Re: What to buy (rbjork)
Hi, and welcome to Swedespeed! The V70 and/or XC70 (isn't that what it's called now?) are nice options. I just checked out the new ones at the dealership last week when I was in for an oil change, and they're niiiice. Those integrated booster seats are trick! (If I had it to do over again, I'd have custom-ordered one for my S60.) They are <I>such</I> an elegant solution versus what's out there on the market today...gaudy and ill-fitting boosters with crappy padding. The Volvo integrated boosters look good, to boot! (I'm sure several others here will chime in saying the same...)<p>As for your "vehicular needs", if you've just got two little ones, and if the 5th and 6th passengers you're referring to are the in-laws and grandparents who only visit once every couple of months, then a Volvo <I>wagon</I> definitely ought to be on your must-see list. However, if you're carting around passengers 5 and 6 more than once a week, let's say, and they're not smallish adults or kids, then perhaps you <I>do</I> need more passenger-carrying capacity than the wagons have to offer. <p>It's funny, I've only got one kid, yet when I was car-shopping for the vehicle I had prior to this one I managed to convince myself that I needed all that space (in a minivan) just because both sets of grandparents came to town every couple of months, and it was nice for all of us to be able to go to dinner together in one car. However, in hindsight, I was toting around a lot of extra weight and size for 100% of my driving miles, which was a major inconvenience a lot of the time (parking, etc.) and a waste of gas. I truly only needed the ability to carry 6 on rare occasions, probably less than 1% of my driving miles. (Although I must admit, I *did* like sitting up high in traffic! Minivans and SUVs do have their perks.)<p>Ask yourself the same...do you truly want/need a larger SUV-like vehicle for the passenger carrying and cargo carrying (meaning the XC90 or other SUVs), or could a "normal-sized" car (in other words, one of the wagons, Volvo or otherwise) fit the bill? If a car would work, I'd look at the wagons. <p><b><i>WHY WAGONS?</i></b> They're far more maneuverable and predictable in emergency "avoidance" situations. They get better gas mileage. The stop quicker. And although I can't speak for the XC90 and its fit, finish, craftsmanship, and road manners, cars typically have better vehicle dynamic characteristics than SUVs. In my opinion, the level of refinement in cars in this segment tends to be higher than that of SUVs. (I suppose some will argue with this statement, but that's what I think.)<p>Wish I knew more about Saabs so I could compare and contrast their offerings versus Volvo's, but I don't. Maybe somebody else does?! Either way, good luck, and happy "hunting" for your new car!!! I'd definitely check out a V70 or Cross Country if I were you... <IMG NAME="icon" SRC="http://********************/smile/emsmile.gif" BORDER="0"> Keep us posted!<BR><BR>
[Modified by Lisa62, 3:15 PM 10-22-2002]