Need a car to fit us, dog and first baby - so confused need help

[powalove]

:yes:
Hi all, My husband and I are getting a car as need room for our pending baby and have a dog we love to bring along too.

We really need something fuel efficent as do all, but have a budget we need to stick to with weekly costs. BUT we need room.

Any suggestions? We have kind of come down to a holden station wagon (but is v6 so fuel heavy - or a mazda cx7 which has less room we are told)

HELP!!!:angel:

[CookiesRYum]

hey i brought a new car last yr which i love but have already realised that it will be no good with a kid cos kid/dog in a sedan is a bad idea!

so I have *quickly thought* any of the following could be suitable and i would research when i need to upgrade. (we live rural and want good economy too)

- honda odyssey
- subaru outback
- subaru forrester
- nissan x-trail
- toyota prado diesel
- nissan patrol diesel

I have been told to stay away from Nissan pathfinders as the use lots of petrol??

I love toyotas and always have - that would be my pick if i was richer, so probably the nissan is similar for better value.

Subaru's are great to drive; but i think a bit more pricey to service and repair?

Ppl say good things about the Kia Carnavale - but mini vans scare me.

[TripleTime]

I have a 04 commodore wagon. Chews threw fuel like its going out of fashion, the way i drive doesnt help either. But its the only car we fit in & still have to use a roof pod.

[MummaBear03]

My shortlist for the next car:

XTrail
Navara
Hilux
Territory
Rav4

[meggs]

Definately sounds like you need a wagon on 4wd... depends on your budget too...

MMB if you decide on a Territory you can see my DH he will give you a great deal since he sells them...

[TripleTime]

My next car is my Dads current Ghia Territory, love the car to bits!!

Unfortunately, we dont fit in it at the moment.

[BeatoNo3]

I would suggest a wagon I mean you can get a cage that runs along the back seat if u get me so then dog can have the boot n not jump on u or bub lol... And i make it to Newcastle from tamworth on 3/4 a tank and that s a 04 ford falcon wagon... best of luck...

[Mum2Mimi]

we purchased before xmas a ford territory and i love it and would deffinatley recommend! :)

Mitsubishi outlander is my second choice and cheaper then the territory im pretty sure

Ive also head the hyundi oddessy is good

And the i30 has won best car of year, two years running,very good safety & fuel econnomy

[trishalishous]

DH recommends a Holden station wagon, and getting vapour gas injection.
Then you have the room, and the fuel economy (plus you get a rebate, still I think)
Before we got our Adventra we had a VP commodore wagon, it fit a double bed mattress in the back (we lived in it for 2 months!) and had excellent mileage despite being a v6.
The Adventra is a bit less fuel efficient, (even with lpg) but I love the luxury! (yup Im spoilt now hehe)
The VZ commodores also have a 4.5 ANCAP rating, it WOULD be 5 stars but there is no warning if the passenger seatbelt isnt fastened :rolleyes:
Our last two cars have been Holdens, we are both tall, and no other car fits us as comfortably. (DHs head touches the roof in his mums brand new camry, SO UNSAFE!!)

We had a Territory as a hire car, back in July, and the only redeeming feature was the cruise control, which was 'smarter' than our cars. IT was smalled inside and used heaps of fuel and oil (we only had it for 2 weeks and drove around 2000km,(1500 of that was country highway driving) and it cost over $250 in fuel)

[Jesska]

We had a Nissan X-trail and it was the worst car on fuel, chewed through it like nothin else! And once you have more than 2 kids its a very small car indeed. The boot space isn't that big once you have a pram in it.
We now have a 05 VZ Commodore Wagon, and its the best car we have had!! LOVE IT! and fits all 3 kids + dog in it nicely.

[MummaBear03]

Definately sounds like you need a wagon on 4wd... depends on your budget too...

MMB if you decide on a Territory you can see my DH he will give you a great deal since he sells them...

Yeah pretty set on the Hilux, and after last week the Great Wall! Body of a Rodeo with a mitsubishi engine, 4x4, tray back, twin cab, wide across the back seat.

About the dog jumping through the car, mine has a Kramar harness the the seatbelt loops through. I use the little thing the goes on the seatbelt when using the H harness to make is like a lap only belt instead of a lap/sash belt. That way he's on one side, she's on the other side. The time I got to the car, realised I didn't have his harness, decided we're only going around the corner to the vet so he'll be right, was the time he decided that since he had no harness on he might like to try sitting on my lap driving. It was a shocker of a trip, never again will he travel unrestrained. You can also get the harnesses that have the actual seatbelt clip so the existing seatbelt doesn't go through, the harness just clips in. I have one of those for my mum's dog but it's not one that can be used for walking like my dog has. My mum's dog doesn't go for walks, they make him anxious, so the other one is fine for him.

[Amara]

I have a commodore sedan and there is plenty of room for two adults two kids and one small dog.

[Baldie's Mum]

we bought a lexus 4wd, it is very good on fuel long distance, but not so good in the city. I drive every day, and go through about 3/4 of a tank a week. It costs me $80 a week....ish!

I can get from sydney to west wyalong (about 500kms) on a tank. :yes:

[Izy]

We've got a triton dualcab with a hard cover on the tray. Perfect for us. It's one of the only dualcabs that have enough room to fit a capsule in the back without the front passenger having their knees in their chest.

Greatwalls are supposedly good, but not the best if you want to be towing or doing heavy work. It's a lower bear engine from what I remember.

[NUBA]

we got a hyundai Tucson and i really love it. i had my Hyundai accent for years with minimal servicing only major expense was timing belt in year 6!! no servicing above $150 and was fuel efficient.

we got the tucson elite which means we have the safety airbags and leather seats. will be good for 2 kids but probably wont fit 3 baby seats.

there is enough room in the back for a beema 3wheel pram and heaps of leg rooms for kids.

about $50 to fill petrol and gets u 450-500kims.