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Car guy here also with daughters and just my .02 on what I have done and would do in your situation.
1. Toyota/Lexus, Honda/Acura are all extremely reliable vehicles and will go to 200k to 300k miles with regularly scheduled maintenance easily. Also on long road trips, highway driving is very easy on the vehicle's engine, transmission and other components. That being said, do a cooling system flush and have the mechanic change the coolant hoses, especially at the neck where the radiator connects with the engine block. It's a 12 year old car and this is cheap insurance.
2. Don't buy a new car now. Everything is overpriced including new AND used cars and you don't need it now. Keep your powder dry for when you really may need to buy a car such as after an accident (God forbid).
3. Moving the twins to the MDX and/or Fit in the future will ensure lower insurance premiums on older vehicles.
4. Having your kids learn a manual transmission is smart... you never know what situation they will be in.
5. Personally, I wouldn't be comfortable with my newly licensed driver in a Honda Fit just because of the size of it. Another alternative could be you keep the Fit for yourself and buy a used car when they're ready to drive along with the MDX.
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