them what your budget is EVER! If you do, they'll make sure they charge you exactly what your budge is, even if the car isn't worth that much.
Third, ask for the Car Fax. They should provide it for you with out any hassle. If they give you hassle, leave.
Fourth, when they find a car for you, look it up on Kelly Blue Book. That should give you an idea of what the vehicle is really worth.
Fifth, shop at the end of the month. Car dealerships have quotas that they have to make. They are much more likely to deal at the end of the month.
Sixth, When you're doing negotiations (presumably at the end of the month) tell them that you will take ownership of the care IMMEDIATELY. It helps their numbers and they will be more willing to deal.
Seventh, Don't take the kids with you. They're kids and they'll be a distraction. You'll be more likely to make a bad deal if you're distracted.
Good luck on your search!
Our Explorer has a third row seat and we love it.
Also, it's much harder to shop for a used car (but smarter!) because you're not comparing same model to same model & year& options, etc.
It definitely takes more time and legwork to find a used vehicle that is exactly what you want!
When you narrow it down, get the VIN #'s and call your insurance agent and get a quote. This may help you make a decision also as there could be a huge difference in insurance premium. Good luck and congrats.
with 4 kids we went with the Suburban and love it. Now the kids are grown or in their teens, and it still provides enough leg room for them. Also when shopping first check out the dealers online prices they are always lower than the lot prices. Go in with that price and that's what you can get it at. For ease you may want to consider a minivan moving the second seat in an suv to put children in carseats does get old real fast.
If you end up going back to the minivan, the Dodge Caravans that are before 2007 are great. At 2008 they changed the body style and there have been all kinds of problems. We bought an 07 off my sister who ended up buying a newer one. Ours is still awesome; they've already gotten rid of the new one and moved onto something else.
We have a 2009 Ford Flex and absolutely love it. The 3rd row is roomier than many, easy access because the 2nd row flips up and cargo room is awesome. Now that the Flex has been out for a couple of years, you might be able to find a used one in your budget. If we won the lottery, even with all the SUV choices out there, we'd probably buy a loaded Flex. That is how much we love it! We also like that it is different. . A lot of SUVs look so similar, but it's unique. Happy shopping!
all I know is I love my durango and when we get another car it will be another used durango newer then our currant one. My sil has a durango and she puts her two older boys in their boosters in the third row and keep part of the middle seat folded down and has the baby sit in the middle row w/ part of the middle row folded she has plenty of room for other things.
First a minivan can pull most pop-ups, unless you have one of those huge pop-ups with a pull-our side and a/c unit on top and such. My parents pulled a pop-up for years with a Windstar.
Right now we pull a pop-up with a Freestyle (cross-over, not the Freestar van) and it's great, it's not a van or an SUV and it does a great job. I also know people who pull a pop-up with a full-size Oldsmobile, so you really don't have to have an SUV.
Now, I love my Freestyle, but I have to admit, I wish I had a van. It's built just like an SUV but on a car base so it drives better and gets better gas mileage, but it has all the down-falls of an SUV over a van.
~It's wide and long in car spots which means it's hard to open the doors wide enough to help kids get in car seats and pull an infant seat out the back.
~Ours and *most* other SUVs/cross-overs have 3 seats in the middle and two in the back. I can't fit 2 car seats and an infant seat on the middle bench which means I'm going to have to put two in the 3rd row, fold one seat down all the time for the boys to climb back there, and put the baby in the middle row (I'm due in Jan.). If we had a van or the bucket-seat version of the Freestyle, we could put a seat in each bucket and just have our oldest son climb in between to get to his seat in the 3rd row. That's what he could do in a van as well.
So, I really recommend looking at exactly what the weight and the tongue weight of your trailer are and then look at what a van can tow and ONLY buy an SUV if you have to.
My first choice would be a van if I were buying right now. My second would be the Freestyle/TaurusX with bucket seats in the middle (but they stopped making them so you have to buy them used now I think, there might be a few news ones left on lots around).
PM me if you want any more info:)
we have a Chevy Traverse and LOVE love LOVE it!!!!
We have teh Honda Pilot and love it! For third row room it was between this and the Chevy Traverse (which had the most we had ever seen!) but we also wanted an SUV. We have all the things you mentioned and more and we love it! I also know a few people who have or have had Suburbans and they absolutely rave about them. I think it's probably worth a look, especially with three kids and camping gear!
you may already be doing this but we had a hard time shopping too and I was very pregnant as well and it was hard to keep going and looking! Get on line and look at the dealerships near you. THey have to list all their cars and you can search through them to see what they have. that's how we eventually found our car...it was being used by the owner of the dealership so it wasn't on any search engine but it had to be on their site. We got a good deal on it b/c it was techincally used but in a great shape! You can also use these car search engines that will find cars in your area based on your criteria. Finally, do you have Car Max? We found a Pilot that we liked but it was in Omaha (we're in KC) and they drove up and got it. We didn't even end up buying that one! I felt a little bad, but not that bad! ;) They are really helpful!
