Anonymous wrote: what age do kids typically start sitting in the front passenger seat?

It's recommended not to do so until at least 13.

http://www.thecarcrashdetective.com/2017/05/safe-legal-elementary-front-seat.html/

I recommend the minivan. We have two kids. My kids are small and my youngest (12) cannot sit in the front. We are always carpooling and since I work, I love to be able to drive everyone when I can, then ask for favors when I need them. If i'm driving, I often take 4 or 5 kids, some big enough to sit in the front. Carpools aren't required, but they are great for the parents and really limit how much driving I have to do. I also can work more because i'm not always driving.

I know a mom with a mini cooper and two kids and it's always a pain when she says she can't take all the kids home that I drove TO practice. The kids love it too - we always have room for their friends or cousins to come with us in the car and it's great for the annual beach vacation. Yes, I know it's kind of ugly but I think it's so convenient.

I have an outback with 2 kids now (3.5 and 6m). Both are rear facing, the oldest in a diono rainier and we can still fit in the front seat (we are both over 6'). I am pretty slim but I am able to sit in the middle between the kids, but it would be uncomfortable for a long ride.

The forester is closer in size to our CRV, which is noticeably tighter than the outback. I can't sit in the front seat with the rear facing Diono.

We have two kids, two years apart, and two sedans. No regrets. I can't drive the whole Girl Scout troop somewhere, but I don't really want to. For ordinary carpooling, we've always had enough space.

Somewhat off topic, but who here who doesn't own a minivan actually likes and is looking forward to owning a minivan. Count me in as that camp. I actually like the idea of driving a vehicle that feels like a party van, plus the convenience of sliding door is unparalleled!

Do not at all regret not getting a minivan. I cannot fathom driving one for every-day use. We have two kids two years' apart have had no problem with two sedans.

We have two kids. I regret not having a minivan every time grandma and grandpa come to visit because we have to take two cars to go anywhere.

Anonymous wrote:Get the third row. We have a 9 and 11 year old. We started car pooling to their activities years ago. Without a third row, we couldn't do it unless we brought only one extra child. A third row meant things like:

--I drive once every fourth baseball practice

--I drive once a month to the early morning running club. Three other moms drive the other times per month.

That said, the trunk space isn't great. We have a highlander. Love it.

We also have the highlander with captain chairs in the second row for easy access to the 3rd row. It works perfectly for our two kid family that car pools frequently.

Would you consider a Ford Flex? It has a third row but isn't a minivan or an SUV.

We are having this debate now. We only have one car that is 18 years old and I am OVER having no room. I think we are leaning towards a minivan not only because we have family that visit often (and I am tired of renting a car) but because we do a lot of home projects, gardening, etc and my kids are tired of holding plants on there laps or me playing Tetris trying to show IKEA furniture into my itty bitty corolla.

Anonymous wrote:OP here-

Thanks for everyone's responses. A couple of points/questions:

-I'm not interested in getting an SUV with a third row (prefer a mini-van to that) so it really is between a mini-van and subaru.

-The carpool scenario is what is tripping me up here. I work part-time but would be available in the afternoons.

-At what age do kids typically start sitting in the front passenger seat?

-The poster who mentioned an elderly parent makes an interesting point. My parents are in there early 70s and at the moment are in great shape. But I wonder if in 5+ years I'd prefer the ability to have extra seating for them when they visit....

-The carpool scenario is what is tripping me up here. I work part-time but would be available in the afternoons. I have 4 kids and find I carpool a lot less than my parents did when I was a kid. The activities my kids are involved in--there aren't always other kids from our neighborhood on the same team/in the same class, etc.

-At what age do kids typically start sitting in the front passenger seat? 13

-The poster who mentioned an elderly parent makes an interesting point. My parents are in there early 70s and at the moment are in great shape. But I wonder if in 5+ years I'd prefer the ability to have extra seating for them when they visit....
How often do they visit? Would it be easier to rent a minivan during their visits?

Anonymous wrote:OP here-

Thanks for everyone's responses. A couple of points/questions:

-I'm not interested in getting an SUV with a third row (prefer a mini-van to that) so it really is between a mini-van and subaru.

-The carpool scenario is what is tripping me up here. I work part-time but would be available in the afternoons.

-At what age do kids typically start sitting in the front passenger seat?

-The poster who mentioned an elderly parent makes an interesting point. My parents are in there early 70s and at the moment are in great shape. But I wonder if in 5+ years I'd prefer the ability to have extra seating for them when they visit....

It is good to have extra seating available for when guests visit. Yes.

OP here-

Thanks for everyone's responses. A couple of points/questions:

-I'm not interested in getting an SUV with a third row (prefer a mini-van to that) so it really is between a mini-van and subaru.

-The carpool scenario is what is tripping me up here. I work part-time but would be available in the afternoons.

-At what age do kids typically start sitting in the front passenger seat?

-The poster who mentioned an elderly parent makes an interesting point. My parents are in there early 70s and at the moment are in great shape. But I wonder if in 5+ years I'd prefer the ability to have extra seating for them when they visit....

We really didn't do a ton of carpooling but there were times when it was nice to be able to fit extra people (family/friends) into the mini van.

Back when we used to go on family vacations, it was nice to have room for our luggage + kids + dogs in crates. We still have a mini van and it still comes in handy for extra passengers and hauling things home from the hardware store.

We could have gotten by w/o a mini van but it has made life easier.

We have two sedans. The kids are 9 and 6 and we definitely don't regret not having a minivan. Quite the opposite actually- we were out of town recently and ended up renting a minivan and couldn't wait to get rid of it. I can't imagine having to drive one every day, way too big for me.