Becoming a Dad + next car quandary
Discussion
Hoddo said:
Congratulations to you too.
I admire your commitment. As I am expecting twins I don't feel I can be quite as cavalier as your good self, however I would like to assure you I too will not be purchasing a MPV/People Carrier - I understand the logic but dear god, they're a demonstration that you've given up on life.
Good man! I admire your commitment. As I am expecting twins I don't feel I can be quite as cavalier as your good self, however I would like to assure you I too will not be purchasing a MPV/People Carrier - I understand the logic but dear god, they're a demonstration that you've given up on life.
Edited by Hoddo on Sunday 19th October 00:01
As you've already suggested, if you honestly feel the need for masses of space then there are plenty of amazing fast saloons or estates to choose from. Why the hell people feel the need to rush out and buy a diesel Pope-mobile is utterly beyond me.
If forced, I'd have a RS6 Avant
The reason why people get 'buses' is due to the prams/equipment which need to be carried and the fact that's it's just easier having something designed for the job.
I put our pram in the boot of my Megane, it filled it up instantly. Of course you can get by with a Fiesta but why struggle, you are not a 'less of a person' for having one.
Just make sure the other car isn't a bus!
I put our pram in the boot of my Megane, it filled it up instantly. Of course you can get by with a Fiesta but why struggle, you are not a 'less of a person' for having one.
Just make sure the other car isn't a bus!
Hoddo said:
Congratulations to you too.
I admire your commitment. As I am expecting twins I don't feel I can be quite as cavalier as your good self, however I would like to assure you I too will not be purchasing a MPV/People Carrier - I understand the logic but dear god, they're a demonstration that you've given up on life.
Although a Zafra VXR with a 350bhp remap would make an interesting choice? I admire your commitment. As I am expecting twins I don't feel I can be quite as cavalier as your good self, however I would like to assure you I too will not be purchasing a MPV/People Carrier - I understand the logic but dear god, they're a demonstration that you've given up on life.
Edited by Hoddo on Sunday 19th October 00:01
Ignore what others have said about not needing space, the children themselves are small but the stuff you need like pushchairs, bottle sterilisation equipment, changing mats, entertainment centres etc etc will fill your car to the gunnals and you have 2 babies, not one.Anyway, your missus will insist if she's anything like mine.
How about an M5 estate?
Congratulations! Twins are great, they're hard work at first, but great fun later. I had an e46 touring when ours were born, it was just big enough (we had a simple McLaren type buggy) but we also had a roof box for holidays. I'd definitely be looking at estates, BMW or alpina, or how about an Alfa 159?
I bought an E90 330i when we had our twins. It was just about big enough while we were using the car seats on the buggy but as soon as we started using the proper seats on it then you needed to be a tessalation genius to get everything in. Going away on holiday wasn't really possible and fortunately we had the use of my old mans grand scenic when we did. Once they were out of the buggy and into a smaller pushchair things became easier but still a 3 series boot isn't really big enough to take it flat across the back.
So, it really boils down to the size of buggy you have but if I were doing it again I'd be buying an A6/5 series/E class size car, probably an estate.
Good luck, twins are bloody tiring........!
So, it really boils down to the size of buggy you have but if I were doing it again I'd be buying an A6/5 series/E class size car, probably an estate.
Good luck, twins are bloody tiring........!
Mave said:
or how about an Alfa 159?
I had one of these. Leg room in the back is crap which means when they are about 2 their legs are long enough to kick the back of your seat! For 5 years I drove around in a Passat estate which I was ambivalent towards at best. Did the job though with just enough space.Now my kids are almost teenagers and I have a Disco3.Most practical car I've ever owned. Buy a house with a garage and save up for a weekend toy. Your life has changed forever! They will puke in it. They will place raisins, crisps, banana, juice and mucus in upholstery crevices. Constellations of stickers will appear. Crayoned cave paintings will be evident. Little piles of plastic crap known as "McDonalds Happy Meal toys" will accumulate whether you attend the hateful drive-throughs or not. Long journeys will become a sonic triumvirate of Disney film soundtracks, crying that drills the soul and "I need a wee, I'm DESPERATE" SOS calls.
Take it from me. Buy the most comfortable, relaxing, spacious car you can which you simultaneously cannot give two f
ks about. Then tolerate it for a few years. My V70 fitted the bill perfectly.
Take it from me. Buy the most comfortable, relaxing, spacious car you can which you simultaneously cannot give two f
ks about. Then tolerate it for a few years. My V70 fitted the bill perfectly. Edited by captainzep on Sunday 19th October 08:36
Captainzep has raised a good point, whatever car you chose will get fked up so be prepared for that, and the volvo v70 is also a good shout.
Any car will fit a pram in but its when you have two prams, two bags of nappies and feeds, toys and various misc crap and then you have to tackle the weekly shop thats when a huge boot is needed.
ked up so be prepared for that, and the volvo v70 is also a good shout.Any car will fit a pram in but its when you have two prams, two bags of nappies and feeds, toys and various misc crap and then you have to tackle the weekly shop thats when a huge boot is needed.
Oh, and why "space"?
-Because you will be drawn into a maelstrom of weekend visits to friends and relatives to share in the joy of your blossoming family. It will be st. But more than that it will be st 300 miles away in someone else's house which has not been proofed, protected and adapted to the needs of your spawn. Hence you'll need to bring enough kit to facilitate a slightly less stressful 48hrs. As you'll discover, most bits of baby equipment are about the same size as a standard garden wheelbarrow. Plus nappies, steriliser, clothes, travel cot and the case of Shiraz you'll require to keep things on an even keel.
500+ litre boot not compulsory, just heavily advised.
-Because you will be drawn into a maelstrom of weekend visits to friends and relatives to share in the joy of your blossoming family. It will be s
t. But more than that it will be st 300 miles away in someone else's house which has not been proofed, protected and adapted to the needs of your spawn. Hence you'll need to bring enough kit to facilitate a slightly less stressful 48hrs. As you'll discover, most bits of baby equipment are about the same size as a standard garden wheelbarrow. Plus nappies, steriliser, clothes, travel cot and the case of Shiraz you'll require to keep things on an even keel. 500+ litre boot not compulsory, just heavily advised.
I kept the Elise. But I paired it with the largest old Saab I could find.
Said Saab has now been replaced by a very large Merc with a suitable engine.
The above poster is correct. It's not the kids stuff (although there's a lot of it) but all the extended family stuff you end up doing.
The Merc is frequently full of people and stuff.
Said Saab has now been replaced by a very large Merc with a suitable engine.
The above poster is correct. It's not the kids stuff (although there's a lot of it) but all the extended family stuff you end up doing.
The Merc is frequently full of people and stuff.
There's no good reason for your car to get wrecked. Yes they may puke a bit but not like the exocist. I've never allowed my kids to eat or drink in the car, opting instead for nice country pubs or worst case motorway services. Let them cover themselves in crap, clean them up then put them back in the car.
captainzep said:
Driving fast and flat around A-road bends just makes the puke hit the side windows and headlining at higher velocity. The trick is to have something that wafts silently down the outside lane to induce child sleep despite travelling at train-like speed.
Good point, get something where they can see out of the side windows or they will get bored on long journeys or car sick...or both.L322 Range Rover?
In the far off, halcyon days of long ago - this was never that much of a problem. In fact in world terms it wasn't long ago at all; given that I'm now 26. Why the fascination for buying the largest car on the market?
My parents had the choice of a Mk1 Fiesta (later upgraded to a Mk2 XR2) or a Mk2 Escort that didn't work properly. Both were tiny cars, by modern standards, and the Escort was a standard saloon - so no large load area etc. My Dad eventually upsized to a Mk2 Cavalier hatchback! This carried me, friends, stuff and so on all over the country - propelled by a wheezy little engine. We went on camping trips, on holiday, to France, wherever.
So all the decrees of 'Buy an SUV' or 'You need to go everywhere in a motorhome' seem a little wide of the mark. I'm not being nostalgic; it's just that in the real world most people cope with completely normal cars - then and now. My friends have a baby, and a Ford Focus. It's all good. So just get whatever takes your fancy.
My parents had the choice of a Mk1 Fiesta (later upgraded to a Mk2 XR2) or a Mk2 Escort that didn't work properly. Both were tiny cars, by modern standards, and the Escort was a standard saloon - so no large load area etc. My Dad eventually upsized to a Mk2 Cavalier hatchback! This carried me, friends, stuff and so on all over the country - propelled by a wheezy little engine. We went on camping trips, on holiday, to France, wherever.
So all the decrees of 'Buy an SUV' or 'You need to go everywhere in a motorhome' seem a little wide of the mark. I'm not being nostalgic; it's just that in the real world most people cope with completely normal cars - then and now. My friends have a baby, and a Ford Focus. It's all good. So just get whatever takes your fancy.
AvonRise said:
Yet most of us will have grown up crammed into an Escort or Cortina. This recent phenomenon of buying a behemoth of a car to carry tiny children in always puzzles me.
Stroller + chassis + labrador + Car seat + two adults + "all her crap" adds up a lot. On a trip to Cornwall the whole Forester was rammed and the dog had to go in kennels. It's not just about transporting a baby on a booster seat any more but you could do that in any car. Edited by Ved on Sunday 19th October 09:17
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