Car Buying Experience

Our 'New' Van For the past 5 weeks we have been searching for a van. We have learned about many European models--mainly that they are different from what we knew in America. We quickly found that mini vans are rare in the UK—people don't want them because they are too big and they don't have large families—they want small manual cars that are fuel efficient. One of the deciding factors for us became--Will our stroller fit in the boot (trunk)? Having found the few that fit that criteria, Jon then called every dealer in a 50-mile radius to inquire if they had any used vans in stock. He found 2 or 3 dealers that had a few vans that we could choose from. We went on Saturday and from a choice of 3 vans all the same color, year, options and miles we chose one! We bought it and were then told we could have it in 6 days, but we talked them down to 4. This diesel van is no frills—no cruise control, no entertainment system, no automatic sliding doors. Even though it's smaller (and more expensive!!) than an American van, it still feels really large on the English country roads and parking in spots meant for a Mini Cooper. But nonetheless, we are happy to have found a van that will take us to all the places we want to see--without the girls being able to touch each other. :)

This is our compact stroller from New Zealand. It has been fantastic on cobblestone roads, tight sidewalks and miles of siteseeing. The top seat lays flat for the upcoming baby and the back seat switches up front for hannah.