Weekly Test Drives....

So Rich and I headed out for our 3rd week in a row of test drives. It has been so much fun, and super helpful in that we are narrowing down our choices for the future Andre' car.
I am pretty much sold on a minivan at this point. After lugging the car seat in and out of 5 different vehicles, I am starting to realize why families choose the good ol van.

The Subaru Tribecca was our first drive. Awesome car, fun to drive, but absolutely impossible to fit a car seat in the back. I mean, really. Take that one off of our list...

The Volvo XC90 was next. Such a nice ride. We would be soooo cool if we had one. And sooooo broke. Take that one off our list.

The Saturn Outlook was third. This is the car that I picture my parents driving. Tons of room, tons of versatility, tons of amenities. Too bad that Saturn is done making cars (according to the Honda salesman). This car is now 2nd on our list. It fits regular sized humans in the 3rd row, and has room to spare. It also nicely fits car seats galore, which we seem to have. The "trunk" has storage space so that my groceries, as well as the occasional stroller, diaper bag, emergency kit, and other random bags all fit. We might be able to afford this one in a few years...

4th on our list to drive was the Honda Odyssey. Such a nice van. I mean, really, what a nice van. (I am slightly prejudiced towards Honda though, since I loved my previous Accord so much. I actually cried when I got rid of it. Sniff, sniff.) The van has cool things like automatic doors, a lazy susan under the floorboard of the car to store things in, 15 cup holders throughout the van, rear windows that roll down so my sweet little 4 year old with the sensitive tummy doesn't get carsick in the way back. It is also low to the ground so that I don't have to haul the kids into the car anymore. It can also seat 8 (2005 models and newer). I could go on and on. I am almost 90% sold at this point.

A Honda Pilot was next. Nice, but then again, so is the van...

Last but not least was a Mazda MPV. I love Mazdas. They are cool cars. They are fun to drive, and they just always look pretty good. This one had a huge sunroof in it. (One of my requirements...) It only seats 6 though, and I figure if we are going van-ish, we might as well go all the way with an 8 seater.

I am still optimistic that our car is out there. We are attempting to pay outright for the car, thanks to some Craigslist sales, and an unexpected tax return, and donations to our new website.....just kidding (about the website...).
I will keep you posted.