Is This Even Possible?

Rent one for 2 weeks. It would cost you $200 - 300 and should answer any doubts/questions you have.

I'll be having my third child in December, and no way will I be driving a sedan. I drive a Ford Explorer, and for the comfort of the kids and myself, I'd rather have more room and less gas mileage.

Lease = fleece.

Our family would a) never buy a new car; b) never lease; and c) would pay cash or mostly cash for our new-to-us car.

You've worked too hard for your money to throw it down the lease hole.

Sorry--you lost me at "lease" -- a.k.a. "Fleece"

Unless you are writing your car off for business purposes, a lease is a bad idea!

I can't answer to the size of the car and the fitting of the car seats because I have a minivan; I do however, want to warn you about leasing a car if you have small children, because most kids (at least mine) eat and dring inside the cars and you may endup paying money when you return the car.
You know your kids better, so if you're usually able to keep a clean car, you may be ok.
Good luck in your search!!!

At the time I had my Jetta, it was hard to fit two car seats in the back seat...A Britax Marathon and a Graco base with the baby carrier in it.

I bet you anything if you went to your local VW dealer and took your car seats with you they would let you try and see if they would fit. Hey they want you in the Jetta as much as you want to be in one.

I ended up going to a Passat for more room and I really liked it...then eventually went to a Routan (the mini-van) and I wouldn't trade that in for the world. Good luck!!

Your going to regret going from the bigger vehicle to the smaller one especially with your kids at the ages they are. Yes the gas mileage is better. However the stress of cramming 3 car seats into them. If your still in car seat range it means you still carry also diaper bags or book bags, and stuff. If your kids do any sorts of sports stuff in the next couple years where will you put equipment? Kids start soccer and tball as early as 5. Will you be looking to trade vehicles again that soon? I would perhaps look for something smaller but would not go that small. There are things in between which give better gas milage than your getting without giving up the convenience. And a previous poster is correct. You need to buy not lease. Even if you buy one thats a couple years old you can just do an even up no payments etc.

Nope, not gonna happen. I have 2 backless boosters and a narrow (sunshine kids) car seat. I have to pretend I'm a contortionist to get everyone in and buckled safely in our Jeep Liberty.

I know the gas mileage is bad but if the car's paid off, drive it 'til it dies.

ETA: is it possible to wait until your oldest is out of a booster to get a new car? The back seat size might not be such an issue if you're dealing with one less booster.

I can't answer your question directly but I will say leave the kids at home and take all the seats (stroller too if you use one) down to the dealership. Fit them in the car, fiddle about, take them out, repeat until you have a good handle on how the seats fit with the car. We have done this before because we drive small cars. We wanted to make sure the baby seat and the stroller would fit. Also we wanted to know how much space we had when we had the stroller or we didn't. Could we go grocery shopping and/or shopping with all the baby stuff? Would any shopping need to be a streamlined process? Luggage space for road trips - weekends only, extended maybe, etc.? We felt we could really answer those questions when we were crawling all over the car with the seat and stroller at the dealer. We knew we'd have a second child so we thought about how having two seats and the stroller would change those answers. As far as space goes that is a very personal question in my mind. We do fine with what we have (we are MINI people) but we went into it knowing we weren't driving SUVs. Sometimes we have to borrow a truck or SUV but that's not really a big problem. Good luck.

If the car you have is everything you dream of keept. I know the gas mileage is off but you could possibly combine some of the trips that you make into one big one. The weather where you live is often cold and snowy. Think of safety first with the kids. Since your children will be outgrowing the seats they will begin in other things like sports and equipment. Will you have enough room for all of that stuff and a few friends? If the answer is no, then the Jetta is not for you.

I would love to get a Passat. I test drove one about 20 years back when in Germany and have wanted one but got a Saab 9000 instead which I still have.

Leasing is not the answer when you have kids. You have to keep the car clean and you have to be under a certain amount of miles or you will pay through the nose when you turn it in.

Good luck in your decision.

The other S.

PS Sometiimes the best plans of mice and men go astray and I think this is one of them. How is your budget going to handle this?

You are going to want a station wagon style or a van or a SUV with 3 kids, esp with car seats.

NEVER LEASE a car that kids will be in!

Ok I am really late to chime in, but I had a Jetta TDI and three carseats and it was fine. It was crowded and it took an extra minute or two to get going because I had to buckle everyone in vs them doing it, but at 50mpg it was worth it.

I am had a relatively narrow cradle seat I left in the middle and two narrow backless boaster seats that I bought at Walmart for $13 each. My hubby hated it, but it worked for me and the kids were comfortable with it too.

Whatever car you pick, take your seats and try it out before you buy. Then you will know what works for you specifically.

I loooooovvvveee VWs and I am in the process of purchasing my 4th. I currently have a 2004 Passat. The new 2012 Jetta is the same size as my older Passat. I have gotten a infant, convertible and a booster in the back. It is snug but possible. I would suggest that you think about getting a wagon vs a sedan just for the extra space in the back. I have 2 kiddos and it is tight on space with our Bob stroller and everything we lug around. We are moving up into the Touareg. Have you looked at the Tiguan, it is the smaller SUV? I would agree with others that have posted on the lease. I would think twice about leasing with kido's. Also I had a dealer tell me that you can't get a good deal on diesel leases, there is too much demand for them so they command a higher lease price than the standard gas models. Good luck.

Is the Passat bigger? Any interest in that?
From personal experience, When I went from a suburban to a 325 wagon, I felt the size difference and felt I had no backseat (it was all car seat! - LOL). Fast Forward three years, only one is in a booster and the car is a great fit! If your kiddos will be moving out of the car seat in the next few years, you will free up space. Also, I guess it depends what you do in the car and how long. If it is mainly a communitng car (to and from day care, work, etc) I wouldn't worry too much about it, but if it is your travel and weekend car, it could get tight!
I'd take all the seats up to the dealership - put them in. If it is something you don't think you could live with, keep looking:)

You will hate it after about 6 months, I promise. We thought the same thing and traded our Pilot 3 years ago and bought a Honda CRV which is even bigger than a Jetta but still the same size back seat and no 3rd row. We drove it for almost 2 years and just couldn't take it anymore. It sucks having every possible space in your car occupied so that your child can never have a friend go anywhere etc and it just always felt so incredibly cramped. So we are back to a Pilot and I couldn't be happier. If you are going to do this I do recommend leasing the Jetta and not buying it so that if you are going crazy after 3 years you can just walk away and will have had a lower car payment. I used to be anti-lease as well but we always end up wanting a new car after 2-3 years and buying one so we ALWAYS have a car payment and since they are purchased the payment is way higher than if we would have leased. I could have saved a ton of money if I had only leased vehicles (obviously could have saved a ton just buying one and sticking with it also but it just doesn't happen).

Yes, you can fit the seats in them. There are some narrower (very safe) seats if it is an issue. I grew up before the days of SUVs and giant cars. I have two siblings - over the years my parents had a two door sedan, several mid size 4 door sedans and a small VW station wagon. We were just fine.The planet will thank you.

I own a 2006 Jetta TDI, I currently have two care seats in the back seat now. There is now way I could put a third seat in this car. The gas mileage is great, but there is no room for three car seats!

I down sized a couple of years ago from a Ford Expedition to a Nissan Rouge. We went with the lease and I am way over mileage with another year on it. It fits 5 but everyone is squished together and we are not very large people.

I love the gas mileage I get now, but I really miss having the extra space. If we plan a weekend away we are crammed into the car. I would stop at the dealer with your kids and car seats and see if they all fit comfortably before purchasing anything. Especially a lease, once you sign you are stuck for the term of the lease or you will lose your money to turn it in early.

If you buy the Jetta, you'll probably have to go with a more narrow car seat for the baby -- like the Sunshine Radian. Those things are pricey -- I think around $300. If you go on their website, you can get the dimensions of the car seat. The backless boosters will probably fit for your older kids.

I used to own a 2000 Jetta VR6 GLX. I loved that car and I still miss it. It was fine for one kid, but I think it would have been really hard with three. You probably won't end up saving money since you'll have to spend more on the car seat and possibly higher car insurance. And my Jetta was a bit of a lemon, so those car repairs started to add up after a while. If your Durango is 4WD, you've got a huge advantage over the Jetta when it comes to driving in the snow. Good luck with your decision!

Does VW make a crossover? There are cars taht you will get great gas mileage on that still have more room. The Mazda crossover for instance.

It doesn't have to be a choice between gas mileage or space. Broaden your search. You can go to Edmunds and search crossovers or large sedans and then sort them by gas mileage. Read all the reviews. Look at all the specs for cabin space.