Mom Car

I soooo want my MIL's Ford Escape!!!! It is roomy has the hands free blue tooth phone capability ... I love that when I drive it (often) I can drive and safely talk on the phone should a call come in.

I just bought a Volvo XC 60. It was in the 30s and it fits the 5 of us, though it is a tight fit. It has lots of cargo space in the back for dogs and junk :) I had a Ford Freestyle (no longer made) and LOVED it, though it was not as fun to drive as the Volvo :) Try the new Explorer.

We have two GMC Acadias. They are perfect for hauling kids, pets, and DIY stuff.

Your kids are just getting to the age where you're going to possibly be hauling ALLOT of other kids around. I have a 19 and 16 year olds and won't get rid of my Odyssey until my youngest graduates from High School. Even though she drives herself now, I still haul 4 or 5 girls to field hockey games into Houston and with all the equipment - you GOTTA have a van. Maybe your kids aren't into athletics, although mine weren't until they hit middle school. Then I went to every event and always had a car full with everyone's bags!!!

I've had a Ford Explorer for 5 years now! It has the larger V6 & I get 22mpg on the hwy. My husband/son only get about 20...

It's 5 passenger + will hold our 2 dogs who weigh in at 150lb together! We've even been able to set up one of the crates to keep the carsick dog from trashing the cargo bay.

It's versatile, affordable (if you buy used), & as with all Ford products - will last forever: we consistently hit 150,000 - 200,000+ with our Fords. Been buying them for 30+ years now!

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my Ford Expedition. You can get a used one that knocks $20K off the cost. It's safe and ours has 130,000 miles on it...and we bought it new....so we have traveled everywhere with our 3 kids and another on the way.

We just traded in our 2003 Honda Odyssey for a GMC Acadia. I LOVE it! It comfortable fits my 3 boys and 75 lb boxer dog. It drives so well and looks classy inside/outside. If we had bought it new, then we would have paid $41000+. We were able to find a 2009 SLT1 with 10.5K miles for $34000 that had been marked down to $29500 for fast sale. We had to drive 3.5 hours to get it but we saved $4500 dollars. We also were able to get $5000 for our 7 year old Honda Odyssey. So, really, we got a great deal - 2009 Acadia for $24500.

There are tons of great deals to be had out there. Once you find the car that you like, start doing internet research and looking at dealership that are within your driving region. A lot of dealership posts great pictures, details and car fax reports for their vehicles. Arm yourself with knowledge and comparison prices and you will be in the proverbial driver seat during price negotiations. Good luck!!!

I LOVE my 2009 Hyundai Sonata! I have the sport edition, so it's not plain-jane, but not super fancy, either. When car shopping, I looked for a roomy backseat (comfortable enough to fit 2-3 adults), huge trunk, great gas mileage, and a great warranty, and I found all those things in this car. My husband also researched cars online, and this is one of the safest sedans out there, and one of the most reliable. Not to mention, for the features you get with a Hyundai, you would be paying about $10,000 more for the same features in an American car. Not to mention the 10 yr warranty!
Good luck car shopping!

I'm outnumbered so far by Ford's...haha...I love my Dodge Durango. Plenty of room, we got our 2004 model in 2007, it still looks great and is going strong, we love it!

I used to work for a car dealer and (im sorry katie not trying to be rude) but I've been told the Dodge Durango has one of the worst safety and crash test ratings. Keep that in mind too when you are buying. My good friend has a honda pilot and LOVES it! It's a true 8 passenger vehicle and has the storage room. They are pricey (at least for us) We're looking into a new car too so I can't wait to hear other moms responses. :)

This is an idea you might think about. My parents have bought 2 Ford Expeditions from Hertz Rent-a-Car. The nice thing about buying cars from rental places is that unlike buying used cars from dealers, rental places keep impeccable records of car maintenance, and they are usually a lot cleaner. Both of theirs are like new, and they have had no problems with either of them. The next car I buy, I will certainly buy that way. {I have a Saturn Vue that I love, but they don't make them anymore, and might be smaller than what you are looking for.}

I have owned 2 Ford Explorers and loved them both. My brother and mom both have Chrysler Aspens and have had great luck with them. I ran my latest Explorer which was a 2002 for 168,000 miles and never had anything go wrong with it but the normal wear. I love Ford products but hubby surprized me with a 2005 LR3 ( looks brand new) and I love it- more pricey than I would have gone but a great car, didn't want a car payment and were able to pay cash for it, other wise we were looking at an Expedtion and a car payment. I test drove my neighbors Expedition and it was nice but it was so big compared to my Explorers, I feel more comfotable in the mid-size range. Test drive all the different models you are considering- try CarMax you can see all makes and models at one location.

I love my Nissan Xterra actually. I have a 9 and a 12 yr old and a german shepherd. I get about 20 mpg on the interstate (which I drive daily for a minimum of 24 miles straight).

They are pretty cheap to buy and drive nicely. Seats are comfy and there is actually enough leg room in the back that we can go out with another adult couple and we ladies sit in back and have plenty of legroom. My kids both do Tang Soo Do so we often have 2 large gym bags in the cargo area, and I often grab groceries from the store while they are in class, so throw those bags in the back also. Sometimes this all happens before we have stopped off at home after school, so add in backpacks and lunch boxes. It all fits fine.
We take it on vacations, and pretty much every vacation I have fitted in all the luggage and still am able to use the cargo cover in the back, so nothing is above seat height. We all take our own suitcases these days, and a bag with extra shoes too. Plus the kids bring car DVD players, and all kinds of junk long for entertainment... scooters sometimes.
It rides high enough that I can see very well in traffic and the mileage isn't too bad. (Not great, but not horrid either).
It works for us.

Oh.. and we live near the beach, so in summer we have boogie boards, chairs and coolers all back there along with one of those pull-carts to help me drag stuff onto the sand. no problems with space.

I am looking to trade my van in sometime in the spring so I love when a question like this is asked as I get information too. I LOVE my van but they no longer make them, it is a 2001 Pontiac Montana. I have looked at GMC Acadia's and love them. You should look for something with the 3rd row seating as you may soon be bringing friends for your kids and/or sporting equipment which takes up a lot of room. I have also looked at Chrysler vans, they are 7 or 8 passenger and a great deal for the money. I find it interesting that not many moms on here say they own one. I honestly am not a fan of Toyota or Honda although they have a great safety record. We have always have been a GM family and had great vehicles with no major problems.

Sometimes you get what you pay for...
We have a Honda CRV and my parents have a Toyota Highlander. Love them both!
The CRV is smaller than the Highlander, but they both serve the purpose.
LBC

KIA Soul. Purchased one on a Tuesday and my Mom loved it so much she purchased one on that Thursday.. Check it out.. It was rated one of the safest cars of 2010..

I'm not sure the cost, but I had a rental Ford escape Hybrid and I LOOOVED it. I can't wait to get one myself some day! It was quite, drove like a car not like a truck and was pretty roomy.

Just my 2 cents, hope you find something great!

We just bought a 2011 Subaru Outback and absolutely love it! My hubby did a great deal of research on it and it is VERY safe. Lots of room in the back,great features, and affordable. I was driving a 2008 Honda Civic and needed more room because we are expecting baby #2.
Good luck to you!!

I have a Honda Pilot and I can't imagine owning anything else. It has the third row seats that fold up/down and that has come in handy tons! It will hold 2 kids, 2 dogs and then some. When you have the back seats up, there isn't a ton of storage room in the back (maybe about a foot deep all the way across). I can fit backpacks, groceries, etc. though. Drives nice too. They aren't the cheapest out there but maybe you can find one that's a year old. The Pilot is practical and mine is old. Still looks and drives great. Very few issues (and only minor ones). I'm also drawn to the GMC Acadia because the seats inside are like a minivan (can walk all the way back). I wonder how the back seats affect the storage (i.e. dog room) though. My girlfriend loves her new Kia Sorento. Smaller but she loves it. I don't know much about them.