I'd consider a minivan before an SUV. You get more for your money in mpg, storage, and safety.

You could buy a used Sedan and the money you save on gas, insurance and cost of the car itself you could rent a van for the twice a year you actually need to fit more people in one car.

We got by just fine with 2 kids in a station wagon, and a cargo box (for long trips)!

We are city-based with one sedan and will stay that way for a bit after the birth of our first child in June. However we plan to move out of the city within the year and will get a 3 row SUV as our second car. My SIL (with one toddler and a large dog) adores her Toyota Highlander. And we've thought it was great whenever we visit and can all go out in one vehicle. And my sister loves her Honda Pilot for carting around her teens so we plan to look into both options. I say, unless you prefer to upgrade cars every 3-4 years, just invest now. We probably won't use our third row a ton with 1 kid but will hope to keep the SUV at least 8 years before upgrading.

OP here -- thanks for all the helpful replies! Sounds like we can get away with 2 rows (even when planning on having another kid in the near future), but 3 rows is nice to have for the extra space and occasions when you want to pile lots of extended family into the car. I'm leaning toward doing a used 2-row car for now to save some serious $$ now, and then maybe do the upgrade a few years down the road if/when we're thinking about #3. Much appreciated

We have two kids and a 2-row SUV, and it has been fine. (With the third kid, we'll need a bigger car, but that might not apply to you.) We also have a 50-lb dog, but the kids are only 2 and 4 at this point.

We have 2 kids and use the 3rd row when we carpool (seldom) and when relatives visit and we all want to go to dinner in the same car. Not often.

Anonymous wrote:For the Love of God....You are having one child and you want to know if you need 3 rows and an SUV? Do you need an SUV?
I have a Honda Pilot because I have 2 large dogs and one child. If i just had once child I would have a much smaller car. DW who never transports the dogs has a small sedan and has always managed to fit the kid in plus her stuff.

Your reply was obnoxious. You could have stated the part in bold without your snotty intro.

One of our deciding factors on a two-row when we were car shopping was realizing that the third row in most SUVs is pretty cramped and uncomfortable and when up, leaves you with almost no trunk/cargo space. So we figured if we'd have it folded down 90% of the year, what was the point of owning a 3-row car. Cargo space was most important to us. But even then, we ended up with a Subaru Outback (more cargo space than some SUVs) and love it. We have no qualms about needing more space. It is true that for a family vacation it can be tight. But we figured for the once or twice a year when we packed the car totally full, we can use a cargo rack on the roof.

For the Love of God....You are having one child and you want to know if you need 3 rows and an SUV? Do you need an SUV?
I have a Honda Pilot because I have 2 large dogs and one child. If i just had once child I would have a much smaller car. DW who never transports the dogs has a small sedan and has always managed to fit the kid in plus her stuff.

We had an Edge (2 row) for the first year and half and had no issue. We got an Explorer (3 row) still with one child and have only used the 3rd row once when we piled in 4 adults and 3 kids in car seats to go to Zoo Lights. We are planning on #2 now and if I still had the Edge I wouldn't get a bigger car. You would be fine with a 2 row. The 3rd row is only helpful if you need to put a lot of people in a car and to be honest, you never really HAVE to.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Two row ones often have very limited cargo space. I have a three row one, with the third row always down.

+1. A 3 row SUV really means a kid row and room for their stuff

Go big and don't look back. You'll need it. Love my Yukon XL with three kids and constant sports and carpooling, weekends away etc.

Anonymous wrote:Two row ones often have very limited cargo space. I have a three row one, with the third row always down.

+1. A 3 row SUV really means a kid row and room for their stuff

Two row ones often have very limited cargo space. I have a three row one, with the third row always down.

Thoughts on when we'll actually need a 3-row car/van as a family? Looking at new cars, and can't decide if we can wait a few years for the 3-row car and get by with a 2-row SUV for now. This is our first child, but we do hope to have another in the next two years. Also, any feedback on cars moms LOVE is much appreciated. We are not looking for a luxury vehicle.