Advice on buying a new car?

My husband and I have 3 kids. We want to buy a vehicle that will fit all of us (and groceries and soccer gear etc...)comfortably, and possibly fit a few of our kids' friends as well. I don't want a gas hog but am not sure we can afford a hybrid.





We will be trading in an 04 Ford Taurus with about 7000 left to payoff. We want to pay no more than 35,000 and would like to keep our monthly payments below 400. We pay about 320 now.





What suggestions do you guys have if any. We have been looking at the Jeep Commander.





Please help. Any serious suggestions would be great. Thanks!Advice on buying a new car?
There are inexpensive mini vans that are capable of doing all that you wish... they look nice and are durable. Dodge and ford and chevy all make them--take a look.Advice on buying a new car?
You might consider a new or pre-owned Chevy Tahoe or GMC Yukon. They're class leaders in fuel economy (though that's not saying much)lol. And since they're GM they are very reliable. It would definitely fit your whole family. Also, GM is releasing a Tahoe Hybrid that WILL get upwards of 25mpg this coming year, but I don't think they've released pricing for that yet. Also think about maintenance, if you or your husband will be doing your own garage maintenance, you're definitely better of buying a GM if you're buying an American car. Ford's and Chrysler's are engineered for performance, not ease of fix. I say this from experience with Durangos, Expeditions, Suburbans, and Jeeps.





I think you'd be better off with a Tahoe, it has everything you need, Size, Reliability, and Fuel Efficiency. Although I will admit that the Commander does get better gas mileage now.





Then again either vehicle should work for you.
the jeep commander is not a bad choice at all,those are nice vehicles,they ride real good,and are good on gas also,and kid friendly ,you should be able to get a real good deal on a new one especially with that new of a trade in,you might find one if the deals where they will pay your old one off,and this wouldn't add any more debt to the amount your going to finance,but you choose a good vehicle the commander is proving to be a good reliable one,good luck on it ,hope this helps.
Why not go with a Toyota? Always reliable and fuel efficient. And they have some good SUVs.
sounds like a mini van would do the trick... fairly gud on gas too. also, insurance prob won't be as high on a mini van as it is considered as a family car and a suv would prob cost more on insurance. i would look around and not go with the 1st one you see, chance are there's another down the road that is a lil cheaper. and don't let them do a credit check until you are sure that one is the one you want. each time your credit is pulled, it lowers your point score. the lower your points are, the more your interest will be, a higher down pymt and sometimes harder to get financed with lower points.


also, usually your bank will give you better financing rates rather than using the car lots' bank.