Author Topic: Vehicle Recommendation  (Read 3781 times)

tyler2016

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Vehicle Recommendation
« on: July 09, 2017, 04:35:53 AM »
I am looking for a small car that I can fit two child car seats in. It will be mainly used as a commuter, but will occasionally need to cart two small children. I don't want a 3rd gen Ford Focus hatchback or any vehicle that has that transmission. They are known to be problematic. Any suggestions?

Mikila

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Re: Vehicle Recommendation
« Reply #1 on: July 09, 2017, 06:23:46 AM »
I would suggest picking up Consumer Reports Buying guide, reading through their recommendations, and fine-tuning what is important to you from there.  From handling to gas mileage to reliability, etc. there are great differences even among small cars.

My personal recommendation is the Toyota Yaris sedan. 38+ mpg all day long.

privatevoid

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Re: Vehicle Recommendation
« Reply #2 on: July 09, 2017, 07:53:32 AM »
Honda Fit! Can you drive stick?

Holyoak

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Re: Vehicle Recommendation
« Reply #3 on: July 09, 2017, 08:00:25 AM »
I drive a 2006 Toyota Matrix 5 sp M/T, and think a version of this might fit your needs very well.  Pontiac Vibe is identical, aside from styling.  Reliability is very good for either, they are nimble, and either can hold a ton of cargo.  Might be worth consideration.

lbmustache

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Re: Vehicle Recommendation
« Reply #4 on: July 09, 2017, 02:58:15 PM »
Front or rear-facing seats?

If front, almost anything will work: Fit, Prius C, Corolla, Civic, Elantra, etc. No clue what your budget is, but Scion/Toyota iA (sedan) or iM (hatch) would work although they are newer and thus more expensive.


Neva6

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Re: Vehicle Recommendation
« Reply #5 on: July 09, 2017, 08:51:18 PM »
Nissan Leaf! We love ours. All electric and a full battery every morning. We have two kids seats in the back.

AccidentialMustache

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Re: Vehicle Recommendation
« Reply #6 on: July 09, 2017, 09:21:28 PM »
+1 Honda Fit. The magic seat is a thing of wonder. With two kids its harder to make use of it, we only have one so have it folded down on the 60% of the split all the time. If we don't have the kid though, we fit a 7' tall, 6' wide christmas tree (netted, of course) and two adults (she was 'rolling' around in back because they didn't flip the 60/40 split to a 40/60 driver-on-left) inside the car, hatch closed.

Other stupid things we've hauled in it include: a treadmill (with the kid in his car seat, though we didn't get the hatch to close. I think we could have with a minute's work to shift stuff around but it was literally 2 blocks to home so not worth it). 8' pipes (multiple times). A fully assembled wheelbarrow, plus misc garden fencing, plus 7' metal posts, etc.

That said, most important thing is to go sit in them and make sure whatever it is is comfy for both adults... but make sure you try the fit. If you need seat up/down, look for the GF, not the GE or GD as they have only fore/aft adjustment, not up/down. It should be old enough you can start to find it used.

tyler2016

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Re: Vehicle Recommendation
« Reply #7 on: July 14, 2017, 02:42:29 PM »
I had looked at a fit briefly before posting this. They seemed a bit small for the car seats we already have, but car seats can be replaced. I could install one and move the seats around to see if it is viable. Thanks. I'll post an update with what I get.

chemistk

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Re: Vehicle Recommendation
« Reply #8 on: July 16, 2017, 05:27:46 AM »
I am looking for a small car that I can fit two child car seats in. It will be mainly used as a commuter, but will occasionally need to cart two small children. I don't want a 3rd gen Ford Focus hatchback or any vehicle that has that transmission. They are known to be problematic. Any suggestions?

I mean, take this with a grain of salt, but my 2012 Focus automatic is coming up on 100k miles without any major transmission issues...so, they're not all bad.

Otherwise, some criteria would be helpful. Price range? Van you drive stick? Can you do your own maintenance? How old of a car are you looking for?

AccidentialMustache

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Re: Vehicle Recommendation
« Reply #9 on: July 22, 2017, 08:37:06 PM »
Late reply, but ... of the small cars we looked at when we got the fit, one of my tests was to put the driver's seat in my driving position (which in the fit is all the way back, but fairly upright not laid way back) and then try to sit behind it. The fit was the only car we looked at I could do that, and comfortably so, no less. My knees brushed the driver's seat, but weren't jamming into it.

SimpleCycle

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Re: Vehicle Recommendation
« Reply #10 on: July 22, 2017, 09:42:36 PM »
We have two rear facing car seats in a 2003 Corolla.  I think this setup works in most cars, depending on the car seats.

I found this guide helpful: https://carseatblog.com/22818/the-ultimate-rear-facing-convertible-space-comparison-review-size-matters/

tyler2016

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Re: Vehicle Recommendation
« Reply #11 on: August 06, 2017, 05:46:32 AM »
I ended up buying a 2014 Jetta that just came off lease. Good size cars cars for the price and class.