Anyone have a coupe car and have small kids???

[martylaa]

Anyone out there got a M3 2 door, or M135i or M235i 2 door and have small kids?
I'm wondering is it a pain in the backside if you have a 2 door and have a small child who has a child seat in the back i.e getting them in and out of the car?

Anyone?

[NeilC4S]

I moved from a 996 to an e92 m3 once my kids outgrew the porsche. My kids are 5 and 9 now. I can imagine putting a rear facing seat in the back is a hassle. But once they are over 1 (I can't quite remember the exact age and weight) things are easy. I used a recaro young sport followed by a couple of recaro monzas. The boot in the m3 is big enough for most of the stuff you will need. Again once the kids are 1 or so you can get small buggies we had a quinny zapp that fitted the porsche. I would say there is nothing stopping you.

Neil

[martylaa]

NeilC4S said:

I moved from a 996 to an e92 m3 once my kids outgrew the porsche. My kids are 5 and 9 now. I can imagine putting a rear facing seat in the back is a hassle. But once they are over 1 (I can't quite remember the exact age and weight) things are easy. I used a recaro young sport followed by a couple of recaro monzas. The boot in the m3 is big enough for most of the stuff you will need. Again once the kids are 1 or so you can get small buggies we had a quinny zapp that fitted the porsche. I would say there is nothing stopping you.

Neil

Thanks my daughter is actually 3 years, she has a maxi cosi seat and the wife has a mini countryman with 4 doors so we would probably use the wife's car most if we went anywhere and its not like I always have passengers in the back when I drive, unless my daughters with me...

[jh106]

Mine are 5 & 8 so no need to faff about with buggies any more which helps. I ran an E46 M3 with no issues and currently have a 1M as my main car.

[Dino D]

A convertible really helps getting kids in and out (when the weather is good!)

[nick1275]

Ive got a one year old and never attempted to put her in my old coupe, ended up getting my e39 m5. I use it far more than I ever used my e36. My main reason for never trying the coupe is if the worst happened and I had to get her out quick, it's far easier in a saloon.

[LanceRS]

Never had any problems getting the kids in and out of my E36. Youngest is now 5, oldest is 16. Can be a bit of a pain getting his Recaro in and out of the back, but if you're leaving it in, it' s relatively easy to get him in and out.

[Schermerhorn]

I have an E63 M6 and a 5 year old daughter. Never been a problem with her. I am not that tall - 5'10 - so even leg space for rear occupants not really an issue either.

[BalhamBadger]

I've an e46 m3 and it's our default choice for family trips as our other car is a fiesta. Daughter is 18 months old and goes in an isofix chair behind the driver's seat. Getting her in is ok, I stand her up in the footwell then lean into the car on one knee to lift her into the chair - gets easier with practise!

My other half usually goes in the back with her and we have completed many long trips (e.g. Alps twice) in comfort. You can get a lot in with a bit of thought although skis running the length of the passenger compartment was a bit much..

One of the biggest ball-aches we had was swapping the seat and base between cars so we got another to cut out the faffing about.

One problem that's rearing its head now is that as daughter grows she will soon be able to kick my seat. The fiesta is getting traded up to something bigger next year a recent trip in father in law's Mondeo (with daughter in childseat) demonstrated just how much extra room you get in the back seats. It's a bit cosy in the M3.

[LanceRS]

One problem that's rearing its head now is that as daughter grows she will soon be able to kick my seat. The fiesta is getting traded up to something bigger next year a recent trip in father in law's Mondeo (with daughter in childseat) demonstrated just how much extra room you get in the back seats. It's a bit cosy in the M3.


[/quote]
One of the reasons I always make the kids take their shoes off in the back.

[Flat6]

I've got a 3 door M135i and a 2 year old, so still in a car seat. It's fine for occasional trips but a real pain if you have to keep getting her in and out, particularly in busy car parks as the extra length of the front doors often means limited access in tight parking spaces. As mentioned above the easiest way is to stand in the footwell.
Trips which requires frequent ins and outs are far easier done in our family A4...

[Pip1968]

A while ago now but I had the old shark nose two door 3 series (e21). The car seat was slap bang in the middle of the back seat and forward facing. Probably more of a pain as you get a little older (on your back) as parents are increasingly becoming.

Pip

[CSK423]

martylaa said:

Thanks my daughter is actually 3 years, she has a maxi cosi seat and the wife has a mini countryman with 4 doors so we would probably use the wife's car most if we went anywhere and its not like I always have passengers in the back when I drive, unless my daughters with me...

Snap, Im in the same postion. My just under 3 year old has always been shotgun in my coupe S5, shes never been in the back. To start with in a concord rear facing car seat and now in a recaro young sport. The S5 is like a A4/5 regards luggage capacity for carting buggies and bags around when lifting or laying at childcare. Weekends we use the mini.

[JsyM3]

My E46 M3 works fine with a car seat in the back for my 3 year old daughter. If you're in a tight car park the coupe doors are a bit long but my daughter can climb in easily while I hold the door and it doesn't need to open as much as it would for an adult getting in.
At 3, they should be able to get up into their seat ok so its just a case of reaching back once you're in to help do up the seatbelt.
The only problem I have is my daughter constantly egging me on to drive faster as she's already proving to be a big fan of the straight 6 rasp

[RC1]

My alpina b3s coupe sometimes takes on family barge duties and the boys each have those big britax seats with side bolsters.

I can imagine getting them in and out multiple times a day would be a drag but otherwise perfectly liveable with as long as you don't mind the occasional kick. But then the same would happen in the e39 touring so not much difference.