Baby on the way car crisis

[feef]

Citroen C6

Not the fastest, but comfy, interesting, plenty of space and satisfies most petrol heads.

With your budget you could a C6 and something 'fun' for when it's just you or you and the wean

[TurboHatchback]

I agree with the suggestions of buying another car as a baby wagon, that way your S4 stays nice and you don't have to care about the other car becoming a skip. If it's going to be filled with baby crap, in-laws, vomit etc then some cheap awful MPV thing seems the way forward, when they're all in the car you'll be dawdling around so how it drives is irrelevant.

[lostkiwi]

swisstoni said:

It will be our only car as my wife doesn't drive

Missed that, however I'd not change anything as it can be grandparents car while they're here then the runabout after they've gone.....
Still keeps 'your' car clear of kids toys/vomit/drinks/food/etc.....

[f1nn]

My advice, tell the in laws not to bother, it'll only add to stress. This is your time to be savoured and on the assumption that you and your partner are able bodied and sound of mind, why would you need help?

Straight away we've dodged the need for something massive, thank me later.

Okay, on the assumption that you are having one, be sensible. Realistically, you need to be able to fit two adults, a child in a baby seat, one bag of the kids st, and a prom, which will soon be swapped for a smaller pushchair. that's it.

To my mind, everything is fair game from a Golf sized hatch upwards, 5 doors would make life easier, but my missus coped just fine with a 3 door Corsa when my little one was born, up until he was 4, then the Corsa got swapped for a Fiat 500.

My point being, don't make a knee jerk reaction on the assumption that you'll need an MPV or SUV, you don't.

Oh, and seriously dude, rethink the in laws thing.

[300bhp/ton]

elhashbrown said:

My initial thoughts drifted towards Range Rovers, but a quick chat to a local friend and garage owner confirmed that we would be seeing an awful lot more of each other should I go that route.

Well at least the internet continues to provide rubbish and inaccurate information.

[sunnydude]

I would agree that getting a 2nd car is probably your best bet. It doesn't have to be anything special, as you'll still have your first main car as well.

I agree with the mess children will make (I don't have any of my own but i've seen how messy they can be - besides, I was a little st once too ), so you don't want to end up buying a lovely M5 with individual champagne nappa interior only for it to turn into something that looks horrendous. Even with an OCD-like cleaning procedure, you cannot completely fight things like scuffs on the seats or deep/stubbon marks from food, jeans, sweets, etc

You're better off keeping the two separate, and insuring your in-laws on the 2nd car.

[talksthetorque]

300bhp/ton said:

elhashbrown said:

My initial thoughts drifted towards Range Rovers, but a quick chat to a local friend and garage owner confirmed that we would be seeing an awful lot more of each other should I go that route.

Well at least the internet continues to provide rubbish and inaccurate information.

Or in this case someone in the trade who the OP trusts?

[Zod]

When I was in your position, I sold my CSL and bought an M5.

[Barkychoc]

If you can find one Subaru Legacy 3.0 Spec B Estate.

[AC43]

Assuming that E500's are too rare and C55's maybe both too old and too rare that leads me to 545's. Oh. Also rare.

Plenty of 335's though.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...

[jamieduff1981]

How about that bizarre AMG engined Mercedes mini-bus-thing?

[Mr E]

AC43 said:

E500 Estate.

If you can find one. And I suspect it'll be a a tight squeeze in the garage.

[thelawnet1]

Your baby will trash your car's interior with, in particular, its car seat, which leaves marks and damage to the seats. But also puke, dribble, st, etc.

So get rid of the S4 and buy a st car and then wait, ooh, 8 or 9 years till you can get a nice car again.

[jke11y]

Faced with the same predicament with the arrival of son no1 last year, I bought a G500 which was a wonderful baby carrier as you can fit an entire pram in the boot without folding it up. I had to sell it (for reasons too complex to post) and bought a TDv8 Range Rover which was utter, utter rubbish. And now have an E55 estate which will hopefully be ideal for transporting son no2 who arrived this morning.

It was also an excellent choice for the drive to the hospital last night as the waters broke and the contractions instantly were almost constant. Got pulled by the police as well as I left a set of lights sideways at full beans but immediately waved on my way when she stuck her head in the passenger window. Couldn't make it up! Good luck.

[300bhp/ton]

talksthetorque said:

300bhp/ton said:

elhashbrown said:

My initial thoughts drifted towards Range Rovers, but a quick chat to a local friend and garage owner confirmed that we would be seeing an awful lot more of each other should I go that route.

Well at least the internet continues to provide rubbish and inaccurate information.

Or in this case someone in the trade who the OP trusts?

Which they then posted on the internet.

And trust or not, it's a stupid opinion obviously devoid of any sense or facts.

[somynameiswhat]

E70 X5?
4.8i may suit your needs.

[elhashbrown]

swisstoni said:

In a short while, ease of parking, size of boot and access to the rear seat is going to matter more to you than 0-60 times and what the neighbours (or even you) think.
But it doesn't last forever.

Please no!

talksthetorque said:

Congrats OP
Isn't this what Hot hatches are for?

For 4 adults and a baby? Not really I'm afraid.

eltawater said:

Get a second car for the in-laws if they're going to be here for six months.

If you're the only one with a car, how quickly are you / your family going to get fed up with you having to drop everything and drive them somewhere? It doesn't matter how big and spacious a vehicle you have if it becomes a constant game of booking slots in your diary to take them somewhere so that they don't feel trapped at home!

They also said this. They're from China. Have you seen how the Chinese drive?

DonkeyApple said:

So, your wife, in essence, wants to to buy a car for her parents and also chauffeur them around?

If you bought the Merc then you could at least give up your current job and at least continue being a free private hire driver for the remaining 6 months.

I wonder if renting another car when the inlaws are around or using minicabs wouldn't be cheaper than selling a perfectly good family car and one that your kid (congrats) will enjoy wouldn't be cheaper?

While this is true, They will be providing free child care so for the thousands saved I won't be complaining, too much.

feef said:

Citroen C6

Not the fastest, but comfy, interesting, plenty of space and satisfies most petrol heads.

With your budget you could a C6 and something 'fun' for when it's just you or you and the wean

Top wafting! I like your thinking. Heads to classifieds...

f1nn said:

My advice, tell the in laws not to bother, it'll only add to stress. This is your time to be savoured and on the assumption that you and your partner are able bodied and sound of mind, why would you need help?

Straight away we've dodged the need for something massive, thank me later.

Would you mind doing the negotiations for me?

300bhp/ton said:

Well at least the internet continues to provide rubbish and inaccurate information.

I had read that they have got a lot better but this would be perhaps 10 years old and I tend to trust my friend's opinion. I think it is true to say that any well spec'd car will get costly to repair as it gets older, particularly those with air suspension and lots of gadgets, whatever the brand.

Zod said:

When I was in your position, I sold my CSL and bought an M5.

I like you already.

kapiteinlangzaam said:

Volvo XC90 V8

There are only ever a few for sale around the country.

I had wondered, but they are hard to find. Might be worth watching the classifieds for a while. I've got a few months yet.

[kmpowell]

thelawnet1 said:

Your baby will trash your car's interior with, in particular, its car seat, which leaves marks and damage to the seats. But also puke, dribble, st, etc.

Sorry, but I don't buy this.

My little boy is now 2, and the interior of my car is fine. Treat the leather with a good conditioner before putting in the car seat, then simply give it a clean once in a while. Nothing gets 'trashed'.

[Zod]

kmpowell said:

thelawnet1 said:

Your baby will trash your car's interior with, in particular, its car seat, which leaves marks and damage to the seats. But also puke, dribble, st, etc.

Sorry, but I don't buy this.

My little boy is now 2, and the interior of my car is fine. Treat the leather with a good conditioner before putting in the car seat, then simply give it a clean once in a while. Nothing gets 'trashed'.

Put a rug under the car seat to protect the leather.

[TurboHatchback]

300bhp/ton said:

talksthetorque said:

300bhp/ton said:

elhashbrown said:

My initial thoughts drifted towards Range Rovers, but a quick chat to a local friend and garage owner confirmed that we would be seeing an awful lot more of each other should I go that route.

Well at least the internet continues to provide rubbish and inaccurate information.

Or in this case someone in the trade who the OP trusts?

Which they then posted on the internet.

And trust or not, it's a stupid opinion obviously devoid of any sense or facts.

Hardly, they are legendarily unreliable. Not necessarily ruinous if you do the work yourself but still annoying and would cost a fortune if you relied on garages. Besides that I can't see why you would buy something with a lovely plush interior just to fill it with bodily emissions, relatives, rubbish and baby crap.

Something like this seems ideal:

• It's cheap
• The inlaws can be sat far away from you in the back row
• There is massive space for all the crap
• Wipe clean seats
• Proper petrol engine Woops, edit: No it doesn't but some of them do

Edited by TurboHatchback on Monday 19th October 14:45