Need a family car, tall people, car seats, adventures

[getmoneyeatpizza]

Looking for some advice on what type of car to get for my family. Right now we only have one 2007 VW GTI with 160k miles that needs about $1000 of work to fix a vaccum pump, but it still drives OK. We are family of 3 now, soon to be 4 and I simply cannot fit (drive or ride in passenger seat) in this car with two car seats. I'm 6' 2".

We normally (October to March) all three drive to work/daycare together even though its only 2 miles away. We often bike when its nice.  However, we often take 200+ mile trips to the mountains on the weekends to go hiking, biking and skiing. We also go see my wifes family which lives 600 miles away two times a year. I guess our yearly mileage is 10,000.

We have about 8k saved up. Our monthly budget is tight (if we get a loan we could put in $400 a month max) but mainly bc we max out our retirement accounts. No emergency fund other than brokerage account with about 30k in it.

We need to be able to haul lots of camping stuff, skis, a hitch bike rack, canoes etc. We also park on the street in an urban area.

We are thinking about a year or two old CRV or the Subaru outback simply bc the legroom allows the car seat to fit. However, I just saw we could get a narrower car seat, the Maxi-Cosi Pria 70 for $200 which is about 3" narrower. And now I'm back to considering the Forrester or other smaller cars.  All these cars seem expensive though! 

Any thoughts on a reliable car with storage for a family of 4 with a tall person? And should we get a car loan or use some of that brokerage account? The other consideration is at some point we need to move due to school district and we would like to rent our current house out instead of sell, so we will need to keep some cash on hand for that but we won't be moving until either the market crashes or the kids reach school age.

EDIT: I also should have said this, my wife has put her foot down and said we will be getting a different car before the 2nd baby comes so we can postpone but only for 3 or 4 months.

[Khaetra]

Honestly in your case I'd go with a minivan.  Enough seating and enough room for camping gear.

[Morning Glory]

We have a Crown Victoria. Mileage is not great but better than a van or SUV. My husband is 6'6" and we have 2 in rear facing seats, we just put one in the middle and 1 behind me. It was cheap because it was formerly a police car.

[lbmustache]

A CR-V or Rav4 will be a good fit, however a "1-2" year old model will not be much cheaper than new. I would try to go at least 3-5 years to find a good deal. Subaru has insane resale value so unless you NEED their AWD system, I'd look to something else.

A look Hyundai and Kia cousins might be good too, as they tend to depreciate more and seem to be just as reliable. Hyundai Santa Fe, Tucson, Kia Sportage and Sorento.

I would try to spend a smaller amount than a "$400 payment" (shop by car price, not monthly payment!). I'm thinking <$18k or less, maybe $5k down.

I would also bring both car seats to see how they fit before making any purchase.

[Penelope Vandergast]

See if you can find a Kia Rondo. They sometimes come with 3 rows of seats (last row folds down flat). You could put 5 car seats in there if you wanted. No longer available new in the US I think since 2016? but they are around used. In Europe (and Canada?) it's called the Kia Carens -- you can still buy new in Canada btw.

I have had one since abt 2012 and I love it. Mileage not spectacular but better than an SUV. They come standard with higher-end stuff like side air bags, leather steering wheel etc. Very nice stereo system in ours. And it holds a TON of stuff and parks easily on city streets. I have packed 4 adults 3 kids in there plus stuff in back plus carrier thing on top and bike rack!

They are shaped kinda funny but I never understood why they weren't more popular. I like how it drives a lot. Mine is a 2007 with 99,400 miles on it (bought it used with 42,000 miles). I did have to spend about $2500 on repairs a year ago but I am plan on driving it until it dies.

And used Kia is usually pretty reasonable. I am sure you could find one for $8000.