Car Advice

I would also consider maintenance costs.
Higher end cars, have higher maintenance/servicing costs.
But as you said, repair bills are not an issue.

BMW is a good car, but the 3 series, is small. I had one.
You have 1 child. What if you have more, as you said? Plus with other people in the car.
What size vehicle, would be best, and putting people in it?
That is a key factor, once you have kids.

I know a couple of people with the Volvo, wagon.
They have kids. It works out for them.

I also know people with high end sedans, who have kids.
Its a tight squeeze, in the back. And trunk room.

my sister looked at the Audi Q3 and the Audi allroad and loved both.

They ended up leasing the BMW X3, though.... I think it was just personal preference.

She has one daughter - almost a year, if that helps.

I have a CRV, not sure what the Acura version is. Still I can sit in the backseat and not feel cramped. It is a crossover so not huge, but it is big on the inside. Plus it has all wheel drive all that fun safety stuff and I am in love with the computer.

My kids want to steal it, I find that to be a compliment. Ya know, safe car, 20 somethings want to drive....

I'd go with a BMW 5-Series. I had a 535i in Germany and loved it. Plenty of room too.

I have a Volvo S60. Great car but it is too small. It is not our family car but my 9year old still needs to sit in the back seat and there is hardly any room back there. Then when she has to get her heavy backpack in and out of the car it is a pain. An infant car seat would have to go in the middle back of my car (wouldn't fit on the ends) but then I don't think your 3 year old car seat would fit any where. I think you need a full size car. If you want a sedan look at the Volvo S80.

The Acura TL passed a VERY strict crash test which most luxury cars failed. They have not tested many other types yet. This is my dream car. I would buy it in a heartbeat over the Accord if you can afford it.

We've done a small Toyota with a 6'4" dad and 2 carseats just fine, even kept the kids rear-facing until age 3 in that car. Now, you can't fit a third person in there.

Good luck!

If having your car in the shop frequently and for long periods of time isn't an issue, then go with the BMW. Otherwise, I would cross that off the list. Beautiful car, but any BMW owner will tell you that repairs are frequent and lengthy. Even if the cost isn't an issue, the inconvenience can be.

I think you're right that and Acura is basically an over-priced Accord. I wouldn't buy one new.

So, I would go with the Volvo crossover. It will be good on the snow and bigger than a sedan to accommodate your growing family.

K.:

You need to take the car seat(s) you will be using and put it in each car. I have a mini-van. I have two boys ages 10 & 12 (almost 13) and each of them do activities. I get that your son is 3, so you need to ask yourself how long are you keeping the car for and are you expecting more kids?

There are plenty of cars to choose from and if you are going to be spending $40K on a car - you need to LOVE it, not just like it.

If you don't feel like spending $40K - The Ford Explorer is good and they have a GREAT safety record. And will handle the snow in Upstate New York. Go to consumerreports.org and get more information there.

It's a hard choice!! Good luck!!!

Have you looked at Infiniti? We've had a JX35 for 3 months now and it's working really well for us. I can fit 3 kids, one in a narrow car seat, one in a booster, in the middle row easily. I've even actually had 4 adults and three kids in it at one time. Plus, if you're willing to spend a bit more, it has GREAT safety features.

We also looked at the Audi Q7 which was nice but a little more expensive in diesel version.

The Buick Enclave was nice and one of the less expensive if you want to go domestic. I heard they had some good updates planned for the 2013s.

I liked the exterior of the Volvo but the interior was definitely lacking. Even the salesman admitted that it badly needed to be updated.

The Ford Explorer had a nice interior, but I just didn't like it. Too many blind spots, I didn't like the interface, etc. Lincoln had a nice crossover. Never drove it because I liked the 5 passenger, thought the 7 passenger was ugly, and I was in the market for a 7 seater.

Have fun!

I love my Volvo XC 90. 7 seatbelts, great for carpooling. I can put the last row of seats down and still fit 5 people plus enough stuff in the back to go camping. Super comfy for long road trips. Good fit for the short (me) and tall (sons and friends). Never had carseats in this one but there seems to be easy access to the back seats and the vehicle sits up higher like a minivan which should make it easier on your back to get the kids in and out.

My brother and sister-in-law have the x5 and they have had a lot of problems with it. I would rethink BMW because all of my friends who have had them have had serious issues with them. The X3 is also pretty small. With 1 child ok but with 2 it would get pretty tight. I have a Lexus RX that I love. I would highly recommend test driving one. Similar to the X5 and Accura DX.

I would rethink the BMW. I have close friends and a couple of neighbors with BMW's which are great looking cars but they stay in the service department a lot and that is not cheap. However, if that is not an issue then you don't have to worry about that aspect of it.

We drive Mercedes and we love them. Never any issues. We go to the dealer once a year for our service which is about $500. Now, the tires on mine and my daughter's is more expensive because our front tires and back tires are different sizes. SO, a new set of tires will set you back about $2000.

We love our cars and would drive nothing but Mercedes.

Good luck!

I would take a look at Acuras - my personal recommendations would be the MDX or RDX. The TSX has a wagon also. Acura seems to include more features in the base model, they have quality cars and great customer service, although you won't need it much. We bought an MDX in 2004 and haven't had any major maintenance issues. I personally would not buy a sedan as the primary family car. Even as a second, it can be hard until the kids are old enough to buckle themselves. We also have an Infiniti Sedan and the boosters just don't seem to fit as well as in the SUVs. The Lexus, Volvo, Audi and Mercedes SUV and cross-overs are really nice, but I couldn't personally cost justify vs. Acura or Infiniti. I think I'll also take a look at the new Infiniti 7 seater next. With a lease Infiniti does tend to email and call a lot to remind you about maintenance. A pro or con?

I owned BMWs almost exclusively before I had kids. I wouldn't go any smaller than a 5 series, but even so, a sedan with 2 car seats is not only back-breaking (nothing like lifting a sleeping toddler out of a ground-level vehicle), but a tight squeeze. My husband and I are both tall, and there's actually plenty of legroom in the front (Germans are tall people, and design their cars accordingly). We considered an X5, but ultimately decided against it because the trunk space was TINY! Have you ever tried to put a stroller in there? Nearly impossible, unless you plan to only ever use an umbrella stroller (and god help you if you also want to put groceries or anything else back there at the same time!).

We ended up getting a Ford Expedition with all the bells and whistles. Love it. Even driving on snow/ice, in the rain, etc, it feels very solid. Plenty of room for strollers, luggage, etc, and now that we are at the age where the kids have carpools to sports, I can fit 6 kids (some of them still in booster seats) no problem, including ALL their stuff. If you want higher-end, you could always go with the Lincoln Navigator (same as the Expedition, really).

But given that you aren't quite there yet, what about a smaller SUV? Lexus makes a nice smaller SUV/crossover. My parents drive one and love it. My concern would be that I'm not sure it would be big enough for your fiance. I'm tall and I feel like there are some blind spots in it due to my height that shorter drivers don't experience. Going with a larger SUV might help with that.

i love the tls both cars iive had were acuras(rsx and now have a tsx) and i lloved them.. but if youre going to be dealing with lots of snow, going with something that has allwheel drive or the 4wheeldrive option is youre best bet.. ive never driven one but iv heard audis do great in snow.. have you looked at an audi A4 .. i love them, wish i had the money for one!

Love my volvo xc and close friend has a xc 90 she loves too. We keep our cars a long time and mine is almost 8 years old and still looks great. It is perfect for hauling kids around as we have the jump seat in the back. Fits two kids but then disappears for more storage space.

Not cheap to maintain but I wouldn't trade it for the world!

Check them with car seats. When DH went looking for his car in 2010, he couldn't see out the back window of the Acura with two booster seats in the back seat. He ended up with a Nissan Maxima, because he felt he had the best vision that way. We live in Saratoga County, NY, and front wheel drive with four snows is more than adequate for us in the winter. DH is 6'3", also, and I am fairly certain our boys will hit that height, too, before we get rid of this car (we tend to drive our cars for 10-12 years, and 100-110K miles...).
I am on my second Honda Odyssey, and when I no longer need a mini-van, will start with something in the Honda/Acura line. (Car seats won't be an issue then, either...)