Question for all dads out there - car buying
Discussion
ZX10R NIN said:
How much are you thinking about spending? What's your usage?
If i was going to go for it id say budget would be 3k, ideally id like to spend less.I have done some browsing. Honda crvs seemed to fit budget perfectly.
Others were toyota rav4s, volvos ( car and suv)
Thought im best to avoid premium german brands at that price so cancelled out bmws and mercs.
Quite frankly it was only to transport the new born in ans that is really apart from that will sit there. Maybe twice a month usage on motorways
Tony33 said:
Sunbeam Ti in my case (1987)
Neither the wife or I had any issue with a 2 door car and getting our first child in the back and a hatchback seemed plenty practical enough at the time.
We had it until we had our second child when we bought a huge 309!
It does seem from what everyone is saying… that my current car will do just fine, and its probably something to consider in the future if the family growsNeither the wife or I had any issue with a 2 door car and getting our first child in the back and a hatchback seemed plenty practical enough at the time.
We had it until we had our second child when we bought a huge 309!
The modern world doesn't need to care that some of us came home in bicycle baskets.
OP, your car is genuinely ideal.
You want (and I mean want) a big aperture to get the kid in, esp to those rear facing seats. You have height and a fairly long flat top section- ideal.
You want a boot that takes whatever pram you decide on. Your boot is huge. Ideal.
Best of luck, expect everything to change, for the better!
OP, your car is genuinely ideal.
You want (and I mean want) a big aperture to get the kid in, esp to those rear facing seats. You have height and a fairly long flat top section- ideal.
You want a boot that takes whatever pram you decide on. Your boot is huge. Ideal.
Best of luck, expect everything to change, for the better!
We had an Impreza wagon when our first came along and that was just fine. Once two arrived it was a bit small to carry everything for weeks/weekends away so I compromised and bought an E55 estate. Which was just brilliant.
I did keep the sports cars mind.
We did the NCT group thing (I was told it was a good idea - 2 airline pilots, 2 lawyers and us..hmm not quite similar outlooks) yet they all had ditched their fun cars at the first sight of a blue line...
If you travel sensibly a "normal " hatch is plenty but the other half will want to pack everything including the kitchen sink (and 8 pairs of shoes for a weekend) so use the opportunity and look at e63s and rs6s because you can make a great case for "needing" one.
I did keep the sports cars mind.
We did the NCT group thing (I was told it was a good idea - 2 airline pilots, 2 lawyers and us..hmm not quite similar outlooks) yet they all had ditched their fun cars at the first sight of a blue line...
If you travel sensibly a "normal " hatch is plenty but the other half will want to pack everything including the kitchen sink (and 8 pairs of shoes for a weekend) so use the opportunity and look at e63s and rs6s because you can make a great case for "needing" one.
Not read the previous posts, but will share my experience fwiw.
I had an MR2, which had to go. Replaced with an Avensis estate (back in 2010) which was fine, but for two kids the boot got filled up reasonably quickly with a double pushchair and travel cots etc.
The wife had a hyundai coupe, which stayed whilst we had one kid, but the large doors and poor rear seat access made a baby seat a complete pita, and a no no when child two approached.
Swapped for a 4 door car (alfa 156) which had pathetic rear boot access and lack of fold down rear seats offsetting it's lovely road manners and looks (imo anyway)
The focus that replaced that was fine, so any 4/5 door hatchback should be fine for normal use, and for big weekends away perhaps consider a larger family car or small estate (focus, Mégane, astra etc)
Unless you want something big of course - it is a free country after all
Hth
Ian
I had an MR2, which had to go. Replaced with an Avensis estate (back in 2010) which was fine, but for two kids the boot got filled up reasonably quickly with a double pushchair and travel cots etc.
The wife had a hyundai coupe, which stayed whilst we had one kid, but the large doors and poor rear seat access made a baby seat a complete pita, and a no no when child two approached.
Swapped for a 4 door car (alfa 156) which had pathetic rear boot access and lack of fold down rear seats offsetting it's lovely road manners and looks (imo anyway)
The focus that replaced that was fine, so any 4/5 door hatchback should be fine for normal use, and for big weekends away perhaps consider a larger family car or small estate (focus, Mégane, astra etc)
Unless you want something big of course - it is a free country after all
Hth
Ian
Brownie_B said:
If i was going to go for it id say budget would be 3k, ideally id like to spend less.
I have done some browsing. Honda crvs seemed to fit budget perfectly.
Others were toyota rav4s, volvos ( car and suv)
Thought im best to avoid premium german brands at that price so cancelled out bmws and mercs.
Quite frankly it was only to transport the new born in ans that is really apart from that will sit there. Maybe twice a month usage on motorways
The thing with Rav4's/CRV's in this price bracket is that they can suffer with serious rust issues.I have done some browsing. Honda crvs seemed to fit budget perfectly.
Others were toyota rav4s, volvos ( car and suv)
Thought im best to avoid premium german brands at that price so cancelled out bmws and mercs.
Quite frankly it was only to transport the new born in ans that is really apart from that will sit there. Maybe twice a month usage on motorways
If you want a good family car at this price point then here's when a few worth a look:
2.5T Mondeo Titanium X:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202305067...
2.3 Titanium X:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202304256...
2.5 Mazda6 Sport:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202305127...
1.8 Insignia SRI:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202305197...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303155...
Mazda5 Furano:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202304076...
Even for bulkier car seats, the Golf ought be fine unless you & your partner are over 6'2".
Lots of VW group vehicles on the MQB platform are generous with rear legroom. Yes, my Octavia was even more generous but my other half's Golf was fine.
Where an estate is helpful- and you'll be laughing here with a Golf Plus- is a usefully big load opening.
SUVs are often cramped and compromised compared to similarly priced estate cars. The only advantage might be to face bending over with your child when strapping them in but it wasn't worth all the other downsides to me.
Lots of VW group vehicles on the MQB platform are generous with rear legroom. Yes, my Octavia was even more generous but my other half's Golf was fine.
Where an estate is helpful- and you'll be laughing here with a Golf Plus- is a usefully big load opening.
SUVs are often cramped and compromised compared to similarly priced estate cars. The only advantage might be to face bending over with your child when strapping them in but it wasn't worth all the other downsides to me.
Coupe wise here's where I'd be looking 
CLK:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202304266...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202305197...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202305036...
CLK:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202304266...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202305197...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202305036...
Brownie_B said:
Hey all...
for all those dads out there, when you heard of news of the new arrival, did you start looking to get a bigger vehicle? (ie SUV etc)
What would you advice be to soon to be new dad(s) about vehicle buying for new borns.
I bought an E46M3 to go with the TVR Tuscan I already had. for all those dads out there, when you heard of news of the new arrival, did you start looking to get a bigger vehicle? (ie SUV etc)
What would you advice be to soon to be new dad(s) about vehicle buying for new borns.
Still have both 9 years on and both have gone up in value. Hope this helps
(Beats a qashqai or whatever everyone else does…..)
To be fair, we also got a cheap 330 estate which was alright and now have an E60 545 with the big V8 for the mrs and the kids.
You just have to think a bit differently. I’d go petrol guzzling big merc or BM rather than a family wagon personally- it’s way more fun.
Edible Roadkill said:
For 1 child ?
Go make sure the pram your good lady wants will fit in the boot & leave enough space for everything else.
Other than that you don’t need to jump into a bigger car. Once you’ve got 3 kids & the dog then yes see what 7 seater you like best or large suv.
Thats a great idea and yes for 1 childGo make sure the pram your good lady wants will fit in the boot & leave enough space for everything else.
Other than that you don’t need to jump into a bigger car. Once you’ve got 3 kids & the dog then yes see what 7 seater you like best or large suv.
Macron said:
The modern world doesn't need to care that some of us came home in bicycle baskets.
OP, your car is genuinely ideal.
You want (and I mean want) a big aperture to get the kid in, esp to those rear facing seats. You have height and a fairly long flat top section- ideal.
You want a boot that takes whatever pram you decide on. Your boot is huge. Ideal.
Best of luck, expect everything to change, for the better!
Thank you for your kind wordsOP, your car is genuinely ideal.
You want (and I mean want) a big aperture to get the kid in, esp to those rear facing seats. You have height and a fairly long flat top section- ideal.
You want a boot that takes whatever pram you decide on. Your boot is huge. Ideal.
Best of luck, expect everything to change, for the better!
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