Familys with Vibes

[BrettZ]

Hey all,My fiance and I are planning on starting a family within the next couple years. Anyone on here with kids want to chime in and give the Vibe a grade on how well it handles a family of four? I'm thinking of things like soccer games, camping, car seats, etc.We both can't stand the site of a minivan in our driveway. Maybe an SUV but thats at least 5 years into the future.

[wt2ga]

Great Value for the money, but it can be tight on long trips , make sure you have the roof rack ...

[lovemyraffe]

With 1 child, the Vibe has done well. We travel in it frequently with no problems. Plenty of space for all the gear, and if you can't fit it inside, the roof rails make it fairly simple to put gear on top too without losing too much mpgs.

[ou.grizzly]

Few weeks ago, my sister had 4 tickets to a baseball game which ended up to be the supposed "no hitter" by Armando Galarraga (Detroit Tigers)4 of us fit into the Vibe for an afternoon of fun and this is this a 4 and 6 yr old in booster seats chattering away. There was no problem at all.

[vibenvy]

I've had four adults (including myself obviously ) in mine for shorter road trips and everyone was comfortable. This was without luggage or anything, but still very comfortable. Like everyone else said, if you could put some luggage, etc. on the roof racks, you'd have even more room, but with kids I don't see it being a problem at all.

[jimincalif]

Will handle car seats and trips to soccer games fine. Camping is a different story. Tent, sleeping bags, pads, tarp, stove, BBQ, folding chairs, bin for food, bin for camping stuff, firewood, etc. - you'll overflow a Vibe really fast.Back when the kids were younger and I took them camping, I drove the Previa minivan. When car shopping we looked at SUVs, but for our purposes the minivan was a better package. Better for getting kids and stuff in and out (don't forget, kids want friends to come along sometimes). Better mileage, better price and fits in the garage.I know the minivan is unthinkable right now, but things change. Just warning you. I'm a father of 4.

[Old Tele man]

4 people = 2 adults + 2 smaller kids = OK4 people = 2 adults + 2 teenagers = definitely MARGINAL4 people = 4 adults = pack luggage SMALL & lightly

[star_deceiver]

5 adults... shotgun quick so you don't get the back seat...Women get crabby FAST....Men keep well to themselves....

[Old Tele man]

5 adults = BEWARE the trip back from the beans & beer fest!!!

[09vGT]

I don't have kids but have a 5 year old sister and have had it for the last year.. she fit fine in the back.. as long as the seat isn't scooted to far back.. but with me and my friends.. no more than four.. have you checked out the new GMC Terrain, or Chevrolet Equinox. I think they are bigger, and with the base model shows better gas mileage than my 09 GT.

[BrettZ]

Quote, originally posted by jimincalif »Will handle car seats and trips to soccer games fine. Camping is a different story. Tent, sleeping bags, pads, tarp, stove, BBQ, folding chairs, bin for food, bin for camping stuff, firewood, etc. - you'll overflow a Vibe really fast.Back when the kids were younger and I took them camping, I drove the Previa minivan. When car shopping we looked at SUVs, but for our purposes the minivan was a better package. Better for getting kids and stuff in and out (don't forget, kids want friends to come along sometimes). Better mileage, better price and fits in the garage.I know the minivan is unthinkable right now, but things change. Just warning you. I'm a father of 4.Maybe I should keep the minivan option open. Saddens me to say that but it is the most economical option. My only problem with it is we like to go boating and I've been stuck on a boat ramp with FWD more then once. GMC Terrain is pretty nice, as is the Honda Pilot.

[Wolfman213]

I just went on a vaca with 3 other adults. The cargo area was packed to the brim and the ride wasn't bad at all!! This was 2200 miles round trip. I was a little cramped in the rear but no one else complained.

[bluvibe]

No complaints from the rear seat passengers (14 and 18) after a recent road trip to Atlanta. You should have plenty of room for years - I bought my 03 when they were 7 and 11 years old.

[Mariachi]

i have 3 car seats in my vibe. they actually fit just right. my kids are ages 4, 2, and 1. my car has been very good for even long trips with no problems. i would honestly say that 4 fits really well. i have fit 5 adults in my car with no problems either. i would recommend the car.

[BrettZ]

Awesome! Didn't think the Vibe would handle 3 car seats with no complaints but that's reassuring.

[silvrhawk7]

We took mine from Florida, all the way to Conneticut 2 adults, and 2 little kids. It was slightly tight, but made great time, and fuel efficency was good as well. the seats do get uncomfortable after a while.We also packed this car to the gills as well.

[Meagan]

I have a family of 5 all three of my kids fit good in the back seat I have even had 3 carseats in the back which was a tight squeeze but It worked great for all my daughter and my niece and my nephew who are all in carseats.

[Cougar Vibe]

I've got two little kids and my Vibe is fine for around town and short distance trips. However, any time we go further than 200 miles (or 3.5-4 hours), the lack of space starts to wear on everyone. Mind you, this is with a rack-mounted luggage carrier too (which, w/AC on, really kills the MPG w/my AWD Vibe). Plus, there is the constant complaining by my kids that the belt line is too high and they can't see outside. As a result, they end up watching DVDs; as the interior is tight, I inevitably have to listen to Shreck or Buzz Lightyear or Nemo or whatever. Makes Daddy want to have a beer immediately upon reaching our hotel.Ultimately, I ended up buying a minivan because of space issues on long trips, though we still have our Vibe and use it frequently. Quality issues (namely, crappy Chrysler A/T's) aside, used Grand Caravans coming off of lease are a decent bargain. Parts are plentiful, the V6 engines are bullet-proof (if not the smoothest) and they're cavernous inside. Just make sure to get the driver's side window tinted...anonymity in a minivan is everything.

[TONY TAT2]

I like my Vibe but miss the Trans Sport

[runerx]

We put three kids in the back seat last week and couldn't get the two car seats plus a boster seat in using the LATCH. I had to use the belts on the outboard seats to make enough room. Four seems to work Five is pushing it unless you start hanging stuff outside.The more I get to drive it the more I like it.Dave

[djkeev]

If you recognize the car for what it is and use it accordingly you'll be fine. It is a compact car, by their very nature they are smaller and less "comfy" than their bigger brothers. They also fit more places, are more fun to drive and sip fuel.Kids are grown and gone but I often have 2 car seats in the rear for the next generation. It fits and works fine with no complaints. I won't be able to take the two younger twin siblings as well so when that happens we take the parents mini van and they take my Vibe.Get the car the fits your life.Dave

[cptnsolo77]

Drove 12 hours to Floridas panhandle last month with 4 adults & a 7yr old in a booster seat. It was tight back there but possible!!! Glad I was driving LOL.....oh yeah the rear hatch was packed with luggage & the rear of the car was squatting. Got 25MPG too. Day to day driving its me, my fiance & her 14 yr old daughter. It can be a family car!!!

[Barrett]

We took our '03 from Fort Collins, CO to San Diego, CA and back (about 2500 miles round trip) 18 hours each way with 2 kids and a dog and nobody had any issues. My 2 kids (9 and 11) had no problem sitting in the back with blankets, pillows, gameboys, a laptop for movies, and a bag of other entertainment stuff. The dog was in a decent size crate in the cargo area with my suitcase, a cooler, and 4 backpacks full of clothes. We also had a beer box full of snack foods and whatnot for the trip. Everything fit in the back under the headrests so I could still see out the window.Only thing I'd change is if I had more time to plan, I would have found a small carrier to put on the racks to hold some of the luggage so the dog had more room in the back, otherwise, all went very smoothly.

[Airmack]

Wish I read this a few days ago.I have 10 month old twin boys. I do not have a problem with the rear facing car seats. The back of the front seats (removed) up to the back of the car seat & I have plenty of leg room. I am 5'11 & my wife is 5'8. I did have a problem with the infant carrier. I used the bases with the carrier so I could just snap it in & out. But it would not latch to the base & keep that little bubble in the green so the seat is on a flat stable level. I had to move my seat up & my knees would hit the steering wheel. But that only last until they were 7 months old then they out grew the weight limit to it.Other then that, the kids fit fine in the back, I can fit a double side by side stroller folded up in the back with room left for diaper bag, grocery bags.

[BrettZ]

Wow.. wasn't expecting so much feed back. Good to know it can be done

[hipityhopityhoo]

Hello, My name is Nicole and I have a 2003 Vibe AWD. We are a family of 5 two 13 yr old girls and one 12 yr old boy. We also have 2 60-70lb dogs. We love out Vibe! We all fit very nicely. We have a dogie divider for the rear so the dogs stay put in the hatch area and they have plenty of room. The kids fit comfortably in the back seat and we make use of the luggage rack and we have installed a trailer hitch so for long camping trips we pull a small utility trailer with bikes and what not. We hope our Vibe runs forever and when it finally gives in we will be looking for another AWD Vibe! We have driven from MI to NC twice, MI to Chicago several times and we go up north quite often.Even pulling the trailer we get 25 mpg, better without it. We always do just fine!