what sort of car is good with a new baby?

[Dr House]

I have zero practical experience with this, I know you need to kart around a lot of stuff but would something like a 3 series (4GC would be nicer) be practical with a child? or should I be looking for a hatchback like a golf?

Im not a fan of big cars but I understand I need to be somewhat sensible so a I was thinking about looking for a 3 series when they little guy comes along but maybe a saloon is not going to work well with a pram and stuff?

 

[MissChief]

A saloon will be a PITA with the small boot opening as you've said. Definitely want a hatch or an estate. An AMG C63 estate would be ideal.

 

[Dr House]

lol, makes me wonder if I should run a cheap family car and keep a sports car or just get a fast family car.

 

[mjt]

535d Touring.

Anything smaller than my A6 Avant would be a massive pain. My boys are just over 2 and 6 months now and having such a huge boot to throw stuff in has been a godsend.

I honestly couldn't imagine having anything smaller. The only problem is that with the rear-facing Concord Reverso in the back, the front passenger hasn't got much in the way of space.

Also, congrats!

 

[NVP]

I bought the F11 535d which at the moment seems to be the perfect family car. Got the wife a 3 series saloon and the pram fits in the boot fine as well as shopping (just came back from a trip to dunelm) and fit everything in nicely, but my estate is the main family wagon.

It all depends on yourself really, for baby we carry his pram with travel seats etc and a nappy bag with change of clothes. At the moment that's all that's needed and both cars handle it well (although only had the 3 a couple days).

 

[Dr House]

Also, congrats!

Thanks

Macan turbo or could be tempting, not a bad size price is ok and not too expensive to run.

 

[Dolph]

Something big enough to take an i-size seat and still let you use the seat in front would be my choice you may be surprised how many cars this knocks out, especially when they are rear facing.

We have a recaro zero-1, and it has to go behind the passenger seat in our c class estate as it won't go behind the drivers seat with me in it (I'm 5'8" so not tall, fortunately the wife is only 5'3" and doesn't drive). Smaller cars can easily end up with an unusable passenger seat with a good child seat in.

The size of your boot needs also depends on the type of pram you have, some food much smaller than others. Our silver cross took up a decent chunk of the space in the c class as it didn't fold in half.

 

[new boy]

I have a Celica, and the mrs has a 3 door corsa...

I cant fit a baby seat in my car, and in her car, the pram takes up literally the whole boot. Its kinda fine until you need to go food shopping lol.

I've been looking for a new car, but I'm incredibly fussy, I have my heart set on something in particular, and its probably going to be a while until I can find one. Its been 4.5 months so far lol

Truth be told, I'll be sad to see the Celica go too Been a great little car, purchased it for like £1,100, 190BHP, cost me pretty much nothing except tyres, exhaust and battery. Really don't like selling good cars, but must be done.

 

[tom_nieto]

You’d be amazed how much you can get into a small car. We’ve resisted the urge to trade/mothball our fiat 500 as its fine for short journeys with one child (it has isofix too). Whilst it’s not at all ideal to have a small hatchback you don’t necessarily have to rush into buying something just for the sake of it. We’ll have to upgrade at some stage but it means we’re not buying any old rubbish just for the sake of it.

Our main stumbling block is a disagreement over car style. This has completely ruled out estate cars for us! Anyway, we can take our time for now.

Mothercare were fantastic for trying out prams and car seats. Don’t be afraid to take your car along and see what fits. It’s quite surprising how much fits into a 911!!

Congratulations - when are you due?

Are you still driving your i8?

 

[chroniclard]

Estate cars are just not big enough for small children, you need a large van or 9 seater at least.

 

[VincentHanna]

Estate cars are just not big enough for small children, you need a large van or 9 seater at least.

 

[adolf hamster]

Plain old hatch and something else for your weekend fun.

Unless you want to be sure for your childs safety in which case i'd reccommend a landkreuzer p1000

 

[Vita]

Hatch/estate is best option. A saloon will be difficult. Get a 535d touring best middle ground tbh.

 

[Amp34]

There’s a reason so many are buying small/mid size SUV/crossovers (CRVs etc) with kids.

Not sporty but fits more in and more comfortable than an estate/saloon in a smaller footprint.

 

[Quartz]

Remember to consider the cleanability of the seats. Puke, crayons, etc etc.

 

[jigger]

lol, makes me wonder if I should run a cheap family car and keep a sports car or just get a fast family car.

That's what I do. Horses for courses.

 

[Big Spender]

Skoda superb are renowned for their rear leg room so child seats should go in no bother leaving the front seats useable

 

[robj20]

Ive gone for a Mondeo, saloon looks but with a hatchback. Daft amount of boot space.

 

[paradigm]

For a newborn, I wouldn't worry so much.

In a year or two I might need to think about switching car, but right now (with a 3 month old), we're fine.

 

[Rilot]

Something big enough to take an i-size seat and still let you use the seat in front would be my choice you may be surprised how many cars this knocks out, especially when they are rear facing.

This is the main issue with very young children. Modern rear-facing seats are absolutely huge and cause an awful lot of cars to have to have the front seats so far forwards that they become useless for anyone over 5'6" ish.