Des Moines Nesties
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Can we talk family vehicles - again?
Do you have a "family vehicle" (car, small SUV, crossover, station wagon, etc.) that you love? If so, what is it?
Approximately how many MPG do you get?
Any details you particularly do/don't like about this vehicle?
Any notes about vehicles you do NOT recommend?
Dealership/sales person recommendations?
Re: Can we talk family vehicles - again?
DH got a Ford Flex last year and really likes it. Decent gas mileage and the space is crazy. I like driving it as well, as then I don't have to bend over getting K in and out.
I drive my little Nissan Maxima, which is a great car and the only drawback is that it isn't higher up, and of course, isn't as big as an SUV.
I can get more info from DH if you decide on going with a Flex! GL!
I bought a Mazda CX-9 back in July and love it. I had been researching them and looking for just the right one for a year, though, so I knew it was exactly what I wanted.
MPG: I get roughly 23 MPG on average.
Likes/Dislikes: I love the vehicle itself and especially the "zoom, zoom" that you get with a Mazda. My least favorite aspect is that it has a bench for the middle seat while captain chairs would probably be more convenient. I also don't like that the rear seat doesn't have top tethers so you can only use rear facing car seats or belt-positioning boosters. Of course, if I didn't insist on buying super huge car seats we could fit two side by side and it wouldn't be as much of an issue. I knew all of this before buying, though, and still made the decision to purchase so its obviously not a deal breaker for me.
I went through Stivers to buy mine and they were extremely open to negotiating, including giving me a few extras that I requested (touching up a few paint spots, two free detailing visits, a couple free oil changes).
We replaced my Jetta with a Honda Pilot recently, anticipating the need for a larger vehicle with two dogs and potential children.
MPG - I average 20 with an even mix of interstate and city driving
I love that it's big, but it doesn't FEEL big - not hard to park, great turning radius, etc. It has tons of storage space tucked in, and we got the touring model, so I love all the extra features (USB ports, outlets, conversation mirror, hands free, etc.) that make it a really functional car.
It's a Honda, so I know I'll be driving it for a looooong time. So far, I honestly have no real complaints. I guess the third row isn't particularly roomy, but I never intend to have adult passengers back there.
We have a Ford Escape. I used to love it when we just had one child, now that we have two the carseats take up all of the back seat and there isn't as much leg room in the front passenger seat because it has to be pushed up a ways for the infant car seat in the back. It gets 21 mpg on the highway and about 17 mpg in the city.
If I were doing it all over again, I would consider getting a car with sliding rear doors that you can open with the push of a button on your keypad. That would be so convenient when carrying an infant out to the car along with your purse, diaper bag, workout bag, etc.
We'll be in the market for a new car in the next year or two and we are seriously considering the Ford Flex. It's nice to hear someone else on here has one and likes it!
I bought a 2012 Chevy Equinox and I absolutely love it. Can't say enough about it!
MPG- 32HWY and it really does average about this and 24 in the city
I love that the rear seat can move back so when I have carseats I won't have to worry about moving the passenger/driver seat forward.
Plenty of room for a small SUV and comes with so many perks like the rear-view camera, super easy bluetooth, blind spot mirrors, etc.
Thank you for the responses, ladies! This is the kind of info I was hoping to read.
We'll see where our search leads...
We have a 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe SE AWD. We love it! We get around 25 MPG on the highway. We also have an Elantra so we are a loyal Hyundai family and have been happy with both. The infant car seat fit well in the car and the convertible does too. With the convertible installed 2 adults can sit in the back seat with the car seat and still be comfortable driving around town. Not that we do that often, but when we visit grandpa & grandma we can all ride together to shop or go out to eat!
I also think the storage in the Santa Fe is very nice for a mid-size SUV. If you get one there are some add-ons like the trunk protector mat that you could ask for when you negotiate! My parents also bought one in 2011 and since the one we had came with it the dealership agreed to add one plus a few other extras that ours had to their car.