Car choices for parenting duty

MadScientistMatt said:

SVreX (Forum Supporter) said:

Since when do toddlers have the slightest clue about what a driving experience is??

They'll giggle if you take them for laps around the neighborhood on the lawnmower. 

My 5 year old daughter kept commenting about how fast my 2.3 powered Ranger was. What she was really picking up on was that I had to flog that motor unmercifully just to keep up with traffic.

Dunno about all that - my kids (3 and 5) recognize that I punish my wife's poor minivan all the time but it's still so slow compared to daddy's top down car (Z4). "daddy, why is that big trailer passing us? Drive faster." G-forces are recognizable even to the youngest of us. I understand the OP's need.

Mazdaspeed Mazda3 hatchback. Room for stuff, real people, and fun to drive.

In reply to MrFancypants :

Yeah the golf r it's definitely on my radar. 
 

The Chevy SS was never available in Canada but that could have been a look see but I would have guessed it similar to the ctsv.

To all the others with a minivan suggestion this is just a second car, in winter and for trips or camping we have a crewcab truck. I usually put on 15-20k per year on my vette but now not so much with babies and just want the flexibility back for all those short trips that add up. 

If you can find one, check out the Mercedes R63. Rarer than most exotics, 500hp, hauls kids. Some of the worlds best knowledge on them frequent this board.

for a sometimes car, with kid duties, and a good budget,... 

I'm curious how easily one should jam a 2.3 eco boost into the Mazda 5. Fairly sure they share some architecture. 

Must it be new? 

SVreX (Forum Supporter) said:

You WILL own a minivan one day. 

I've got five kids and never owned a mini-van.  Don't throw that down on the poor guy...

Hyundai Veloster N if you're in the market for the Golf R or Civic Type R.  And just to add food for thought they just went P1, 2, 3 (TCR) at Road America in the Pilot Challenge race last Saturday.  Good pedigree it seems.

In reply to Matt330LS :

Hyundai is the only brand (and maybe lada?) that I just wont put myself through dealing with anyone no matter how fantastic their car is. 
 

that M6 in the link with a manual is definitely cool but I want the car to drive and not just sit in the shop. But it is a good choice but we had the v8 in an x5m but spent it's fair share of time at the dealer

In reply to codrus (Forum Supporter) :

Yeah the camaro and mustang were first stops but the girls can't see out at all and I that is something the 911 had in spades over them was visibility. 
 

budget isn't a big deal and luxury isn't either, I would rather have something 'fun' with good feedback (feel?) through the steering and brakes. Honestly I like cars with a good interior layout and design rather than premium materials, the lc500 is less appealing than the ctsv interior for me, it might be 'quality' materials but felt more disjointed then the caddy. 

2020/1 Pacifica AWD snow and snow tires aaahhhhh

Otherwise downgrade to a Buick regal wagon, Mazda CX-5 or Mazda CX-9. BMW makes some roomy things. If going small do an Impreza wagon/hatch.

The Pacifica won a shootout of best family vehicle against cuvs, sedans, SUVs. Why avoid the best?

OP:  I want a driver-focused manual transmission car with 4 seats for a secondary vehicle capable of kid duties.

GRM:  How about an automatic minivan?

ProDarwin said:

OP:  I want a driver-focused manual transmission car with 4 seats for a secondary vehicle capable of kid duties.

GRM:  How about an automatic minivan?

The true GRM solution would be an older minivan, like a '90s Grand Caravan, LS swapped and converted to RWD with a manual gearbox. With bonus points for teh widest tires you can stuff...

This thread mostly leads me to thoughts of disappointment that there aren't more options. 

3G TL

I bought a Clubman JCW 6MT when we were expecting our first kid, and it worked perfectly. However, two car seats is not possible, so I now have an E91 BMW wagon (RWD, 6MT). Not the fastest, but I put summer tires on it, and my now 2yo daughter loves it, especially in turns. My wife has a G8 GT that makes cooler noises and is far quicker in a straight line, so my daughter loves that, too. The plan is to get an Evora 2+2 whenever the second daughter is old enough to go forward facing. 

I love the wagon though. Tons of room, and we can mount the bikes on the roof easily. It even came with a dog gate for the rear for our two corgis. I see no reason to get a minivan with only two kids unless you just have way too much crap. The only downside to the wagon is power, but 335i swaps abound, as do centrifigal supercharger kits. For under $20k, you could have a nice and quick rwd 6mt wagon. 

4-door manual that's fast, sounds great, and corners well. I'm guessing you want something fairly modern. Let's see...

• Lancer Evo 8/9 or 10
• Subaru STI
• BMW E90 or F80 M3
• BMW M5 ... any generation (E34 is my personal favorite)
• Holden Commodore ... oops, I mean Pontiac G8

That's all just off the top of my head. 

Surprised no one has commented on the Type R civic thrown out by the OP - i think about it for a fun daddy car as well.  I kinda hate the rear look but i like the rest of the car.  Would the driving dynamics be enough to get over the juvenile looks?  

How about a Tesla model 3?   Not a manual and I've only experienced a 45 minute test drive but the acceleration made me giggle, has room for the kids and lowered a tad with some wheels makes me happy.  

Minivan FTW. It's incredible. And, honestly, the Odyssey drives pretty great for a giant pile of metal, much much better than a truck.

In reply to cyow5 :

Are you talking about the 2nd gen based 3 door clubman or the current 4 door clubman?  I was thinking about the current model for errand duty with one forward facing and one rear facing seat.

Matt330LS said:

SVreX (Forum Supporter) said:

You WILL own a minivan one day. 

I've got five kids and never owned a mini-van.  Don't throw that down on the poor guy...

Man you're missing out, minivans are awesome.

ojannen said:

In reply to cyow5 :

Are you talking about the 2nd gen based 3 door clubman or the current 4 door clubman?  I was thinking about the current model for errand duty with one forward facing and one rear facing seat.

The 3-door. I just don't care for the looks of the 4-door, so I did consider the countryman, but the trunk space is very tiny when you can't lay the seats down. I love the tenacity of the Fiesta ST, but it also has the small trunk problem when the seats are up.  The suicide door was fantastic when my daughter was in a carrier that clicked into a base, more convenient than a typical door. However, we had to move her seat behind the driver side when she got bigger, and that was a bit more annoying. Still, living near DC at the time, parking a large car is more annoying, so I was happy with the trade-off. 

Two kids, no minivan. We just carry around less junk. Why not buy a inexpensive family mobile and then get a used Miata? C'mon, you know someone had to say it. 

LanEvo said:

4-door manual that's fast, sounds great, and corners well. I'm guessing you want something fairly modern. Let's see...

• Lancer Evo 8/9 or 10
• Subaru STI
• BMW E90 or F80 M3
• BMW M5 ... any generation (E34 is my personal favorite)
• Holden Commodore ... oops, I mean Pontiac G8

That's all just off the top of my head. 

I love my wife's G8. The auto in hers really can be frustrating (not just me being a manual elitist), but that could also be the aftermarket tune on it not being the greatest. It is a great car for highway drives though and gets half decent economy with the cylinder shutoff. She hated the stock boaty ride, so we added adjustable height coilovers that give it a really awesome stance. In metallic blue over black wheels and dark tint, it is a great design. 

This is all the stuff we fit in that car and brought back from a baby shower in Detroit to our home in DC, haha. 

MrFancypants said:

Matt330LS said:

SVreX (Forum Supporter) said:

You WILL own a minivan one day. 

I've got five kids and never owned a mini-van.  Don't throw that down on the poor guy...

Man you're missing out, minivans are awesome.

Drives like a car, hauls like a van, spacious and not at all a cockpit feel (which I happen to hate), MPG isn't the worst ever. What's not to like?

cyow5, let's see a picture of that stance

Caprigrip said:

Surprised no one has commented on the Type R civic thrown out by the OP - i think about it for a fun daddy car as well.  I kinda hate the rear look but i like the rest of the car.  Would the driving dynamics be enough to get over the juvenile looks?  

 

How about a Tesla model 3?   Not a manual and I've only experienced a 45 minute test drive but the acceleration made me giggle, has room for the kids and lowered a tad with some wheels makes me happy.  

I haven't driven one so I can't make a very informed comment, but everything I've read says the type r should be in OPs top 3. I think it gets extra bonus points for resisting depreciation.