We spent the weekend test-driving cars because I either need to spend a small fortune repairing my current one so that I don't die from carbon monoxide poisoning, or I need to replace it. Given that my car is 9 years old and has been having more and more frequent and expensive issues, I have opted to ditch it and buy a new (to me) one. I have a thing for station wagons, what can I say, I like to haul stuff. I'd like to upgrade to all wheel drive and the options for wagons in my price range are limited (I know there are a bazillion of them on the road, but I didn't love the Out6@ck I tried). Oh, Toyota, why can't you bring back the Corolla wagon, circa 1982?
Anyhow, we decided to expand our options and looked at small crossover SUVs since they are really just station wagons with a few more inches of head room. As the sales people went through the features, they inevitably asked if we were planning to expand our family, and then went on to talk about car seat tethers etc. Now, while we want to expand our family, given our ages and medical issues, the odds are pretty even that we won't. So, do I buy a car with good child seating options or not? If I choose the car with the most child-friendly features and we don't end up with a baby in a year will the damn car be a constant reminder of our fertility journey?
It's a decision that is requiring a certain leap of faith, at least on my part. Since we're unlikely to have our parental status decided by a spontaneous pregnancy, we've already had to put our desire to be parents out there by pursuing ART and, in doing so, putting metamorphic neon signs above our heads that scream "We're Trying to Have a Baby" to innumerable doctors, nurses, receptionists and insurance companies. It's just a little bit scary, declaring my intentions and being unsure of my body's ability to deliver on them. So, while I'm much more comfortable standing securely on the edge, peering over to observe danger from afar, leap I will.
Besides, I have to think of the resale value.
I went through the same car shopping dilemma about six months ago. You can read about how I made my decision on this post titled Car Shop. I didn't like the Outback wagon either. I ended up buying a 2005 Toyota Rav4, which I love, but I had a RAV previously. The nice thing about this version of the RAV is that you can take the seats out of the back if you need to haul stuff. The 2006-2009 models are even roomier, but I didn't want a car that big. Plus, I wanted a stick, and you can't get a manual RAV past 2005.
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