What Do Those of You with 3 Kids Drive?

I have three boys and drive a Toyota Sienna - and LOVE IT! In fact, both my husband and I have one. My husband is 6'4" and it's one of the few cars he "fits" in. I don't understand why minivans get a bad wrap -- they get way better gas mileage than an SUV and take up a lot less room in the parking lot. Also, the seats fold down in various ways for transporting items (like bikes, pack n plays, etc.) There are strategically placed cup holders and storage areas and the Latch attachment. I'd recommend getting the built-in DVD player if you can afford it -- we didn't and now make due with a portable DVD player. Good luck!

I only have one but, wanted to say that I love my Mazda 5. I call it my microvan:)It has a reasonable price and reasonable gas mileage.

I am a Hyundai dealer in Manchester CT and a mom of two kids. My honest opinion is that a Santa Fe is not a good choice for you. The Santa Fe does come with a third row, but it is a small third row and very difficult to get into to. We drive a Hyundai Entourage. I would highly recommend one! Hyundai doesn't make them anymore but you can get a 2008 with very limited miles for significantly cheaper than a Honda or Toyota. You will get the remainder of the 5 year, 60,000 mile warranty too. My friends who own Honda and Toyota minivins and have been in ours are always so impressed with it - rear windows roll down, rear heat, backup beeper, DVD, heated seats, etc. I know you live way out of our market but you can check out our website for information: http://keycars.com I would recommend looking for one on autotrader.com and cars.com. If you need any more help, contact me directly through our website. Thanks! J.

i got a ford flex and love it. the baby seat would not fit in the mustang and we needed a vehicle that would drive us all when my step-daughters visit.

love my honda odyssey - we have two. both 2003 models.. turned in a ford expedition to get second used odyssey

Try the Mazda 5. It seats six people and can accomodate 4 car seats. We got one last year used at a reasonable price (less than 20K) for our three kids (ages 6,5, 2). Works well for us. Good luck!

I have 3 boys -- ages 5, 4, 2 --- all in car seats, so I know what you are talking about!

We have a Land Rover Discovery with 3 rows of seats. The 3rd row is two fold-down seats, made for children with headrests & seat belts, and even a step for them to use to get in the back. The back door also opens like a car door so it's easy to get them in and out.

If we have alot of stuff to carry, they sit 3 in a row in the middle row and we fold the rear seats out of the way for storage.

It is a gas sucker, but great for trips -- the 3 kids are not all sitting next to each other. 2 in the back and one in the middle row.

We have a 2004, bought it used, and love it!

Good luck! BRING YOUR CAR SEATS TO TEST ANY CAR!! Some are too narrow for 3 seats!

I have three children and drive the Honda Odyssey and love it. I wouldn't trade it at all. Its comfortable and safe and spacious! Good luck with your search!

I have a 2000 toyota sienna and I love it. It gets great gas milage, has plenty of space for my 3 VERY tall kids, their friends and all their junk. And we've recently been pricing a new one (or the toyota highlander) and it's relatively well priced for how well it holds it's value and how well it's made.

My friend drives a Ford Taurus X and loves it!

I am not at all a mini van girl, so I stuck with the SUV when we had our third child. We have a Chevy Suburban (2nd row captain seats, 3rd row bench) for our 4 year old, 3 year old and 14 month old kids. I absolutely LOVE it!!! As long as you don't have to commute a long way on a daily basis, it's wonderful. Comfortable and enough space for a family of 5 plus a grandparent, cousin, friend or two.

I know you said that you already have a minivan, and I don't know what kind it is, but I drive a Honda Oddyssey and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. It's roomy, seats six comfortably and seven in a pinch, and doesn't drive like a bus. It also gets really decent gas mileage. I've had mine for 9 years, and I'm getting ready to replace it - but I want to buy another exactly like it.

Edited to add: I just saw the other responses - hahaha! I hadn't read any of them before I wrote this, so I guess you can tell how those of us who drive the Oddyssey really feel!

Hi there Christy,
It seems to me that cost is a factor in this for you as you mentioned you don't want to spend a fortune. If that is still the case, why don't you wait since you stated you are "unsure" whether a 3rd child will happen, especially within 2 years. So much can change in 2 years:Newer models, cheaper prices, and maybe no 3rd baby afterall. Although pregnancy does fly by pretty quick, there will certainly be enough time to find the right vehicle for you and your family. Just my 2 cents for what it is worth...
Take care.

Right now my ex and I have a Kia Sedona and a Ford Excursion. Now that the kids are older, he is getting the Volkswagen Passat, and I will be getting the VOlkswagon eos. My friend drives a pontiac Sunbird convertible. It depends on how many carseats need to get into the backseat and if someone can fit in the front seat legally.

Christy,
I am mostly responding so that you can get a good laugh. I have 3 kids. When I had my third I had a 6 year old and a 4 year old. (ALL GIRLS) I was driving and still drive a four door Chevy Impala. It was a tight fit for sure but it worked. The car is paid for and we all still fit. Now envision driving from DC to Rhode Island to DC to Mississippi with 3 kids in the back of an Impala! :-)
Good luck on the car shopping! I'd go for that Honda Odyssey.
J.

Hi Christy,

I only have 2, but we drive with Nana a lot and take long trips. We have the Nissan Quest which has 2 seperated seats in the 2nd row, and a bench across the 3rd row. With your oldest at 6, she is probably only in a booster at this point, so it would be easy for her to get in and out on her own. The seperated seats keep my kids from "she touched me!" It has a DVD, so is great on the long trips.

S.

Hi Christy,
I have 3, a 6 yo, 4 yo, 1 yo. I drive a GMC Acadia (2008) and I the more I drive it the more I absolutely LOVE it. It is a crossover, and I believe it's the roomiest on the market right now for a crossover.
It has 3 rows, and the 2nd row I chose has captains chairs so my 6 yo can walk to his booster seat in the 3rd row. (like a mini-van)

A new one will run you over 40K, so look at pre-owned and you can get a great deal.

I am also not a mini-van lover so this was a great option to the mommy mobile.

I will not give you a list of options, but you really should just go look at it and maybe drive one. You'll see why I love it!

Happy car hunting!

I have a chevy tahoe and love it! I only have one child (18 mos), but as a nanny, I am also transporting the 3 children I watch in addition to my son. My son's car seat is in the center position in the middle row, the 5 year old's booster seat is next to him. The 3 yr old and 16 mos old I watch are in the 3rd row.

I actually have seating for 9 (3 seatbelts in all 3 rows of seating). I bought my tahoe used, it was 3 yrs old and got it for under $17,000.

I am not a fan of minivans and refuse to ever have one.

BTW, my tahoe is a 2002 and has over 150,000 miles on it and is still running great!

Hi Christy - We drive a Toyota Highlander which seats 7....we love it - we have baby #3 on the way and my parents just moved into town, so we thought it would be a great way to accommodate everyone without having to drive two vehicles on outings. However, we bought it totally upgraded with GPS and DVD, etc...so it is kind of pricier than some. It has great safety features like a camera for backing up, etc and has key-less start, which is very easy, and I love the bluetooth. You can find very affordable, slightly used, Highlanders which would be a great option. We are trying to streamline our car payments because our third car is too small and paid off, so we are thinking of going with the Toyota Sienna or the Honda Odyssey - they can both seat 7 or 8 very comfortably and have a ton of storage - even more so than the SUVs. I thought we may just trade in for another used Highlander, because I never considered myself a 'soccer mom' and didn't want to switch to a minivan from the Highlander, which is very stylish-looking, but my husband is convincing me because he said all his co-workers LOVE their minivans even more than the SUVs and they don't have the same stigma they used to (they are all men and former Marines and still drive them!!)....plus they are super practical for families. We test drove a VW minivan and I have to be honest - there are a ton of convenient features to the minivans such as extra storage space, removable seats, easier walkways, etc and one of the selling factors for me is the sliding door because we are CONSTANTLY telling our kids to not hit other cars when they open their doors, or we have to open the doors for them before they get out if it's windy or in a tight space...not to mention having to lean in to put baby in and out of a car seat! A sliding door would be way more convenient! We are going to test drive the Sienna and Odyssey this weekend and if we decide on one over the other I will write you back and let you know my thoughts. :)

My sister has 3 boys ages 2yrs, 8yrs and 13yrs. She has a Dodge mini van and loves it. She's had cars in the past and even with two didn't like it too much but since she's had the last boy she got a mini van and LOVED it. she even got a SUV and didn't like it as much. Good luck. R.

I drive a Nissan Armada and my husband drives a GMC Yukon XL Denali...these are both very expensive SUV's, but we buy ours used. So we paid about $22k for each of them...they are only 2 or 3 years old when we buy them, but we get the luxuries of top of the line vehicles, without the cost. And the room for our family of five is AMAZING!! I wouldn't go back to a car or anything smaller unless I had to.

You've got another HONDA ODYSSEY family here. We LOVE LOVE LOVE ours. We are on our second, we had the original 1996, inherited a 2001 Toyota Sienna so we sold the Honda, then sold the Sienna and went back to a 2006 Odyssey. The only thing we would do differently is we would absolutely get the automatic backdoor closing option. I thought it was an unnecessary expense -- I was wrong. Get all the electric door options, if you can. We like the: keep the seats in the car and they fold down to a totally flat back area concept. We do load up that car a lot with a lot. See if you can take over someones 2 or 3 year lease and payout what they owe. That way you are not paying the extra dealership expenses. Good Luck.

Christy,
We have a Honda Odyssey. I love, love love it!!! I know what you're thinking- "I said something that doesn't cost a fortune"... Well we bought ours new in 1999 and it has over 160,000 miles on it and it is still going strong. It might be a little more money up front but in the long run it has been cheaper since it has been paid off for over 5 years now and it is sooooo reliable.
Good luck!
M.