Buying a family vehicle

My husband and I have said in the past that at some point, we’d probably need to buy a bigger car. We have two boys, two dogs, and in addition, when our in-laws visit, we always have to take two cars if we want to go anywhere together. If that isn’t a good reason for buying a bigger car, safety sure is. My husband has been worried about us driving a smaller car on these highways with the two boys. There are so many larger vehicles that could wipe us out easily.

Not long ago, my husband started to look up information on mini-vans and SUVs, and he started saying that “in the next year or so, we really need to get one.” Well, I learned long ago that when my husband says “in the next year or so,” he really means “in the next month or so.”

We did not have time to check out these cars or take test drives until my in-laws came to visit us, so we took this opportunity while they were here to go looking. My husband is a conscientious shopper and likes to buy American made products, but cost and reliability usually win out on large purchases. In addition to this, when we noticed that one of the Ford cars was assembled in Canada and another smaller car in Mexico, yet the Hondas and the Toyota we were looking at were assembled in America, my husband had no problem buying a Japanese car.

We narrowed our search to the Honda Pilot, Honda Odyssey and the Toyota Sienna.

I have overheard friends who have said that they just would not want to drive a mini-van. It’s the “soccer mom” image that they want to avoid, I think. My first thought when I heard this was “are we still in high school?” but I have to admit that I, too, feel the mini-van lacks “the cool factor.” Still, practicality usually wins out for me.

Compared to the mini-vans, I didn’t like driving the Pilot. Though I’m sure I’d get used to anything, it felt like a truck, was louder, and I had a huge hood to look over. The mini-vans were easy to drive and were so quiet. Having driven the smaller, louder, Toyota Matrix for the past few years, I really love the quiet, smooth drive.

So then it came down to price. Both mini-vans are great cars. The Odyssey boasts a slightly better gas mileage, but at the time we were buying, Toyota was offering zero percent financing (2.9% was the best they could give on the Odyssey) and our insurance cost went up significantly less with the Sienna. (If we bought the Pilot, our insurance costs would have gone way up.)

In addition, the Sienna had more bang for its buck with its mid-level package. With the Odyssey, we would have had to go to their higher priced package for many of the features we wanted, including electronic doors and a camera that allows me to see behind me when I’m in reverse. So now we are the proud owners of a 2011 Toyota Sienna. My in-laws can easily climb into the back and sit comfortably on any ride, and my four-year-old thinks it’s the coolest thing in the world that he can stand up inside the car. My husband is glad that we are in a safer car with air bags at every seat, and despite my “soccer mom” image, I am feeling very hip with my new wheels.

Shelli Bond Pabis is a Winder resident and columnist for the Barrow Journal. You can reach her at writetospabis@gmail.com.