it would make sense in your case since you need the room to have something large with big cargo space.

I negate the whole "American" vs "Foreign" car arguments by buying a used car, in doing so the purchase money all stays in the US and in the local economy. I am then free to buy the best car regardless of brand name without guilt.

I have not had good luck trying to buy American and I think it comes down to timing. Back in 2003 I wanted to replace my Civic with a bigger car. I looked at a number of vehicles including the Lincoln LS and Oldsmobile Aurora. Also included were the Mazda Millena, Nissan Maxima, Lexus ES 350, Acura TL and Chrysler 300. I did not look at any Buicks due to the fact I am not a retiree LOL

I extensively researched and test drove all of them. The Lincoln and the Chyrsler were both nice cars but the Lincoln lacked good throttle response and scored below average in CRs reliability records, Ditto the Chrsyler, which looked good but on closer examination had subpar fit and finish( Cheap, "clackety" switch gear) The Mazda lacked low end torque and had some questionable erogonomics. I really liked the Aurora a lot, but then I found out Oldsmobile was being shut down and when that happens the resale value of the car plumets. The Lexus, true to its rep had an ungodly smooth, quiet, ride but lackluster agility and very bland styling too close to the Camry on which it is based crossed that one off the list. The Maxima had a lot going for it but at that time Nissan was cash starved and was doing a lot of cost cutting, the twist beam suspension was suprisingly sporty, but the car had a very rough highway ride on the interstate and the transmission was sluggish to move through the gears.

That left my Ohio built TL, a car that had an ideal combination of agility, grip, acceleration, smoothness, style, room and reasonable (for its size and performance) fuel mileage.

After 6 years the car has not had a problem yet (it is based on the faultlessly relieible Accord) and I have been most pleased and since I bought the car used all of my money went into to the pocket of the local car dealer, so I supported the North Carolina economy with my purchase.

The heartbreaking thing here is that in the last 2 years Detroit has actually gotten its act together and is turning out some really good cars, the new Tarus, Malibu, Fusion, Cadillac CTS and forth coming Lacrosse all have the right stuff to compete with Japan's best but it may be too little too late, I hope not. It is a real shame that the big three, took Americans' patriotism for granted in the previous 2 decades rather than building higher quality, more technically advanced vehicles than foriegn automakers.

I will be going back to a small car in the next couple of years. Once again Detroit comes up a bit short in the category. The Focus, the Caliber and the Cobalt are sub par products compared to the Mazda3 and Honda Civic. The Saturn Astra is not bad but the exchange rates mean a lot of money for a car that is not well equipped. I will again be looking at a used version of the cars.