i used to own a e34 525it and I loved it , we got it when we had our daughter, it was a great practical car, yeah the stupid sunroofs leaked when you parked at a certain angleand the rear hatch didn't pop up like it was supposed to but it went really well got good fuel economy and was safe.Yet we sold it , yep and for one reason and that was as practical as the wagon is they are a pain in the arse to put babies in and out.We bought a Mercedes ml320 , they are great drive nice ,loads of interior room ,4wd heated seats ,great sounds and a little easier to put the baby seat in. Then we had #2 off went the Ml320 in comes the honda oddesey,
I hated the idea at first but the damn thing is so great for Kids ,is designed for puting kids in and getting them out easily and can do everything a van can. They get 25 mpg around town , 30 on a run ,handle well and are surprisingly quick ( I got a ticket coming back from tahoe at 91mph and the thing was just ticking over). Do yourself a favor and forget about the nice wagon, there will be food and puke and shit all over the nice interior your better half will piss and moan every time she has to put the kid in & out (sometimes 4-5 times a day).Just pay the 25k for the van(to stay cool I call it the Van)and when the kids get out of the kid seats and can get in the car themselves get your wagon.
Cas in point a friend of mine bought a volvo crosscountry wagon when she was pregnant ,loved it had the baby hates the damn thing guess what they are buying , yep a odessey. When you go test drive your wagon take a baby seat with you and see what its like.
Hey before everyone gets on my case ,my wife traded the ml without me knowing but it was the right thing to do. You need to pick your battles