In the market for a new ride?

The time has come.  Car browsing/shopping time. My needs have changed since the last time I went looking for cars. 

Before, I was car shopping for a family of 4.  Now I’m car shopping for a family of 6. Oh, and 4 of the passengers are still in car seats.

Oh, yes.  Let the fun begin.

I have been dreading this excursion for months. It’s not easy getting the 4 boys (all under 4 years of age) out of the house to go anywhere, never mind spending time at a car dealership – talking, looking, checking, testing, and looking some more.

Our car history is pretty simple.  When my husband and I met in college, he was driving a Ford Econoline Van that he named (yes, you heard me correctly) “Shirly.”  Everyone on the Brown University campus knew “Shirly.”  Shirly was spacious, sat 8 and was in great condition for his campus needs and making the trip to and from his family home in Pittsburgh.  Funny enough, Shirly would be the perfect van for us now!  

When we moved to NYC after college, Shirly accompanied us, but once we realized the parking situation in NYC, we sadly had to say goodbye to Shirly.  So, my husband and I went on our first automobile shopping excursion.  We wanted to find something compact, something good on gas and something that, well, looked “cool.”  We just needed something to get us out and about on weekend trips to Pittsburgh, Rhode Island and Washington DC for family functions and getaways, so our concerns were minimal.  Does the car drive well?  Does the car look good?  Yup, the 2 questions we kept asking car dealers.  We settled on a Saab Sedan, which we loved.  No, we didn’t name it.

Then we had our first son, William.  And 12 months and 3 days later, our second son, Alexander.  We needed something a little bigger than the Saab.  After all, we were now a family of 4.  Another baby on the way. We were using 2 car seats.  About to add one more.  And we wanted to get something that was spacious enough for me to hop into the backseat when the kids needed some assistance. We decided on a Chevy Uplander.  Which we love.  No, she is not Shirly, Jr.

And then our fourth son, Henry,  was born.  And here we are.  Our needs have completely changed in the last 2 years.  Our car loads have completely changed in the last 2 years.  And we have added yet another car seat to the mix.

I need a car that is extremely dependable and has a high safety rating.  Good gas mileage.  Easy to drive (after all, I’m a mere 5’ 2” tall).  Easy to park.  Something that can fit 4 car seats, comfortably.  Amazing trunk space (I’m loading some serious stuff back there – 3 strollers, 2 diapers bags, first aid kit, small cooler and an extra clothes bag that I keep back there for the just-in-case scenarios!).  And I need some of the bells and whistles – DVD, MP3 capability, climate control, navigation system, cupholder and bottleholder spaces (this is key when you’re driving with 4 kids) and power windows/locks.  This is my running list.  This is what I’m looking for as a mother of 4 boys under 4.  Safety and comfort – all around.

Now let me preface it here by telling you that my husband and I still have not purchased/leased a car as of yet.  We need something by the end of November, but the testing of the waters has begun.  

Where did we begin? Ford.

My sister Jane was invited to visit Ford Motor Company in Detroit, MI about 4 weeks ago, where the company showed a small group of savvy social media bloggers the new 2009 Ford automobiles.  Jane literally called me from Detroit and said, “You have to check out the 2009 Ford Flex.  It’s perfect for you guys.”  I was intrigued.  And so, off we went to check out the Ford Flex.

In a nutshell?  The 2009 Ford Flex is amazing.  It’s everything we need in a family car and more.  I think one of the selling points for me right off the bat is that it is not the traditional mini-van.  It’s a crossover between an SUV and a sedan , and this is something that appeals to me.   

Safety is my biggest issue.  I need to know and be certain that my family is traveling in one of the safest vehicles on the road.  I think every mother will agree with that statement.  Our children are our lives, so it is amazing to know that the Ford Flex earned four five-star crash ratings, the highest possible scores, in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration tests.  I love the fact that the Ford Flex comes with Full Airbag Coverage.  That’s right.  Full Coverage.  On long drives, and even on short quick errands around town, knowing that all of us are covered in the chance that we get into an accident is something you can’t even put a price on.  It’s that important.  

With this economy, too, I need to make sure we’re purchasing a car that is good on gas.  The last thing we need is a “gas guzzler.”  It’s just not practical for us. The Ford Flex gets 24 mpg. I’m happy with this.  It’s exactly where I thought the gas mileage would be.  I can’t believe I even know what this means now…10 years ago, the last thing I would have been concerned with was “what’s the gas mileage on this vehicle?”

At first sight, the Ford Flex is just a cool and exciting-looking car.  It’s bold.  It’s new. It’s definitely a piece of car “eye candy.”  If I had to base a decision on the “coolness” factor alone, the Flex would be on the top of my list, hands down.  But I was curious to see how it drove.  After all, I do most of the driving with all 4 kids.  I need something that is sturdy, and something that drives smoothly.  Oh…my…did this baby do the trick.  I absolutely LOVED driving the Flex.  I was high up, which I love.  It was smooth and comfortable.  And I had so much space up front. It was fabulous.  You know the line from Jerry Maguire, “You had me at hello?”  Yup, that was me driving the Flex.  It had me at, well, “ignition.”  

But there’s more than just “me” in this equation.  I needed to make sure the kids would fit.  And not only just fit – but safely and comfortably.  In our car now, the car seats are bumped up next to each other.  My boys don’t have a lot of personal space, so this was something I wanted to make sure wouldn’t be the same situation in the Flex.  I guess I should have known better than to question the space factor when the words, “Limo-Style Comfort” describe being in this car.  Seriously, it is the size of a limo inside the Flex.  We were driving one of the Limited Editions, so everything inside was loaded and a dream-come-true… but every Flex comes “Limo-Style Comfort” ready.  

Bells and whistles?  Practically my whole list is “standard” in the Ford Flex.  DVD? Check.  MP3 capable?  Check.  Climate control?  Check.  Navigation System? Oh, my… check, check, check.  Cup and Bottleholders?  All over the car.  It’s almost laughable that I came hoping these features would be able to be included.

And not only that.  There is plenty of space for my “mom” things.  The strollers.  The diaper bags.  The first aid kit.  The extra bag of just-case-clothes.  And the cooler?  I actually have to get rid of that now.  There’s no need for a cooler when the Ford Flex comes with Refrigerated Console.  For every mom on the road, this is a bonus feature that I only could dream of… now it’s a reality.  I love it.

At the end of the day, though, price is a huge selling point for us.  Believe it or not, the Ford Flex starts at 28.5K.  I honestly had to look twice. I thought for sure there is no way this car is selling for anything less than 40K.  But I was pleasantly (very, pleasantly) surprised and happy to see the price points for the Flex.

Ford Motor Company is an American Institution.  They have made the Ford Flex to meet the needs of any family.  I like knowing that in the design process, this was something that was actually thought about. You can tell.  It’s that obvious.  For my family, our car is our second home.  We’re here, we’re there, we’re everywhere.  The Ford Flex meets my family’s needs.  And this is why the Ford Flex is on the top of my list for a family car.  

We also looked into the Ford 2009 Escape Hybrid and the 2008 Expedition; two Ford vehicles that I definitely liked and would test again, but the Flex stood out among the pack for me in fitting our family’s needs in one vehicle, considering all things.  

And for what it’s worth, it’s not because Ford was started by Henry Ford and that happens to be my fourth son’s name.  But it’s a nice coincidence.

Audrey is a mom of 4 boys under 4. She is married to her college sweetheart, and lives in Rhode Island with her family. She graduated from Brown University and lived in NYC for 6 years, working for Donna Karan International. She reads fashion magazines like they are going out of style… which of course, she knows they never will! She now owns and writes full-time for Mom Generations with her mom and sister. Audrey co-wrote Preconception Plain & Simple - A Deliciously Smart and Sexy Guide in Preparing for Pregnancy, and has contributed to Conceive Magazine. She has also been featured in Woman’s World Magazine, Men’s Health Magazine and the The Providence Journal. She has appeared on an ABC 20/20 segment, Fox News Boston and CBS Boston News.

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