Wife is pregnant, looking for new vehicle! Need advice.

[Lost Pup]

Congrats.......get used to being called Dad.

We have three children, 3,5,7 and the "first car" is a extended Chrysler LXI minivan. It can hold three " baby seats" side by side on the rear bench. We took the seats with us when we shopped to be sure they would fit. Just a thought if you plan to have more then one child.

The Camry would get my vote if I could ever travel that lite with the family.

[Dozerboy]

I`m a GM fan especially with the deals on right now Saturn are good but maybe a little 4 door truck like the Colorado IIRC they’re getting in the mid 20s mpg easy, but I think anything over 12 mpg is good.

[JeffM]

Congrats!

My honest opinion, is that the new cars for 25k are going to loose their value way to much, and youll get nothing on a trade in.

I would look toward a 2 year old 3 series Bimmer, or a 2 year old Mercades. Both can be had with 40k or less miles and under 30k.

I would also look into the Jag, whatever the 30-ish k model is new.

My .02 of coarse, but for the same money, i would pick one of those.

[zainoshine]

Seeing as you`re starting to grow your family (congratulations!), I don`t think GM would be a very good idea, as they have really bad resale value in case you need to change it up down the road. Quality isn`t the best on all models, either.

I second the Murano as they`re bigger than most people think but get very nice gas mileage and still retain a great powertrain. For something smaller, maybe look into the Volvo V50...nice little wagon, a little bigger than the Focus wagon.

[Kimo]

You all are great! I really appreceiate the advice, and it gives me a lot to think about. I`ll welcome any more opinions, keep em coming

[Mmmph]

Get the Toyota Sienna 8 seat model CE (5328) or LE (5338). 3.3L V6.

They feature the "Front and Center" middle-seat feature in the second row...a clever middle-bucket feature that brings a child forward to within runny-nose-swabbing reach of Mom or Dad.

[Terran]

You should look into maxima`s. Powerful enough to have some fun (when the babies not with you), big enough to carry all the baby junk and reliable. I don`t particularly like the current model, but I love my `95 and an `02-`03 would be even better. You could probably get an 02-03 in the $15-20k range depending on miles and condition.

You might also be able get into a G35 for $25K...beautiful car.

[rockford33]

My parents have had outbacks for the past 10 years. (Leased) I was never impressed with their engines. They always felt really sluggish and revved higher than I am used to.

Thanks Jared

I also like the Mazda 6 hatchback, but I was under the impression that (no offense intended) any Mazda that didn`t start with RX was crap

I looked at the mazda website and they look like a nice car - 220 Hp?! Pretty decent, and more than I expected.

Do any of you own one of these?

I would personally suggest the new Legacy 2.5GT. The sedan is fairly roomy (I`m going to be a dad for the first time next February, so I was looking for something roomy), has good power (250 hp & 250 ft/lbs torque), reliable (just heard Subaru passed Honda for reliability), and all wheel drive for the winter. I paid $25200, and that was when they first came out last year. 12,000 miles and I still love the car (jngrbrdman has one also, but a Limited edition). Hope this helps some.

-Neil

[Big Kahuna]

I too purchased a new vehicle for my family recently. Based on your list of features, you may consider a Toyota Highlander or Toyota Sienna. Both are reliable, about $25K (depending on model), ample storage space, easy to drive, and 20+ mpg. However, it probably won`t be as fun to drive as a Passat. I think the Highlander is based on a Camry, so your wife will like it.

I used Edmunds.com as one of my sources. Good luck in finding a vehicle to fit your needs.