I have a dog who is a 55lb greyhound mix. Because of his build, he's taller than your average 55lb dog. He usually rides in the backseat of my wife's EP3 or sometimes the passenger seat of my S, but now I've also got a kid on the way. I have a general disdain for big SUVs and most small SUVs don't really have any more room than a mazda3 or a Focus. Ideally, I'd like to keep it smallish and fun to drive but I don't want to end up hating it because it's too small to carry a dog, baby, baby gear and two adults.

I don't have a specific budget but I'd like to keep it as cheap as possible and definitely less than 30k. AWD is a nice bonus but not 100% necessary.

Currently considering:

Mazdaspeed3
Honda Fit
WRX
Forester
Focus
Rav4 or CRV

Does anyone have one of these or something else for a family and like it (or dislike it)? Does anyone ride around with a dog in the back of their hatch? I'm not talking road trips, just to the park and stuff.

 

2 babies (1 human and 1 furry one)= Diaper bags, Stroller, Car seat and 1 dog seat.

You need a 2012 crv, :thumbup

Trunk- Stroller, Diapers, Bags, dog bowl, and food (maybe coolers to keep milk cool for long trips)
3rd row = dog
2nd row = mom and baby
1st row = daddy driving.

 

What I can tell you is your goona have a ton of baby shit and with a dog and the size of car seats all most all of those cars are gonna be too small unless your a short guy. If you want a fun car keep it or get a 4 seater fun car and a larger suv. I sold my s2000 got a 5.0 stang, ford sport track and the wife has a lexus 330. I would look at the ford edge, explorer, the mazda 5-7, lexus 330 or newer 350. Something like that, even a honda element would be good for a dog and kid.

 

Grand Caravan, make sure you get the fake wood paneling on it.

 

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RDX...




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4 door wrx sti, so when your alone you can have some fun

 

What I can tell you is your goona have a ton of baby shit and with a dog and the size of car seats all most all of those cars are gonna be too small unless your a short guy. If you want a fun car keep it or get a 4 seater fun car and a larger suv. I sold my s2000 got a 5.0 stang, ford sport track and the wife has a lexus 330. I would look at the ford edge, explorer, the mazda 5-7, lexus 330 or newer 350. Something like that, even a honda element would be good for a dog and kid.

 

out of the cars you have listed I would say the Mazdaspeed3. I would say the WRX wagon but goodluck finding a clean semi unmolested one with decent mileage. Honda Fit is actually a really nice car for what it is but, its very slow. on the bright side it does have more useable space the way the seats fold not only flat but, they fold the opposite way as well. The other 3 cars on your list are a little more useful but def not any fun to drive. Another car you could try and find is a Saab 9-2x. Its pretty much a WRX with a saab front end on it. Also There is the 4dr GTI's as well.

 

My friend just bought an A4 Avant and I think it's just about perfect except for the price. Why don't we have more wagons? Another friend has a new Outback and it's a good car but it just feels like a boat.

I honestly think I'd go mini-van before going big SUV, but I'm just not sure that one kid makes that a necessary leap.

The Ford Edge is an interesting suggestion, I'll add that to my list of cars to look at.

 

RDX or Pilot?