Looking for a New Car... Any Suggestions? - Seattle,WA

Hi I., Just want to mention that my husband had a Kia and they patent their batteries so you can only have them changed at a Kia dealer...big pain in the butt! Also, give the VIN to your insurance agent and have them quote the insurance before you buy, could make a huge difference in what you pay. Happy car shopping and good luck!

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My husband drives a Prius, and we both love it. It has a huge trunk, a surprising amount of space in the rear seats (make sure you get in one, because they look smaller from the outside than from the inside!), and the gas mileage is terrific! My husband gets around 40 miles to the gallon! They drive like Toyotas drive (some people like that, some don't) and the computer system is fun for my husband (I find it a bit overwhelming, but I'm not into electronics that way). I personally love my Honda Odessey minivan because with 3 dogs and soon-to-be 2 kids, I like all the space! But driving my husband's car is certainly more fun.

P.S. Although it was recalled and they had to install a fix, which any used car that is certified will have as well, my husband and I never had any problems with the Prius acceleration. My parents both drive Priuses, and they never did, either.

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What's your budget?

I would not drive or ride in a Toyota after the latest news on that company. I've had a Ford before and it was awful. We had a Jeep Cherokee that was great and a Chrysler Town and Country that was great as well.

That said, we LOVE Mercedes and since we bought our first one, we will never drive anything else.

I currently drive a CLK 350 which would be too small for a family. It has 4 seats but is a good 2 seater car. It is scheduled to be daughter's car in Dec when she turns 16 because it will be 4 1/2 yrs old and in mint condition except not her favorite color of gold. Oh well.. it is white and a 2007.

Hubby drives an E350 and LOVES it. It is a great sedan, good for 4 people, good space in the trunk, he never takes the gold clubs out and we still have room for everything.

We have a new SL550 on order for me for December'ish when we hand over the keys to my CLK.. It would not be a family car, it is a 2 seater convertible.

We can't say enough good about our experience with Mercedes. They do have some more affordable sedan models....check it out. They are very safe and top quality.

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How many people are in your family?
We have a Subaru Forester and we love it. It is a smaller SUV and has good mileage. Subaru also has the Outback which is more like a station wagon. It has plenty of room for hauling things. All Subaru vehicles are all wheel drive, even the Sedans so I find that comforting to know that it can handle different kinds of weather. I have found the Subaru vehicles to have reasonable mileage because it is an efficient car.
Volvo also has nice station wagons. My bro-in-law drives one and would not drive anything else.
We got a Honda Odyssey 2 yrs ago and the mileage isn't as great as I thought it would be. I wish we got an Outback instead.

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How about the new Honda Crosstour? The Acura's are also nice - and very reliable, while fun and sporty to drive.?

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volvos.. we have an xc90.. we have had the sedan s80.. great too.. lots of trunk room and safe.. we bought ours at barrier bellvue used certified.. love them.. check out their used online section on their website.
L.

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i have a 2008 5-speed hyundai sonata that i absolutely love. comfy for hubby and i and 2 young girls, and occasionally my mom too. good gas mileage...its my commuter. i got the very base model for under 10k and it has plenty of bells and whistles for me. it's also plenty peppy for me (i come from a family of race car drivers and tend to have a BAD lead foot).

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we have a ford flex. its a crossover between an suv and a car.it has alot of room and it fits 8 passengers.goodluck : )

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We love our Ford Explorer. Roomy and sturdy. Been good to us since we got it. Lots of room in the back for groceries and stroller (if we ever use it). We were going to get a bigger one but it didn't work out. But we're happy with it. Depending on where we'd live, I'd pick a vehicle that could stand the roughest weather/roads in the area. Also consider family size. If family is expected to grow, I'd go with a big one.

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I loved my Toyota Rav4 and thought it was great on gas mileage. Wouldn't have traded it in except that I had twins and we needed more space! It's not actually classified as an SUV (I think it's called a cross-over or something like that), it's supposedly too small to be an SUV, but the storage capacity is amazing and it's small enough to fit into compact spaces and it turns on a dime. Very nice!

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I love my 2008 ford escape!!! it's seats 5 people. My son's booster seat fits perfectly behind the driver's or passenger seat. The back is spacious to pack lots of stuff :-)
It's economical and gets 28 mpg.
and most of all I love it because it's kiwi green ;-)
oh, and the passenger air bag automatically shuts off when it detects the passenger is under 90 lbs. :-) good luck!!!!!

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FORD = Found On Road Dead
I had a mustang and it was a piece of junk.Don't even bother. Besides, they are lousy in snow and rain.
I have an 8 year old Honda CRV with 150k miles on it. LOVE it!
The new CRVs are wonderful - look like a car, haul like a truck.
I kinda wish I could get a new CRV, but this one is still running great!
YMMV
LBC

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We LOVE our subaru outback!!! It is super functional but still a "cool" car. They are awesome in all sorts of weather. I would highly recommend a Subaru!

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We have a Subaru Outback -- the larger Legacy wagon body style. It's on '02 and still drives like new. There is also a more compact Outback Impreza which I like for the ease of parallel parking, but it just isn't as roomy. My husband drives a Subaru Legacy sedan, but it just isn't as roomy in the back seats, either. I prefer my wagon because I can toss bags, trikes, strollers, and the dog into the back -- sometimes all at once. Car-seats fit very well. I have our Britax Decathalon installed right now, and it fits perfectly.

I love that was able to find a great ski rack to put on the roof for carrying skis, snowboards and other cargo for vacations. We live near Portland, OR so there are mountains and beaches to visit regularly. The car is also an all-wheel-drive (like all Subarus), so I feel very comfortable driving the kiddo around in the rain and snow. The gas-mileage is super.

I've been driving Subarus for years, and won't ever buy anything else. We currently own three of them. They are SO reliable! We kept up on the maintenance on my '94 Subaru Legacy wagon and it is STILL going strong.

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I have had various cars with kids. I loved both of the Pontiac Grand Prix's I had, and I could fit three car seats in the back! My mom has the G6 and it is about the same size, and has great trunk space as well. I think you can't go wrong with a lot of cars, every one has different needs and wants in cars, with shopping used, you have to go with what is available on the market, so be flexible on the make/model and stick to the size and features. Then check reliablility, and always ask dealers for a carfax report!

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We have a 2006 Honda Accord (4 Door) which I absolutely love. It has the car hooks to put a car seat in easily and a decent amount of room in the backseat. The trunk is quite large and it gets good gas mileage. We have the V-6 so it has a lot of pick up and go. Very comfortable as well.

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We have a 2005 Honda Accord and love it. It might not be the most flashy car, but it does look nice and we went with leather, a little easier to clean. It has a fair amount of get-up-and-go for a 4-cylinder. I also like that its reliable. We've really only done routine oil changes and replaced the brakes, which just started to go recently.

As for space, we fit 4 adults and our child's carseat in the car today with a little squeeze. The trunk might not be roomy enough for you, though. Perhaps the new Honda Crossfit might be a good fit if you're looking for more cargo space.

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You should look at the Kia Rondo. I should preface that I never-in-a-million years thought I would be a Kia Rondo owner. I definitely didn't want a mini-van either. A Kia Rondo is considered a "cross-over" (whatever that means). It's more on the lines of a Honda CRV or Subaru Forrester in size.
My husband first noticed it in Consumer Reports. It has the option of pop-up rear seats so it can seat 7 people comfortably. Best of all, it won't break your bank. We bought our 2008 (in 2009) for $11,500 including tax. I have to say it has been great for play dates and tee-ball hauls! And it's not a mini-van!

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Good gas mileage, cargo space, commuting--NOT a Mustang!
Look at a Ford Fusion. Car of The Year. Zippy too!
p.s. You're smart to look for a used vehicle!

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I drive a Kia Rondo and LOVE it. It is so so so roomy and has a TON of cargo space, plus cubbies that go into the floor for things like a first aid kit, extra diapers, wipes... It is easy to get in and out of small parking spaces, there are no blind spots. It may not be the "coolest" car but it is an awesome car. We got ours at carmax. Before that I drove a Dodge Durango and hated it.

It is GREAT on gas. I drive over 350 miles a week and fill up once, it only costs about $40.

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Check out the Chevy Traverse. It was incredibly spacious! We actually really liked it, it was our #2 choice when we bought a car in August. It looks like a big sedan from the outside but looks like a minivan from the inside. It had a ton of cargo space in the back even when the third row was up. The only thing is that they haven't been on the market too long so finding a used one might be tricky, but b/c of the cash for clunkers program there actually might be some out there that were repoed when people couldn't pay the bill!We ended up with a Honda Pilot, which is an SUV, but I highly recommend all Hondas! They are really great!

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