Dh and I are looking at getting another car. One for me. and he will get my car. I'm looking for input on good ones and ones to avoid. Thanks.

Avoid the Chevy Malibu's up through 2001. They had to change to semi-metallic brake pads due to new regulations, but didn't change the rotors so they wear out really fast!

I personally love the VW Passat or Jetta


Ugh! Hate these new damn smilies!

My DH has a 1993 Jeep Cherokee that is the most amazing thing I've ever seen! It has over 170,000 miles, and it keeps on chugging. Never any major problems. It's a wonderful vehicle! I will be forever loyal to the Jeep brand! (It kind of makes me nervous saying all of this, the thing will probably fall apart now! )

I love toyota's, my carolla lasted me forever w/no problems, one thing though it was to small.

I would suggest a mini van b/c of the bambino, its nice you can pile in the stroller, toys, grocerys and all sorts of stuff.

I have a town & country, LOVE IT!!!!!

Hondas or Nissan get my vote - depends on size/budget. Both my Nissans ran very well and lasted a long time (In fact I have a white Nissan Axxess mini van in my garage which I could sell you for a very good price - it's a 1992, with 207,000 kilometres on it and in excellent condition)....

Froufy

P.S. If you are planning more kids in the near future you might want to investigate a minivan purchase.

i'm a ford fan. dh and i have totalled two, walking away with just minor cuts and bruises. the safety cages were completely intact. hopefully, you won't ever be involved in such an accident. i never planned on being hit by an 18 wheeler though.

I don't know what to recommend. My life has revolved so much around Fords that I'm not that familiar with other types. Although, I only recently retired a 1988 Mercury Topaz. It still runs, but it was about time to move on. It did have some interesting quirks to it, but they kind of grew on me....

If you are looking for a Van.. I LOVE my MPV!

My soon to be hubby has a Hyundai Elantra which was ******edly cheap and has a great warranty.
I believe they have van-ish type models, as well as other sedans and such.
I have a Toyota 4Runner which does really well in the snow up here in the North Country, but majorly sucks on gas mileage.
My sister had a BMW 3 Series which was great- although not what you'd call cheap. It cost less than my 4Runner though. great gas mileage.
My dad was looking to buy a new truck and he got this great book of all the 2004 car makes and models- it was published by Consumer Reports and he got it at our local bookstore in FL- I'm sure you could find it on Amazon or at whatever book chain you have near you.
It listed every make, model, base price, gas mileage, crash test info, stuff like that. It also had a section where you could "compare" certain cars w/in a certain price range.

Good luck. I'm getting my car through another winter and then DOWNSIZING to a Camry or something similar.

LOVE my Dodge grand caravan, has sliding doors on both sides and is sucha nice van. Comfy and lotsa room, great for car seats! Never had any trouble.

I have had LOTS of cars.
78 Camaro - first car
82 Camaro - junker
92 Ford Escort - 1st new car, station wagon, great little car
96 Camaro - not great with babies and strollers
97 Caravan - great with babies but UGLY
98 Mustang - didnt last long, had another baby
02 Nissan Xterra - PERFECT, not ugly, fits kids. Bright yellow so real easy to find even in dark parking lots.

For baby and safety I recommend Dodge Caravan. We bought one after my cousin was in one and hit by another car SO HARD that her Caravan rolled over COMPLETELY - all the windows were blown out by the impact but she and the 3 kids got out of their seatbelts and walked away with only bumps and bruises from flying backpacks inside the vehicle. We love ours...very practical with little ones.

We take good care of our cars - and remember I'm Miss Practical!
Our Honda Civic we gave away at 250,000 miles
Our Totota Celica had 185,000 when we gave it away
Now we have a Dodge Intrepid with 227,000 that I use for work everyday
We also have a Chrysler Concorde with 130,000 - which I will use for work once the Intrepid gives up the 140 mile drive everyday.

If I were to buy a new one now - you can't beat the price and warranty of the Hyundai Elantras and Sonatas. Not sure about repair history though.
Good Luck!
Kim

I'm a huge fan of my Jeep Grand Cherokee. Mine is a '96 with just over 90,000. The only repairs have been routine. When it comes time to replace it, I will probably choose the newer model. What I like most is that it rides pretty much like a car but can haul stuff like a small truck.

Of all the cars I've had (and that's been QUITE a few), the HONDA is definitely the the best!

Hi there!

Ah, new cars... I very much second the recommendation to check out Consumer Reports! They are at www.consumerreports.org, and if you pay $24 for a year, you can look at all their stuff online. Their Annual Reviews book could be at libraries too, as mentioned... if not, their store online sells car-buying guides and a "new car buying kit."

They are awesome (yes I'm fawning!) because they are 100% neutral in their publishing... they buy the cars anonymously, and then go over them like crazed car nuts looking for any flaws, and rate their performance.

They have been right on about the 3 cars I've owned, and the reliability records they provide from surveying their thousands of readers are worth their weight in gold.

Are you looking for used? new? Sedan? Minivan? 4-wheel drive something? They got it all

On Jeeps - go for the Liberty, not the Grand Cherokee. No offense to your Grand Cherokee owners out there, but they break down quite a bit, and the ride, emergency handling, brakes all are poor.

Personally, I'd go for a Honda anything. They're great. Toyotas are also excellent...

Happy car shopping!