Discussion
rallye101 said:
I'm waiting delivery on a hybrid s
tty thing...I've just bought a £10?k miler lexus is220d to keep me going for 6 months.....I might just cancel....
If it's a 220d it's a brave age.tty thing...I've just bought a £10?k miler lexus is220d to keep me going for 6 months.....I might just cancel....There's a 50:50 chance it will cost you more than you paid for it, possibly one of the worst Lexuses ever made. Not a criticism of yourself. But as for a driver, apart from the ridiculously long 6th gear it should be ok.
If you can cancel and still want a Lexus go for an IS250 instead. Worse on paper, higher tax and crap MPG but it'll get you home in much more comfort and less stress. I may be overegging it but I've seen a few 220d's on trailers.
3 series touring is perfect - decent boot to get pram in, split folding rear hatch as well, still a fun enough car to drive so you don’t feel as if you are giving up too much
s2000 a nice pairing for it, so you’ve still got something driver focussed. My pairing is a 996 turbo. Two rear seats perfect for the kids
s2000 a nice pairing for it, so you’ve still got something driver focussed. My pairing is a 996 turbo. Two rear seats perfect for the kids
We had a 3 door when my youngest was born and struggled for a while. It was a struggle, but we managed! It's a kid, not a nuclear bomb.
Seem to recall we used to put my daughter up front when a small baby anyway, which my wife liked as she could keep an eye when driving.
Getting a buggy in was the bigger problem.
Estate or mpv is going to get you more for your money than a suv, but a suv is easier than an estate (we've had both) Mpv the most practical - we had a Ford smax. Great car that we probably should have kept longer, although the xc60s that followed were nicer all round.
How about a skoda octavia or superb estate? With a new baby on the way you might want to save as much as that 10k as you can!!
Seem to recall we used to put my daughter up front when a small baby anyway, which my wife liked as she could keep an eye when driving.
Getting a buggy in was the bigger problem.
Estate or mpv is going to get you more for your money than a suv, but a suv is easier than an estate (we've had both) Mpv the most practical - we had a Ford smax. Great car that we probably should have kept longer, although the xc60s that followed were nicer all round.
How about a skoda octavia or superb estate? With a new baby on the way you might want to save as much as that 10k as you can!!
Edited by covmutley on Thursday 22 December 07:16
I had an e46 coupe when my first born came along, went two weeks after the baby arrived as getting sleeping child in a cat seat was impossible in the three door. Still miss that car!
If this is a long termer, the things you’ll need for the next few years are an enormous boot, ideally leather for wipe clean, tints on the rear windows help too. Estate/suv with roof bars for box/bike carrying potential.
We run a 2 series gran tourer for family duties as it has an enormous boot, but if I was buying now I’d be looking at a Kodiaq, Superb estate, 5 series, E class, that kind of thing.
I had a 3 series touring for a while and the boot was a struggle on holidays, even with a roof box for the buggy. That’s with UK holidays though, so taking the kitchen sink with you!
If this is a long termer, the things you’ll need for the next few years are an enormous boot, ideally leather for wipe clean, tints on the rear windows help too. Estate/suv with roof bars for box/bike carrying potential.
We run a 2 series gran tourer for family duties as it has an enormous boot, but if I was buying now I’d be looking at a Kodiaq, Superb estate, 5 series, E class, that kind of thing.
I had a 3 series touring for a while and the boot was a struggle on holidays, even with a roof box for the buggy. That’s with UK holidays though, so taking the kitchen sink with you!
To be fair, you generally do need a decent sized boot when they are under 2 but the stuff you need to cart around gets less once they get older.
We had a 3 series saloon which seemed ideal until my wife went and bought a newborn buggy which only fit lengthways into the boot leaving very little room either side, the travel cot had to go on the back seat and the rear seats didn't fold either!
Once they hit 18 months or so, you can just use a small stroller so any sized hatchback will hold this.
Once they hit the age they sleep in a bed you no longer need the travel cot either.
Now he is three, we could easily get away with a hatchback and go away for a weekend somewhere. For anything longer we have a roofbox.
You will manage with any size of car you have but it really does make life easier having 5 doors and a decent sized boot, especially for the first few years. If you plan to have a second then getting a bigger car now is probably a worthwhile investment.
We only have one so I didn't see the point in getting something huge, we can manage 99% of the time and for the odd time we need more room (long trips away), I just slap the 500L roof box on.
We had a 3 series saloon which seemed ideal until my wife went and bought a newborn buggy which only fit lengthways into the boot leaving very little room either side, the travel cot had to go on the back seat and the rear seats didn't fold either!
Once they hit 18 months or so, you can just use a small stroller so any sized hatchback will hold this.
Once they hit the age they sleep in a bed you no longer need the travel cot either.
Now he is three, we could easily get away with a hatchback and go away for a weekend somewhere. For anything longer we have a roofbox.
You will manage with any size of car you have but it really does make life easier having 5 doors and a decent sized boot, especially for the first few years. If you plan to have a second then getting a bigger car now is probably a worthwhile investment.
We only have one so I didn't see the point in getting something huge, we can manage 99% of the time and for the odd time we need more room (long trips away), I just slap the 500L roof box on.
If you're considering a crossover/small SUV along the lines of a Tucson, the best in class is the Pug 3008. Get a GT spec for the massage seats after pushing the pram about all day.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202210210...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202210210...
Gosh, you lot are all spoiled, when we had our first child in 1972 we had a mini traveller in which we used to put the demountable pram base with child in situ, with the rest of the inevitable truck on a roof rack. This did allow me to keep my Aceca, but I have to admit the safety aspect was very doubtful in those days, for example, the child seat was a plastic shell that offered no protection whatsoever apart from keeping the child in place when motoring. As a final note the 850cc. engine struggled when we went out as a family!
cjb44 said:
Gosh, you lot are all spoiled, when we had our first child in 1972 we had a mini traveller in which we used to put the demountable pram base with child in situ, with the rest of the inevitable truck on a roof rack. This did allow me to keep my Aceca, but I have to admit the safety aspect was very doubtful in those days, for example, the child seat was a plastic shell that offered no protection whatsoever apart from keeping the child in place when motoring. As a final note the 850cc. engine struggled when we went out as a family!
I remember playing in the back of a Ford Capri, my Da put the back seats down to give me and my brothers more room when he was driving. Also went on holidays in hire vans with deck chairs used for our seats. I remember him being stopped by a cop and he looked in the back and nodded us along. Times have changed and probably for the better.We changed car when our daughter was born: MX5 to Mazda 3 hatchback (5 door).
The Bugaboo pram filled the boot and everything else was wedges in around it. We then bought a second car - a Mini Clubman - and had to utilise the false boot floor to be able to fit the Bugaboo frame.
All new parents are excited and get caught up in the equipment and faff that comes with it. It’s normal, and it’s only as the children grow older do you look back and feel a little ridiculous. That’s just how it is.
Were the Golf not a 3 door, I’d say stick with what you have. As it is, bows the time to change and an SUV (while not necessarily offering any more indoor space) will be just the job for loading and unloading child and all the gear.
And congratulations OP..!
The Bugaboo pram filled the boot and everything else was wedges in around it. We then bought a second car - a Mini Clubman - and had to utilise the false boot floor to be able to fit the Bugaboo frame.
All new parents are excited and get caught up in the equipment and faff that comes with it. It’s normal, and it’s only as the children grow older do you look back and feel a little ridiculous. That’s just how it is.
Were the Golf not a 3 door, I’d say stick with what you have. As it is, bows the time to change and an SUV (while not necessarily offering any more indoor space) will be just the job for loading and unloading child and all the gear.
And congratulations OP..!
ilikejam said:
If you're considering a crossover/small SUV along the lines of a Tucson, the best in class is the Pug 3008. Get a GT spec for the massage seats after pushing the pram about all day.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202210210...
These are good and are more mpv like in the seating. But like for like they are 20-25% more expensive than the more practical but very similar size and admittedly out of fashion C4 Grand Picasso. https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202210210...
Back when all this was fields, the de facto answer to what car to accommodate new offspring was tvr cerbera. Tvr would even sell you a custom child seat and a special bracket to help secure your baby carrier
But in reality i would advise keeping the golf to start with. Alot of suvs dont have any more space than the golf.
If you want loads of family friendly space something like a berlingo would be hard to beat
But in reality i would advise keeping the golf to start with. Alot of suvs dont have any more space than the golf.
If you want loads of family friendly space something like a berlingo would be hard to beat
Good luck! I agree, get rid of the 3 door hatch. That will get old very quickly, and don't bother getting anything too new and precious. It will be destroyed before you know it.
Spend as little as possible and keep the excess cash for future child related costs of which there will be very many.
We managed with.....
1 child: 5 door Golf
2 children: BMW 3 series (then swapped for Alfa 156GTA as the BMW was so dull)
3 children:. XC90
XC90 was great for big holidays and the 7 seats.
Spend as little as possible and keep the excess cash for future child related costs of which there will be very many.
We managed with.....
1 child: 5 door Golf
2 children: BMW 3 series (then swapped for Alfa 156GTA as the BMW was so dull)
3 children:. XC90
XC90 was great for big holidays and the 7 seats.
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