I just want to preface this post by saying don’t be like me! We just bought our third car in five years and I am SO ready to be done car shopping for a very long time! As a mom, our cars really are a big part of our daily routines! We need them to be reliable, safe, and comfortable! I thought I would help out the mom community and compile my Ultimate Guide to Purchasing your Mom Car!
Step One: Determine your mom car needs
Over the years, our needs changed quite bit. The number of kids in our family, (as well as their ages) also made a big impact on our cars. For example, when Bree (our third) was born, our Chevrolet Traverse with captain chairs became a problem. When the new baby arrived, we would have two kids rear facing and a 3 year old who wasn’t able to buckle/unbuckle himself, yet. He also wasn’t mature enough to be trusted with one of those handy dandy buckle keys, so we were forced to trade in the Traverse for an SUV with a bench in the back! Fast forward two more years, and having 3 kids 5 and under sitting side by side will make you want to pull your hair out. We planned on trading up this year, but we pushed it forward a bit knowing that we needed to drive this crazy crew to Florida!
Step Two: Narrow it down by your “Must Haves”
In May of 2021, we purchased what we hope will be the Mom car that sticks around for years! Your must have will vary, but here are ours!
- 3 row SUV
- Captains chairs in the 2nd row (Space between kids & easy access for the kiddo in the 3rd row)
- Ceiling air vents in all 3 rows (This is a non-negotiable for us in the Texas heat– especially when babies are rear facing!) There are not as many cars that offer this feature as I would have thought!
- Trunk space for all their stuff! (Groceries + stroller/wagon + change of clothes, etc.)
- Leather seats
- SPACE! Lots of space!
For us, that narrowed it down to either the Expedition Max or the Suburban. Another great resource for looking at cars before you test drive them is The Car Mom! She has the best advice and is a wonderful IG influencer.
Step Three: Test Drive
I knew that I was leaning toward the Suburban, so we went there first! Everything about the vehicle was impressive, but I still wanted to test the Expedition. The salesman at the Ford dealership was just a great guy and I really liked him, but there was one thing about the Expedition that actually sealed the deal for me.
The Captains chairs have a lever that them flip forward with the installed car seats still in tact. It’s such a nice feature to help kids/parents get into the third row! It actually turned out to be really handy on our road trip to Florida recently. We had the middle aisle packed with stuff that couldn’t be stepped on. The kids climbed in the back with this little mechanism and it was super easy!
Step Four: Make a Deal!
Okay, this is where my help has to end because it’s not my department at all! My best piece of advice is to find a dealership who treats you like royalty from the second you walk in! The chip shortage is doing strange things out there, but I do know that trade-in values are high right now!
Step Five: Enjoy your new mom car!
After you get that new mom, drive it on over to your fall family session with me! For details about booking family portraits, click here!
