Second Car(/Minivan/CUV/...) (Repost for the afternoon crowd)

"Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again." (sir-stig)
11/18/2015 at 14:45 • Filed to: Babylopnik, Will it baby

Some of you may remember me posting something a while back about how to know if you are ready for kids and all that. a few wise people responded with “when it happens, you’ll be ready”.’ Well surprise, I guess I’m ready ;)

Now this brings me to my conundrum: our only car is a Fiesta ST. While this has worked fairly well for us, at some point in the near future we are going to need a second vehicle, as there are appointments to go to before and after the baby comes, and I won’t always be able to leave work to shuttle my wife and child around.

Really the only requirements my wife has is that it should be

a) Automatic (I know I know, Manuel es vida, Manuel es amor, but she doesn’t drive now and didn’t like driving when she got her learner’s permit)

b) Needs to be roomier than my Fiesta ST.

I haven’t given it a ton of thought yet, but the one vehicle that I have thought would work is a Mazda5, they are fairly reliable as far as I know, and they are a minivan that drives pretty much like a car. I still owe about 9k CAD on the Fiesta, and as we will be on one income for a while I would like to avoid payments as much as possible, and stay under 10k CAD if I can. The baby comes in may, so I don’t need to buy immediately, but as my wife still doesn’t have her driver’s license it would probably be nice to take an exam in an automatic car instead of a manual.

So oppo, what would you recommend for an auto DD with space?

DISCUSSION (51)

PotbellyJoe and 42 others > Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again.
11/18/2015 at 10:06

As a guy who shuttled two kids in a tC, it’s amazing what small cars can do.

The ultimate (right now) for starting families is the Rav4/CR-V.

It pains me to say it because i want to tell you to get something exciting, but that’s it for affordable, reliable, efficient vehicles to purvey growing families. Also, if the family grows more and you need something larger, they hold their value very very well, so you reap benefits there as well. (Or just hold on to it and drive it into the ground which is far in the future as well)

I love the Ford Flex, but you don’t need 7 seats and they are more expensive to buy and cost more to run than the Rav/CR-V.

I currently drive a Vibe GT and my family hauler is a Town and Country. I have three kids under 7 and in a pinch we call all fit in the Vibe.

So a small cross-over is probably your best bet.

But even a Ford C-max would be able to do what you need, honestly.

Tekamul > Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again.
11/18/2015 at 10:13

I like your initial thought, the 5. I owned one, it was nice, good utility and efficiency for a small family, and it’s not a CUV.

Otherwise you’re going to a CUV, like a CR-V or the like. If you do, don’t opt for the third row available in some, as it’s completely pointless.

I hoon, therefore I am > Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again.
11/18/2015 at 10:20

I bought a 1996 Buick Roadmaster Estate. I REGRET NOTHING. And the twins LOVE the rumble seat (though they haven’t sat back there for a ride yet).

Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. > Tekamul
11/18/2015 at 10:20

What would be the highest mileage you would get? Do you know if the 5 speed is better than the 4 speed?

Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. > I hoon, therefore I am
11/18/2015 at 10:22

I think my wife would kill me.

Tekamul > Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again.
11/18/2015 at 10:28

The 5 is the 3 in a minivan suit. Mileage is rarely the issue, just condition. Especially being North of the border, you have to be a stickler about corrosion in the back half. Anything near the rear wheel wells is a hard no, unless this is a short term ownership.

I don’t have an opinion on the transmission, mine was the 5 speed stick, which was pretty good, and had the benefit of really nice placement. I have driven a 3 with the 4 speed auto, which was not great, and I assume the addition of extra weight is not helpful.

Ash78, voting early and often > Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again.
11/18/2015 at 10:37

The 5 is really popular in Canada, it was Mazda’s 2nd best selling model for basically its entire run (dead last in the US...). I’m a fan, but the space is VERY limited.

I’m a fan of long-term decisions, especially when it comes to children. My advice to all new parents now is “always buy 20% more than you need” (in a home or a car). You’ll be glad you did.

That said, it’s too bad the MPV is no more. Maybe also try the CX-9 or one of the GM triplets (Acadia/Traverse/Enclave). The earlier models should all be down to your price range by now.

We opted to “go Full Odyssey,” which is regrettable from a driving enjoyment perspective, but the sheer human and cargo capacity means if we decide to have kid #3 or #4, we’re already prepared. Much better than making a snap decision under duress. Those should also be in your price range if you’re willing to look at pre-2011 models with 100k+. They definitely hold their value...

Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. > Ash78, voting early and often
11/18/2015 at 10:40

2 is about as many kids as we want to have, so I would imagine a mazda5 would do pretty well as far as space is concerned. Only the captain's chairs would ever be used really, the third row would stay folded most likely.

Ash78, voting early and often > Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again.
11/18/2015 at 10:42

Just be prepared for vacation-level cargo loads. Look at what you and the wife would take, then multiply it by 3 or 4. Baby stuff just takes up a lot of space, at least if you want to enjoy yourself.

But a 5 with a roof rack and a bag/box would solve that pretty quickly.

One more protip: The kids will eventually want to antagonize each other nonstop. A good key to stopping that is to keep them far enough apart they can’t reach each other :D

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again.
11/18/2015 at 10:44

You could always look at some wagons! Focus wagon is pretty nice and the auto trans (although clunky) works well enough. Should be able to find something in your price range there. For just one child, you don’t need a big van or suv, so just find something a little bigger that she likes.

Notasplanned > Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again.
11/18/2015 at 10:51

If this helps. My wife’s last three vehicles.

2006 Honda Pilot EX, driven 100,000 miles. We both grew to hate it, it’s too big and was a pig to drive.

2011 VW JSW tdi, driven 100,000 miles. The room was decent other than that I didn’t like it. It’s handling was horrible, I’m not a tall person and I was uncomfortable on long trips, I really don’t understand the love of these things.

2014 Mazda5 AT, driven 30,000 miles. So far my wife loves it. To me it is much more enjoyable to drive than the previous two. It’s a little slow but all it’s used for is to haul two kids around so it’s fast enough. Average mileage is 24. It has plenty of room and my wife loves the sliding doors because my kids can’t door other cars in a tight parking lot.

Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. > Ash78, voting early and often
11/18/2015 at 10:56

That is true, I’ll keep vacations in mind.

Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
11/18/2015 at 10:59

Well I’d like to keep it for a while, and a second kid is a potential, on top of our current two dogs. I do plan at looking at some wagons, I just haven’t heard much about Focus ones, they seem like they would be too small for car seats as well as me (I’m 6’4”)

I hoon, therefore I am > Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again.
11/18/2015 at 11:00

Haha, I don’t blame her. Our friends now refer to my girlfriend as “mom jeans,” from the SNL skit. But I’ve had a surprising number of people give me the thumbs-up or tell me “cool car.” I’m quite astonished.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again.
11/18/2015 at 11:05

Yeah, I had a focus hatch rental once. It was nice but definitely did not seem all that large inside. Although they have gone a bit soft, I still really like the Subaru Outback. That could definitely be a good choice to look at! And in the 3.6L version, they are pretty quick too.

Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
11/18/2015 at 11:13

Aren’t all Subaru’s basically waiting for their next head-gasket? That is the vehicle I think of initially for baby duty, but their reputation is a bit frightening.

Edit: how awful an idea is it to get a RHD GT-B wagon?

Khalbali > Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again.
11/18/2015 at 12:07

The 5 is a great choice, I've been considering one to complement my Miata and I'm a lifelong mazda guy. However I think at this point I'm looking for a Buick roadmaster estate, little bigger, plus towing capacity to boot if that matters. The 5 is actually what made me work at a mazda dealer though, had to respect the balls of a company that could attempt to make a mini van fun to drive and offer it with a manual to boot.

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again.
11/18/2015 at 12:08

As the owner of a 2012 5, I can heartily recommend it. Other than a couple of motor mounts replaced under warranty mine has been troublefree. Unlike most other minivans, the 5 is actually enjoyable to toss around and doesn’t make you feel like you’ve given up and sentenced to a life of automotive boredom.

If you’ve got more than two kids it might be a tad small, but two or less and you’ll be fine. I’ve got the 6MT and the mileage is decent, but not stellar. I get mid-20s in mixed driving, with long drives exceeding the EPA 28 MPG by a couple of MPG. I’ve driven the automatic and it’s fine, as automatics go; nothing stellar, but nothing deficient either. Mazda is one of the few manufacturers to get the manual mode on their automatics correct - forward for downshift, back for upshift.

Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. > Khalbali
11/18/2015 at 12:41

Sadly I doubt we will be getting a manual, but at least it should drive well.

Khalbali > Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again.
11/18/2015 at 12:45

Yeah, the auto isn't bad, I'd try to find the 5 speed if possible, but I've driven the four speed as well and it's decent IMO.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again.
11/18/2015 at 13:14

Oh yeah you lucky bastard, you are in Canada! I imagine that would be out of your budget though, aren’t RHD things there not cheap with insurance or something? I think that reputation is overhyped. It is certainly prevalent among specific models/years but you would have to research it. Either way, proper maintenance and you would be good.

Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
11/18/2015 at 13:28

Insurance might be too much, haven’t looked at that.

Nibby > Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again.
11/18/2015 at 14:51

Ford Excursion.

Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. > Nibby
11/18/2015 at 14:55

Perhaps a tad large.

Nibby > Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again.
11/18/2015 at 14:57

Not an issue.

Kinja'd!!!

gin-san - shitpost specialist > Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again.
11/18/2015 at 15:00

There’s a lot of very Jalop choices here, but with kids and the stuff have to haul around I think a Caravan is the best bet.

It’d not driving nirvana by any means, but for a parent, you can store everything you could ever possibly need for your kid as well as additional kids if that’s your kind of thing. Around Ottawa, 2010 models are under 10k whereas 2012 models can be had for a bit over.

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again.
11/18/2015 at 15:00

I have one infant. After packing the car for our first overnight trip, I wished I had bought E350 van. Kids have a lot of stuff.

Tl;dr err on the side of bigger if your only other car is a FiST.

HammerheadFistpunch > Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again.
11/18/2015 at 15:02

I don’t think you need as much space as a 5, but its not a bad car. You could get any 5 door hatch or wagon and be fine. My wife loves her sportwagon and you could probably snag one for cheap these days. Other than that I would say just shop for what she likes

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again.
11/18/2015 at 15:02

I have two kids... One in his teens and one almost in her teens.

The biggest cars I’ve had are a 2000 Saab 9-3, Ford Focus Wagon and a Pt Cruiser.

And the focus is actually the best vehicle in terms of the combo of purchase price, operating costs and roominess where you need it. The truck alone has 35 cu ft of space with the seats up... Which means that I can go on camping trips with my kids (just the 3 of us... I’m divorced) fit everything in the car and not need a rooftop carrier.

For one child, you don’t need a large vehicle. You just need a vehicle with 4 doors and a big trunk opening and enough trunk space to fit a stroller in.

So something like a focus hatchback/wagon, Mazda 3 hatch, Toyota Matrix, Pontiac vibe, pt cruiser and other hatchbacks or wagons should do the job.

The Mazda 5 is bigger than all of these and in my view, is overkill for just one child. But if you like it, get it. The main issue with them is rust around the rear wheels.

But before you get it, I suggest looking at a Ford Focus wagon, which was made up to 2007.... And they are fairly cheap.

Justin Hughes > Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again.
11/18/2015 at 15:07

In your price range the 5 is a good choice, I think. It’s no FiST, but being based on the 3 you probably won’t hate the driving experience, and it has a ton of room for its size.

I’m glad that giving up the FiST is not an option!

Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
11/18/2015 at 15:08

Yeah, We planned on having two kids, and I forgot to mention we have two small dogs, so at some point we will probably need the extra space.

Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. > HammerheadFistpunch
11/18/2015 at 15:10

She would like a CX5, but they are out of the budget I think, that’s why I settled for the Mazda5. I don’t think I will need the space right away, but if we have a second kid like we planned then it will be about the right size.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Nibby
11/18/2015 at 15:10

With the V10...

Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
11/18/2015 at 15:11

Yeah strollers are massive, and then there are all the other things that you need like playpens and whatnot.

Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. > Justin Hughes
11/18/2015 at 15:13

I brought it up, but my wife thought it made more sense to get a larger car.

vicali > Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again.
11/18/2015 at 15:15

Our 08 Forester was perfect for young kid duty, although we had to add a Skybox up top to carry the stroller/playpen/diapers/groceries during road trips.. Normal around town stuff it carrying everything fine, and we have winter so subaru awd keeps me from worrying about them getting stuck.

Kids are 2 and 4 now, so no more roof top luggage, and no stroller to lunk around. The wagon can still take little bikes, wagons, toys, etc without a problem.

Ours is a EJ25 so I keep an eye on the headgaskets, it’s just something you do as a subaru owner.

HammerheadFistpunch > Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again.
11/18/2015 at 15:17

We have 2 kids and the sportwagen is just about the right size, FYI. The SG forester was a little too tight in the back because it looses legroom for length to make up for in it a higher seating position (thus less need to splay out your legs) which works well for adults but not for kids who don’t use that space. I suspect that the CX5 would suffer the same kinds of tradeoffs, i.e. I think you are better served for space thinking lower to the ground. BTW, don’t neglect the valuable space that is opened up in the kids footwells, there is LOTS of storage there when there aren’t legs to fill that space up.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again.
11/18/2015 at 15:21

It all comes down to how soon you’re gonna have that 2nd child. If you’re buying a cheap Focus Wagon for $5000 or less, by the time the 2nd child arrives, you may be looking to replace it with another vehicle anyway.

A Mazda 5 is still a good choice though.

Also look at a Kia Rondo... which is of similar size and seating, only it doesn’t have sliding doors. I have a friend with 3 kids who has one and she likes it. Just stick with the 4 cyl one.

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again.
11/18/2015 at 15:33

You might want to look into the Combi Coccoro car seat.It’s perfect for small cars. It’s the seat that takes the least front to back space on the market. If this doesn’t fit NONE will.

Kinja'd!!!

Once you are past the rear facing part you are golden as pretty much anything goes.

Other than that any compact car or bigger should be sufficient with the right car seat but you might want to avoid another sub compact.

Also Congrats! We’re expecting our first in February

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again.
11/18/2015 at 15:37

Cheap and plentiful in Canada. DO IT!

I forget where you are located but there is excelent selection at Velocity Cars in Burnaby.

http://www.velocitycars.ca/vehicles?Make=…

As well JDM Connection in Edmonton always has a few on hand.

http://jdmconnection.ca/

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
11/18/2015 at 15:39

They are actually really cheap. Between 5k and 7k .

http://www.velocitycars.ca/vehicles?Make=…

Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
11/18/2015 at 15:40

I’m in Calgary, It definitely is something I’ve given thought, but I’m not sure RHD is good for a new driver...

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again.
11/18/2015 at 15:44

I’ve had 2 RHD’s and it’s really no different at all. The ONLY tricky part is turning left at a light if there is someone in the the opposing turning lane facing you since you can no longer see if cars are coming.

Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
11/18/2015 at 15:45

http://jdmconnection.ca/2015/11/13/199…

http://jdmconnection.ca/2015/11/17/200…

http://jdmconnection.ca/2015/11/09/200…

Tempting...

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again.
11/18/2015 at 15:54

Sweet Baby Jebus I want that one

Kinja'd!!!

http://jdmconnection.ca/2015/11/17/200…

Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
11/18/2015 at 15:57

So clean. Apparently insurance might be an issue.

Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
11/18/2015 at 15:58

Haha just got a hard no from the wife on RHD.

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again.
11/18/2015 at 16:01

I never had an issue. I had a Toyota Soarer and a Nissan Fairlady Z(I actually bought the Fairlady from JDM Connection). Just insure it as a legacy wagon since that is what it is.

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again.
11/18/2015 at 16:03

Tell her it’s safer since if she gets in a crash it will most likely hit in the front passenger side(our usual LHD driver side).

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
11/18/2015 at 18:35

Shit, do that! Jdm tight Yo!

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again.
11/18/2015 at 18:40

Well a LHD version would still be awesome anyways.