I usually laugh when people rush out to buy a larger vehicle when they have a child, but now that our son is almost 6 months old, I can see why it's tempting.
Our current fleet consists of:
2010 Chevy Cobalt. My wife's car, purchased new, 38,000 miles, never had a problem. The car is great for us, but it is very cramped with the baby's car seat in the back. My wife has to put her seat forward, almost to the point that her knees are touching the dash. I don't like thinking about a frontal accident with her sitting like that
My 1995 Mercury Sable. No air, iffy heat, trans going south, needs suspension work, just a few of its many issues. Fine for me to drive back and forth to work and such, but I've gotten 2.5 years out of a couple hundred dollar car and when it goes, it goes.
1996 Dodge Ram. Gas hog, not in the best shape, but perfect as a backup vehicle and for the Home Depot runs, things like that. Not something I really want to pull a car seat in and out of every day.
Last month I had the Cobalt at the local dealer (Chevy/GMC & Chrysler/Dodge) getting a warranty recall done and went down to the showrooms. The SUV's are all pretty nice, but quite a bit more than I would want to spend.
The one that really stood out to me was the 2015 Dodge Grand Caravan. Lots of interior room, very useful. This is the last year for this platform, which I believe is somewhat outdated at this point, and there are nice incentives to purchase.
They are offering a 2015 Grand Caravan SE for 17,000 (plus tax, tag, ect). This is a base model, we don't really need or want leather or self-closing doors, just something with more room. I know we can buy used for less, but for the price, having the vehicle from new is so nice.
We run our cars into the ground, so this would be a long-term vehicle for us. I would take the Cobalt and my wife would drive the van. This would take care of us on vehicles for the next 10 years +.
We are trying to pay our mortgage in 15 years rather than 30, and this would come out of that money. I go back and forth between "let's get a vehicle with space so we can not be cramped every time we drive somewhere", and "just deal with it, people get by with less all the time, and we have a goal we are already working towards".
This isn't really "I want something new", but more "how can I best take care of my family".
Any thoughts on (the Grand Caravans) and (pushing my goal back a few years to have some more convenience now) would be greatly appreciated!
Our current fleet consists of:
2010 Chevy Cobalt. My wife's car, purchased new, 38,000 miles, never had a problem. The car is great for us, but it is very cramped with the baby's car seat in the back. My wife has to put her seat forward, almost to the point that her knees are touching the dash. I don't like thinking about a frontal accident with her sitting like that
My 1995 Mercury Sable. No air, iffy heat, trans going south, needs suspension work, just a few of its many issues. Fine for me to drive back and forth to work and such, but I've gotten 2.5 years out of a couple hundred dollar car and when it goes, it goes.
1996 Dodge Ram. Gas hog, not in the best shape, but perfect as a backup vehicle and for the Home Depot runs, things like that. Not something I really want to pull a car seat in and out of every day.
Last month I had the Cobalt at the local dealer (Chevy/GMC & Chrysler/Dodge) getting a warranty recall done and went down to the showrooms. The SUV's are all pretty nice, but quite a bit more than I would want to spend.
The one that really stood out to me was the 2015 Dodge Grand Caravan. Lots of interior room, very useful. This is the last year for this platform, which I believe is somewhat outdated at this point, and there are nice incentives to purchase.
They are offering a 2015 Grand Caravan SE for 17,000 (plus tax, tag, ect). This is a base model, we don't really need or want leather or self-closing doors, just something with more room. I know we can buy used for less, but for the price, having the vehicle from new is so nice.
We run our cars into the ground, so this would be a long-term vehicle for us. I would take the Cobalt and my wife would drive the van. This would take care of us on vehicles for the next 10 years +.
We are trying to pay our mortgage in 15 years rather than 30, and this would come out of that money. I go back and forth between "let's get a vehicle with space so we can not be cramped every time we drive somewhere", and "just deal with it, people get by with less all the time, and we have a goal we are already working towards".
This isn't really "I want something new", but more "how can I best take care of my family".
Any thoughts on (the Grand Caravans) and (pushing my goal back a few years to have some more convenience now) would be greatly appreciated!
Last edited: