Three Years - One Car
By Chris on May 15, 2008 in Featured, Observations
Our time of having only one car is coming to an end. With the kids growing up and having to be more places at goofy times, our three-year stint as a one car family must give way to the necessity of a second automobile.
With gas prices what they are, we’re more than a little concerned about the overall cost of a second car. The cost per gallon hit $3.95 the other day. Yes, yes…I know you folks in Europe have had it much higher for a very long time, but it’s still a shock to the wallet when in five years it’s gone from $1.85 to the current high.
Used or new? We’re more than likely going to be looking for used, and hopefully, we’ll be able to pay cash on the barrel head for it. Just in case we can’t, I’ve started to gather some resource links:
What do you think? What are your favorite family cars? Why?
With gas prices what they are, we’re more than a little concerned about the overall cost of a second car. The cost per gallon hit $3.95 the other day. Yes, yes…I know you folks in Europe have had it much higher for a very long time, but it’s still a shock to the wallet when in five years it’s gone from $1.85 to the current high.
Used or new? We’re more than likely going to be looking for used, and hopefully, we’ll be able to pay cash on the barrel head for it. Just in case we can’t, I’ve started to gather some resource links:
What do you think? What are your favorite family cars? Why?
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I always thought the 4-door Echo would be a good family car. Small, but roomy, and great on gas. (We regularly commute with 4 adults in it.) The Honda Fit is another good example of that idea.
If you will have times where you need to haul around gear, the Scion xB is roomy, has good gas mileage for its size, and can carry a heck of a lot of stuff. We took a trip waaaaaay up the coast with 4 adults, three of whom are not capable of packing light, plus all the food needed for a four day vacation, and were not cramped.
Nicole Gustas | May 15, 2008 | Reply
Our family car is a Subaru Outback wagon. It seats 3 in the back and 2 80lb dogs in the way back. When shopping for this car, we compared the dimensions to several SUVs and were suprised to learn that it has more cargo space than most of the mid-sized SUVs on the market at the time. It’s 4wh drive, outstanding in snow, ice and rain. It get greats gas mileage and is very comfy. The heated seats are a bonus in the cold weather. In the 4yrs we’ve had it, it’s needed nothing more than the regularly scheduled maintence. I can see owning this until it falls apart and will probably be buying another Subaru when the time comes. I LOVE my wagon!
Andrea | May 15, 2008 | Reply
Chris, we bought a Toyota Sienna when we needed a family car. We’ve got a Toyota Corolla as well, but honestly, that’s mostly my commuter car. The Sienna has enough space to fit six adults very comfortably, with a total space of seven seats. No SUV we found could compete in that regard. It had all the safety features we could ask for (side-curtain airbags, ABS, standard airbags) which was a very important factor to us. Now with the baby, we can easily fit him, any of his gear, plus our gear, and ride comfortably. In the city, I can get up to 22mpg, and during a long highway trip I can get upwards of 28mpg. I think a minivan (choose your model - I’m biased for the Sienna and extremely pleased with it) is the most practical family car on the market.
And, before we had the family, I could fit a lot of camping gear in the van for when I went out with friends. Plus, I can take out the middle seats, fold down the rear seats, and fit a full 4×8 sheet of plywood/drywall in the van with stuff on top of it.
Shannon | May 15, 2008 | Reply
I thought you already have a fantastic family hauler? I say get a small commuter like a Mini or something else that sips fuel. Then you or Cathy can take it when you’re only hauling 3/5 of the clan around (or even kid free).
Super J
Super Jesus | May 15, 2008 | Reply
hey chris, feel ya sort of - i “own” 3 cars but none of them are actually “mine” - for i am a train rider
my wife has a honda pilot, and both my boys have honda cr-v’s - sense a trend, we like honda - have found them to be safe, economical and low maintenance so far…
we drive them all over in any conditions including through new england’s very snowy winters - plus we schlep around our 110lb lab too…
good luck in your search
mike dunn | May 15, 2008 | Reply