Saturday, October 16, 2010

Babies and new car decisions

I have been told by several people that when I had a baby I would want an SUV.  These people obviously don't know me very well.  I have seen it happen several times though.  A couple has a nice sedan and the minute a baby is born they decide they need something taller and something that can hold more stuff.  I was told it would be too difficult to put the baby in the seat since a sedan is shorter and you can't fit everything you need for a baby in a sedan.

I drive a Prius.  I love my Prius, and I can't really see myself driving anything else.  It is a nice sedan with a hatchback and Smartkey!  My Prius fits absolutely everything I have needed for Natali so far.  Of course, we don't go on long trips in the car, but we do drive to the airport with suitcases a lot.  We can fit everything we need for these trips in the Prius without a problem.  We do pack as lightly as possible, but I am of the opinion that most people overpack anyway.  As far as the height problem goes, I will admit it would be easier to put Natali in the car and take her out if the car was taller.  Darren drives a Mazda 5 and it is much taller and much easier to get Natali in and out of.  However, this reason alone is not enough to make me want something taller when I would have to compromise so much of what I love about my Prius to get something taller.  I am not a lazy person, so I will just deal with it.  In addition to the excellent gas mileage and the hatchback, my Prius comes with the Smartkey.  This is the best car feature ever, and I will never again drive a car that doesn't have this.  I never have to remove my key from my purse.  The car senses the key in my purse and the doors automatically unlock and I just have to push the button on the door to unlock it.  I also just have to push a button to turn the car on.  It's amazing technology!  It is really nice to have when I have my hands full with Natali too.  I absolutely hate fishing around in my purse for keys.

Darren is up for a new car early next year.  He is a huge car fan and is really struggling with what to get.  I think his car is perfect for us, but not something I would want to drive on a daily basis.  It has been great over these last few years though, and is really practical with the baby.  I don't think he will keep it though.  He gets new car fever and can't get over it.  That's fine.  It's his thing.  He can get a new car if he wants one.  I am perfectly happy keeping my Prius for a few more years.  It only has 80,000 miles on it right now and I've had it for 5 years.

We are planning a trip to the LA auto show at the end of November, and then the Detroit auto show in January (I think).  Toyota is supposed to introduce a new Prius model at the Detroit show which has me very intrigued.  It's going to be a bigger version of my current car.  If it ends up looking like I think it will, I will have to seriously consider it for my next car purchase. :)

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