Best car for a family?

Kristina - posted on 08/12/2011

If its a smaller family I would suggest the chevy malibu they got great reviews for being a family safe car!

Keri - posted on 08/12/2011

I would say anything with a 3rd row. You can but 2 car seats in the middle row and another in the 3rd row, plus the 3rd row will come in handy when they're older and you're on car trips and the boy(s) don't wan to sit with the girl(s)

Danielle - posted on 08/11/2011

I honestly LOVE my Chrysler Pacifica. It's not a mini-van but not a hunky SUV, I guess you could call it a crossover but I don't really consider it that either lol. Anyway, I only have 2 kids so I usually keep the back seats down (the trunk is kinda small), but when my friends are with me, we put one seat up and the kiddos are fine :) If you need a lot of trunk space, I def reccomend a mini-van, large crossover, or SUV (if you can afford the gas)...

Kim - posted on 08/11/2011

My hubby LOVES LOVES LOVES his Kia minivan LOL. I'm trying to convince him to at least trade it in for a newer model (it's got almost 90K miles on it) but he's not yet willing. I have to say though, it's had VERY VERY few issues for a car that old, they have a warranty up to like 100K miles and its been back and forth across the country and all it's needed are new breaks, tires and a timing belt. For the cost, I'd not hesitate to get another Kia Sedona. Good luck car shopping! :)

Terrie - posted on 08/11/2011

do not get a toyota! my hubby works on cars, he worked on a 2010 toyota camry and he was test driving it and it died on him! lol you dont need a brand new car dieing on ya! i hear the chevy traverse seats 8, very roomy, so is the chevy silverado, seats six

Andrea - posted on 08/10/2011

I am partial to Subarus and the new Foresters look nice but was never crazy about them. I am dying to get a Subaru Tribeca, which have the 3rd row seat. I currently have a Subaru Legacy which is nice for our family of 3 but I am afraid it will have to go when we become any bigger.

Erin - posted on 07/15/2011

I like our dogde grand caravan. It has the stow and go so it works great for transporting extra cargo lol. I wasn't keen on the mini van in the first place, but it was either that or a truck and there's more room and less gas with a van. If you go with a caravan, get the grand caravan, not the regular. There's a little more room in the back which makes a big deal when you have shopping trips. I've been able to load two car seats, a booster seat and a few adults and groceries at once. They're nice and spacious for long trips. I definitely don't miss having to squeeze the passenger seat all the way up to the dash anymore because I have a little one in a car seat lol. Much more comfortable. More gas, but much more comfortable.

Lisa - posted on 07/14/2011

I live in New Zealand and we recently upgraded our station wagon to a Honda Odyessy and it is fantastic. We only have two kids one in car seat and one in booster but it is great to be able to put more car seats etc in for taking their friends places and for taking more adults when necessary. There is lots of room and we looked at a whole lot of different seven seaters when we initially decided this was what we needed but this offers more room for everyone to be comfortable. Hope you find what you are looking for and good luck for the coming arrival of your beautiful new additions.

Mimi - posted on 07/11/2011

The GMC Yukon seats 7 and has a huge amount of cargo room. Dont know if it comes standard but ours has a flip down dvd player and sat radio. We also have a ford freestar which seats 7. It doesnt have an awful lot of cargo room when the third row is up.

Daniela - posted on 07/11/2011

A friend of mine purchased the new Honda minivan (2011 model) for their family of 8! Amazing car and it has two rows of three seats each in the back, although you can remove one seat in the middle of the first row for easier access to the back. Lovely car (with back-up camera and heaps of extras). Have fun :)

Kristi - posted on 07/10/2011

I never imagined myself a minivan mama, but after my first kiddo was born I had a hard time lifting her up into her carseat in the back of my SUV. I'm kind of short. We bought a new Kia Sedona and I've been very happy with it. I think so many improvements have been made to minivans in general you could go with just about anything and enjoy it. One thing I do really like, was our choice to purchase captains chairs instead of benchseats. It's so nice to be able to take out just one seat if I want, and they are much more comfortable. I'll never go back! :) Love all the room and the sliding doors. My only wish is that the back windows would open more than just an inch. Kids are always hot and I hate using the AC.

Kerry - posted on 07/10/2011

we have 5 kids and we have a Kia Grand Carnival. Plenty of room to seperate fighting kids. Not too expensive either. Best of luck

Tasha - posted on 07/10/2011

Ok. I am in your situation, but I have found my perfect vehicle! I will be getting a mazda5. Check it out, and test drive one. You may fall in love! lol. It has 3 rows. Last it big enough for kids. It has sliding doors like a minivan, but it is nowhere near as huge. The price is wonderful also! But if your going to want a lot of space or more than 3 kids in the future, I suggest a minivan. This is the perfect car for me! It may be for you too.

Maria - posted on 07/10/2011

National Highway Traffic Safety Adiministration (nhtsa.gov) provides ratings and reviews on cars. I highly recommend checking it out.

Sherri - posted on 07/10/2011

It is a van by Chevrolet designed to somewhat look like a minivan but not so much. Here is a picture of one.

http://www1.epinions.com/review/auto_Mak...

Stifler's - posted on 07/10/2011

What's an Astro van?!

Sherri - posted on 07/10/2011

Amanda is correct Astro Vans only avg. 14MPG where mini vans avg. 20-25MPG.

Amanda - posted on 07/10/2011

Astro van is completely different from a mini van. our van gets about 20 miles to the gallon. which is pretty good. sometimes 25 miles.

Rose Marie - posted on 07/09/2011

if u hate filling up a van or suv w gas look at a third seat smaller suv like my rav4 or chevy has one and mazda too. Just not as much room but I had,an astro van and hated the gas mileage. You just have to give up the space.

Rose Marie - posted on 07/09/2011

if u hate filling up a van or suv w gas look at a third seat smaller suv like my rav4 or chevy has one and mazda too. Just not as much room but I had,an astro van and hated the gas mileage. You just have to give up the space.

Amanda - posted on 07/09/2011

we have a dodge grand caravan. but we only have 2 kids. we bought it cause we had a dodge ram. and it only fit 3 people and at the time my mom lived with us so if we ever went anywhere it was someone take a kid and an adult and come back and pick up someone else. it was a hassle do we decided we wanted room and got the dodge grand caravan with 2 rows. so the kids can have their room with their carseats on one row. and 2 other people can comforably sit on the other row. it gets good gas mileage. it's great for beach trips. AND the air conditioning is amaizing lol. you can control how much everyone gets including in the very back. happy shopping!

Emily - posted on 07/09/2011

We love our Toyota Sienna!

Kim - posted on 07/08/2011

I absolutely love my Honda Odyssey and highly recommend it. We easily fit all 5 of us in it and can take friends with us too. I have had 3 carseats and a booster in at one time.

Sarah - posted on 07/08/2011

My husband drives a Honda Civic, and all three of my kids fit in the backseat. In my Ford Explorer, on the other hand, it's a tight fit.

Rose Marie - posted on 07/08/2011

I had a astro van and hated filling it up w gas.
Now I have a rav4 w a third seat and it saves on gas. Two kids r in the back and three kids across middle. Kinda squishy but the highlander is bigger and maybe not as much gas as a minivan.

Janice - posted on 07/08/2011

We have a Chevrolet Captiva LTZ & I love it!
It can be made into a 7 seater (which we have done a lot), but when you dont need the extra 2 seats then you have a huge boot!!
It has an excellent spec that comes as standard ... and I love it!! It also puts itself in 4x4 mode when needed!!
We also looked at the 7 seater Dodge Journey, but I didnt like how square it seemed (but it does have 2 built in boster seats (could be handy when bringing friends home when a bit older), and had a lot of storage space!!
Good luck!
Looks like you've got a lot of recommendations to look at!!

Jen - posted on 07/08/2011

We started with a Dodge Intrepid as our family car with one kid, then my sister visited with her 2 kids, and all 3 carseats fit comfortably across the backseat! An option if you don't want a larger vehicle... However, we do have a Chevy Suburban for when we have to take more than a couple kids with us! (We both come from bigger families...lol!)

Sherri - posted on 07/08/2011

Honda Odyssey's are great!!! Tons of cargo and more than enough room for 3 carseats. I currently have 4 in mine. Plus it is great on gas.

Melanie - posted on 07/08/2011

i really have loved my dodge grand caravan. i would love one of the new ones but to me a regular 5 seat vehicle just isnt enough room. my oldest constantly had it rought sitting between two carseats. now we have 4 and im sooo glad we have a bigger vehicle.

Jessica - posted on 07/08/2011

we have a mini van and love it. we bought it when i got pregnant for our second bc at the time we were driving ford mustand that barely fit 1 car seat.... sadly i misscarried but i still love my van and being able to fit my family plus friends in it is nice :-)

Samantha - posted on 07/07/2011

My husband & I have 3 young children (4 1/2yrs, 3 yrs & 1 yr) all requiring car seats. We were able to squeeze 3 full sized car seats into the Mazda 3, but it was a squeeze, with the seats being jolted a lillte when you shut the door. Sadly my beautiful Mazda was written off when I was rear-ended by a 4wd in January. I managed to talk my hubby into the Ford Escape. I love driving it & it fits all 3 seats effortlessly across the back. Plus it is a lot easier on my back getting the kids in & out of it & doing the buckles as it's higher up. For her first ride in it, my youngest looked out the window in amazement, absoloutley fascinated with the world outside! One drawback is that I don't have very good visibility out of the back windscreen as my childseats & booster seat backs are quite high, tho a rear camera would solve that problem. Either way, I love it! :-)

Stifler's - posted on 07/07/2011

I had a corolla hatchback with the first kid. It was good for around town but packed to the gills if we went away. We were ALWAYS going on trips.

Maggie - posted on 07/07/2011

We currently have a Jeep Grand Cherokee which will fit all three kids (we have a 2 1/2 year old and twins on the way). It will be tight but they will fit. We had to buy a second car because I told my husband that I flat out refuse to get three kids ready to take him to work if I need the car (especially in the winter!) so we got a Chevy Tahoe. I love this car. I fit all three car seats (with space between them) into the back seat. There is also enough room to fit a double stroller and all of my groceries in the back, or if we are all going out we can take the single stroller for my daughter and still have room for the groceries. I love it. I know that a van would be practical for us but I just can't bring myself to be a Mini-van Mom.

Sarah - posted on 07/07/2011

Don't know where you are in the world, but I live in Australia - and we've had a Toyota Corolla hatchback. Everyone fit in, though the seats are all touching, and if someone sneezes there's likely to be an injury. Now that #4 is on the way, we're moving up to a 7-seater out of necessity, but the Toyota was just sufficient for us.

Tamara - posted on 07/07/2011

When we had three carseats I loved our dodge caravan, the one with the seats on oneside so you can get in the back from the side.

I have heard awesome things about the KIA minivan, a friend rolled hers and everyone walked out safe. If I was to go back to a minivan I would go with that one.

Ashlee - posted on 07/07/2011

I work for Nissan, and we have plentyy of family vehicles, from a murano, to a quest ( mini van ) or a pathfind or armada are affordable if you buy used...till be PLENTY of room :)

Trisha - posted on 07/07/2011

I just got the new Dodge Durango. Has the third row and I love it!!!

Constance - posted on 07/07/2011

I had a mini van fo a while but I am an SUV kinda girl. I had a Acura MDX I love that car. I miss my car. BOO HOO HOO. Now I have an Ford Expedition but I have 8 kids now but 5 are teenagers. Two are still in booster seats. I have plenty of room for everyone but not for long so I probally will have to upgrade again. Or put a couple of kids in the roof. Yeah I think I will do that then I can have my MDX back. LOL

Jennifer - posted on 07/07/2011

I know exactly how you're feeling right now! We had a terrible time trying to decide what to do with our vehicle situation when ours became too small for the family because of the car seats. We were a family of three, then a family of five (yay for twins!), and then a little over a year later, a family of six. With three car seats it was extremely difficult to find anything other than a mini van that would fit all of them. We would get a sitter for the kids and take the car seats with us to go vehicle shopping. Before we even went for a test drive, we arranged the car seats in the vehicle to see if they would fit. We ended up with a mini-van. My brother went with a Ford Excursion (diesel) for transporting his brood of kids. The real key is three rows of seating and enough storage room for strollers, diaper bags, and groceries if needed! Good luck!

Sal - posted on 07/07/2011

i have a ford territory, love it....we have 2 car seats and a large teenager (over 6ft) in the back no issues at all. and often have 5 car seats and 2 adults in if i have my sis and her kids, and heaps of room for prams etc when there is only the 2 rows of seats and a resaonalble amount with the 3 rows, is a bit heavy on fuel though, was a better fit than the mini van torago we looked at, we are seriously considering a new one when this one goes back to the fleet company next year, we have done over 165000km in 3 years and not one problem

*Fluffy Bunnies - posted on 07/06/2011

I fought the minivan too and now I have a Honda Odyssey. I really wanted an Acadia or an Outlook, but they're just so much smaller, especially the third row. We have the 2011 Odyssey so you can space out the center row and fit 3 car seats there. We're about to have #2, but wanted a car that we can keep for a long time. If we decide to have more kids they will all fit.

Carly - posted on 07/06/2011

We have a Kia Grand Carnival (we are in Australia) and have 4 car seats (we have 4 children under 6yo). It is EXCELLENT. Plenty of room and grunt.

Jennifer - posted on 07/06/2011

Honda or Toyota Minivan - comfortable, well made, you can move the seats around and even big kids have enough space.

Stifler's - posted on 07/06/2011

A Landcruiser wagon if you have them wherever you live. Best car ever, I love running over kerbs and stuff in ours.

Lisa - posted on 07/06/2011

I have three in carseats and have an astro van. Which I fought tooth and nail and still won't admit that I kinda like it now. I didn't want a mini van because one would have to sit in the back by themselves and I'd have to climb into the back to get them buckled in still. The astro van is big enough that I can fit three carseats in the middle seat and still have tons of room in the back. I can take the backseat out giving me lots of room for times like this weekend when we went to my parents cabin. We also live in Wisconsin so I like that it drives more like a truck and is all-wheel drive.

Lady Heather - posted on 07/06/2011

We don't have a van, we have a 3 row SUV. My husband refused a van which I guess is his right because he's the one with the valid driver's license. ha. It's a Chevy Yukon. I like it. It's really comfy, fits lots of car seats, we can leave just one seat in the back for extra trunk space. Currently we have the whole back row out. It's been good for accommodating our extended rear facing too.

Lilliana - posted on 07/06/2011

The thing is.... I would be a mini-van mom!!! Ah! Haha. Yes I've been thinking about the new sienna (swagger wagon) I text drove one, and it was nice, but I'm not sure it's exactly what I want!
Michelle- I love subaru's (my first car was a suby) and I was looking into them I just wasn't sure there was enough space so good to know!

Looks like a minivan maybe in my future! My husband wants the VW minivan. I have a had a couple bugs and they were awesome but broke down ALOT. Last thing I need is a brake down with 3 bubbas in the car!

Carolee - posted on 07/06/2011

I absolutely love having a van! We have a Town & Country, but I thnk any van is good as long as you feel comfortable driving it. I have room for more than just my family, which is great because some of my friends don't drive (they take the bus). It's also great on nights that either my husband or I go to movies with friends. Lots of seats means lots of friends. Giving rides often means your movie ticket is paid for, and most people will give a couple of bucks for gas, too! We also love it when we go to the drive-in. Take out the back seat and put blankets back there, open the hatch, and have a good night!

Michelle - posted on 07/06/2011

We have a Subaru forester and we've really liked it. I have 3 little ones (3, 2, and 7 months) and their seats fit. I like the trunk space. It's not quite as big as I'd like but it's a very reliable car. We've had very few mechanical problems and that's important when you have little kids too. I love that I can put 2 strollers in back and still load up at Costco.

Jennifer - posted on 07/06/2011

I absolutely loved my Honda Odyssey! I know it's not a car, but a minivan, but it was great. It had tons of room in the back and I had 2 kids in booster seats and 2 in car seats, and we still had room for another adult to ride with us. I could put my big stroller in the back and still have tons of room left. I had to get rid of it, because we really need 4-wheel drive where we live.