We have a small SUV now and the lease will end soon. As much as we hate going down in size, we are really trying to budget so I can stay at home for another few years. We are looking at getting a used(2005 or 2006) car. Just wondering what sedans those of you with two in seats/boosters have and what you think about the room. Also, how is the trunk room? We started looking this weekend and like the Chevy HHR and the Pontiac Vibe, but we have to go smaller if we want something newer and with low mileage. Hoping to get a midsize sedan. Just wondering what works and what to avoid. TIA.

We have a little ford focus and can fit 2 car seats in it. Not three though, so any kind of mid size and not compact should fit two car seats. I would look at an accord though, they have great reviews.

I would probably agree with the accord they are great cars!!!!! I have 3 kids and a large SUV gas monster!!!! but they all are in car/booster seats, and in my car they wouldn't all fit safely.

You can subscribe to www.consumerreports.org for a month for $5 and research used cars to your hearts content. So worth it to find something reliable and safe when you have little children. They give you measurements for all seats and headroom, trunk, etc. for every used car out there. The user's reviews are also very good...

We purchased our last car (a small SUV - 2007 RAV4 very roomy and safe!) through AAA's new/used car buying service. I can send you a referral for a free year's AAA membership for using the service if you are interested (PM me).

They will locate THE used car that you want after you have test driven and looked around locally. They dicker for you w/ their approved dealer, buy the car for you, and then you basically buy the car from them. So easy and painless... Similar to Costco's car buying service but they also deal w/ *used*.

I have a chevy impala and can fit three in the back seat:
a cosco convertible car seat
an evenflo infant carrier
and a graco 1/2 booster seat
I only have one child but I watch my babysitters kids every once in a while and can't stand to be cooped up at home with three kids...
It's tight but nobodys seats touch the door and everyone is safe and tight in the seatbelt. I also know my babysitter drives a kia (a very small sedan) and she can fit the graco 1/2 booster, the evenflo infant carrier, and an evenflo triumph lx convertible in her back seat and it's nowhere near the size of my back seat. Her husband drives a hatchback saturn (very tiny) and he can't fit the three carseats in his backseat.
Hope this helps!

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We Have a 2000 Grand Prix and 2 fit very comfortably with possibly a third. I would recommend a full size sedan like the grand prix (G6 now) or Impala. We had a Grand Am (midsize) which was just too crowded together with the 2 car seats and all I heard was he's touching me etc. Good Luck.

We've actually been using CR. We did the monthly membership like you said and we did the same last time around. With the kids I am very worried about safety and the crash test info. is great. It was nice to be able to weed out some before looking that had really bad ratings.

We are also already AAA members here in Ohio, so I'll have to see if they have that service here. I had no idea they did that. Thanks for the info..


Thanks everyone else for the ideas too. Anyone happen to have the Ford Focus Wagon or no someone who does? They are rated better on CR than I thought and may be affordable. I forgot to add on the post that are over milage on our lease as well, so that add negative equity from the get go. Not helping us make a deal.

we have a Dodge Magnum and it's more like a station wagon (with guts!) than a sedan but it easily fits 2 full size car seats and a small person can sit in between them

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Proud to say I haven't shopped at a Wal-Mart since Sept 2003

We have a Toyota Camry and although we only have one car seat in it, I'm positive that two would fit in there with no problems at all. The back seat is really roomy.

We have an 05 Vibe. I have two in car seats plus an almost 13 year old. It's SO hard to hook up the seatbelt on the 4 year old w/the baby's car seat in the middle. You won't have that problem since you only have two. The trunk space is okay. We went from a sunfire to this, so anything would be bigger! LOL

The one thing I do NOT like about the Vibe is that it does NOT have carpet in the trunk. Apparently it didn't come standard WITH the car. You have to buy it sep. Well, EVERYTHING rolls around back there. Drives me CRAZY. We are going to have to get the carpet or something soon. Other than that, it's not the greatest on slippery roads. The sunfire handled better than this does. We got a little snow, about an inch, and the Vibe has been sitting since Sunday. We've been using the 4 wheel drive. We're not sure HOW it's gonna do on our snowy lane.

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Amy
Mom to Lauren, Eryn, Naysa
and announcing......
Gavin Michael Chase, 9 lbs 10 ozs
and 21 3/4 inches long on 10/13/09!

One other thing I wanted to add about the Chevy Impala is that the trunk is HUGE!

We bought ours used (one year old) from a dealership for $12,700 with about 20,000 miles. We have had it for 3 years and it still gets about 30 miles per gallon. When it is time to replace my minivan we will probably get a second Impala.

We have a Nissan Maxima. I absolutely love this car. Lots of room and a fairly good sized trunk, too. Good luck!

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Shelley
blue5203@aol.com

~Mom to Andy-11/3/05 and Ryan-7/31/08~

Two would be fine in an Sedan as long as it didn't have deep bucket seats. I would definitely try the car seats in any car you buy. Putting three in is a bear especially if one is a booster that needs to be buckled each time because you can hardly get your hand in the crack.

We've had an Accord and most recently a Camry. Both had great trunks. The Camry actually had more trunk space than our minivan.

We have a Chevrolet Malibu and a Cavalier (both are 4 doors) both fit two car seats and a third small person (11 year old). The Cavalier does not have much leg room in the back, but for kids or short people it's ok, I am 5'7" and there is not enough leg room for me. The Cavalier trunk is not huge but adequate, it is a tight fit for 3 people in the back. Both cars have the 3 seat belts in the back seat. We also have a 2 door Cavalier and it is a pain to put any car seat in the backseat of a 2-door, don't get a 2 door no matter what.

I have a Hyundai Elantra wagon and I've had 2 boosters AND a car seat in the back. Plenty of room in the back. The sedan should be the same size . We are probably going to get a new one soon, ours is a 1999 with 140,000 miles. They are a very good value, you get a lot of car for your money. This will be our 3rd Hyundai.

We have a Dodge Stratus and we can fit 2 carseats in the back with no problem. You can get a small third person in the back also but it would be alittle cramped. The trunk is huge we can fit 2 full size strollers in it along with several duffle bags.

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I have a '06 Vibe and I love it!! No complaints!! It gets great gas mileage! 2 car seats would not be a problem.

I have a 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix. Plenty of room for 2 car seats. And a child without a car seat can fit back there. I babysit 1 day a week so we have to do this when I pick up the kids from school. And I love my car. It's been a great car.

Jen

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Mom to Jake, Zach & Meghan
SJCC STREAKS FOOTBALL!!
CLEVELAND BROWNS FOOTBALL!

I can vouch for that statement. My 2004 Camry has a HUGE trunk. There's enough room to put a few bodies in there! LOL

Seriously, though, our full size stroller fits in my trunk with plenty of room to spare.

If you are going to buy a car my best suggestion is purchase something that your kids will grow into. We had this problem, my boys went from being 4'10 to 5'8 in a few short months one year. If you are not comfortable in the back seat they probably won't either. We opted for an older car for the family with lots of room, not great gas mileage. We did pay cash however for the car so we had no payments on it. My boys are 6'4 now, 6'1, our youngest is about 4'11, I am 5'8 and DH is almost 6'. We all fit in my woody wagon. If you think you are going to have more kids, buy something a bit bigger than a small SUV. I have always needed the extra in the family car, an extra kid, an extra stop to pick up something, one more extra kid. If I bought another car I would go to a mid to large SUV or quad cab full size truck. We have 3 cars so the family wagon is only used on church days or major shopping days, so the gas mileage is not a factor.

I personally did not buy a mini van because of the way they are built. I think the reason why mini vans wear out so quick is the buyer does not realize it is passenger vehicle, they are not built on frames to withstand, extra weight, hauling, etc. Some people get lucky and get a good one that lasts forever, most of my friends who have had them, love them for a few years then they start falling apart. One of the reasons I bought my woody was it was top of the line for the manufactor for that year, it was built on a truck frame.

I just remembered this, my mother just bought a Jeep Compass bigger than a Liberty so midsize SUV style. I would recommend this it has a rotary engine, my kids fit in the back comfortably, and there is enough room in the back to put a stroller, groceries etc. It has a rotary engine so maintence is very low. It drives very well, manuevers like a car. And the gas mileage on the 4x4 model my mother has is 23-26 which is not bad. It has 4x4, power everthing, CD, satelitte stereo, some kind of anti swerve device in it that counter balances. Go check it out. I think you will like it. ( added, the sticker price is very nice too, the base line model was just under 20K)Good luck, just remember the kids are only going to get bigger.

I have a 2005 Ford Taurus sedan and there is room for 3 car seats in back (at least according to the design on the back of the seats). I know that 2 seats would fit fine back there, plus be room for another person. I know that in an emergency I could fit the entire family in the car (2 dogs in crates, a cat without a crate, DH, DS, and myself). It would be a tight squeeze with the pet crates (my dogs are Beagles) but we could all fit. Plus, the Taurus has very high safety ratings. I went from a 1990 Taurus to a 2005 Taurus in November.