Question for all dads out there - car buying
Discussion
We had a Scirocco when our eldest was born. Kept it for a further year until Mrs Pixelmix had enough of putting him in the car seat in the back of a low 3 door. Swapped it for a Golf GTI which we still have. At that point we only owned one car and it was plenty big enough, even when we had two children a few years later, so your Golf Plus will be fine.
Admittedly we now have a Caravelle too, but only so I can carry bikes (mostly my own) around without the faff of roof bars. We took the Golf on holiday for 10 days with a 6 and 8 year old last year and everything just about fitted.
Save your pennies and keep the Golf Plus a bit longer. Most medium sized SUVs won't have a bigger boot than your current car.
Admittedly we now have a Caravelle too, but only so I can carry bikes (mostly my own) around without the faff of roof bars. We took the Golf on holiday for 10 days with a 6 and 8 year old last year and everything just about fitted.
Save your pennies and keep the Golf Plus a bit longer. Most medium sized SUVs won't have a bigger boot than your current car.
We had an Alfa GTV when my wife announced she was pregnant. It had to go as she couldn't get out of it after about 5 months.
Thinking I was being sensible, I bought a Peugeot 306 XSi (5 door hatch). Yes it was better than the GTV, but the pram took up all of the boot. We kept that for about 6 months then sold it and bought an original shape Megane Scenic. The Scenic was great - we kept it for about 14 years. It was easy to get the kids in and out of. When we just had the one child, she could go in the middle seat in the back, which we pulled forward. The boot was plenty big enough and 2 sunroofs meant the inside of the car was nice and light.
Thinking I was being sensible, I bought a Peugeot 306 XSi (5 door hatch). Yes it was better than the GTV, but the pram took up all of the boot. We kept that for about 6 months then sold it and bought an original shape Megane Scenic. The Scenic was great - we kept it for about 14 years. It was easy to get the kids in and out of. When we just had the one child, she could go in the middle seat in the back, which we pulled forward. The boot was plenty big enough and 2 sunroofs meant the inside of the car was nice and light.
I had a Golf estate at the time our daughter came along due to me surfing and mountain biking so had the perfect family car already.
Wife had an MX5 so we found a suitable baby seat that could be used in the passenger seat of that.
Her love of 2 seater convertibles is a big reason why we stopped at one child.
Daughter (now 19) has a mild interest in cars, particularly now that she is driving her self.
Growing up she had a few friends say to her that 'they wished their mum had a cool car, like her mums, because the roof comes down'..
Their mums probably all drove Golf estates...
Getting an adult Boxer dog to travel in the passenger seat of an MX5?? No, that doesn't work at all.
Wife had an MX5 so we found a suitable baby seat that could be used in the passenger seat of that.
Her love of 2 seater convertibles is a big reason why we stopped at one child.
Daughter (now 19) has a mild interest in cars, particularly now that she is driving her self.
Growing up she had a few friends say to her that 'they wished their mum had a cool car, like her mums, because the roof comes down'..
Their mums probably all drove Golf estates...
Getting an adult Boxer dog to travel in the passenger seat of an MX5?? No, that doesn't work at all.
Edited by BeastieBoy73 on Monday 22 May 16:45
Brownie_B said:
Thank you for the advice, may i ask how have you got on with the XC70? im a HUGE volvo fan (have been since my youth) and owned several last one been the S60. But always heard "horror" stories regarding reliability for the XC70 .
Without wanting to veer off topic, but I've been into old Volvos since the BTCC days - had numerous quick 850 / V70's over the years, several P2 V70's both diesels and petrols and latterly, a V70R. The XC70 was always something I had a bit of a thing for, not sure why really but I just thought they made sense in a sort of life / wife proof tool that appealed to my inner outdoorsy wannabe t
t. I did debate a P2 XC70 but having had my fingers severely burned by my previous D5 V70's and the AWD V70R... I figured that combined both aspects in an XC70 could be an utter disaster. Experience dictates that this bombproof / last of the proper Volvo nonsense some proclaim is actually that accurate and that a P2 can be a really grim proposition, more so as they're now getting rather old and neglected and this that aren't, some of the prices people ask is frankly ridiculous.
So, with a meagre budget of £3k I wasn't expecting much in the world of an XC70 but I knew I wanted a manual because I'd been bitten by Geartronics several times. I wanted a basic model so no fancy headlights or power tailgates to go wrong. I wanted a D5 185bhp as they're much less complex than the twin turbo versions. I wanted AWD as not having AWD didn't make sense to me. I wanted a dark interior... because kids. I found one in Wales, so just the 900 mile round trip to collect... and it tripped over to 200k on the way home.
That was nigh on three years ago now and thus far, it's been superb. I'd gladly proclaim it's wearing its miles better than any of my previous P2 cars - it doesn't squeak, rattle and the drivers seat hasn't fallen apart. It's much much better to drive, feels quite quick more so as you simply don't care about crap surfaces, mud, livestock etc. It's never put a foot wrong, everything works and it's averaging 39mpg despite my wife being mechanically unsympathetic. I / we have really abused it too... it gets very little love and it just comes back for more. It's been in rivers, up mountains, driven into gates, been stood on, neglected for months and it's fine... hasn't failed, broken, stopped or anything.
Like any car, yes I guess if you buy a ropey one it could be a costly thing to put right but there seems to be less ropey P3 XC70's out there... not sure why but they haven't yet hit that all time low where people are just running them into the ground, except for me maybe. I'd like to say I got lucky with mine but my father-in-law has one too, it's on 170k and again... no issues and he's not exactly fastidious either.
When mine dies, I'll be buying another.
Congratulations on the pending arrival, I hope everything goes well as they enter the world.
My children are 5 and 2 and we had a 3 door Mini and 3 door Fiesta pre children, we swapped the mini for a 5 door Golf and the Fiesta for a 5 door Focus. Millions of people don’t have the luxury of doing that. I can tell you that in the turmoil of trying to run your life in a sleep deprived state, having more than enough space can be a relief
The hardest times for space IMHO were when we needed to pack for a week away, and you have to put in a pram for a new born / baby. The one we had pretty much ate up the boot space leaving me to play a good old game of Tetris. No big deal, there’s space in the back to put a bag or 2 in.
Enter child number 2… much less space, next level Tetris. It’s all fine for those saying pack light, try to go self catering for a week in a country where more often than not you need clothes for all seasons!
If you like your car, you could always buy some roof rails and a box. The amount of times you need large SUV levels of space are rare in comparison to how often you need a normal sized car to do normal things without other joys … like parking the giant SUV in the 1970s sized spaces
My children are 5 and 2 and we had a 3 door Mini and 3 door Fiesta pre children, we swapped the mini for a 5 door Golf and the Fiesta for a 5 door Focus. Millions of people don’t have the luxury of doing that. I can tell you that in the turmoil of trying to run your life in a sleep deprived state, having more than enough space can be a relief
The hardest times for space IMHO were when we needed to pack for a week away, and you have to put in a pram for a new born / baby. The one we had pretty much ate up the boot space leaving me to play a good old game of Tetris. No big deal, there’s space in the back to put a bag or 2 in.
Enter child number 2… much less space, next level Tetris. It’s all fine for those saying pack light, try to go self catering for a week in a country where more often than not you need clothes for all seasons!
If you like your car, you could always buy some roof rails and a box. The amount of times you need large SUV levels of space are rare in comparison to how often you need a normal sized car to do normal things without other joys … like parking the giant SUV in the 1970s sized spaces
Davie said:
Without wanting to veer off topic, but I've been into old Volvos since the BTCC days - had numerous quick 850 / V70's over the years, several P2 V70's both diesels and petrols and latterly, a V70R. The XC70 was always something I had a bit of a thing for, not sure why really but I just thought they made sense in a sort of life / wife proof tool that appealed to my inner outdoorsy wannabe tt.
I did debate a P2 XC70 but having had my fingers severely burned by my previous D5 V70's and the AWD V70R... I figured that combined both aspects in an XC70 could be an utter disaster. Experience dictates that this bombproof / last of the proper Volvo nonsense some proclaim is actually that accurate and that a P2 can be a really grim proposition, more so as they're now getting rather old and neglected and this that aren't, some of the prices people ask is frankly ridiculous.
So, with a meagre budget of £3k I wasn't expecting much in the world of an XC70 but I knew I wanted a manual because I'd been bitten by Geartronics several times. I wanted a basic model so no fancy headlights or power tailgates to go wrong. I wanted a D5 185bhp as they're much less complex than the twin turbo versions. I wanted AWD as not having AWD didn't make sense to me. I wanted a dark interior... because kids. I found one in Wales, so just the 900 mile round trip to collect... and it tripped over to 200k on the way home.
That was nigh on three years ago now and thus far, it's been superb. I'd gladly proclaim it's wearing its miles better than any of my previous P2 cars - it doesn't squeak, rattle and the drivers seat hasn't fallen apart. It's much much better to drive, feels quite quick more so as you simply don't care about crap surfaces, mud, livestock etc. It's never put a foot wrong, everything works and it's averaging 39mpg despite my wife being mechanically unsympathetic. I / we have really abused it too... it gets very little love and it just comes back for more. It's been in rivers, up mountains, driven into gates, been stood on, neglected for months and it's fine... hasn't failed, broken, stopped or anything.
Like any car, yes I guess if you buy a ropey one it could be a costly thing to put right but there seems to be less ropey P3 XC70's out there... not sure why but they haven't yet hit that all time low where people are just running them into the ground, except for me maybe. I'd like to say I got lucky with mine but my father-in-law has one too, it's on 170k and again... no issues and he's not exactly fastidious either.
When mine dies, I'll be buying another.
Thank you my friend.t. I did debate a P2 XC70 but having had my fingers severely burned by my previous D5 V70's and the AWD V70R... I figured that combined both aspects in an XC70 could be an utter disaster. Experience dictates that this bombproof / last of the proper Volvo nonsense some proclaim is actually that accurate and that a P2 can be a really grim proposition, more so as they're now getting rather old and neglected and this that aren't, some of the prices people ask is frankly ridiculous.
So, with a meagre budget of £3k I wasn't expecting much in the world of an XC70 but I knew I wanted a manual because I'd been bitten by Geartronics several times. I wanted a basic model so no fancy headlights or power tailgates to go wrong. I wanted a D5 185bhp as they're much less complex than the twin turbo versions. I wanted AWD as not having AWD didn't make sense to me. I wanted a dark interior... because kids. I found one in Wales, so just the 900 mile round trip to collect... and it tripped over to 200k on the way home.
That was nigh on three years ago now and thus far, it's been superb. I'd gladly proclaim it's wearing its miles better than any of my previous P2 cars - it doesn't squeak, rattle and the drivers seat hasn't fallen apart. It's much much better to drive, feels quite quick more so as you simply don't care about crap surfaces, mud, livestock etc. It's never put a foot wrong, everything works and it's averaging 39mpg despite my wife being mechanically unsympathetic. I / we have really abused it too... it gets very little love and it just comes back for more. It's been in rivers, up mountains, driven into gates, been stood on, neglected for months and it's fine... hasn't failed, broken, stopped or anything.
Like any car, yes I guess if you buy a ropey one it could be a costly thing to put right but there seems to be less ropey P3 XC70's out there... not sure why but they haven't yet hit that all time low where people are just running them into the ground, except for me maybe. I'd like to say I got lucky with mine but my father-in-law has one too, it's on 170k and again... no issues and he's not exactly fastidious either.
When mine dies, I'll be buying another.
FrogPower said:
Congratulations on the pending arrival, I hope everything goes well as they enter the world.
My children are 5 and 2 and we had a 3 door Mini and 3 door Fiesta pre children, we swapped the mini for a 5 door Golf and the Fiesta for a 5 door Focus. Millions of people don’t have the luxury of doing that. I can tell you that in the turmoil of trying to run your life in a sleep deprived state, having more than enough space can be a relief
The hardest times for space IMHO were when we needed to pack for a week away, and you have to put in a pram for a new born / baby. The one we had pretty much ate up the boot space leaving me to play a good old game of Tetris. No big deal, there’s space in the back to put a bag or 2 in.
Enter child number 2… much less space, next level Tetris. It’s all fine for those saying pack light, try to go self catering for a week in a country where more often than not you need clothes for all seasons!
If you like your car, you could always buy some roof rails and a box. The amount of times you need large SUV levels of space are rare in comparison to how often you need a normal sized car to do normal things without other joys … like parking the giant SUV in the 1970s sized spaces
Thank you for your kind wordsMy children are 5 and 2 and we had a 3 door Mini and 3 door Fiesta pre children, we swapped the mini for a 5 door Golf and the Fiesta for a 5 door Focus. Millions of people don’t have the luxury of doing that. I can tell you that in the turmoil of trying to run your life in a sleep deprived state, having more than enough space can be a relief
The hardest times for space IMHO were when we needed to pack for a week away, and you have to put in a pram for a new born / baby. The one we had pretty much ate up the boot space leaving me to play a good old game of Tetris. No big deal, there’s space in the back to put a bag or 2 in.
Enter child number 2… much less space, next level Tetris. It’s all fine for those saying pack light, try to go self catering for a week in a country where more often than not you need clothes for all seasons!
If you like your car, you could always buy some roof rails and a box. The amount of times you need large SUV levels of space are rare in comparison to how often you need a normal sized car to do normal things without other joys … like parking the giant SUV in the 1970s sized spaces
Ended up chopping in our Clio 182 when we found out we were having twins, ended up in a Scenic which wasn't sexy or cool but it swallowed 2 baby seats, a double (side by side) buggy, plus everything else for holidays and life in general (used it as a van when moving house too as you could remove the rear seats) for about 7 or 8 years, for 1 kid I would expect a modern hatch\small estate to deal with most scenarios.
I went from a Yaris to Insignia.
Yaris were way to small to get a pram in the boot, let alone anything else with it. I personally think a hatchback is big enough for most people. You need to think of how often you'll be loading up the boot, do you go on holidays/weekend breaks in the UK and would you be driving, does it fit a rear facing seat in the back, what type of pram do you have.
I went for the Insignia because it had the biggest boot and I do a lot of motorway miles. My only regret is I should have got an estate as it would make those UK staycations easier to pack the car up. Granted I wouldn't have got an Insignia estate as I don't like the look of it. I don't really see a point in getting an SUV with a small boot unless you've got back issues. Then again you can buy those car seats that rotate which makes things easier.
Yaris were way to small to get a pram in the boot, let alone anything else with it. I personally think a hatchback is big enough for most people. You need to think of how often you'll be loading up the boot, do you go on holidays/weekend breaks in the UK and would you be driving, does it fit a rear facing seat in the back, what type of pram do you have.
I went for the Insignia because it had the biggest boot and I do a lot of motorway miles. My only regret is I should have got an estate as it would make those UK staycations easier to pack the car up. Granted I wouldn't have got an Insignia estate as I don't like the look of it. I don't really see a point in getting an SUV with a small boot unless you've got back issues. Then again you can buy those car seats that rotate which makes things easier.
Baby #1 our family car was a KA!
Baby #2 our family car was a Jazz.
Baby #3 our family car was a Kia C'eed... but we recently upgraded to a Fiat 500 7 seater.
I drive a 3 door Astra and it can be a pain getting two of the car seats in the back to be fair, but they rarely get in there.
Makes me laugh when someone has their first kid and immediately goes out and buys a massive SUV!
Baby #2 our family car was a Jazz.
Baby #3 our family car was a Kia C'eed... but we recently upgraded to a Fiat 500 7 seater.
I drive a 3 door Astra and it can be a pain getting two of the car seats in the back to be fair, but they rarely get in there.
Makes me laugh when someone has their first kid and immediately goes out and buys a massive SUV!
Baby 1 I kept the A5 I had and she kept a Leon Cupra
Baby 2 A5 changed to 3 series wife had a new Cupra Leon
Baby 3 I kept 3 series wife had a 5008 7 seater ( 3 car seats I back and stupidly cheap lease)
Now they are 9, 8 and 5:
I have a T6 transporter Kombi and she has a 330 convertible. I'm not doing this right at all, need to swap her back to the family wagon
Baby 2 A5 changed to 3 series wife had a new Cupra Leon
Baby 3 I kept 3 series wife had a 5008 7 seater ( 3 car seats I back and stupidly cheap lease)
Now they are 9, 8 and 5:
I have a T6 transporter Kombi and she has a 330 convertible. I'm not doing this right at all, need to swap her back to the family wagon
I spent about £200 on a Porsche branded baby seat for the 911. Tried it once and the poor little chap screamed his head off and it was never used again. In fairness, I’d accidentally (x) spec’d the car with a completely red interior, ceiling, steering wheel, dash, everything so the poor chap probably thought he was back in the womb…
(x) The options list was huge so just told the salesman to make everything red inside that could be. Big mistake.
(x) The options list was huge so just told the salesman to make everything red inside that could be. Big mistake.
67Dino said:
I spent about £200 on a Porsche branded baby seat for the 911. Tried it once and the poor little chap screamed his head off and it was never used again. In fairness, I’d accidentally (x) spec’d the car with a completely red interior, ceiling, steering wheel, dash, everything so the poor chap probably thought he was back in the womb…
(x) The options list was huge so just told the salesman to make everything red inside that could be. Big mistake.
(x) The options list was huge so just told the salesman to make everything red inside that could be. Big mistake.
Glad you didn’t follow the complete lack of logic that dictates as soon as a child is on the way automotive misery much start.
Most of us grew up with a mid size car such as a Cortina / Sierra / Mondeo as the family car a they were just great. I was the youngest of 2 children and our family car back in 70’s was a Fiat Coupe. A great car that would take us on my family holidays to Cornwall and the South Coast.
Brownie_B said:
I want to thank everyone for taking the time to reply.
Ive learned alot of new things, so I do appreciate everyones replies.
I think im anxious/nervous/scared so just trying to do my part, I dont even know what dads do lol.
Hi thereIve learned alot of new things, so I do appreciate everyones replies.
I think im anxious/nervous/scared so just trying to do my part, I dont even know what dads do lol.
This could be a whole new thread, so will keep it brief
- support your partner as much as possible: they will be under x1000 pressure about "what do mums do"
- be involved as much as you can in your child's life
- take time to enjoy it: they're only a newborn once and it will go fast (though it won't seem like it when feeding at 3am)
Hope this helps, and all the best
Ian
Thought I would share my experience having recently done this - 10 month old now.
Had a Leon Cupra 5dr and 3dr Mini Cooper S between me and the wife and hoped that the cupra would be big enough.
Shock moment when picking up pram (or rather travel set incl carry-cot, and all the gear) that I could barely fit all the boxes in the car! Pram wheels and carrycot basically took up most of the boot space.
Then came a week in Scotland to see in-laws and attempted to get everything in Cupra but no chance. The amount of tut you need to take is incredible including bath seats, bottle sterilisers, travel cots and the like, so had a to swap with a friend who had a GLC, and we filled that!
So in Jan swapped the Cupra for a 10yr old Q5 3.0tdi and as a family car is just awesome and swallows everything you need.
I would echo, Golf plus is perfect, folks on here saying they managed with a coupe with kids must be from a different era.
Had a Leon Cupra 5dr and 3dr Mini Cooper S between me and the wife and hoped that the cupra would be big enough.
Shock moment when picking up pram (or rather travel set incl carry-cot, and all the gear) that I could barely fit all the boxes in the car! Pram wheels and carrycot basically took up most of the boot space.
Then came a week in Scotland to see in-laws and attempted to get everything in Cupra but no chance. The amount of tut you need to take is incredible including bath seats, bottle sterilisers, travel cots and the like, so had a to swap with a friend who had a GLC, and we filled that!
So in Jan swapped the Cupra for a 10yr old Q5 3.0tdi and as a family car is just awesome and swallows everything you need.
I would echo, Golf plus is perfect, folks on here saying they managed with a coupe with kids must be from a different era.
Ian Geary said:
Hi there
This could be a whole new thread, so will keep it brief
- support your partner as much as possible: they will be under x1000 pressure about "what do mums do"
- be involved as much as you can in your child's life
- take time to enjoy it: they're only a newborn once and it will go fast (though it won't seem like it when feeding at 3am)
Hope this helps, and all the best
Ian
Part time boxing referee between 2 toddler opponents.This could be a whole new thread, so will keep it brief
- support your partner as much as possible: they will be under x1000 pressure about "what do mums do"
- be involved as much as you can in your child's life
- take time to enjoy it: they're only a newborn once and it will go fast (though it won't seem like it when feeding at 3am)
Hope this helps, and all the best
Ian
Risk assessment and enforcement officer.
Upholstery, carpet and upholstery cleaner.
Occasional cook
Personal shopper
Taxi service
Self taught teacher
Hairdresser and barber
Sports coach
Part time marketplace buyer
Plus many other things.
Ian Geary said:
Hi there
This could be a whole new thread, so will keep it brief
- support your partner as much as possible: they will be under x1000 pressure about "what do mums do"
- be involved as much as you can in your child's life
- take time to enjoy it: they're only a newborn once and it will go fast (though it won't seem like it when feeding at 3am)
Hope this helps, and all the best
Ian
Thnak you for the advice, very much appreciated.This could be a whole new thread, so will keep it brief
- support your partner as much as possible: they will be under x1000 pressure about "what do mums do"
- be involved as much as you can in your child's life
- take time to enjoy it: they're only a newborn once and it will go fast (though it won't seem like it when feeding at 3am)
Hope this helps, and all the best
Ian
edc said:
Part time boxing referee between 2 toddler opponents.
Risk assessment and enforcement officer.
Upholstery, carpet and upholstery cleaner.
Occasional cook
Personal shopper
Taxi service
Self taught teacher
Hairdresser and barber
Sports coach
Part time marketplace buyer
Plus many other things.
Seems like fun and games lol. Thanks for the heads upRisk assessment and enforcement officer.
Upholstery, carpet and upholstery cleaner.
Occasional cook
Personal shopper
Taxi service
Self taught teacher
Hairdresser and barber
Sports coach
Part time marketplace buyer
Plus many other things.
DJM7691 said:
Thought I would share my experience having recently done this - 10 month old now.
Had a Leon Cupra 5dr and 3dr Mini Cooper S between me and the wife and hoped that the cupra would be big enough.
Shock moment when picking up pram (or rather travel set incl carry-cot, and all the gear) that I could barely fit all the boxes in the car! Pram wheels and carrycot basically took up most of the boot space.
Then came a week in Scotland to see in-laws and attempted to get everything in Cupra but no chance. The amount of tut you need to take is incredible including bath seats, bottle sterilisers, travel cots and the like, so had a to swap with a friend who had a GLC, and we filled that!
So in Jan swapped the Cupra for a 10yr old Q5 3.0tdi and as a family car is just awesome and swallows everything you need.
I would echo, Golf plus is perfect, folks on here saying they managed with a coupe with kids must be from a different era.
This is the thing, I still need to get around to seeing exactly what the baby will need. So far all i know is pram, travel carry thingy, a baby bag with bits and bobs I suppose....I should really make a list Had a Leon Cupra 5dr and 3dr Mini Cooper S between me and the wife and hoped that the cupra would be big enough.
Shock moment when picking up pram (or rather travel set incl carry-cot, and all the gear) that I could barely fit all the boxes in the car! Pram wheels and carrycot basically took up most of the boot space.
Then came a week in Scotland to see in-laws and attempted to get everything in Cupra but no chance. The amount of tut you need to take is incredible including bath seats, bottle sterilisers, travel cots and the like, so had a to swap with a friend who had a GLC, and we filled that!
So in Jan swapped the Cupra for a 10yr old Q5 3.0tdi and as a family car is just awesome and swallows everything you need.
I would echo, Golf plus is perfect, folks on here saying they managed with a coupe with kids must be from a different era.
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