Looking for a New Car/van/crossover for Family of 4

all I can say is I love my Chrysler town and country it is great and keeps the kids entertain while driving and it is great cause you can get the kids from either side.

Hi C.,

I just bought a Nissan Quest and I love it so much! There is so much room inside and it has tons of trunk space. I have two children and one on the way and I don't think that we could have made a better decision. I had researched all of the minivans out there and this was the one that best suited my needs for the price. Good luck!

We have six kids,we recently test drove a Ford Freestyle. It was great! It has a lot of family friendly stuff, but not a van look. The dealer did say that when the new ones come out they are going to be called something different(can't remember what the new name is) Good luck, it is always fun looking for a new car.

Hello C.. I suggest something with third row, room for a friend or more children. I love the Stow 'N Go mivivans. I could drop my stuff down in the storage are in front of the seats and keep the floor clean. DVD Systems are also great for long drives and now, Minivans are made with optional Moon Roof/Sun Roofs which is great for the little ones to look out. Best of Luck!

I love my Chyrsler Town and Country!! We purchased it after my daughter was born. I had a Ford Escape when we had my son, but after having another child, trying to get a double stroller and groceries in the car proved to be very difficult. The Town and Country is a great ride!! I LOVE IT!!
Good luck!

If you want total convenience plus bells and whistles (at a reasonable price)I suggest the Chrysler Town & Country minivan. We are a family of 6 and really appreciate what the T& C offers.
We've had both Chryslers and Hondas- the Honda looks sleeker but isn't nearly as functional. The primary reason is b/c the Chrysler (and Dodge Caravan) has stow & go seating (with three easy 'pulls' the seats fold directly into the floor = much versatility whether you are moving items or just your kiddos :))Other vans don't have it. Additionally, the far back bench can also do a flip which allows you to back up to ball fields & view the action directly from your car (which is great for soccer practice etc).

A final note is that the 2008 model (due out in Sept Oct) has a new body design & will have an additional feature of middle seats that swivel backward ie for road trip board games). If 2007 is more your thing, you can get a 2007 from Bob Caldwell for $25,990 (leather, rear entertainment system, power everything: windows, locks, doors and liftgate) through the end of this month.
Our 2nd car is a cross over- a Chrysler Pacifica which is definately sporty/ classy- I have the 3rd row option which is great but takes up trunk space in our case. A family of 4 would have no issue though. The van gets better mileage than the Pacifica 21 versus 19 in the city).
My husband is the Sales Manager at Bob Caldwell Chrysler/ Dodge Jeep which is why I am so familiar. (We traded in our Honda and Toyota Chryslers even before he became a manager). (if you want to check out a Chrysler, my husbands name is Joe R.- Bob Caldwell is just west of Easton on Morse Road.I hope this info helps- good luck.

Hi C.,

I was so torn between what to get when I started looking at a minivan crossover.... The only one that I really liked enough to buy was the Pontiac Montana SV6. I love it. Its great on gas, has all the bells and whistles (minus the electronic lift gate in back...), the entertainment system is awesome, the speakers are great (you know, sometimes if I am by myself I slip in Bon Jovi (is my age showing yet? lol) and I will be the minivan "rocking" away as much as you can in a minivan! LOL), I love the two tone color inside... it rides incredibly smooth. The back has TONS of room. We travel alot to visit family and its the perfect vehicle for us. Good luck on your search.

Hey C.. I am a mother of 3 and I just recently purchased a Jeep Liberty shortly before my daughters birth (3-5-07), I also have two boys 11 and 9. The Jeep is perfect for us a family of 5. My husband and I enjoy it. I hope that you find what you are looking for. Good Luck1

Hello there C..
There are so many options out there. I know as a first time mom. We were searching and searching for the right vehicle that was "Family Friendly" I test drove almost EVERY SINGLE SUV (mid-sized and full sized) out there! Finally someone suggested that we take a look at the new KIA Sorento. I know a KIA....We thought the same thing comming from a CHEVY/DODGE/BMW household. Well, I did try it in deed and well, We bought it! We got a fully-loaded one Leather, DVD system moon-roof EVERYTHING you could dream of and it has perfect storage space. And not to mention the gas milage this SUV gets it is awesome especially now with the prices of gas. We get 24/29 town/freeway miles to the gallon. And the warranty on it is just awesome in itself. All the way to 100,000 miles. This is sporty enough for my hubby to cruise around in too. Our other vehicle is a BMW 4dr sedan. I love it and now that the baby is older I drive it more often. But, I would not reccomend it for a "family" car. Anyway, hope this helps.

We love our Chrysler Town and Country.

I just got a Jeep Compass and I absolutely love it. There is a 12 volt outlet in it. I can charge my cell phone and have the DVD player playing for my daughter. There is also a hookup for the audio. There is a cord that hooks up from the DVD player to the stereo system in the Compass and I can control the sound and everyone can hear the video. It has some great safety features. It is quite roomy.

I really love my Honda Pilot. It gets decent gas mileage, is very comfortable and rides like a car, not a truck. I've got three kids and with the third row, they can all be somewhat separated. Also, the back is split (60/40), so only one seat has to be up in the 3rd row and the rest can be used for "stuff." We initially leased and I couldn't find anything I liked as much when our lease was up so we bought out the lease. If you're considering a car, check out the Camry. Before we had a 3rd child, I had a Camry and really liked it. Great trunk, comfortable, etc... Good Luck.
W.

I am personally impressed with the Nissan Murano -- but I currently only have one child with one on the way -- we also love the Nissan Quest mini van - which we will probably get when our lease is up and we have baby #2. Both are rated high for safety -- have lots of room and drive very smooth.

I love my Toyota Sienna so much that if I had the money I would purchase this van for every family in the world!
I talked my friend in to getting one, "best decision I could have made" was what she said. She has a 9yo boy with all that sports equipment, 2yo twin girls and a brand new baby girl. She works the van with much ease (it helps that she is SuperMom). You can't beat the AWD topping the list of features unavailable on other new models. The middle windows lower as well. This is a van that will take you striaght through until your children start driving and beyond! I could go on and on but....just go to www.toyota.com/sienna and prepare to be WOWed! Buy one Toyota and you'll never buy another make of car again.
~RachaelB

I LOVE my Nissan Quest. LOVE LOVE LOVE it. My husband sells cars at Jeff Wyler in Fairfield. Eric McClure, he is a Sales Manager at the Nissan store. Please feel free to call him at ###-###-#### ext. 2207. Tell him his wife referred you and you want the "My wife referred me this deal" price...LOL!

Good luck.

Test drive the Armada if you do go up there. It's my 'dream' SUV.

The Chrysler Pacifica is a good vehicle for four. It has a 3rd row seat, and is deceptively large on the inside compared to how it looks on the outside. You can get it with the power liftgate, which I LOVE! I've been driving mine for three years.

Mine is a lease, so we are also looking at the hybrid Toyota Highlander. It's a good size for four as well. Happy shopping!

...L

I have a Hyandai Santa Fe and I love it. It is a medium sized SUV and would fit 4 comfortably. It also gets pretty decent miles (18/20) for an SUV. It has a 100,000 mile warranty. I have had mine for four years and only had one problem with it (it was stuck in 2nd gear) and it was fixed easily at the dealership. It also is all wheel drive which is nice in the winter and is not too expensive, about $20,000.

I have a Honda Pilot and love it! Use to drive a Ford Explorer, liked that one too. I think I like the pilots better. They drive alot smoother than the ford. My sister has always had a Honda Odysee and liked that but now she's switching to the Pilot.

S.

Hello...I have a 2006 Durango which I bought in December of 2005. I must say that I LOVE IT. It has everything, plus the DVD system which makes any trip wonderful. I have a 5 yr old and a 16 month old and it's been great.

I bought my Ford Freestyle last July and am absolutely pleased with it. Gas mileage is pretty good compared to SUVs (I also have a Jeep Liberty - the mileage is much better on my Ford than the Jeep). It is all-wheel drive with side curtain airbags and also has the 3rd row, which was the original reason I even looked at it. It is fantastic. I have 2 children and a husband so, we are also a family of four. I have been abel to fit 7 people (with 3 carseats) in the care comfortably. It was the option I took over a minivan and couldn't be happier. I thinkt he Freestyle was Ford's first attempt at a cross-over because they currently have another car on the market that they are advertising as a crossover as well.

C.,

I'm not sure what you mean by a crossover, but I got a 2007 Ford Escape 3 months ago, and I love it. (I was always a minivan person.) It's good on gas. I did not get the 4wd. I got the cheapest one with automatic transmission and a/c! lol The back seats are very easy and quick to fold down flat if you need to haul something in the back. It has the air bags.

I just got a Dodge Magnum and I love it! It is a great car that they consider a cross-over vehicle. It has great saftey ratings (front and side curtain air bags), very roomy in the backseat, lots of cargo space, great gas milage, not to mention they look very sharp on the road! I think you should definitly go take one for a test drive, I think you would be plesantly surprised! Hope this helps!

I absolutely love my 2006 Chrysler Pacifica. I purchased it new (but I have seen them used for very reasonable prices). Mine is loaded and has so much room inside. I love the drive and safety features. I previously had a 5 year old small SUV and my insurance only increased by about $20. My agent said I went from driving one of the most unsafe cars to one of the safest cars. It has side airbags that continue to the third row (unlike most cross-overs) and shoulder strap seat belts for the the third row passengers. I recommend getting all wheel drive. I did and I had no problems over the winter.

Happy shopping.

If you're looking for an interesting alternative, consider the Toyota FJ Cruiser. We just bought one a few months ago. We looked at a bunch of minivans/SUVs/etc. and this was the one my husband felt most comfortable with. He's Mr. Cool Guy and he wanted a DadMobile that didn't scream "Soccer Mom." :) It's a little smaller than a typical family-mobile, but it's rated super high for safety and buy back value. It's the perfect fit for us, our baby and our two dogs...and we definitely have room for one more baby if we ever need it! The only issue I have with it is that's it's a little awkward for me to get the car seat into it because it's kind of high up. But best of all, it's got rubber floors so to clean it, all you have to do is hose it out. We LOVE it.