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Stovt, I know exactly where you are coming from...I do. I grew up like you. We didn't have much. My parents divorced when I was 7. My older brother was 10. We had the station wagon to lug us around. The trips to see the grandparents were also the same as you. We played in the back of the wagon (no belts on...never going to happen w/ my kids now!), built walls in a sense too, read books, didn't have DVD players or gameboys. It was a ride. And...it took longer to get from point A to point B...speed limits were lower.
We didn't have money to get nice stuff. Our cars weren't 5 star crash rated as they are now. For us, times changed. I got a pretty good paying job and I'm able to somewhat afford those "upgrades." We have the DVD players over the head rests given to us by my in laws. By no means to we need them. But, I'm sure you can agree that a TV show or movie can surely occupy a kids attention very well on long road trips. Basically, we were able to occupy our time, but we'd get tired of the same old stuff. Now, the kids are occupied the entire time...just change out the movie. It makes the trip for the youngster go by that much faster. And now...we don't hear the "are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" It's one less stress reliever to have DVD players....BELIEVE ME!!! lol
Some of these things we just don't need. My main concern here is the safety and interior room. Part of my safety factor is ride height. The lower you are, the lower you put your kids to the bumper of the car that hits you. Sure, the higher you get, the more chance of a roll over. But, we feel safer and my kids safety goes beyond any want in my book. It's a need.
I'd like to say we were very smart in our purchase of our Kia. I know, I know...it's a Kia. But, it's got a whole hell of a lot more than all the other SUV's we looked at...and we looked. The price was great for a fully loaded SUV...right at $25K...compare that to a fully loaded...well any other SUV. And, compare safety ratings. We did our homework. It wasn't a status thing for us. Like I said, if it was status, we'd be in a Lexus, Infinity, BMW, Merc, etc SUV or a larger SUV...Tahoe, Suburban, etc. This fit our needs...and I am very pleased w/ the price, the gas mileage, and more importantly, the safety.
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