What are the coolest mom-cars?

September 29, 2023 8:39 PM

Given my lifestyle, what used car should I buy?

This is what's important to me, in order of importance:

1. Safe
I have two young kids, so safety is super important.
My driving is 80% city traffic, 20% highway trips.
Large enough to be safe for passengers, not so large it's a menace to pedestrians.

2. Economical
Budget is $15,000 to $20,000, buying used, from an individual, and paying with cash.
Good gas mileage is important.
Reliable and affordable to repair

3. Practical
Must hold a ton (furniture, luggage, etc)
I have enjoyed driving a hatchback... I'm considering a small SUV this time.
Not too large - must be easy to park on the street.
Gas and Hybrid are both fine, although I only use 1-2 tanks of gas a month, so I don't really drive enough to need a hybrid. Open to a hybrid if it's the right match and price though!

4. Style
I like a vibe that's artsy, urban, practical.
A bit quirky is good, but still mature.
I need my car to convey some coolness & gravitas for work.
I like Japanese cars - so reliable! so safe! so good on gas!

What cars should I consider? Thanks!

posted by nouvelle-personne to Travel & Transportation (26 answers total)

I feel like the Mazda CX-5 was designed explicitly for this niche.
posted by Miko at 9:03 PM on September 29, 2023 [10 favorites]

You just described a Mazda CX-5. It is absolutely stupid good at being everything you want.

Source: Mazda CX-5 owner and, apparently, acolyte.
posted by Snarl Furillo at 9:36 PM on September 29, 2023 [5 favorites]

+1 CX-5
posted by armoir from antproof case at 10:09 PM on September 29, 2023

Honda Odyssey. Such a cool vehicle. Can configure the seats in several different ways. We often remove one middle row seat for a sort mud room, to throw backpacks, coats, etc. it’s nice when visitors come visit. Can flatten all the seats and camp in it or haul stuff. Can carry 5 or 6 kids.
posted by at at 10:21 PM on September 29, 2023 [5 favorites]

I'm a fan of my Honda HR-V. I used to have the 2019 and now I lease a 2023. I actually prefer the body size and style of the 2019, though the interior of the 2023 does have it beat. Safe, reliable, and can fit a surprising amount of stuff in it too. But my partner drives a Mazda and loves it, so count that in the Mazda column. Pretty sure it's a CX-5 but I'm terrible at remembering car models.
posted by Molasses808 at 10:27 PM on September 29, 2023 [2 favorites]

Love my Toyota RAV4 hybrid for myself and my husband. Excellent gas mileage, runs silent and well, parks anywhere. Great in city or highway.
But we almost got a great deal on another Honda Odyssey. The 2002 is currently in the driveway as storage until the sweet husband can get time and parts to repair it.
It's a beast, great for long road trips with family and friends. Also, decent gas mileage for what it is.
With a couple of children and a future of hauling them, their friends and all their equipment (music, sports, camping, etc) I would get another Honda SUV.
Definitely get a model with the removable second row seats. The Toyota Sienna has a new hybrid that also changed some of the previous selling points. So sad.
posted by TrishaU at 1:55 AM on September 30, 2023 [1 favorite]

I have three kids so it’s a tight fit, but have had the CX5 since 2016 in an urban setting, and love that it fits a good amount but is practical for parking..
posted by BundleOfHers at 6:03 AM on September 30, 2023

Around here, the Subaru Outback is the near-universal car for this (plus the Subaru Ascent for people who need even more space). They hold their value, though, so you might find better used deals on some of the other cars people are suggesting.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:14 AM on September 30, 2023 [1 favorite]

I went from a Prius to a Prius V. It's comfortable, safe, holds tons o0f stuff - pallets, camping gear, whatever, and gets excellent mileage. Pleasant to drive, plenty of power. Climate Crisis has arrived, go hybrid or electric as soon as you can. Using less fossil fuel is cool.
posted by theora55 at 7:18 AM on September 30, 2023 [2 favorites]

I looked at a ton of the small SUVs the last time I bought a car and the CRV has the best back seat for passengers. This may not matter if you have only small children in the back but some of these cars have very tight back seats.
posted by jeoc at 7:29 AM on September 30, 2023

Mazda CX30 definitely worth a look. Super driver, holds a good bit, very safe. Smaller than Mazda CX5.
posted by jcworth at 9:18 AM on September 30, 2023 [1 favorite]

The usual answer is the nicest CR-V/RAV-4 you can find. Other possibilities:

A Subaru Forester/Outback that's old enough to not have a CVT

A Mazda CX in the size of your choice

A Lexus RX, a RAV-4 with some gravitas that's probably been babied by its previous owner(s) (preferably not more than two)

A Kia Sportage/Hyundai Tucson. I know you said Japanese, but the South Koreans are closing in on 'em. A Kia Soul, if you find them

Of the Japanese manufacturers, I would not recommend Nissan, Infiniti, or (especially not) Mitsubishi. If economical, reliable, and affordable to repair are important, I would not recommend VW/Audi/BMW/Mercedes/Land Rover.
posted by box at 10:39 AM on September 30, 2023 [1 favorite]

I love my Honda CR-V. I have the hybrid and a close friend has the regular model - both are really fun to drive and hold a lot of stuff. I was torn between the CR-V and the Mazda CX-5 and ended up with the Honda because (IIRC) it has more storage space. And I personally really like the way Hondas feel in terms of interior materials and layout.
posted by neushoorn at 10:58 AM on September 30, 2023

A Kia Soul, if you find them

That was supposed to be something like 'A Kia Soul, if you find them quirky instead of ugly'
posted by box at 11:12 AM on September 30, 2023

Practically a car is almost always equal or superior to any suv in an urban space, from cost of ownership to safety, handling and parking. Except for how high up in traffic it feels, cars are tops. Even usable storage space on most small SUV/CUV/CRAP is generally not better than a regular car, unless you want to hassle with seats that don't even fold flat. The CRV and Rav4 are both about a meter deep and 1.3 meters wide before items will need to be stacked up. The trunk of a Toyota Camry, or the Civic sedan are also about a meter deep and 1/3 meters wide.

Focus on what you actually need every day and get something that is the best at that, even if it doesn't check everything else. Remember, if you actually have an edge situation, like moving furniture, just rent a proper solution. Or if hauling furniture is a regular thing then get a minivan. My Honda one is lovely, the camera makes parking easy. Still big though. Cooler than an suv, but that's the lowest bar of cool.

The coolest mature mom-car would be a current gen Camry or a Honda Accord. Right now the Camry looks cooler. A Lexus IS is in your budget, but those are a bit smaller, with a bit less room in the back seat and trunk, but very nice. Acura has the ILX, which is reliable, but not as nice as the IS, and I think not as quite as cool.

However. For an actually cool urban ride I would suggest a second gen Dodge Challenger. With the V6. No, it's not quite as reliable as the other cars I've listed, but the reliability isn't terrible. Interior isn't posh like the Lexus or even the Mazda. It's fine. It's only got two doors. Quirky! There's even a lovely purple edition that reminds me of Prince.

But go actually drive one, roll out with the windows down and your music up. Because a Challenger is properly cool. And still a practical means of transportation, unlike its pony car peers, or its high-strung sporty competition. If the number of doors is the issue then the same car is available with four doors under the Charger nameplate. But 2 doors is cooler.
posted by zenon at 11:46 AM on September 30, 2023 [1 favorite]

When I was looking at RAV-4s last year I ended up on the Lexus NX (not the RX, which is bigger). The NX is more RAV-4 size (comparing it to a friend's similar MY RAV-4) and is basically that car in a fancy suit (and with a turbo, which means you have to pay attention to doing the oil changes in it on a regular basis) and for less money usually since people only really think of the ES, IS, and RX and not the other models. I got the 200t, which is a regular gas engine one; the 300 is the same except hybrid. They basically didn't change this thing from 2014-2021.

I would not recommend a Kia or Hyundai mainly due to the whole getting stolen all the time thing. (This is how I ended up in the NX - my Elantra got stolen and totaled due to the whole "Kia boyz" thing.) If you do get one, make sure it has push-button start and that your insurance will cover it. The Soul is a good car, though, and pretty cavernous - a buddy of mine is a properly large person and fits in it just fine, which is amazing for a small car - and reliable if maintained properly.
posted by mrg at 11:52 AM on September 30, 2023

My brother has a Subaru CrossTrek which is a small SUV. It's the only SUV size I would consider, personally. The thing rides very nicely, and it doesn't feel like driving a tank. I'm not an SUV fan, but his CrossTrek is a good option for you, I believe.
posted by SoberHighland at 11:58 AM on September 30, 2023

Just realized my other brother has a Mazda CX-5 and he loves it. It's a little closer to a station wagon than an SUV. Caveat: he has told me it will not fit 2 adult bicycles even with front wheels removed. It's not a massive hauling cargo vehicle but he loves his. He lives in a very snowy rural area and he says with all-season tires it handles bad weather very well.

I know Metafilter is generally anti-SUV (and so am I), but my wife and I have needs similar to yours. We've had a 4 door sedan for years, but the back seats rarely ever get used. I'd prefer a hatchback, a station wagon, or a small, small SUV for our next vehicle. Really wish hatchbacks were more readily available in a wider array of makes and models.
posted by SoberHighland at 12:04 PM on September 30, 2023 [2 favorites]

I drive a Volkswagen Golf, and LOVE it for city life. Small footprint that’s easy to park, and a comical amount of space when the back seats are folded down. It can easily fit 2 adult bikes inside with the front wheel off, and can fit one adult bike without the wheel removed. Friends who’ve sat in the back seat usually comment on how much more room there is than they were expecting.
It’s just on the edge of your budget range, but it truly is the best car. Mine is a 2016, so far it’s needed no repairs, and I plan to drive it til the wheels fall off.

Funny anecdote: a couple friends of mine from London informed me that it is one of the quintessential “Mom Cars” there precisely because it’s tiny and great for city driving, AND, like the Tardis, so much bigger on the inside.
posted by JuliaIglesias at 12:30 PM on September 30, 2023

Kia Niro.
posted by joycehealy at 1:34 PM on September 30, 2023 [1 favorite]

Unfortunately, that's a tough mixture of criterion: a cool, economical (good mpg), reliable, kid and luggage/furniture hauler. Cool to me means not everyone and their neighbor has one; doesn't mean it's seriously uncool if it's popular, just that it's not cool. If we scratch the mpg requirement to a certain degree a used Lexus GX or LS are seriously cool and as reliable as it gets (the V8) versions. The GX can haul tons of stuff. I'm sorry the RX is not cool, it's the most middle of the road boring thing with silly eyelash window designs in some years. Very reliable and a great car, but uncool. The Rav4 is much cooler (better styling), but be wary of the first two years of the current generation as there is some reliability concerns. Subarus are great, but the ones that are cool don't fit your practicality requirements (WRX, Crosstrek). The Honda Fit and HRV are maybe kinda cool, but do have very cool interior folding capabilities.

My recommendation would be a used previous generation Toyota Highlander with the 3.5L (engine is widely used in the last generation of Yotas and is bombproof). It's super spacious, reliable, not bad on gas. My second recommendation would be a Honda Pilot. I'm not as familiar with the years and reliability, but I definitely prefer the original boxy exterior styling and the current generation exterior styling. The middle generation was just an ugly blob, like all of Honda's SUVs at the time.

Once you narrow your selection down, I'd recommend joining different owners clubs on Facebook or Reddit to figure out any reliability issues associated with particular years.
posted by galennaklar at 1:54 PM on September 30, 2023

Plus one for the Honda Odyssey. It makes life with kids so much easier. You can carpool with other families and then drive less! You can bring the grandparents and the kids all together in one car! You can pick everything up at IKEA in one trip! Honestly, we drove a sedan before and the Odyssey has literally changed our lives. We're just a much happier, calmer family now. And for safety, it is apparently the case that no one has ever died in one due to a car accident. This provides a lot of peace of mind when there are crazy drivers near you and your kids are in the car.
posted by luckdragon at 5:20 PM on September 30, 2023 [2 favorites]

he has told me it will not fit 2 adult bicycles even with front wheels removed.

We have put 2 adult bicycles in our CX-5, with the rear seats folded down, without removing the seats.
posted by Miko at 7:06 PM on September 30, 2023

Are you planning to keep this car through most of your current kids' adolescence? Is there risk of a third kid? Are your two kids showing signs of being Sporty? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, get a minivan. Nothing else does what they do. Don't be tempted by minivan-sized suvs; they're just minivans that are bad at being minivans and are just as much uncool mom-mobiles as minivans.

If you won't need that much space, just get another hatchback. If you need to move a bed or something you can always rent a pickup from home despot for a couple hours. I'll agree with juliaiglesias that if you want to be *cool*, your answer is a Golf. Or, if you're willing to drive stick, a GTI. Golf Rs will presumably remain outside your price range.

Honestly if you're willing to occasionally rent a pickup to move furniture you might look at not-tiny-compact sedans. Our 22 WRX has a ton of room in the trunk for groceries and luggage and so on; it just wouldn't be good for non-flat-pack furniture. Personally I would not touch a used WRX even with somebody else's ten-foot pole. But in a similar vein, an Elantra N, the aforementioned Challenger, etc. Maybe a Kia Stinger? Jetta GLI?
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 5:24 AM on October 1, 2023 [3 favorites]

I'd recommend a station wagon but they're no longer cool or even really manufactured in the US. Only a little longer than a normal sedan or hatchback with way more space in the trunk! I was a very happy VW Golf wagon owner right up until we had four children (up from two) to deal with and so I've moved on to the Odyssey. Don't get me wrong, I love the van, but it's not a small car and it doesn't feel like it either. With your budget, you're probably buying a few generations back and I'm pretty sure they're smaller than the current iteration. My parents had one when I was a kid and it was a great kid-hauler back then too!
posted by Brassica oleracea at 12:30 PM on October 1, 2023 [1 favorite]

Minivan! Minivan! Minivan! I love my Toyota Sienna, but other minivans have their good qualities. They're fine for city driving, they're not so bloated that you don't see pedestrians, you can haul all kinds of stuff, you can sleep in the way back if you're camping and one of your kids hears there are bears and is too afraid to sleep in the tent, the back can hold a sheet of plywood.

SUVs are the worst of both worlds: not as practical as a minivan, not as nimble as a car.
posted by The corpse in the library at 3:02 PM on October 2, 2023