Auto Advice for Parents

A friend of mine recently sent out this email request for help. My reply is published below. I thought it displayed a certain mature wisdom one might expect from and experience parent like myself, and felt it might be worth sharing with the world.

OK--so as we are getting closer to adopting two kids, my car is totally dying. I need to replace it, but there's really no reason to get anything other than a good car for at least two kids… So, considering we know next to nothing about what to consider, I thought I'd ask some of my favorite parents of multiple children what they think about vehicles--What should we consider? Do you have a specific vehicle/type you recommend? Or recommend to stay away from? I'd love to learn from other's experience and not wish we'd bought something different in six months! Thanks for any input--as much or as little as you like!

Are you sure you want my advice? Ok...here goes.

First, you want something that goes really really fast. I don't mean just on the straight highway, I'm talking acceleration off the dime. You want something with some serious low end torque so that you can jump ahead of that bozo in the other lane that thinks his kids deserve to get to chuckie cheese's ahead of your kids. You are near the coast, so something that stays really tight to the road in hard cornering situations is not as critical as it might be if you were in the mountains, but you will still want to consider that so that you won't slide out when making that last second high speed maneuver into that parking spot that's close to the door of the grocery store.

Of course, you want something with power. Raw, unadulterated, petrol power. You'll be hauling about half of Sam's Club home every couple of weeks. So you'll need towing capacity under the hood and a big Reese hitch sticking out the back for that twelve foot trailer. Not to mention that Airstream you'll be using for your trips to Wisconsin. Minimum of 8 cylinders I think -- 10 is better. And seating capacity for at least 8 so your tykes can bring along their friends.

And you'll want something that's sexy too. If you are driving it, kids or no kids, you want to feel like all the fine and handsome men are attracted to you in that car. Why? Purely as a morale booster. Few things can match the feeling you get when you lock eyes with some good looking eligible and obviously wealthy young fellow, and then leave him in the dust a few seconds later. It not only feels good, but it also feels righteous. But then, you already know about that from driving Flip (author's note: Flip was/is their convertible Saab zoomy thing -- very powerful. very sexy) around, don't you?

BTW - that's also why you want tinted windows in the back, so no one sees the kids. Don't wanna jinx your mojo.

If it's for hubby, then no question, he needs a truck. A big truck. I mean a big ass diesel duallie with the most enormous extended cab possible. You are, after all, in North Carolina, where a MAN needs a truck, to heck with the kids. They can go in the back as long as they don't puke up on the bedliner. Unless of course, you were living in Charlotte...then that might allow for exceptions on the truck thing.

That's just a few of my thoughts. Hope they help. If not, you might try the links below for better advice. ;-)

http://www.motherproof.com/
http://www.myproductadvisor.com/mpa/auto/inputSummary.do?referrer=ct&refId=cartalk