Wait until kids are older. We did and found we did not need a minivan. We had an Audi A4 and Acura TSX until our kids were in ES. Then we upgraded one car to a small SUV for everyone’s comfort.

I wouldn’t upgrade just for possible overlap of pediatric appts and an emergency situation.

OP here. I appreciate the concern, if not precisely the tone it's presented in. We do consider the environmental impact of our decisions, which is part of the reason that we put so few miles on our car and do other things like support local agriculture and trying to make our home more energy efficient. Although we aren't married to a particular vehicle, our starting point will probably be the Toyota Sienna, which are all hybrids now with fairly reasonable fuel economy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are a one car household that doesn't drive a great deal; less than 10k a year even before the pandemic. However, we are expecting a second child in late May, which greatly increase our desire to have a second vehicle. Absent the pandemic used car price spike, I likely would have sought out used minivan, because two car seats means that we couldn't accommodate any other passengers, beyond the family. And minivan would be helpful for the occasional moving of large objects. We don't have a real need for the towing/off-road capacity of an SUV, so the slightly better fuel economy of the minivan seems to win out. And a relatively new used vehicle seemed to make sense as it would offer the reliability we desire with a more affordable price. Also, purchasing new seemed unwise because young children are not kind to a vehicle's interior and we tend to be reasonably frugal about replacing a vehicles. If we bought something new, we would probably look to drive in for at least 10 years. But used car prices are crazy right now. Our 2014 Corolla is being valued at roughly what we paid for it new.

So, what would you advise? Just bite the bullet and buy something new? Same idea, but used? Lease something until the madness ends? Buy a very cheap used car to use as a stop gap?

How often will you really need to accommodate extra passengers? You say you rarely drive now. Same with "occasional moving of large objects..." What is occasional? Once a day? Once a week?If it's less than once a week, it seems like a huge waste to have such a large vehicle. Unless you are all morbidly obese, a family of 4 does not need an 8 passenger vehicle. Gluttonous choices like this is what is destroying our planet.

Oh my god, just stop. Op buying a minivan is not destroying the planet.

Op, we got a minivan a few years ago and love it. It’s built for families. Used car prices are nuts. I would look at buying new. We decided to replace dh’s 10 year old sedan before it keeled over. Went to Suburu and placed a factory order that’s supposed to be here next month. They are not charging over MSRP, but I know some dealers are. Shop around and see how you do. You’re in a better position if you don’t need one right away.

Not individually, but everyone's every day selfish choices do add up. OP can decide for herself what kind of world she wants her children to grow up in and make choices accordingly.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are a one car household that doesn't drive a great deal; less than 10k a year even before the pandemic. However, we are expecting a second child in late May, which greatly increase our desire to have a second vehicle. Absent the pandemic used car price spike, I likely would have sought out used minivan, because two car seats means that we couldn't accommodate any other passengers, beyond the family. And minivan would be helpful for the occasional moving of large objects. We don't have a real need for the towing/off-road capacity of an SUV, so the slightly better fuel economy of the minivan seems to win out. And a relatively new used vehicle seemed to make sense as it would offer the reliability we desire with a more affordable price. Also, purchasing new seemed unwise because young children are not kind to a vehicle's interior and we tend to be reasonably frugal about replacing a vehicles. If we bought something new, we would probably look to drive in for at least 10 years. But used car prices are crazy right now. Our 2014 Corolla is being valued at roughly what we paid for it new.

So, what would you advise? Just bite the bullet and buy something new? Same idea, but used? Lease something until the madness ends? Buy a very cheap used car to use as a stop gap?

How often will you really need to accommodate extra passengers? You say you rarely drive now. Same with "occasional moving of large objects..." What is occasional? Once a day? Once a week?If it's less than once a week, it seems like a huge waste to have such a large vehicle. Unless you are all morbidly obese, a family of 4 does not need an 8 passenger vehicle. Gluttonous choices like this is what is destroying our planet.

Oh my god, just stop. Op buying a minivan is not destroying the planet.

Op, we got a minivan a few years ago and love it. It’s built for families. Used car prices are nuts. I would look at buying new. We decided to replace dh’s 10 year old sedan before it keeled over. Went to Suburu and placed a factory order that’s supposed to be here next month. They are not charging over MSRP, but I know some dealers are. Shop around and see how you do. You’re in a better position if you don’t need one right away.

Anonymous wrote:We are a one car household that doesn't drive a great deal; less than 10k a year even before the pandemic. However, we are expecting a second child in late May, which greatly increase our desire to have a second vehicle. Absent the pandemic used car price spike, I likely would have sought out used minivan, because two car seats means that we couldn't accommodate any other passengers, beyond the family. And minivan would be helpful for the occasional moving of large objects. We don't have a real need for the towing/off-road capacity of an SUV, so the slightly better fuel economy of the minivan seems to win out. And a relatively new used vehicle seemed to make sense as it would offer the reliability we desire with a more affordable price. Also, purchasing new seemed unwise because young children are not kind to a vehicle's interior and we tend to be reasonably frugal about replacing a vehicles. If we bought something new, we would probably look to drive in for at least 10 years. But used car prices are crazy right now. Our 2014 Corolla is being valued at roughly what we paid for it new.

So, what would you advise? Just bite the bullet and buy something new? Same idea, but used? Lease something until the madness ends? Buy a very cheap used car to use as a stop gap?

How often will you really need to accommodate extra passengers? You say you rarely drive now. Same with "occasional moving of large objects..." What is occasional? Once a day? Once a week?If it's less than once a week, it seems like a huge waste to have such a large vehicle. Unless you are all morbidly obese, a family of 4 does not need an 8 passenger vehicle. Gluttonous choices like this is what is destroying our planet.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why does the second child mean you need a second car(versus just trading in your car for a larger one?) I’m confused.

It is admittedly much of a luxury, but the general idea is that having a second car would avoid a parent being stuck. For example, if we split up for one of the many pediatric appointments of a newborn, the other parent isn't without a car in an emergent situation.

Where do you live that this is a concern? Are you in a rural area? The frequent newborn appointments only last a few months. We have three kids and one car and it’s fine- we can’t give rides to people so might make the swap to a minivan soon but it has worked for a few years.

Close in suburbs. We can walk to the metro and shops, but it's not close quite easy like the city. Long term, we sort of imagined that we would need two cars because of different activities for the kids or whatever.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why does the second child mean you need a second car(versus just trading in your car for a larger one?) I’m confused.

It is admittedly much of a luxury, but the general idea is that having a second car would avoid a parent being stuck. For example, if we split up for one of the many pediatric appointments of a newborn, the other parent isn't without a car in an emergent situation.

Where do you live that this is a concern? Are you in a rural area? The frequent newborn appointments only last a few months. We have three kids and one car and it’s fine- we can’t give rides to people so might make the swap to a minivan soon but it has worked for a few years.

Anonymous wrote:Why does the second child mean you need a second car(versus just trading in your car for a larger one?) I’m confused.

It is admittedly much of a luxury, but the general idea is that having a second car would avoid a parent being stuck. For example, if we split up for one of the many pediatric appointments of a newborn, the other parent isn't without a car in an emergent situation.

Buy new. Used isn’t worth it right now.

Anonymous wrote:We were in a similar situation and ended up buying new. The used prices were ridiculous.

yes, especially for Toyotas

Why not just trade in the corolla for the minivan? If you only drive 10k miles and don't have separate driving commutes, is there really a need for another car?

Why does the second child mean you need a second car(versus just trading in your car for a larger one?) I’m confused.

We were in a similar situation and ended up buying new. The used prices were ridiculous.

We are a one car household that doesn't drive a great deal; less than 10k a year even before the pandemic. However, we are expecting a second child in late May, which greatly increase our desire to have a second vehicle. Absent the pandemic used car price spike, I likely would have sought out used minivan, because two car seats means that we couldn't accommodate any other passengers, beyond the family. And minivan would be helpful for the occasional moving of large objects. We don't have a real need for the towing/off-road capacity of an SUV, so the slightly better fuel economy of the minivan seems to win out. And a relatively new used vehicle seemed to make sense as it would offer the reliability we desire with a more affordable price. Also, purchasing new seemed unwise because young children are not kind to a vehicle's interior and we tend to be reasonably frugal about replacing a vehicles. If we bought something new, we would probably look to drive in for at least 10 years. But used car prices are crazy right now. Our 2014 Corolla is being valued at roughly what we paid for it new.

So, what would you advise? Just bite the bullet and buy something new? Same idea, but used? Lease something until the madness ends? Buy a very cheap used car to use as a stop gap?