We own a two door teal green 1991 Honda Civic hatchback. And I love this car! It fits our family of four nicely and we rarely have to refuel more than once a month since we work from home. (To be honest I drive around feeling rather smug about how little we pay a month for gas.) We were given this car by my brother and his wife when we arrived in Seattle three years ago and since then the only repairs we’ve had to do are basic wear and tear problems (tires, etc…). However all of this is about to change.
We are expecting our third child and our Civic is going to be too small. So we’re in the market for something bigger. Also, due to the fact that my husband Eliacin and I share one job between us, we happily live on a limited budget. So car payments need to stay small, really small. I sincerely believe in high fuel efficiency and going as green as possible and that’s where we hit a dilemma. What type of car do we get? Here’s some of the questions I’ve been asking myself:
- How many seats do we need? Five? Six?
- Do we get a mini-van or a wagon?
- What are the most fuel efficient cars that actually have five or six seats?
- Should we get a car loan?
- How much can we realistically pay down?
- How much money can we get for our old car?
- We need to buy a car that we can AFFORD.
- We need to buy a car that gets some of the best gas mileage in it’s class, be that mini-van or wagon.
- We need a car that will fulfill our needs for the next 7-10 years.
- And, we need to use that car judiciously, no short runs to the store.
I don’t have much insight into the main questions here, but I can toss in a side comment about the little trips to the store.
Put as much thought and effort into making sure you have the right tools for the little trips – wagon? bike trailer? good backpack? The money invested in a good bike and trailer is a lot less than would be spent on a good car, or even a couple months of gas! And having the right tools will make the little trips more enjoyable, and consequently you’re less likely to resort to the minivan.
I realize I may be preaching to the choir here, but perhaps someone will find this thought helpful.
The only question I have that may help you along in your quest: how often does the entire family drive somewhere? If the answer is not often, then maybe sticking with a 5-seat car will work. Of course, I don’t know how old your kids are (I imagine even the oldest is too young to ride in the front seat), so this might not even factor into the equation. I know it would be hard to fit all 3 kids in the backseat including the right safety seat for each.
Just some food for thought. If the occasions are fairly rare when the family must all pile in, perhaps there are others in the community who could loan you a second car or a larger vehicle. For the even rarer long road trip, it may make more sense to spend much less on your day-to-day car, keeping costs down, and then renting a wagon or mini-van for the long trips.
I look forward to seeing where you go with this!
You don’t know me, and that’s cool, I saw this post through Facebook on Eliacin’s status whom I met recently. Thought I might be able to add something.
My wife Pam and I have three kids (3,5,8) and we recently had to make the same decision. Our mini-van of 4 years (98 Mazda MPV gas bonging beast) had a good two feet in the grave, and we needed to replace it.
For us, we need two cars on a almost daily basis, so we couldn’t go down to one (we live in West Seattle, and I work in Bellevue while Pam works and travels in various places around WS). Our other car is a 2004 Matrix…a wagon basically…with five seats.
We have one in a front facing car seat (3 year old) one in a booster (5 year old) and one that can legally be without anything (8 year old). With that configuration we can get all three in the back of the Matrix when it is all of us or we can put the 8 year old in the front with a booster for more breathing room when it is just three of us.
After doing a lot of thinking, researching, and the like, we decided to spend the extra $$ and get a Prius (at summer gas prices this actually saved us about $180 a month in gas before the car payment). It’s a midsized car technically, so we can do the same configurations in there as well. It wasn’t cheap, and it commits me to IT work for the next 5 years or so while we pay it off. We decided the environmental impact/gas $$ savings was worth it for us.
Probably isn’t an option though since all hybrids are expensive. You also won’t be able to put three car seats (or two and a booster) in the back of most mid-sized cars. It is possible, but the best thing to do would be to get a slim line Raidian car seat (they are on Amazon). They’re not cheap, but I’ve seen three rear facing in the back of a Sedan, and they are convertible so it is the only seat you’ll have to buy for the new one.
Another option we explored is Zip Cars. You could conceivably keep your Civic (brilliant car BTW), and put one in the front (especially if one is in a booster) then the other two in the back. It is legal, especially if you only have 4 seats to begin with.
Then if you need to make any driving trips together, you could grab a five seater Zip-Car. It would be cheaper then a car payment monthly, but a bit inconvenient. It wouldn’t work for us, but it was an option we explored.
Anyways, good luck, and if you want to see our Journey, Pam chronicled it on her blog (I have a link on mine to it)
Dana and I want to get a car exactly like your Honda.
My question is, why do you need a car at all? Walking is good for you, there are public buses and taxis for the rare occasion that it might be more convenient; or why not a share-car situation (Flex-Car, etc.). If shared housing works, surely shared transportation will work. If we would truly live locally, then we could get to where we need to go on foot.
I’m not being critical here. I have to ask myself the same sorts of questions. It is easy to become creatures of convenience. And, myself included, I find it interesting how often we toss around the word, “need”. Do we really “need” or is it a “want”. I’m sure we can convince ourselves of anything.
And I don’t want to get started on our dependence on fossil fuels is sad news. We are not “dependent”, we are choice-makers. Oh, I could go on……..
Hmm. Although the most correct answer would be a small wagon, I’m not sure how old the other kids are and if they’re still in booster seats/car seats. If they are, an older minivan might be the order of the day.
I’m thinking here of a pre-1999 (1st generation) Honda Odyssey or Isuzu Oasis (which is simply a rebaged Honda.) You’ll get three rows of seats; it’s a four cylinder, so fuel consumption won’t be bad; and, to top it off, the Honda reliability. As well, they can be had cheaply.
If all three kids can fit sitting across one seat (tough with a rear-facing car seat, I know from experience) I’d recommend checking out a Pontiac Vibe (again, used.) It’s a rebadged Toyota Corolla with General Motors resale value. Again, 4 cylinders, room for five, really good gas mileage.
Good luck with your decision.
Dave in Cedar Rapids
Any news on the car search?
I am in the same place–we have one daughter and are planning a foster/adopt of two more.
When we returned from missions in Cambodia, we were given two small green cars–a Saturn and a Subaru–both seating 5. We thought about needing to replace one for our expanding family but were undecided. Then one car had an accident all by itself, and was totaled. Now it is almost certain that we will buy a larger vehicle.
I have several factors that aren’t mentioned here that are influencing me.
First, one of our cars is often in use by other missionaries on furlough. Thus, we desire to have two. (My hubby is now in missions leadership.)
Second, we aim to live among the poor (OK, this is difficult if you are renting an apt big enough to qualify for foster care) or at least befriend some people like that. This means, for me, that I am often the driver for my friends that lack transportation. So my car needs to carry my family plus. If we have 5, then I want to be able to carry 7 or even 8. This is critical for me!
And, I want to be able to be the house where kids come (my kid’s friends) and be the mom that kids go places with.
I have found that my kids are often the window into ministry among the poor, and ministry among my neighbors. So carrying my family plus some others is often the key to being able to spend time with people and influence them for Christ.
And, of course, I want to do it economically, and greenly. As best I can.
(In Cambodia, I could take my daughter and one friend, maybe two, on a moto taxi (with the driver being an additional person). Scary, but normal. Option B was to recuit a local teen or young adult and get one more moto for more kids to come along. We did all kinds of stuff this way. Those restrictive seat belt laws are great for safety but don’t reflect the realities of much of the world, who can’t afford the luxery of safety but have great community and easier group travel.)
Anyway, I hate the minivan image but fear I will be there soon.