Sayonara Scion...Hello Mom Car

Thinking ahead, as I've been known to do, I started researching the safety ratings on my little Scion xB. Unbeknownst to me, the little box isn't really all that safe. Yes, it has safety features such as traction control and an air bag or two...but by parent standards, the thing is a death trap. It actually received "poor" ratings on side and rear impact crash testing. (And why didn't I look into this when I bought the thing?)

As much as I still adore the brave little toaster, it's just not a good fit for a family. Besides lacking in the area of safety, it also lacks trunk space. But it's great for commuting, which is the primary reason I bought it. Now, we just need to sell it – any takers?

...enter the "Mom Car." For about six weeks now, I've been scouring sites such as Cars.com, Automotive.com, and Edmunds.com looking for a vehicle that has everything I need, while not losing sight of the things I want. For example, I need a car with high safety ratings and gets good gas mileage. I want a car that looks sporty and doesn't have tan interior. I think you get the drift.

I started looking at the Honda Element then moved onto the new Saturn Vue. Jeremy quickly put things into perspective when he noted we already have an SUV and we don't 'need' two of them. The voice of reason spoke and I agreed. Less than enthusiastic about a sedan, I changed my path of research. I liked the Volvo S40, the Mercury Milan and the Mazda 6.

All this research led to me to CarMax.com. For those of you unfamiliar this company, they are the hub of used cars at no-haggle prices. We have two in-town, so I was hoping one of the locations would have a couple of the cars I was interested in, which would save us the hassle of test-driving all over town. Kind of like one-stop shopping.

The beauty of the on-line CarMax search is if they don't have the exact vehicle you are looking for, they provide you with what they think are 'similar' or 'alternative' vehicles. This is how I stumbled across the 2007 Toyota Camry SE.

Jeremy put the Camry bug in my ear weeks ago and I just wasn't buying into it. Camry's are mom cars with no style. And who doesn't have one...I need uniqueness! At least that's what I thought. Dare I say my husband was right.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still not crazy about the CE, LE, or XLE trims available on the Camry. But the SE, the sport trim, I LOVE! And although I didn't find my beauty at CarMax, I did find it at another dealership in town.

Here she is...safety and style all in one hot mom car package.