Work at Home Parent Search for a New Car: Washington Auto Show

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As I mentioned last week, I'm in need of a new car.

Lucky for me my friend Amy was heading to the Washington Auto Show this weekend and offered to bring me along. She too works from home, and is a parent, so we have similar needs to consider including:

space for groceries

seating for carpools

booster seat and back seat movability

gas mileage

Highlights from the 2012 Washington Auto Show

Amy was all about the back seat. She was looking at how much room is in the back seat, and how easy is it for kids to get into the 3rd from from the back seat.

 

Infact, I often had to climb into the third row seats so Amy could see how I fit. (I'm a shorty at 5' 2" and apparently that comes in handy when you need to practice buckling your child into the way back.)

So this was my view much of the day...

What is really great about going to an auto show is that you get to see all the vehicle manufacturers under one roof. Plus, there are product specialists and dealer reps around the floor who are more than happy to answer questions and show you features.

We were excited to check out the new Ford Explorer

where we learned about cool new safety features like this inflatable seat belt.

 

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Then Amy fell in love with the new Ford Shelby

 

I realized that it's not ALL about cars. For example, Fiat entertained crowds with a DJ

And there is a whole area for kids as well as other cool things like this dragon for Chinese New Year

We headed back to Honda and decided that as moms, we know how to best show the features of a car.

For example, while many people will appreciate this view

We knew busy working parents would much rather see this view

...and the nifty way Honda makes the most out of the back storage area on the Pilot.

Or this view of the "kid-smack" mirror (not the official name for it but you can totally relate, right?):

This was my first Washington Auto Show and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking at new cars. For busy work-at-home parents who don't want to take a day off to search, and who don't want to drag the kids from dealer to dealer, the show makes it easier to check out the cars that interest you, and decide which ones to test drive later. Having all the car makers in one spot help you see the features that are important to you, and compare models more easily.

For more information on the show an to buy tickets visit

http://www.washingtonautoshow.com/

and follow them on Twitter and Facebook

Here's a video I did on the Honda Odyssey features that surprised me: