Would u consider a wagon for use as a DD family car in 2010?
The_Head
familEE
Was just curious to hear your thought on this. Maybe you already do this.
My plan would be to find a decent wagon, fix it up, have about $4,000 in it, and then drive it for 5-6 years, 40-50K miles. My girlfriend, her almost 9 yo son and I. and possibly another kid in the near future. It would be tight when taking trips to see family, but I think it's possible. Her concern is safety, as these cars are pretty old and do not have the safety features today's vehicles have (i.e. rattlecan deathtraps, lol). Neither of us make a whole lot of money right now and don't really want a Honda Fit car payment, if you know what I mean.
We went on a picnic in her wagon (thrashed 2WD auto DX with 177K) sunday. Loaded it up with all our stuff, drove the 100 miles round trip, using A/C some of the time, going up some hills in 2nd gear @ 70 mph (~4500 rpms) and the damn thing STILL got almost 39 mpg. The poor thing is hammered, but it still just keeps kicking butt.
My plan would be to find a decent wagon, fix it up, have about $4,000 in it, and then drive it for 5-6 years, 40-50K miles. My girlfriend, her almost 9 yo son and I. and possibly another kid in the near future. It would be tight when taking trips to see family, but I think it's possible. Her concern is safety, as these cars are pretty old and do not have the safety features today's vehicles have (i.e. rattlecan deathtraps, lol). Neither of us make a whole lot of money right now and don't really want a Honda Fit car payment, if you know what I mean.
We went on a picnic in her wagon (thrashed 2WD auto DX with 177K) sunday. Loaded it up with all our stuff, drove the 100 miles round trip, using A/C some of the time, going up some hills in 2nd gear @ 70 mph (~4500 rpms) and the damn thing STILL got almost 39 mpg. The poor thing is hammered, but it still just keeps kicking butt.
Comments
not with safety...
tight..that's for sure...
it's not the Titanic
Dude, your mother owned a wagon? That rocks!
Lol your mom sounds awesome!
It this was 1990, before all that junk was available, would a brand new Civic wagon be less of a car for lacking those features? What about the parents who bought them new and hauled their families around- were they negligent? Wear your seatbelts, drive carefully, save money.
Both of ours are admittedly well restored, but nowhere near the cost of new cars.
So I have this RT4WD I've done a lot of work to, but still has a couple quirks that I don't know if I'd trust having them drive all over in. Not only the concern of lack of safety features, but also just being an old car, things break. We live out aways from everything and I'd hate for something to happen and her and the kid be stranded somewhere.
So for that reason we've considered the search of an older CRV. It would be newer with less miles, more safety features. It's still old though really, unless we're looking at taking out another freakin car payment. It's almost the comfort feeling of saying it's newer, but really something could go wrong with any newer car too.
I'm hoping I'll come to my senses though and just have her DD the wagon.
! you in a hurry?
no sir...but the car is...
ring a bell...?
If you're gonna spend that kind of money look into Elements.
I absolutely love old CRVs. That's likely the next step for me. Only because I'd consider buying something older. While still being able to work on it. But then I'm also a single guy at the moment. If I was looking for something reliable in a decent price range (compared to what you're likely paying for your other Civic), definitely check out the Elements. I was skeptic until I spent some time in Billboards. Granted he's had some problems of late. But it has higher mileage and he got a pretty good deal on it compared to other ones on the market. The second gen CRVs are nice too.
My brain is battling with the idea of a car payment. It's been six or so years since I've had one of any kind. It's been really nice. But then I haven't tried to juggle school and work with time working on a car. I've convinced myself that two wagons is the way to go. But then if I end up in an apartment, will I even have room?
I think it's always gonna come back to personal choice. I don't have children, nor do I think I'll ever want them. But if I did (or do) my thought process would definitely focus on reliability and safety. I'm not saying full size SUV, but I'd definitely have something newer and safer than my wagon (unfortunately).
http://www.daveramsey.com/media/flash/d ... player.cfm
To respond to what bam bam said; When I was a kid we had a 1986 Plymouth Colt Vista. It is very similiar to our wagons of that era. It had a 3rd seat in the back though. There was five of us. I seem to remember us doing alright in it.
Maybe. As low as my car is, I fear she might break the bumper off or something.
If I upgraded the motor(which I plan to do), then I'd be more comfortable with her driving it.
It just bugs me when people say "if you ever wreck you're so dead!" which it think is BS.
There are two problems with the safety argument. The first is the perception that airbags and modern heavy construction are required for safety.
Airbags are only useful in one situation: the high-speed head-on crash. For other accidents, and for lower speeds, properly worn seat belts are safer. Make sure you wear them, and teach your family to wear them properly. And stick to the speed limit. As to the modern construction, our Wagons are still unibody cars with crush zones. They're plenty safe for accidents at speeds up to 55 or so.
The second problem with the safety argument is the perception that there's nothing you can do about accidents. While it's true that there are crazy people out there, it's still possible for you to avoid them. Start driving defensively. In particular, slow down and increase your following distance. Consider this: at any moment, the car in front of you could become the equivalent of a brick wall. Drive so you don't hit it. Then drive so the guy behind you won't hit you, either.
I think the Wagons are just fine as family cars. A family of five fits in mine just fine -- although my eldest daughter does have long legs, so we put her behind the passenger and keep the trips short. As long as your kids are 5 feet tall or less, the back is a comfortable bench even for as much as an hour. I've verified this by sitting my 6 foot self back there. (Baby carseats are a different problem. One max, in the center, with a 3 foot sibling, and for no more than 30 minutes, I'd guess.)
Anyway. One vote for yes.
See even a female agrees that they're safe so it must be true!
:shock: related/acquainted...?
Nope, just joking around.
take care...
ontopic...
yes...
and the JDM models have extra SIB's welded inside the door, unline UK models.
yeah but do you have kids though?
no but i do have a dog.