Not a mom but female. I have a Mercury Mariner that I love. Supposedly designed for women, not sure what that means but I do like it. Big enough to haul stuff around but not too big.

I'll give it a look. Many thanks...

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Lifeguard: "Do you need help?" Me: "No, that's just my butterfly."

Really? She has *no* ideas about what she likes or doesn't? Hmm.. maybe browse thru some car websites with her to get some ideas.

I personally drive a station wagon (A4 wagon) but did have an A3 hatchback before that. Super sporty, great car. I get the sense you prefer domestic, that's OK too. Lots of good options these days. If I had to buy something domestic tho, I personally like the Ford Flex. I don't know why - maybe it's that feel of a retro board wagon... but that maybe too big. I'd stick with Ford, they are finally making some great cars. The Fusion is quite good, and I'm told the Edge is similar in finish...

Good luck tho, it can be a challenge!

AP

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"How bad could it be?" - SimpleS

Well, she does point out cars she likes as we drive...

Just took your advice and we looked at cars.com and carmax. She's starting to converge on a Nissan Murano, or a "cute" BMW or Lexus.

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Lifeguard: "Do you need help?" Me: "No, that's just my butterfly."

My mom has a CRV that I steal for various reasons all the time (I drive a GTI so whenever I wanted to haul my bike around, etc), and it's AWESOME. It drives great, it's been low-maintenance, great on gas and low-cost. The family couldn't have been much happier with the purchase.

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I know I'm promiscuous, but in a classy way

We have a Murano and LOVE it. I've driven that thing back and forth between Seattle and Western Wyoming countless times in both summer and winter (over some really nasty winter mountain passes!) and never had a problem with it. We also have a Subaru Outback which I love. The fact that Subarus consistently get 5star crash ratings on all safety testing is really important to me. At the end of the day if some yahoo crashes into me while texting their BFF I want to know that I and all people/animals in my Subaru will walk away. The fact that we bought the Subaru used from the US Ski team helps with the "cool" factor.

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http://smallfoodbiz.com
</blatent self-marketing>

mmm yeah the 1 series is pretty nice... avoid Lexus - overpriced Toyotas really.

Muranos are OK, not my fave, I'd prefer an Altima or a Pathfinder to a Murano, but that's me, and I have to haul bike and fishin gear and similar on many occasions... ;-)

AP

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"How bad could it be?" - SimpleS

I have an Audi A3 that is pretty fun to drive, it's small though and tough to fit everything in for a weekend away for more than 2 people.

Yes it is, which is why we traded it for the A4 wagon - still 2.0L Turbo, 6sp manual. It drives almost the same as the A3, I shit you not. I drove the 2008 A3 6sp 2.0T, the A4 wagon 2.0T 6sp and the A6 wagon tiptronic auto to Monty's from BC (about 20hr of hwy driving), and the A3 and the A4 wagon were virtually identical.

So if you like Audis but want more space that A4 wagon is a nice choice, price point the same or better compared to A3s.

Also: I;d like to add that you have phenomenal taste in cars ;-)

AP

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"How bad could it be?" - SimpleS

Ford Edge or Ford Escape Hybrid

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my support:

Pacific Multisport

All your suggestions have been great, they really accelerated a passive search to something much more active. It now looks like my wife is circling around a Lincoln MKX which is shaping up to be a nice compromise between the Ford Edge and a BMW! I predict the mini van won't continue to be in the TriHard garage for too much longer.

If I time it right, I could make it a Christmas gift, couldn't I...?

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Lifeguard: "Do you need help?" Me: "No, that's just my butterfly."

What is the price range you are looking for?

Q5, XC60, X3 price range?

you also have the mini club, the A3, etc...

Fred.

Throwing in Acura too - MDX or RDX, which is a little smaller. I drive an MDX and love it.

Honda Element. I will always recommend that car because I am totally in love with mine. Not a luxury vehicle, more of a capable one, but it is great for hauling stuff around, drives well (the new ones) and gets good gas milage. It is AWD so we can get around in the snow and I have taken it on many road trips, including using it as a crew vehicle for Ultraman Canada, and it has held up great.

If she is looking for luxury, can't help ya there. Luxury has never been in our budget :-)

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce

My wife really likes her BMW M roadster. You did say that your kids now drive.

http://www.google.com/...&ved=0CA4Q9QEwAQ

A3's too small - I speak as a former owner and mom. AWESOME to drive but... alas... I still miss Spanky...

AP

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"How bad could it be?" - SimpleS

High school kids? Driving??

Sounds like you're in the luxurious beginnings of freedom. And you need to celebrate. WITH THIS :


The gorgeous, fantastic, AMAZING, I would trade my bicycles in for it, Lotus Elise. Nothing says "I'm the most badass mom on the block" like 0-60 in 4.9s. And, BONUS: I've seen them for just a hair under $40k.

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MS: Exercise Science
Your speed matters a lot, sometimes you need to be very fast, where sometimes you need to breakdown your speed.

My wife has an Audi S4, goes well and not too big and its a nice blue colour :)

I just got a Mercedes B200 and love love love it. Lots of room to easily put my bike in the back with the seats down. It even came with an interior bike rack that I will use when I go on the highway.

It has tons of room for a Costco run!

It's front wheel drive so it is really easy to park and it drives well in the snow.

It has cloth seats which my kids love - they hated the leather seats I had on my C-class because they were always too hot or too cold.

It feels much bigger inside than my C-class did but it is actually smaller on the exterior as it takes up less room in the garage.

It is only a 4-cylinder so it is great on gas!