Accord vs Civic

Drewsifer wrote: I've checked a few other forums (Honda-tech and the like) and more than a few people have said they had no issues getting a baby seat in the Civic.

Getting a baby seat into a Civic isn't an issue. Getting a two year old into that seat will be a problem. It's hard to lift them in without snapping off their little legs on the front seats.

And I have to agree with Bravenrace, sometimes it is much easier to get them into the back seat of a two door. You're reaching back into the car, rather than across. It's much easier on your back.

I can honestly say there is more room in the back of an EK Civic then a lot of newer cars (Volvo S60 comes to mind).

Get the biggest car you can afford, especially if she's planning on more kids. We have three and the turbobrick isn't even big enough for that nonsense.

bravenrace wrote: I'm going to give you a piece of advice that goes against conventional wisdom. Get a two door, not a 4 door. I have twin boys. When they were small, we had a '94 4 door Integra and an '89 Civic hatchback. You have to lift kids higher to get them over the side of the carseat than you do to put them in from the front of the carseat. You also have to hold them in an awkward way. I have a really bad back, and to put them in from the side also has more of a cantilever effect than from the front. I found it MUCH easier to put them in my Civic than the Integra. Just flip the front seat forward, Grab them under the armpits, step into the back and plop the kid down. It's even easier to strap them in from the front. Think about it.

Depends on the specific car, but you'd be surprised how often a two door is actually handier than a four door when kids are involved.

My '80 Supra was freaking worthless as a family hauler, except for the junk under the hatch. It was virtually impossible to get the kids in and out of the back seat.

Before I made a long drive for nothing, I cruised local lots to find similar models. I liked the size of the Accord. And I found a better equipped manual Accord near me (power windows and what not). Only thing is it had 188k miles, and the interior was looking rather tired.

I found a Focus wagon (automatic) that also had a very worn interior and was awfully noisy.

Shopping for a good commuter car is a lot harder than I thought.