Going from SUV back to a car**update I got the car!!

My aunt went from a pick-up truck with an extended cab to a Buick sedan and she was very happy to be back in a car. (The switch to the truck was her DH's idea.) She referred to it as freeing herself from the beast.

I went from van to van to now a VW Jetta. It does take some getting used to, but I love it! We still have the van for my son to drive and when I "have" to drive it, I feel like I'm driving a bus!

I've driven back-to-back-to-back mini vans for eons. And usually either an SUV or truck as another option. I really like sitting higher in those vehicles. We still have an Impala that my husband drove for years and when I drive it, I really notice the lower vantage point. I prefer my van or his truck. I think my next vehicle will be a cross-over. I'm leaning toward the Chevy Equinox. I do NOT want to go back to lower-slung car.

I have always preferred cars. When my DD was born 4 years ago my DH convinced me to ditch my beloved Saab 9-3 for a VW Touraeg. I still think I would prefer to drive a car. I like the easier maneuverability and the pep. Next time I'm due for a car, I think I want a Volvo wagon. I also prefer to drive a stick shift but I think it's getting harder to find those. And the manual switch in some cars is not the same as a regular clutch.

I had an expedition for 13 years. Loved it, and if gas wasn't crazy may still have it. Anyways, I leased a Camry for three years. Loved it the first year. Then the second winter and third winter not so much. Never got stuck, just felt vulnerable. And very low to ground. I leased a Rav 4 a month ago, so far I like it. Not as high as my suv, but higher than car. I may keep this one after the lease is up...so far!

I have a Honda Pilot and DH has a Mercedes sedan ~ I hate riding for any length of time in his car as my back hurts after riding in it. I love my Pilot because it's more like sitting in a chair. Does that make sense?

I went from a Ford 4x4 ext cab long bed truck to a Subaru WRX. I really hated being so low but for commuting it was a difference of 18 mpg! I now drive a GMC Terrain which is a small SUV. It's more like a car then an SUV, but not low.

My dad has a Genesis and I have a Forester. My dad's car is definitely more comfortable to ride in. His seats are nice and they have hot and cold. His radio is good, etc. His car is heavy. Every time I have to steer, I fell like it is so "deliberate". It is a great car and is beautiful, etc. It is very heavy. I find my Forester kind of uncomfortable on my back, the back seats are tiny and I would like more truck space. Parking is wonderful. I can't rave about how easy it is to park forward and to back in. I could go for a crossover or another SUV. I am just not sure what, yet. If I feel the new Forester is big enough for what I think I want, I will get it.

DS has a sports car. His is a very nice car. Only grandchild on both sides of the family...gets whatever he wants.

In 1994 I got a Dodge Caravan. 

In 1999 I got a Chrysler Town and Country.

In 2005 I got a Chrysler Pacifica. 

In 2015 I got a Honda Civic EXL.  I spent 21 yrs driving a big vehicle.  (now granted, there are larger vehicles on the road)  I am so done driving a big vehicle.  I've been in my Civic since April and I'm still thrilled with it.  Great fuel efficiency, great turning radius, great visibility.  In my day to day driving, I've never come across something I was unable to do because my car was too small or uncomfortable.

There's one section of road near my house that I often have to drive over that is "bumpy"...and bumpy as in never noticing it with larger, heavier, higher vehicles...but I'll still take that 2 seconds of bumping with the small vehicle vs. going back to anything larger. 

I was also a little nervous about going down to a 4-cyl vehicle after driving a 6-cyl vehicle for more than 20 yrs.  With my Civic, even with the Econ button ON, I've never felt like I don't have the power to do what I need to do. 

So, so happy with my Civic. 

  When I was shopping for my Civic DH was a little concerned that I'd have a trunk and not a cargo area/hatch.  I told him that if HE wanted a cargo area/hatch, that he could choose that option in his next vehicle. 

I learned to drive in my dad's Suburban, and I had a ford mustang convertible as my first car although I still drove my dad's vehicle and a huge dump truck sized fuel truck at work at the airport. I traded in my convertible for a saturn sedan when I had to store my car in an open lot all year at school. 

As soon as I got married, I got a Jeep grand cherokee. I loved it, but dh talked me into a 2 wheel drive, then 6 months later we moved to Michigan. We traded for a Grand Prix that was a great ride until it got electrical issues and was exchanged for a Honda accord. Dh totaled it, and we got a great deal on a Volvo. 

We've had the Volvo s80 for 12 years now and just turned over 100k miles. Our only complaint is that it doesn't have much storage room. Dh likes to keep his golf clubs in the trunk. We've decided our next vehicle will be a Volvo crossover. Thankfully my mom still has a Jeep grand cherokee so we use hers when we need to move stuff around. My mom has a desk and a set of wood shutters that dh needs to go over and put in the jeep so she can give them to us. 

We do save enough gas in the sedan that it's not very expensive to rent a pickup when we need to move something like the washer and dryer we bought and other furniture.

I sold my BMW X5 SUV in March. Hubby told me to get a car, another SUV, whatever I wanted. I absolutely chose another SUV because I know I can't stand being on the ground. My girls each have cars, and I do not like driving them because they are too low for me. Always gotta have an SUV and be up (for me anyway).

I went from a Suburban to a Corolla years ago. Last year I swapped cars with a friend for a couple of weeks and drove her Odyssey around while she and her hubby road tripped in my Accord.

I loved the higher vantage point of the drivers seat in the Odyssey but I hated parking it, especially parallel parking it. That thing is a tank. I was happy to go back to my Accord, which is bigger than I need as it is.

What I wish they still made was the mini-minivan the size of the 1990s Odyssey. A nice high seat with good visibility (the downfall of most crossovers for me because I am short). Mazda5 is close to what I want except I'm a Toyota/Honda girl. My next car will probably be a rav4 or a CRV.

I went from a minivan to a Malibu. It *DID* feel lowslung, but then, so am I!

Also, the new bells and whistles kept me distracted from what I was first missing in visibility.

Now, I feel racy and young in my new car.

A few years ago, I went from a Pacifica to a sedan. I was so happy! I am the opposite of most people in that I hate sitting up high in a truck or SUV. I just feel like I am going to be pitched through the windshield in an accident. The only SUV that I could be talked into is a Volvo SC60.