Ah thank you both! I’ve not done this baby thing so I’m still quite clueless 
I can’t imagine a passenger car that can’t accommodate an infant seat in the back? Anyone have an example of one?
My Kia Rio didn’t fit my nephew’s infant car seat. With the seat all the way up it probably would’ve fit but Mr R and I are both 6’+ so that physically wouldn’t work.
It is not that they cannot, it is that an infant seat (especially rear facing) can limit the adjustment of the front seat so that taller occupants may not be able to comfortably sit in the front seat in front of the infant seat.
An analogous example would be that most cars with front and back seats can sit four adults, but four NBA players may not be very comfortable in some of them.
I would second or third the Subaru Forester or perhaps a Subaru Imprezza wagon. It’s a full time symmetrical 4 wheel drive vehicle meaning that all four wheels are always engaged and work independently. It has a higher ground clearance than most SUV’s but still rides rather car like. It gets pretty good gas mileage given it’s 4 wheel drive. They are safe, tend to have good resale values and are known for being long lasting vehicles. The one challenge may be finding a used one because people tend to hang on to them. Good luck in your decision.
My son has a Subaru Impreza (hatchback or SW model). It’s been a great car and the insurance is pretty inexpensive too, relatively speaking.
Chiming in with more good to say about the Impreza. If i had all the money in the world, I’d go for a Forester, but the Impreza is its basic l’il cousin that has everything I really need.
Got a good deal on a low-mileage one coming off a two-year lease (thus, maintained and checked out by the dealer) for under $14,000. Handles nice on snow, reliable, pretty good gas mileage (tho not as good as our Hondas). Hatchback is very convenient.
I took it through a local neighborhood that hasn’t been plowed yet since the last snow and was very pleasantly surprised.
I would pick a forester over an impreza for snow clearance if that is a thing. Kids are in car seats for years now, often school aged kids will be in boosters for well beyond the expectations of novices, so if you are planning for have a couple of kids, go forester.
I’m still not decided (again, not buying for a few months) but we got roughly a foot of snow and several inches of ice over the weekend. The impreza plowed through it like a champ. I think I’m leaning towards a forrester because I’m paranoid of car accidents and think it’s going to be worse once Romani Jr(s) come along.
Just thought I’d throw that out in case anyone reads this thread in the future 
Yeah, Forester!!!
I swear this thread jinks me. Right after reading this a couple of weeks ago, my husband had his car totaled. We are not in any hurry to replace it since he is now driving our 98 accord. The policy on his car has been suspended for 6 months. If he buys a another car after that it’s a new policy. The difference is that we are no drop on the old policy and he would be drop on the new policy. Right now I’m just checking vehicles out online.
One daughter has an Impreza and one has a Crosstrek. I have an outback. None of them have ever given us any problems. The AWD works great on snowpacked streets. Headroom is great- the shortest of us is 5’10”.
My husband had a vw Tiguan for several years and then we passed it on to my mom. It is 8 years old and going strong.
Throwing out an update. Of course, Mr R’s car gave out about 2 weeks ago.
I drove a CR V today and loved it. There are a few more I want to try before we decide on that Honda.
It turns out, our main sticking point has been trunk space. We need room for baby stuff and my wheelchair. Many of the small suv models we looked at had less trunk space than my kia.
@romanigypsyeyes if you are looking at used CR V’s there are certain years to avoid. One year in particular had cooling issues which could cause part of the engine to melt. I know someone that had that happen to them. For large trunk space, look at an Honda Accord.
The one we’re looking at is 2015.
Perhap this is smaller than you want to go, but the Honda Fit back seat flips up. I used to put my friend’s wheelchair in there with far less bother than in a hatchback or a standard trunk. It was also great for hauling the artwork standing up when I was moving. The back seat is split, so you could perhaps get a baby seat on one side and wheelchair on the other side of the back, wheelchair size dependent. The HRV may do the same thing. After I got very high quality radials on the car, it has done great in snow, though the Fit clearance could be better. No issues in my town. It is the cheapest car ever to own.
I see complaints online about bad vibration issues and no fix from Honda. The higher the speed the more vibration. It seems to be hit or miss issue. Some mention transmission slippage and steering wheel issues. You just have to research every year. My '98 and '03 accords are still running great.
Hmm ok I’ll have to look more into it. I did drive it over 80 on the freeway but I know that a test drive isn’t going to show every flaw.
@“great lakes mom” a good friend who just had a baby has a honda fit. I tried hers out and it’s just barely big enough for her baby and her pug. Our dog goes everywhere with us and she’s bigger than a pug.
I do love the honda fit though.
We have a Honda Fit. Love the size, flexibility, & better visibility than most of the newer larger SUV’s. However, we found the seats to be very uncomfortable, both front and especially back. I would be wary of using it for longer trips, or if you regularly have more than one passenger. It makes a great about-town vehicle, though.
All the newer reliable SUV’s (CR-V, HR-V, Rav4, etc.) have such poor visibility (imho). Most come with a back-up camera, but I prefer the larger glass areas of old. Are they doing that for safety reasons… or for budget reasons?