Need a New Car-3 Car Seats!

Some of the bigger SUVs are nice, but they are gas guzzlers.

I got the Honda Odyssey mini van after much research. We tried out a minivan when on vacation so we could see what they are like. We loved that it handles like a car, has sliding doors (great for little kids) and SO MUCH SPACE!

We got the second row captains chairs as opposed to the bench style. It offers so much more room! Just remember that with three young kids, the smaller the inside, the harder it is to get back there to help with bulky jackets and car seat straps. And FORGET driving when carpooling to games or scouts.

I say just get the minivan. I think few of us moms want to drive a mini BUS, but the reality is, it has the room we need.

I love the Transverse. It has everything you need.

We've had an Expedition for the past 8 years, and that thing has been the best car (SUV) we've ever owned. No mechanical trouble to speak of (and we are at 150K miles now), plenty of room, tons of cargo space, great in rain, snow, hot weather (2 separate air conditioning/heating systems, one for the front and one for the back). When my girls were stroller-aged, I loved that I didn't even have to fold the stroller to put it in the back of the Expedition.

Yeah, it is a little bit of a gas guzzler, but not any more so than any other vehicle that will haul 8 people plus cargo. The only other thing I would say is, definitely get the backup sensors. It's a big vehicle, and if you ever have to parallel park, you'll be glad you got that feature. (We lived in San Francisco when I bought it... nothing like parallel parking on a steep hill in a giant SUV! LOL)

The new Honda Odyessey fits 3 large carseats in the middle row. Also-the middle seat slides up so it is closer to the front seat so you can reach the baby. You should definitely at least take a look at this. I never thought that I would love driving a minivan as much as I do....I will never go back to an SUV now.

Not to long ago I asked a similar question. We shopped around for a while and about a month ago we bought a Mazda cx-9. I love that car. Its not a big box, gas milage is good, has third row seating thats easy to get to and most of all it is not a minivan. :) We found it has also the best trunk space of all the crossover suv's. We found a used one with leather and dvd player that was affordable. Hope that helps. Good luck with the car shopping!!

Love my Honda Pilot
Seats up to 8 and all the 2nd and 3rd row seats fold down if you need to haul something and or get people in and out easily. Good gas mileage also.

I know you said you don't like mini vans , but when you have more than 2 kids they really are very convenient , you have 2 individual seats behind the driver and passenger , and then a space to walk through so that you can get to the seat in the back without having to climb over seats , plus you have enough room in the back for another car seat/booster so if you have an extra child for the day (playdate after school for example) then you have no problems fitting them in. Also the sliding doors have been great , if you park you don't have to worry about the huge door not having enough room to open.

We have the old shape Dodge Caravan , not the best on the market , but it serves it's purpose for us. I have several friends with the Honda Odyssey and they are very nice.

i have 3 kids..we looked at the pacifica and the back seat is so small, if your kids have legs they wont fit :) aldo the back of the seats sit almost right up against the back of the car..no room...so we ended up buying a suburban..2003..and i love it..plenty of room in all seats that my hubby and i can fit in all of them and plenty of room for strollers, luggage, groceries..etc in the trunk..also the gas isnt that bad..it costs like $65 to fill up and we get about 550 hwy miles per tank

We have the GMC Acadia and love it. We have two year old twins and baby #3 on the way. It seats 7 or 8 (depending on if you opt for the second row bench or bucket seats). What I love most about it is the room. When our twins were in the infant carriers, we were able to fit them both in the second row with plenty of room. My friend with the Honda Pilot couldn't get her infant carrier in the second row and had to go to the third row. I highly recommend the Acadia.

I have a Durango and I don't find the gas to be that bad. I only have the two rows but my dad and my sil have the 3 row and I've sat in every seat and find it to be more then enough room.