Saturday, November 23, 2013

We're Going To Need A Bigger Car.

That, my friends, was my husband's first thought after we found out we were expecting baby number three. Okay, that's probably a lie. I'd like to think that his first thought was, "my wife is so amazing, she's carrying our third baby and there's nothing more sexy in the entire universe" or something along those lines. 

It was his second thought though, I am sure, a thought that he very audibly shared with me, the minute we climbed back into the car after that life-changing doctor's appointment. 

"We're going to need a bigger car." 

He's right. And quite practical. We do need a bigger car and I can feel myself practically teetering on the verge of minivan-dom. Not exactly somewhere I thought I would see myself at just thirty years old. 

You see, when you become a Mom, you're quick to embrace all things Mom-like. Whether you like it or not, you're more often than not sporting the Mom-Hair while dressed in your Mom-iform with that look of sheer exhaustion on your face, signaling that you are, in fact, a Mombie (mom + zombie). 

At the same time, however, you find yourself clinging formidably to bits and pieces of your hip, trendy, former well-rested, better dressed, kid-less self. For me, part of that former self is trying to cling, albeit with white knuckles, to driving around in a "cool car." 

Now, don't get me wrong, there are some pretty bad-ass minivans out there. They're just not for me and I know it's only a matter of months before I find myself walking into MINI of Baltimore ready to make a deal. 

Speaking of "mini," how adorably hip and trendy is this 2013 MINI Countryman, the brand's very first entry into the small-crossover industry? I know. It isn't going to accommodate my crazy bunch but if I was a brand new mom looking for my very first entry-level SUV? This would be it. More than enough room for a family and all of their family accouterments but still hip, trendy and full of style. 

So, Moms of Three Or More, tell me.. What do you drive? What do you love or hate about it? I think it's time I start doing my research. Am I destined for Minivan-dom? Should I just accept it and move on? Or is there hope of something else just as convenient?
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41 comments :

  1. Only a Mom to one and another on the way, but we bought our car knowing three kids was a possibility down the road. We love our Honda Pilot!

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  2. Got my Toyota minivan when I had one, now I have two (3.5 and 1) and am expecting #3 next year. Minivan all the way!

    It took one day to "get over it" but then you will looove it!

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  3. I have 3 boys (2,4,&6). We recently bought a Suburban and I love it. There is plenty of room for the boys and their "stuff". The back is big enough for luggage for a trip. It has been well worth the money!

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  4. We have a Buick Enclave and love it. My husband has been having minivan fever though and loves the Honda Odyssey. I think they look really nice and have all sorts of cool features, I just don't know that I can say I drive a van ;)

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  5. I am a mom to 3 girls (4,3 &1) they all still sit in a car seat. Right now I drive a GMC YukonXL. I have a bench seat and all 3 car seat fit across. I am getting a new Chevy Suburban, but this time we will be getting the captains chairs to make it a lot easier to get everyone in. The 2 younger girls will sit in the captain seats and my oldest will sit in the 3rd row seating. The captain chairs will make it a lot easier to get to the back to buckle up.

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  6. Cadillac escalade. If I'm going to drive all over it's going to be in style! Three kids lots of room. Love it

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  7. I am the proud new owner of a minivan (Honda Odyssey). I was sooooo reluctant to buy one. I NEVER wanted one- ever. Here I am though loving it! The space, seating options, and over all controls is simply amazing. Automatic trunk, doors, and DVD player make it worth it alone. I will say that we are just leasing ours because I couldn't commit past 3 years. Once M is 3 we will be ready to go back to SUV's OR maybe we will keep the van- who knows. The drive is fantastic and I will say that while I'm driving it I doesn't feel like a minivan to me. My Husband shares the same opinion. I also no longer have to worry about how close cars are parked to me and if I will be able to open the door wide enough to get the kids in. Get one girl! You will be really glad you did!

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  8. We have a GMC Denali and we love it!! Like a living room on wheels!

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  9. I have my 3rd on the way so I haven't tested my car with 3 yet but I have no worries. I love my Ford Expedition. We went on a week trip with two packnplays, a double stroller, and luggage and had room to spare.

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  10. We have had an Odyssey for about a year (got it right before #3). My husband doesn't like it at all, but never has to drive it. I love the automatic doors. With young kids and carpools at school it is awesome. Just like the comment above we decided to lease it to try it for 3 years, we will most likely then move to a large SUV (and the kids will be 9, 7, and 3) and not be stuck with an outdated van for years and years. (I feel like they look dated REALLY fast). It works for us now, but I wouldn't want it forever.

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  11. I'm totally planning on getting a mini van sometime soon! I drove my SIL's around for a day and fell totally in love. So much room, and so convenient to have the automatic sliding doors!!

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  12. I only have one on the way, but we opted for the Ford Explorer with the 3rd row seat. My sister has 3 girls & drives a Chrysler Aspen. They don't make them anymore, but it's similar to the Explorer and she loves it.

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  13. I only have 1 but the 2 labs pretty much count for kid 2 & 3 right? I have driven just about everything under the sun, right now I have a Nissan Armada and i really thought I was going to hate it even though I am a huge SUV girl but I love everything about it. We have the captain chairs and dvd player in the headrests plus the 3rd seat is a 60/40 split which means i could put 3 kids in the car and still have plenty of room for dogs.

    My 1 complaint about the minivan is that the dog can roam if they feel like it and i can't fit a kennel in the back for long trips.

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  14. I don't know if I'll ever drive a minivan (my husband is all about electric cars, so maybe if Tesla make one, I'll have it), but I definitely think every mom should have a dedicated vacuum in the car. That's just brilliant.

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  15. Honda Pilot! Very spacious, drives like a dream, tons of storage compartments, and cool. But if you do go the minivan route the Honda Odyssey is amaze balls!

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  16. Check out the Acura MDX- latches in all 3 middle seats- yes 6 latches! And a 3rd row with latch too I think. Love everything about it but the premium gas ;) notes about it- I didn't write it ;)
    http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2013/10/2014-acura-mdx-car-seat-check.html

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  17. Honda Pilot! It's very spacious, drives like a dream, tons is storage compartments, and still cool. But if you do go the minivan route the Honda Oddysey is amaze-balls!

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  18. I'm not a mom of 3, BUT in the past week we have been shopping for new cars that fit 7. We're going to have another kid eventually, so it's really only a matter of time before we need something bigger, and with awesome deals at the end of the year, we've decided to go for it now. I refuse to get a minivan since we only plan on 2 kids, if we wound up with twins next or a surprise 3rd, I'd probably cave in and get a Honda Odyssey. I think it's the least ugly of the minivans, but I honestly hate the look of all of them. They are practical and roomy though. My friend just got one for her 3 kids and she said it's awesome and she loves the built in vacuum, which is sweet.

    ANYWAY, we've looked at the Lexus GX, the Audi Q7, the Acura MDX, and we plan on looking at the Infiniti QX60.

    Lexus GX- LOVED the look of it, but with the 3rd row up you have literally an inch of trunk space. I don't expect to have a ton of trunk space with the 3rd row up, but I need to be able to fit a stroller and/or groceries in the trunk at all times. It also had the worst gas mileage of all the cars we looked at. This one is out for us.

    Audi Q7- This was probably my fav, but it's the most expensive, so Jeff told me we're more than likely not getting it. This was not his favorite, but we will test drive it soon. It had decent trunk space with the 3rd row up and I like the way it looks.

    Acura MDX- This is my husband's favorite by far, and I liked it too. It's pretty, has good trunk space even with the 3rd row up, and the 3rd row seats seem somewhat roomy for a 7-seater car.

    We haven't looked a the Infiniti yet, but from pictures and opinions on Twitter, it's a great car.

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  19. I used to work at a rental car company, and I can't tell you how many people came in asking for large SUVS...and left with minivans (then came back with GLOWING reviews of them). They're incredibly practical and so easy to get in and out if, especially with kids in car seats. I think there's one that even has a vacuum on board (saw it in a commercial, but I don't remember which one it is).

    My mom also has one, and as the oldest of 4 kids, I know it definitely made things easier. I know it's hard to embrace, but it really will simplify your life!

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  20. We have 4 kids and a minivan. I got my minivan 3 years ago and I was not even 30 yet! I never envisioned myself ever owning a minivan, but I love my Town & Country. Whenever I bring it to the dealership to get a tune up, I find myself checking out the newer model vans. I believe I will stay in a minivan until my kids are older and then I want to go back to an suv. The only downfall I've found so far about owning a minivan is that they only come in automatics, I miss driving a manual.

    Minivans have come a long way since we were kids :)

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  21. We have a Nissan pathfinder. We had to get Nissan. I wish I got a honda pilot.

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  22. I just have two and a dog, but we opted for a sienna last year because hubby's family lives 6 and 13 hours north of us. The fuel efficiency of a van vs a mid sized SUV helped me make the choice. I really am jealous of my husband's commute in the Mustang formerly known as mine, but this too shall pass. It did take a bit of reassurance from the Cool Mom down the street about my identity crisis. Turns out, she was right. Despite my minivan, I am still sexy.

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  23. I have a Tahoe with the third row seat and I love it. With the baby on the way it was going to be interesting with a baby and a dog and vacation stuff.

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  24. LOVE my Honda Pilot for my 3 yr, 2 yr, and 8 mon., boys!

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  25. LOVE my Honda Pilot for my 3 yr, 2 yr, and 8 mon. boys!

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  26. We just changed cars this year because sister was coming and I still want a 3rd child as well. Previously had the MDX and loved it but car seats eat up all that free space, so it was between a mini van ( Nissan Quest) , suburban or a QX54. We got the QX ( mostly b.c of my vanity, white knuckling clinging to my youth) BUT if I were being practical the Quest was by far the best option, price, and spice wise plus gas milage! It was the coolest looking minivan on the market IMO.
    QX is pretty sweet though! 3rd rough and pretty with nice tech! it is 9" shorter than the suburban but was unbelievable cameras to help you park it and back it up. Can't wait to hear what you come up with and loved reading all these comments!

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  27. We only have 1 on the way (any day!) but we are planning on 2 more in the next 5 years so we just bought a 2014 Dodge Durango. Manly enough for my truck-loving husband (who will primarily be driving my Volvo S40 - poor guy) and very roomy with the 3rd row seats that my big husband can sit comfortably in. We too went for the Captains chairs so that we can eventually have the oldest climb back there and buckle in easily

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  28. As I've mentioned before, I LOVE my Nissan Pathfinder. 3rd row, DVDs in headrests that can play two different movies, every practical feature you can imagine. I loved my Acura MDX but couldn't justify getting a new one at $8-$10k more than the Pathfinder - plus it takes premium gas and gets worse gas mileage! Going from my MDX to the Pathfinder will save me about $700/year just in gas. But with three kiddos I'm guessing something with Captain's seats would work better getting them in and out of the car. Good luck shopping!!

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  29. Love my Q7 but I don't think it would give you the room you need..Hubs drives an Infiniti QX56 and its what we take on trips-super roomy and all the cameras make it easy to navigate. The middle row has captains chairs which I think is nice. I think you should check out the JX- A super cool mom ride, but the 3rd row looks surprisingly comfy. I actually set in the third row of our QX56 8 hours and was ok.

    With all that being said we had a tahoe before and I loved it. So easy to drive. When we bought the infiniti we were giving up one tahoe and didn't want to buy the same thing again-just needed a change.

    Whatever you get you'll rock it with style!

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  30. I have I have a GMC Yukon XL and I have never looked back. I went from a Lexus RX and loooove the extra room. Way more room in the back than the Tahoe and Yukon. In those you can't fit a stroller with the 3rd row up. All about the extra space!

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  31. I was hell bent on having captains chairs in the second row, so we went with the Yukon Denali. I LOVE it, but it gets 14 MPG. It's really awful. We've been thinking about getting something different, for that reason and the fact that we've had the car 2.5 years, which is pretty unspeakable for us! I've been looking at Pilots, although the hubs really wants the QX56. Who knows!

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  32. I, like you, HATED the thought of a mini van at 26 years old (a few years ago) ;) but we felt that with a couple kids and a gigantic boxer, it was inevitable. The salesman sold me on the new Odyssey when he opened the hatch and put our stroller in WITHOUT collapsing it and still had room for the dog, diaper bag, suitcases, and lots more. I will say, it was a big adjustment in "cool" but I seriously can't imagine our lives without it. SO. MUCH. ROOM.

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  33. At the beginning of the year I traded in my Town & Country for a Buick Enclave. Best decision ever, I did not like the minivan, the only good part was when I had a baby in a carrier carseat and a toddler it made it easier getting in & out. Knowing what I know now I never would have bought the van, I would have just gone for a large SUV. My husband did want a Tahoe/Suburban but we needed something in one day and they didnt have any of those in the color combo I wanted that day. I currently have my youngest in the back and it is so easy to buckle him in back there since the captains chairs fold down, way easier than the van where i had to practically get in the backseat to buckle anyone in.

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  34. Love having a mini-van! But I do NOT like my Nissan Quest. I would love to get the Honda Odyssey. But my oldest will be 16 in 2 years, wah wah. So I plan on going back to an SUV for my 2 boys and I, and just getting her a small car. Just go test drive some vans and see what you think. You are a hot mom, so you can definitely pull it off. LOL!

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  35. Loving my Chevy Traverse! I bought it in 2011 and I'm still head over heels in love with it! Only have one babe now but hoping it will accommodate at least 3 ! Good Luck and your looking fabulous!

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  36. I had always wanted a Honda Pilot and finally talked my husband into it. He said it paid for itself the first time we had to pile our family(new born and toddler) PLUS my BIL and SIL and their 2 daughters. That is 8 people! 4 adults and at least 3 car seats. It has the 3rd row that can be put up or down. Honda's also last forever.

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  37. We have three kids (6, 3, and 7 months) and I drive an Infiniti JX35. I LOVE it. But I will say, it's tight! I did survive a move from OK to RI though with all three in it and I feel it has plenty of room for us. But if I was pregnant with #4...I don't think we would all fit:( Good luck with the hunt. I am with you...always said I would NEVER drive a minivan. However, they are pretty convenient from what everyone says!

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  38. As a mom of 4 girls (yes, 4) and now a 4 month old grandson, I drive a cross over. I never wanted to be a mini van mom, even when the hubby tried to talk me into one. One thing to consider is grocery space, you will need it with a big family!. Mine doesn't have much room unless I don't have any kids with me and I can put the back seats down. Also, no space for when we go camping. But if it's just the family going somewhere simple, plenty of room! And remember one more thing.... Boys grow up and usually join sports and then you might have extra boys to carpool to the games and practices. P.S.Get a dvd player in the car too. It keeps the kids from fighting, even short distances.

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  39. Love my Honda Odyssey and so does my husband. Never EVER thought I would say those words lol.

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