Sunday, December 8, 2013

Riding in {Family} Style.

In our pre-baby days, Mr. AP and I tooled around town in style. Each with our sporty sedans, we had plenty of style and leg room to spare as we drove to and from happy hours to fine dinners galore. 

Now, I can't remember the last time we drove to a happy hour and our vehicular needs have changed greatly over the years to accommodate our growing family. Actually, scratch that. As the primary chauffeur of the tiny humans, my vehicular needs have changed greatly and with the impending arrival of baby  number three in the Spring, they're about to change once again. 

I briefly mentioned here our need for a bigger car and I'm so grateful for the many of you who chimed in with what has worked and didn't necessarily work for your larger families. What I'm realizing more and more is that I have a lot more research to do and this isn't going to be the easy decision I had envisioned it being.

Some days I wish it was just as easy as walking into a dealership, say BMW of Rockville, and choosing one of their mid-size SUVs like the BMW X5 that didn't sacrifice style for the growing needs of a family. They even have a great selection of certified pre-owned vehicles which makes owning a family BMW that much more affordable.

Right now my thoughts are occupied by things like captains chairs or a bench seat? Third row or not? Minivan or extra large SUV? Hybrid or gas-guzzler? 

The truth is, I just don't know. Just when I think I have it all figured out, someone somewhere tells me their story of what worked and didn't work for them and it completely throws me for a loop. 

I want to love the next car that I drive and not only that but I want to feel safe driving it with my precious cargo in tow while still maintaining some semblance of style. 

I don't think that's too much to ask, right? Back to the drawing board, I go!


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8 comments :

  1. We just bought a car last weekend, we went from a Honda Pilot to the Buick Enclave. We have 3 kids (well, 4 kids when my stepdaughter is with us) so we needed more room. I was 100% against getting a minivan, I felt like it was the last thing that would take my whole identity away. I am a mom, a mom of three (ages 10, 2 and 8 months) and we need space but I also wanted style and something that wouldn't scream MOM when my husband and I got a date night. We absolutely love the Enclave, it is the same space as a minivan. I would suggest when you are looking to sit in the back seats third row especially and put your stroller in there and car seat. The Pilot had a bench seat in the middle which made getting into the third row a pain in the ass. The Enclave we bought has bucket seats in the middle and it makes all the difference! Tons of room and that third seat is super easy to get to!

    Kate @ www.raisingtherogers.blogspot.com

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  2. I don't have kids. And I drive a Prius. So...I'm not going to be SUPER helpful? LOL!
    BUT. My SIL has two girls(14 months apart) and drove a Lincoln Navigator until they were 7-ish? Anyways, the extra big SUV was GREAT. Until you needed to use the third row seat when more than 2 kids were in the car because then the rear of the SUV was completely unusable. Like couldn't fit both a stroller and a bag or two kind of unusable. So as much as it pains me to say it, if you have to play bus driver for 3 kids(and more, when they start bringing friends around!) maybe a minivan? At least until you don't need a stroller 24/7 and the kids are more mobile to get in and out of the car themselves? I remember reading that houseofroseblog.com hated getting her mini but loves it now.
    Best of luck pretty lady! You look wonderful in your 20 week bump pictures too! :))

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  3. I have an X5 and I love it, however, when we get another car it will not be an X5 for a multitude of reasons. 1. It is extremely expensive to fix. 2. It will be a tight fit with 2 kids, nevermind 3. We travel a lot to my in-laws and they have beds & clothes for my son and husband there, so we don't have to bring a lot. I will say the trunk is big but maybe not big enough for all 5 of you. Just my two cents. I love my car and we won't get a new one until we absolutely need one.

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  4. I scoured consumer reports online looking for cars. I narrowed done the list to seven with a top two that I test drove. If one of those two didn't work I would move on. Luckily one of those cars did ;) I highly recommend consumer reports, so much analysis.

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  5. I'm not a parent yet, but the Honda Pilot Touring might be worth a visit - we have the the EXL and love it and bought it with the future in mind - several friends have it two couples with 3 kids (or a total of 3 when babies arrive) and they couldn't be happier. Buy a roof rack/bag - Xmas will give my husband a 15 cubic foot, waterproof, expandable one with roof mat protector and the straps for the luggage and gear and you've got a lot of extra room in the back. Pilot has a LOT of space and the Touring has legit plugs in the console and in the back - plus they have great resale if/when you want to get a Suburban. (I'm from a family of 5 and all are very leggy, all of us are at the 6' mark, and two golden retrievers plus winter ski gear/xmas gifts/clothes/etc. for NE bound holiday trips, you need a 'Burb.) Good luck!

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  6. I'm not a parent yet, but the Honda Pilot Touring might be worth a visit - we have the the EXL and love it and bought it with the future in mind - several friends have it two couples with 3 kids (or a total of 3 when babies arrive) and they couldn't be happier. Buy a roof rack/bag - Xmas will give my husband a 15 cubic foot, waterproof, expandable one with roof mat protector and the straps for the luggage and gear and you've got a lot of extra room in the back. Pilot has a LOT of space and the Touring has legit plugs in the console and in the back - plus they have great resale if/when you want to get a Suburban. (I'm from a family of 5 and all are very leggy, all of us are at the 6' mark, and two golden retrievers plus winter ski gear/xmas gifts/clothes/etc. for NE bound holiday trips, you need a 'Burb.) Good luck!

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  7. Whatever you do, try those carseats in the car BEFORE you take it home!!! We bought a car a year ago, a CX9, and thought it was so roomy, until we brought it home and actually installed the seats! Instant regret! We are currently toying with the idea of a new vehicle... again!

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  8. Not to confuse you more, buu-uut, we just bought a new Toyota Highlander and we're in LOVE! It has three rows. The middle row has a choice on the whole captain chairs. It has a seat that you can pull out and snap in or you can use a console that snaps in....very cool! It also gets pretty decent gas mileage, we usually get somewhere around 21 mpg. I also love that the second row and third row both lay completely flat. So I guess if the boys aren't with you and you need something large in there, there's that option. ;)

    GOOD LUCK!!

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