vehicle pinch

ayo!

wifey and i are expecting the twin invasion in january or early february.

she drives a saturn vue
i drive a nissan frontier 4 door\
our son will be 2 when they twins arrive (2 RF seats, 1 FF seat)

we know a bigger vehicle is NECESSARY for sanity and common sense, but we're kind of upside down on the loans
we owe about 6K on hers and about 3K on mine more than the vehicle is worth

any suggestions on how to get a new car when you owe more than the car is worth and cant really afford a 72 month/600 dollar a mo deal?

our "silver lining" thoughts are one RF in front, one adult in back in btwn one tod and one infant
but im not keen on a kid up front under any circumstances

in my truck we CAN fit all three back there, but how do you get the middle on out without a hernia?

 

Hmmmmmmm, no easy solution to that one unless you want to do it the way I did -- which I would not recommend. True story though. My mom was driving my 2005 Honda Accord while I was overseas. When I left her the car in 2006, it had 7000 miles on it. After two years with her in Houston, the car had 80,000 miles (I kid you not). Either way, I never considered selling it because I would have been upside down on it. Anyway, I was home in Texas for a visit and was backing out of my mom's akward driveway and I swiped the side of my car along the rear bumper of my stepdad's Ford F150. Literally, I took out the entire passenger side of the car (the F150 barely had a scratch). There were 3 of us in the car and I'm telling you that none of us heard a thing until it got all the way to the front bumper. Long story short, there was about $3000 worth of body damage done to the car, which the insurance was going to pay. Husband and I happened to be looking at cars suitable for the twins and were at a lexus dealership when I saw a nice used Lexus 400 that would be good for my mom. I asked the guy would he take an "as is trade" in for the accord. He said yes, offered me $8000 for the accord on trade in, the insurance company paid me $3000 for the damage and I ended up only $1200 upside down, which was well worth it to get the car out of my name; and my mom ended up with a Lexus. Turns out the car was worth more damaged. Who knew.

Soooo, my long-winded answer is, "not really", unless you want to tear up your car, which I dont think you do. :blink:

I would say try to buy used, but the reality is that it is often more expensive to finance a used car than it is a new car. In fact, thats the only reason why I ended up with a brand new car in the first place. It sounds like you may just have to make it work with the cars you have unless you can find someone to take over the payments on one of the other cars (like I did with my mom). You may be able to find someone who needs a car but doesnt have the credit for financing themselves or who only wants something temporary like a lease, but who does not want to enter into a lease agreement. Thats an option but it would have to be someone trustworthy as the car would still be in your name.

 

I have all 3 in the back of my ford explorer. I put my daughter in the middle who was almost 3 when the boys were born. Before I get out of the car, I turn around and unlatch my daughter and then get the boys out. While your babies are still in infant carriers, you can put your son in first and then load up the twins. I wish I had a minivan but can't afford it at the moment. Good luck- you'll figure it out!

 

I would not put one in the front seat under any circumstances. If you can, fit them all across the back seat. It'll be a pain, but they will be safe.

ETA: Also, it doesn't hurt to talk to the dealers about trade in value. We had to trade in my husband's Mustang that we were a little upside down on, and we just negotiated it with the dealer. Also, look at used cars. We got a 2005 minivan (in November 2007) with only 20K miles on it for only $17K (since it was fully loaded, that was more than $20K less than original MSRP and we have a very low car payment).

 

Honestly, I know this is not what you want to hear, but I think you should invest in narrow car seats and make it work until you can pay off your current loans. You CAN put 3 car seats in the back of almost any car - you'll need to buy narrow ones and get them professionally installed. Yes, I know this stinks, but your other option is to take on even more debt. DH and I are wrestling with similar issues (although we own our cars, we cannot buy a new one with cash, and we owe 8k from our last IVF cycle unless our insurance appeal gets approved). It stinks.

 

Jenn G with the saaaaaaaaave!

Im a HUGE logistics person and I couldnt fathom how to do three car seats and get the kids out without a backache!
THANK YOU!

and thanks for the other responses. where the hell do i go to look at JUST narrow car seats? and what if my kids huuuuuuuuuge?!

im ok with keeping the current vehicles, i just need further ammo to quell the wife's desire to immediately have the new mini van

although, weighing food and flip down dvd players, we definitively need the dvd players more.
stow and go vs. mortgage?
STOW AND GO YO!

 

LOL!!! That's hilarious. I have a similar passion about shoes . . . .

Although you say that now until you start having to pay that car note. Honestly, I dont think any bill offends me as much as a car payment. Giving that money away every month made me feel physically sick.

 

i learned after i got rid of my first car that a car is not an investment if it was made after 1995.

a car is an expense and im ok paying for one that runs quiet and has no mechanical problems (and in my imagination my standards include: many many many flip down dvd screens, biometric security, usb ports on every surface, floor warmers, a satellite for live baseball and football television, 14 year old scotch in the appropriate decanter &/or snifter and flux capacitors)