Fletch2 is on the way we just learned. Although it's a ways off and hopefully everything goes good, I'm starting early. I have a 2004 Civic coupe I bought new. It's been a heck of a car and is still in great shape with 109,000 miles, but also small, boring and the seats give me lower backpain. The plan is for me to drop the youngin' off at the MIL on the way to and from work as she will be doing the sitting for us. Is it going to suck that bad loading and unloading with a 2-door? I've been wanting a 1st gen TSX. The wife does have a 08 Escape that I could swap with her, but she hate's small cars even though she would drive it. If I had to work OT, she would have to use the coupe to pick Jr up and it might suck for her. So watcha think? Maybe just wait and try it out or go ahead and plan for something more family oriented?
Congrats! Sell it all and get 2(!) turbo Caravans with at least one 5spd model? 
I will say this, get the car now.
It won't matter as it will never be enough space being your first kid and if you are going to go without a car payment you will never have more money than you have right now.
If you don't live somewhere with bad roads or alot of standing water a Mazda5 may work.
Subarus have many nice 4 door cars.
You mentioned civic then TSX you seem to be a Honda person, maybe an Accord or previous gen TL?
1st off, congrats. Mrs Cole Trickle and I are in the same boat. We just traded her 06 Civic Si for a '12 Pathfinder. That, along with the Fusion will be the family cars. My dad has used his TSX to haul kids in for a couple years now. Only gripe is that there is minimal space for a person to sit in the back when a car seat is in there, but it is a great car.
I did it for a while with my first in a Mk1 focus two door. Worked fine. That said, rear seat side impact ratings for two doors sometimes suck. I will respectfully disagree that kids take up a lot of space. Even with all of their E36 M3, they're just not very big. A single rear facing seat in the middle of the back seat does make the rest of the back seat useless though. Something with four doors is easier and something modern enough to have latch anchors is really nice.
If this is your first child and you have no large dogs to transport my recommendation is to keep it while you can. I had twins out of the gate and (2) 80 lb golden retrievers so my situation was different but I can tell you that I have seen friends go through this stage and a 2nd child is shortly behind many times. I would keep that car as despite the inconvenience of the coupe you can get by very well as part of the rear seat is free to haul toys and a diaper bag etc. The trunk should hold a standard stroller but probably not two. There are plenty of things to spend your money on so save while you can. Once the kid arrives and you see what transpires with your wife and her desires for another you can make a more informed decision.
If I had one kid and the same two retrievers I would not have had to go bigger than a mazda6 station wagon. The 2nd kid complicated matters and I had to go bigger.
Oh, and if you haven't figured it out yet, you'll want to buy two bases for your car seat. Leave one installed in your car and one in your MIL's. Makes life a billion times easier.
Note: I have no offspring.
Loading a baby pod into the back seat of a 2 door gets to be hard on the back, especially when they start putting on weight...
I recommend the Baby-Trend Flex-loc infant seat. It's narrower than others and has a handle shaped like a Wankel rotor.
Just get the minivan already. Its not so bad to drive and you now have two kids. Get used to it and make life easy for yourself and especially for your wife who will be heaving increasingly heavier kids into a back seat while bent over and always late for something.
If I read this right, this is your first child, correct? First, congrats. Second...and trust me on this...enjoy every last second of your life as it is now. I don't mean that in a negative way. My 3 kids are the world to me. But I don't even remember my life before kids, it's SO different, even after the first.
Now to your question. Can you get by with a coupe? Sure. Would I have wanted to? No way. The safest place for the little tyke is in the middle of the back seat. That means you have to reach all the way into the car to load junior. Doing it in a coupe will be a royal pain, literally. With a sedan, you can open the back door and sit/kneel on the outside seat while loading the baby in the middle. If it's only one kid, it really doesn't matter much which sedan/wagon/minivan you chose. You'll have enough room. Even if you have a second kid, most sedans will be fine. However, I will very much support the idea of getting a minivan if you plan to have 2 or more kids. I couldn't imagine not having ours, they are awesome.
I find that parents very much differ on their choice of vehicle for transporting children. Some refuse to "compromise" and stick with a 2-door that suits their sense of style. I say screw that. Whether it's you or your wife that actually loads junior in and out of his car seat, you are going to appreciate anything that makes that task easier. I found that even a 4-door wagon was a bit of a pain if you choose the safest center location. I was somewhat averse to getting a minivan, but once we took the plunge, I can't even imagine doing without it. And on trips, we use every last bit of space, and occasionally use a rooftop carrier.
So, in closing: If you have masochistic tendencies, then stick with a 2-door or small 4-door car. Otherwise, go minivan and enjoy the space!
Congratulations, Fletch! Here's my advice:
- Don't assume a 4 door is better than a 2 door. Often a 2 door is easier to get a child in and out of a front facing car seat, because you have better front access versus the side access a lot of 4 doors have. For an example that you will relate to - My '89 Civic si was easier to get my twins in and out of than my Civic wagon was, and I owned both at the same time. That said, the high roof of the wagon made it a lot easier than if the roof had been lower, because it provided more room to get the kids up and over the side of the car seat. But then you have to strap them in, which is also easier done from the front. If you have access, it's always easier to put them in and out from the front than the side. Not all 2 doors are going to have good access from the front, so this is not a blanket statement, I'm just pointing out that a 4 door being better isn't a given. Try each car before choosing.
- As they get older, you will need storage space, and probably more than you think.
- Safety. Look a the crash test results of any vehicle you are considering. Also consider things like anti-lock brakes, air bags, power door locks (for the safety of the kid), tires, brakes, etc...
Keith Tanner wrote:
Note: I have no offspring.
By the looks of it, that's probably a good thing.
CONGRATS!!! We bought a Fit, thinking "4-doors. Lots of storage. Should be fine."
Almost 2 years in, we are shopping for a mazda5 or MPV.
The TSX would be good for occasional use, but I'd suggest something bigger for daily kid haulin'. Mama's knees were on the dash until we turned the seat around. EDIT: Duh. Just saw you had an Escape. TSX should be fine as long as there's no one in the front seat. Also, just fyi. TSX money buys a TL.
Speaking of, I keep hearing this "coupes are great for loading kids" stuff. With a rear-facing seat??? Yeah, good luck with that.
poopshovel wrote:
Speaking of, I keep hearing this "coupes are great for loading kids" stuff. With a rear-facing seat??? Yeah, good luck with that.
Exactly. Classic case of denial.
1988RedT2 wrote:
poopshovel wrote:
Speaking of, I keep hearing this "coupes are great for loading kids" stuff. With a rear-facing seat??? Yeah, good luck with that.
Exactly. Classic case of denial.
I can't speak for others, but I said specifically front facing car seats. And they spend a lot more years in those than they do rear facing.
Thanks for all the congrats and advice. If everything goes well and only one comes out, this will be the first. My brother and I are neighbors as we have built new homes recently. His first came back in November so hopefully we stay put and married and they can have each other to play with as they grow up. He is 39 and I'll be 35 in June so we'll be too old to handle anymore in the future
He just bought a 4wd/awd whatever Rav4 and seems to like it ok. I'd rather not go the SUV route.
Congrats!
If you do have back problems, loading and unloading the rear-facing seat will certainly make them worse over time. Another thing to think of is that coupes have longer doors, and getting the kid in and out in a crowded parking lot is an exercise in frustration.
Don't get anything with clamshell doors either, like a Honda Element or Extended cab truck. They're nearly as bad.
We bought a Mazda5, but we needed the space for 2 adults, a large dog, a rear-facing infant seat, and luggage for weekend trips. Really anything with 4 doors will work well, a friend uses a small Saturn SL1, and it's fine.
Oh you poor deluded man. Go put a car seat, diaper bag, stroller, toys, snacks, cooler for milk and spare wipes in the Civic and then decide if you need more space.
What kind of car seat are you going to use? I prefer using the car seat with a base when they are really small. I bought one seat and a base for my car, wifey's car and grandma's car. That means that the baby has a handle for the first few months, and putting in the car is as easy as clipping them to the base. This sort of thing:
This would make the coupe tolerable, but IMHO it would still suck. If you go with a convertible or 3-in-one seat one that can go from newborn, to rear facing, to front facing, you have to strap the kid in every time. A coupe will SUCK SUCK SUCK SUCK. Plus they tend to be very wide and kill rear seat space.
My wife traded her Mitsu coupe for a Kia Soul. Easier on the back with something a little higher and with rear doors. The hatch gives room for the stroller, a diaper bag and not much else. You can still put two small kids in the back seat, but the seat belts are hard to access. For three adults we have to move the car seat to one side.
My Kia Rondo will still seat two adults in the back with a car seat in the center. That's one of the reasons I liked it over the Mazda5, its wider. Mom's CRV will also fit adults, another good option.
Oh, and the triangular handle on the Baby Trends brand is the shiznits. Way better than the straight handles. (Don't let Mom decide, she will never carry baby again after the initial 9 months. Same with the diaper bag, it will be your burden, so buy something from Jeep or Snap-On or something manly.)
Oh, and if you don't have the LATCH system, then you need a newer car. SO MUCH easier!
(My daughter is 13, born before the latch system. My son is a year old.)
Another option you can try. Go buy your car seat/base now. Then put a 10-15lb weight in it and try getting it in and out of your Civic. Not once, but do it 8, 10, 15 times. Are you OK with it? If so, then maybe it'll work for you. If you realize that it's a royal PITA, then start shopping. I'm betting you'll decide that latter. Especially if you're 35. I was 35 when my twins were born, no way I'd want to be reaching into the back of a coupe.
In reply to Klayfish:
I was planning on borrowing my brother's seat/base and try it out a few times to see. That's a good idea.
