We took our Murano to a mechanic to get a couple repairs, and get a call telling us its gonna cost about $2500!!! One part was $1300 alone! Ugh. Cars suck. The mechanic actually advised us to either pay for the repairs or just sell it! A lot of the repairs aren't even really necessary, (like an small oil leak) because they don't effect the way the car runs and are really labor intensive but how do you not fix something when you know it needs to be fixed? Besides who would want to buy a car that needs so many little (but expensive) repairs? Lame, lame, lame.
So, that started the new car conversation. With two kids and a desire for a third in our near future, the "van versus large SUV" debate began again in earnest. Neither of us want a van but, darn it, they are just so practical. It is such a struggle between what you want versus what makes sense. Gas prices are so cheap right now, but how long is that gonna last? Besides, the big cars we want (Jeff wants the Saturn Outlook, and I want a Chevy Tahoe) are just so expensive. We both hate the boring ordinariness of a van but what is a practical family to do?
Addsion Renee Mitchell
Jaden Anthony Mitchell
Carter Owen Mitchell
Don't Let Him Eat Me!
At the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo you can feed the giraffes but this one got a little too close for Jaden. He got totally slimed!
I Want to be a Big Boy!
Carter Gets Cuter Every Day!!
Thailand Vacation
Jeff graduated the academy!
10 comments:
Go with a midsize SUV like the highlander or something. PLEASE do not buy a Saturn, worst car I have ever owned, and I had a dodge neon. Chevy Tahoe is too big and besides being a gas fiend, its environmentally unfriendly. There are some hybrids out there that would be cool.
I am surprisingly not against a minivan. They work perfectly for kids...just dont make Jeff drive it around :)
I suggest taking a look at consumer reports car edition. They have a surprising amount of useful information.
We had this dilemma right before asher was born. We ended up with a 2004 Honda Odyssey which we love. It has decent fuel mileage for such a big vehicle and great space and it holds its value really well. Hate the stereotype of it but love the function. If we lived in a place where it snowed we probably would have looked closer at SUVs. The problem with a mid-size SUV is they still only seat 5 and with carseats...it's just not ideal. You really have to go with full size to make everyone and your stuff fit comfortably. And for us that was too pricy. My sister and her husband like the Mazda 6 which isn't a van and isn't an suv but it seats 6 which gives you one more seat. It's worth checking out since it is more affordable and has good gas mileage too. We decided to go for more space and we bought used to make it more affordable too.
Ryan Benton or Ryan Roberts?
Danille!! How are you? How big is the baby now?
Hello Darling! I am so glad you started a blog. They are so very addicting, but such a fun way to keep everyone up to date on all that is going on. Have fun! I look forward to keeping up with you guys now. Also, we drive a van, and I love it, but it is just me. I've never been against having a van because I've always wanted a big family and new that I was going to most likely have one. Good luck!
My brother has a Honda Odyssey and he loves it. Any SUV you get is gonna be a gas hog, no way around it, and don't count on the gas prices staying down, cause they won't. Besides, you can typically fit more people and stuff in a mini van than you can in an SUV, even though they look smaller. Go to Edmunds.com and look at the consumer car reviews (takes a bit of hunting to find) and it will have a bunch of reviews for all sorts of cars from typical people like us, not people who are paid to write articles. I've learned a lot from those.
Hey, at least your mechanic was honest with you! Ours always say, "just get it fixed and it will run great!" Then, lo and behold, two weeks and $2000 later something new is broken! Anyhow, Welcome to the blog world! Oh, and I totally understand the minivan dilemma, but they are practical for a larger family, and the Odyssey, as mentioned above is pretty awesome, as far as minivans go...!
Go with a (pre-owned) SUV. I LOVE my 4Runner; I would buy it all over again--I think it has more room than your van, I get about 20 mpg, and it's a very comfortable ride for 5 people...and I think it would handle great in the snow...(besides, it's fun to drive and it looks good! :)I bought it because I thought I was going to be living in Co; well, I'm not in Co, but I'm glad I have this car. But, do not count on gas prices staying low.
Sorry to hear about the car trouble! We absolutely LOVE our Honda Odyssey..even my SUV-lovin' hubby can't deny it was the best way to go. You can totally check it out sometime if you want. I look forward to your updates!
benton
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