Vibe - is it practically for kids and dogs?

[car_lost]

My wife and I are expecting our second child and have two dogs - collie mix (40 lbs) and a shetland sheep dog (30 lbs). We are shopping for a car that is affordable, reliable, safe, has solid gas mileage and fits our family -- including dogs.We currently have a Sienna and are looking for a wagon. Our second car would be not be used for longer haul travel, but will find driving the kids and dogs pretty frequently as part of a daily work commute.The vibe seems to fit that bill, however, I am not entirely sold that the car is large enough. Since the dogs are in the car pretty frequently, can the Vibe comfortably and conveniently fit two kids in car seats and our dogs?I assume there are a few folks with practical experience that might be more meaningful than a cursory look at the dealer lot.Carlos

[northvibe]

welcome!There are some members that made special dog friendly trunk (wagon) space and have no issue with family + dog(s). They should be posting up soon enough. I have had my vibe stuffed full of peope and or college crap and it surprisingly fits a ton of stuff in it!

[MRCN RCE]

1. welcome to the family2. i think you would be ok. i've seen a vibe around here a couple of times with 2 medium to large dogs in the cargo area. they didn't do this, but i think it would be a good idea to pop the hatch glass to give the dogs some fresh air, and the kids would be comfortable in the back seats. there are 3 spots for car seats back there, so you shouldn't have any worries. the best thing to do would be to rent a vibe for a couple days and see how it goes. a lot of rental companies are using vibes now

[Atomic]

I think you would be happy with the Vibe, but I could be a little (actually a lot) biased.It's a great vehicle: it looks good, easy to drive, cheap on gas, very reliable (for me anyway), and very practical for hauling stuff (humans and dogs and bicycles and furniture and gardening supplies, the list goes on and on).When you get one, (and I hope you do) you will probably want to put some carpet or get a rear mat for the cargo area so your two beasties don't slide around when you're driving.Oh yeah, welcome to the site, stick around even if you don't partake of Vibe ownership.

[pmh013]

If your kids are in rear-facing car seats, then no, you don't have enough room. If they're older and are forward-facing, then it's likely OK.

[MRCN RCE]

avis rents vibes, and there's an avis in springfield. it would be worth the $50 to find out IMOhere's the link i found:http://www.avis.com/AvisWeb/re...G=en&

[car_lost]

Thanks for the reply. I have a two year old in a forward facing seat. Our second baby is still being baked as we speak - so "it" will be rear facing for a year or so. I think my wife and I are serious enough about the vibe that we might just rent one and run some errands with the family.Carlos

[jimincalif]

The Vibe would be great for you, your wife and your kids, and even as the kids grow, the back seat is very comfortable for 2 older kids or adults. But, if you are routinely going to be hauling all 4 of you plus 2 dogs, my own preference would be something bigger, maybe a CRX or RAV4. Renting is a good idea. The Vibe has great interior room for a car its size.

[MRCN RCE]

renting one is the best way to do it. that way you know what you can do in a car of that size, and let you know if you need to tie the kids to the roof rack or leave em at home

[MRCN RCE]

Quote, originally posted by jimincalif »But, if you are routinely going to be hauling all 4 of you plus 2 dogs, my own preference would be something bigger, maybe a CRX or RAV4.CRXor CR-V??i'm sure we all know what you meant, i jus wanted to be a smartass for a minute

[jimincalif]

Quote, originally posted by MRCN RCE »i'm sure we all know what you meant, i jus wanted to be a smartass for a minute Oops, yeah, CR-V, how could I forget? My wife wants one (she has to wait until we no longer need a minivan).Thx

[Atomb]

we're currently looking at the Kia Rondo...We have a rear facing seat now in the vibe (occasionally) and I agree with pmh...it just doesn't fit well.

[808 Vibes]

Welcome! I wish you all the best in your Vibe experiment/purchase! I bought mine with my business, dogs and future family in mind. And my Mom lives in a neighborhood with idiots blocking the driveways, so she needed something she could maneuver the street with. Vibe was perfect for both of our needs.

[Vibr8tr]

Welcome,In my opinion the vibe is the perfect well rounded car. It's kinda likt a "Jack of all trades master of none". It get's good gas Mileage, has plenty of room, still "spunky" (not mind blowing, but it get's up and goes), and is comfortable. I only have one baby and a german shepard, but they both fit comfortably... in fact, on my trip to Michigan this month, we will be not only taking the baby, the dog, the wife and me... but pack all our stuff in there too, and we will fit comfortably. And we never had a problem with the rear facing seat....But this was all opinion. You have the right idea to rent one for a day or too. That is what sold me on mine was renting it for a trip.

[shane_c]

I don't have any kids, but we have 2 Siberian Huskies. One is 43 lbs and the other is 33 lbs and growing fast. They both fit behind the back seat without any issues.

[BlueCrush]

Welcome to GenVibe! I have 2 Tri-Color Border Collies 55lbs and 60lbs. They both fit behind the back seat without any problems.

[jimincalif]

Quote, originally posted by shane_c »I don't have any kids, but we have 2 Siberian Huskies. One is 43 lbs and the other is 33 lbs and growing fast. They both fit behind the back seat without any issues. Yeah, the dogs will fit, but when you have two kids you often have a lot of other stuff to schlep around. Diaper bag, stroller (or two, or double), portable crib, toys, etc. It is amazing how it accumulates.

[bull77]

Hey - Welcome to the forumWe purchased our '06 Vibe for the purpose of taking our dog (75lbs) and our baby on the road. Can't recommend it enough for a family. The dog fits comfortably and there's ample room for a carseat.Now that we've had the car for over a year, we're glad we chose the Vibe and would definately purchase another

[Whelan]

Only issue you may see is the power. The Vibe Trix models can be a little slow when packed down, but they still get the job done fine.The new CR-V to me is hideous and way overpriced. I know it competes with the Rav 4 but I think the 4 is a million times better looking. Also look into the Hyundai Santa Fe if your lookin at mini-utes too. Personally I would skip all three and get a Saturn Vue. It has a very upscale feel and look to it. I actually almost bought an older Redline VUE instead of my Trix.

[Tubaryan12]

Quote, originally posted by Atomb »we're currently looking at the Kia Rondo...We have a rear facing seat now in the vibe (occasionally) and I agree with pmh...it just doesn't fit well.I love the Rondo...I'm just not ready to trade 35 mpg for 29 mpg.

[ZubenElGenubi]

We don't have two kids or two dogs, but I can imagine pretty well...Like jimincalif pointed out, it's all the extra support gear that you gotta think about. If you're going to be routinely taking all your loved ones on trips, I think the Vibe will be a little crowded and underpowered. We own a Gen2 RAV4 and it would only be marginally better (better back seats, but smaller rear space behind the seats. The new RAV4 (Gen3) is only a bit better in the back.Maybe a Mazda5 would work for you.

[Whelan]

The Mazda 5 is the red headed step child of that lineup for sure. It has a lot of room but my god it looks like a Honda Odyssey an d a Volvo V70 got busy! Both are not bad cars but put them togetherand blech!If thinking rav 4 cr-v also check out the Mazda CX-7, thats a nice car.

[Raivis]

i personally find the vibe very roomy for two kids. i have a 4 yr old and a 5 month old. i don't know about the dog tho. not much of a dog person myself. good luck

[mkaresh]

I suspect the rear-facing car seat issue will be decided by how far back your wife's seat needs to be for her to be comfortable. It also might help if the seats are far enough apart for a rear-facing seat to squeeze between them. When I had a rearward facing seat I still had a Ford Contour, and this is how it worked in that car.Now I have three forward-facing kids in a Mazda Protege5. With a certain mod, this works very well. As others have suggested, rent one or take one from the dealer overnight and check out various carseat configurations. If you're serious, most dealers will let you have a car for a day, which will save you the $50.

[slvrvibes]

I don't have two kids, but I do have 2 dogs, one 47 lbs lab mix and one 51 lbs flat coated retrieve (think golden retriever but black) and I've had them both in the back cargo area with the back seat up with no problems.

[AKLGT]

2 kids and 2 large dogs might make it a bit crowded, however, the vibe still can hold and carry quite a bit. if it's too small and the rav4 or otherwise is also too small for you, then i would greatly consider a trailblazer (i drove one all last summer for work) or the new Hybrid Highlander (but they're expensive).