Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

To ask about cars for first time parents?

35 replies

tobspurpleskies24 · 08/03/2015 21:33

DW and I (both turning 30 this year, married, own a house together, postgrad educated professionals) are planning to TTC within the next year and want to buy our first real "family" car this summer. Don't want anything massive like a people carrier but would need to be five door. Just want some advice really - for instance do any MNers own small hatchbacks and still manage to fit prams etc? Any help much appreciated :)

OP posts:

Iloveonionchutney · 08/03/2015 21:37

I have a Ford Focus and have never really struggled with space, had a Citroen C3 before and found that tight with larger car seats, but never had any trouble with a focus with baby seat and two boosters in the back and a 6'5 dh in the front too.

Original poster

tobspurpleskies24 · 08/03/2015 21:42

Thanks. Right now we both have two door Renaults (Twingo / Clio) and just worried about spending thousands on a new car which wouldn't work as a family car. Any other thoughts MN? :)

OP posts:

minipie · 08/03/2015 21:46

We have a Golf gti - great to drive and family wise it's worked well so far - but space is now a bit tight as we are expecting dc2 and there isn't space for baby seat behind DH (he is 6'3 and likes to have seat all the way back). There is space behind him for toddler seat but not reclined for sleeping. Also we pack light and have a small buggy (Bee).

So... depends on your pram, depends on your heights, depends on your expected age gap if having more than one child... But yes a small hatchback is definitely do able especially for one child.

Ihateparties · 08/03/2015 21:52

With dc1 we had a 5 door yaris and a 3 door focus, still had both when dc3 came along 4 years later. The 3 doors was very annoying obviously but there was enough space for an infant carrier, toddler seat and high back booster in the focus. Dc are now 7,5 and 3, we have a seat Ibiza estate and a hyundai i10. There's a small car theme in our house.

There are lots of small folding pushchairs around, something to fit any kind of ridiculously small boot. I was always of the mind that I would rather have the most appropriate car (dh does a lot of miles yet also has to negotiate a lot of tight spaces for work so small/manoeuverable and efficient are key factors) and then find the pushchair to fit in that as oppose to thinking I needed a bigger car to fit the bigger pram in.

It's worth noting dh and I are 5'9" and 5'8" respectively so neither of us need that much space in the front. Focus fine for taller front passengers but yaris, Ibiza and i10 tighter/probably impossible for 6' plus.

wheresthelight · 08/03/2015 21:56

make sure you consider things like isofix fittings as not all focus's have them and car seats are no longer allowed to be manufactured with seatbelt only fixing to the car

Dazedconfused · 08/03/2015 22:01

Have a kia c'eed and a 5 month old. It is great lots of space (after you stop having to humph the carrycot about). It has isofix and 7 yr warranty too

AndHarry · 08/03/2015 22:04

When I was in your position I did a lot of research and bought a Ford Fiesta, mainly for the decent-sized boot, so that's worth a look. Ford are a bit rubbish for having shirt seat belts and ISOFIX as an optional extra though so if you do go with one, make sure it has ISOFIX installed.

The Fiesta was written off by a drunk driver the week before DS was born but I think it would have been fine. We ended up with a Focus, which was great, and now have two DC and a Toyota Verso. You might have twins...

Ellypoo · 08/03/2015 22:05

Ford Focus here too, new model so has isofix fittings, and can fit child seat, high back booster & booster seat together on back seat (although tight). Can fit our decent sized pushchair in boot too.

WhereIsMyFurryHat · 08/03/2015 22:06

A nice VW golf would be my choice, keep it small-ish while you can.

toddlewaddleflipflop · 08/03/2015 22:06

Yes, do think about if you want isofox car seats. Our focus didn't have the fixings for isofix car seats. Having said that, it's really not a problem buying seats that fix in with the seatbelt. If you fit it correctly then it's just as safe as isofix (so I read)

AndHarry · 08/03/2015 22:10

As an aside, have a look at the really lovely small prams available. The Baby Jogger City Mini, Babyzen Yoyo 0+ and the Bugaboo Bee are all suitable from birth and won't take up your entire boot.

ThinkIveBeenHacked · 08/03/2015 22:12

Another Focus owner here. We had a crappy old Nissan Micra until DD was about 18mo, three doors, which was a PITA. The Focus is bliss. Boot is massive, and DD is in an Extended Rear Facing carseat (which take up more room than a forward facing one), and my taaaaallll DH still has plenty leg room in the passenger seat infront of her.

Yeah Isofix is equally as safe as a correctly fitted seat. We didnt have it for DD but jow we have DS too, I really wish id got it for him as it must be so much more convenient than having to strap in an infant seat and belt in DD (luckily her seat stays in the car permanently).

Muchtoomuchtodo · 08/03/2015 22:14

Skoda Fabia estate. Perfect.

ToffeeLatteplease · 08/03/2015 22:16

Honda Jazz. fantastic car with deceptively spacious boot space.

or a skoda roomster. Slightly quirky car, very comfortable for passengers and good boot size. will comfortable take stuff for a weeks holiday and the buggy without being huge

tortoisesarefab · 08/03/2015 22:16

I have a ford b max and it is great for small kids. It doesn't feel big ( it's like a small c max) the rear doors are sliding doors which makes things so much easier getting them in and out of the car, particularly in tight parking spaces. I love it and wouldn't buy a car without sliding rear doors again.

Ihateparties · 08/03/2015 22:17

You can retrofit Isofix in a focus, should you end up with one that doesn't have it.

Also belt fix only car seats are definitely still in production, the new i size regs will run cuncurrent with ECE r 44 04 for years yet, to allow for all the cars on the road without isofix I guess?

TheFairyCaravan · 08/03/2015 22:17

I've got a Golf that's a year old. DH is 6'4, I can sit behind him very comfortably when he is driving and so can my kids who are 6'2 and 6'3 so a car seat should fit quite easily.

Chchchchanging · 08/03/2015 22:18

Had a qashquai and loved it

OsMalleytheCat · 08/03/2015 22:18

I have a ford cmax and for us it's perfect, big enough to load everything up for a weekend away not so big that I feel like I'm driving a bus!
Mines a diesel so has good mpg and low tax

thatstoast · 08/03/2015 22:20

When DS was born we only had a Suzuki alto. The pram we bought, the armadillo, was one of two I could fine that would fit in the boot. We bought a ford fiesta 5 door soon after! I think if we have another baby we might look at a focus or a fusion.

BikeRunSki · 08/03/2015 22:22

Another vote for Skoda Fabua estate. The TDi version is very economical. My dc are now 6 and 3 and I have just changed it for a Golf Estate.

Purplepoodle · 08/03/2015 22:22

We went for 5 door golf as we knew we wanted children in the next couple of years after buying. we kept it until dc2 and the went for a zafira

AndHarry · 08/03/2015 22:23

ThinkIveBeenHacked I had the same thing with my Focus not having ISOFIX but bought a car seat base that could be fitted with a belt. That stars in the car and I just clicked DD's seat in and out of it. Worth every penny.

DH had a Qashqai for a while, amazing car but the engines on his one and my colleague's later model both conked out and needed replacing just after the manufacturer's warranty ran out so it's not one I would buy again.

munchkinmaster · 08/03/2015 22:26

If you buy a non isofix car you need to make sure you don't have underfloor storage bits in the back seat as you can't use a seat or base with a leg then.

So if you have a maxi cosi stage 1 seat you have no choice but to strap it in every time you use it (cos all the non isofix bases have a leg). Only really an issue for the first year but man, it gets old!,

UniS · 08/03/2015 22:26

I have a boring polite toyota Carolla. a mid size hatch back. was just fine with pram, kids bike, my bike or 3 kids on back seat , but not the above at once.

Flip

1 2