When the invetibale arrives (a fucking kid!)... what do you drive??

"Flavien Vidal" (flyingfrenchy) 12/03/2016 at 09:33 • Filed to: None

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So... Let’s face it. At one point, I’ll end up with a freaking kid. I love my wife so I won’t run away as far as possible when it happens. I’ll have to stick around and be “reasonnable”. So when all hell gets loose and you end with a freaking mini-me, what do you drive??

I’ve thought about it quite a bit. Actually, it holds me up at night sometime. I’ve accepted the fact that a 12a Turbo Sa22C Rx7, in spite of fitting a 60cm tall creature without any problem, won’t be acceptable to my o so lovable half. So here is the only logical thing that I could come up with: E39 M5.

I still enjoy driving. The extra 5kg weight on the back seat is not a problem and I don’t feel like dying inside because I don’t drive a freaking fucking MINIVAN!!!!

So.. What is your “woups, stayed in there too long” go-to driving choice??

PS: No, my wife is not pregnant.

Autofixation > Flavien Vidal 12/03/2016 at 09:39

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I don’t have any kids myself (though I will soon) but I think one mini-me isn’t an issue, it is more than one.

And as far as minivans are concerned...my parents had 10 children so we rolled around in

It had a fuel injected 360 so it wasn’t a slouch.

We plan on having two kids and I plan on getting a Subaru Outback. Probably not the sporting suggestion you wanted but figured I’d share.

E90M3 > Flavien Vidal 12/03/2016 at 09:42

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E90 M3, it’s like an E39 M5, only 8 years newer.

jvirgs drives a Subaru > Flavien Vidal 12/03/2016 at 09:42

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Clearly a turbo diesel Miata wagon in brown with a manual

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Flavien Vidal 12/03/2016 at 09:45

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Suzuki Every Joy Pop Turbo

Flavien Vidal > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 12/03/2016 at 09:47

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F.U.C.K. O.F.F

:)

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Flavien Vidal 12/03/2016 at 09:48

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Super practical hatchback, great safety ratings, and AWD for snow. Perfect

Connqr > Flavien Vidal 12/03/2016 at 09:57

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If you have only 1 kid, almost any hatchback/sedan/wagon should be fine. Minivans are generally more for like 3+ kids. Unless you are planning on having 3 or more kids a wagon should give you enough space to haul around a bunch of stuff for a kid or 2 and not suck your soul dry in the process.

Your boy, BJR > Flavien Vidal 12/03/2016 at 10:01

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Why, a lease on a brand new Lexus RX 350 F-Sport, of course! With December to Remember going on, there isn’t a smarter time to buy than right now! The F-Sport features more aggressive styling, a fun “sport plus” mode, for those times when you just gotta let your hair down, and with Lexus Saftey Systems Plus, you can be assured that your little ones will be safe.

EL_ULY > Flavien Vidal 12/03/2016 at 10:01

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I wanted my old XC90 to begin with. Not needing to swap it when the little one arrives is a bonus. A ridiculous aftermarket BOV and nice wheels will make it stand out in the sea of Tahoes and Japanese crossovers picking him/her from school

LongbowMkII > Flavien Vidal 12/03/2016 at 10:01

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1) minivan

2) suck it up

Flavien Vidal > Connqr 12/03/2016 at 10:03

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I’m not planning anything and yes logic would mean that a minivan is supposedly restricted to families with lots of kids... But hey, we’re not all married to logic unfortunately!

XJDano > Flavien Vidal 12/03/2016 at 10:04

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Life has its way with you sometimes and I had to make choices that ended us up with a minivan.I’ll spare you the reasons, but for a family of 4 it’s not a bad deal.

For me I kept my metro for 5 years of kid life, but my wife had her own car where kids seats were dedicated. I only drove the kids occasionally.

In america there are enough cars and space.

Would you be keeping the RX7 or exchanging it for a single family hauler mobile?

My other cars are a Cherokee with stuff that is a 4 door, so that’ll be kid friendly and 2 84 VW Gti which aren’t. Those are all project cars though.

Flavien Vidal > Your boy, BJR 12/03/2016 at 10:05

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Oh please, kill me...

mazda616 > Flavien Vidal 12/03/2016 at 10:05

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I had this before kid:

And giant American car seats meant that no one could use the front passenger seat when the infant seat was installed behind it. So, I now have this:

My son is arriving in a February and I’ll be driving him home from the hospital in the 6. :)

Tazio, Count Fouroff > Flavien Vidal 12/03/2016 at 10:08

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imo you’re thinking exactly right lol

when that happened the Managing Partner and I got a 4-year-old BMW 750iL with low, low miles and that sweet M73 V12...had to trade my A4 Quattro and E30 325i/4/5 tho :( [yep, 2 cars, no kids; wife kept her E36]

The 7 was pretty much perfect but E39 M5 probably better still :D

Your boy, BJR > Flavien Vidal 12/03/2016 at 10:08

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Thankfully, with Lexus Safety Systems Plus, that’s no longer an option.

Connqr > Flavien Vidal 12/03/2016 at 10:09

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Yes, I understood that you aren’t planning to have any kids right now but I was saying that if you end up having 1 or 2 kids in the future, you most likely won’t need to get a minivan. I guess I could have worded it a bit better.

Jarrett - [BRZ Boi] > Flavien Vidal 12/03/2016 at 10:12

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Miata has one of these, and is therefore the answer:

If wife wants to come, we can use her car. (disclaimer - I have no children....yet..)

FoilyDoily > Flavien Vidal 12/03/2016 at 10:13

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We had two car seats in a B5 S4. Having kids doesn’t mean giving up fun.

Flavien Vidal > Your boy, BJR 12/03/2016 at 10:16

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You’re the second person on this post to get this answer but: FU.C.K O.F.F

:)

E92M3 > Flavien Vidal 12/03/2016 at 10:16

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E90 M3 or C63. Because you’ll want to stream disney radio.

Just kidding, have you seen how much diapers and formula cost? Camry is your future!

Wacko > Flavien Vidal 12/03/2016 at 10:16

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We have 3.

8, 2 and 1 year old. So we have one rear facing baby seat and one child seat.

So I bought a 7 passenger CUV, since my wife may want one more..

With one or two kids mostly any 4 door car will do just fine. But with more than 2 with baby seats and stroller that’s minivan territory. That’s why I bought a not a minivan(but let’s face it, it’s a slightly less practical minivan with AWD)

interstate366, now In The Industry > Flavien Vidal 12/03/2016 at 10:17

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One of these. Probably the Accord since it has airbags. I won’t have a kid by the time the Integra becomes importable, but it’s slightly more likely I would by the time the Accord does.

Your boy, BJR > Flavien Vidal 12/03/2016 at 10:17

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F-Sport RX 350 is the answer.

Flavien Vidal > E92M3 12/03/2016 at 10:18

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I’ll have re-usable back seats. Fucker can poop himself as much as he wants.

willblake > Flavien Vidal 12/03/2016 at 10:21

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You keep that RX7. When I was a little kid, my dad had an Austin Healey Sprite, an Opel GT, Celica GT and other less practical vehicles. Mom had things with more seats like a ‘77 Westy camper (best minivan ever). Some of my best memories of childhood were going out for drives with my dad in his fun cars on the weekends, or hanging out with him when he was working on them.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > Flavien Vidal 12/03/2016 at 10:25

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Sure it’s no sports car, but it is a really nice place to sit while you ferry your miniature genetic code replicant around to all the blatantly atrocious and awful places and activities one must take their progeny in order to appear as acceptable parents in modern society.

traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn > Flavien Vidal 12/03/2016 at 10:28

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I never want to get close to the idea of having a kid...Blacked out Charger SRT8:

bhtooefr > Flavien Vidal 12/03/2016 at 10:29

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Dajiban. Because who wants a mini van?

On a serious note, I’d probably just use my actual daily (a 2016 Prius) if that horrific outcome were to happen. (In my case, it won’t.) It has a functioning back seat, it has decent cargo flexibility, so eh.

If I had to give up the Miata, though... that would make it harder. RWD pre-facelift Model S? I dunno.

WilliamsSW > Connqr 12/03/2016 at 10:41

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As someone who just had their 1st kid, this is exactly right. You don’t need an Odyssey/Suburban/RX350 for 1-2 kids. Just about anything with 4 doors and the latest safety features will be fine.

HOWEVER, as someone else noted, baby car seats can be freaking huge. I have a GS350, not a small car, and the front passenger seat has to stay fairly upright to accommodate it. Just shop carefully for the car seat and test it in whatever you’re buying first.

When that time comes of course. :)

Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious > Flavien Vidal 12/03/2016 at 10:44

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Considering that you are in Japan, I would have to think that a Panther would make you about as unique as they come. And considering all the time you’ve spent wrenching and modding your Savanna, wrenching on a 5.0 or a modular is probably child’s play in comparison.

A backseat large enough for handcuffed perps and a trunk that you could actually stack six strollers in? A Panther might a more Oppo kid hauler than the Volvo wagon.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Flavien Vidal 12/03/2016 at 10:46

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Easy.

And the wife will love it because it’s a Volvo.

DipodomysDeserti > Flavien Vidal 12/03/2016 at 10:47

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I have two kids and my wife and I have owned the following with them:

WRX, FXT, 335d, Abarth 500, BMW X1, Jeep Wrangler 2 door.

My kids love drivng around in the Jeep. The 335d was a lot of fun too.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > Flavien Vidal 12/03/2016 at 10:54

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WRX or GTI. I have 2 kids and was on the fence over those two. Then some unrelated things happened and my budget dropped $10,000 so I bought the Forester. It’s surprisingly fun, but not like those other two. I still plan on getting something like that for the next car. They are fun enough, have plenty of space and unlike a depreciated German bahnstormer you dont have to worry as much about scrapes, tears, and stains caused by the kids.

jkm7680 > Flavien Vidal 12/03/2016 at 10:54

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How about a Suzuki Glory Hole Turbo?

Land_Yacht_225 > Flavien Vidal 12/03/2016 at 11:14

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The only answer is E55 AMG wagon.

Because Kompressor. The 6.2 N/A in the E63 would bore me to tears.

The other option is one of those W8 4-motion Passat wagons you see from time to time. I would be happy with an automatic though.

shop-teacher > Flavien Vidal 12/03/2016 at 11:19

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Roadmaster.

You know, you might actually like the little booger. My little girl is snuggled up next to me right now, trying to get Buzz Lightyear into the back of a toy semi trailer. It’s pretty great.

Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle > Flavien Vidal 12/03/2016 at 11:34

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A 1984 Porsche 944; filled with camping gear for my daughter and I. But a better choice would be a 128i.

CaptDale - is secretly British > Flavien Vidal 12/03/2016 at 11:35

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My GTO probably. Rear buckets fit car seats well. Though I really really don’t plan on having kids, when a significant other that I want to have a kid, they are going to have to understand why I paid so much to have the rear seats installed in my CLK 63 AMG Black to fit the kid, cause kids aren’t going to ruin my car choices.

Rust and Dust - Oppositelock Forever > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap 12/03/2016 at 12:13

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Came here to say the same, Polestar/T5/R cars are still fun drivers, and you’re in a Swedish tank to cover the safety concerns the Mrs has with the RX7.

ranwhenparked > Flavien Vidal 12/03/2016 at 12:24

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For A kid, not several of them? I see no reason to change from what I already have. Challengers have a big back seat and a large trunk, no reason it wouldn’t work for a small family.

f86sabre > Flavien Vidal 12/03/2016 at 12:27

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We have had two cars since my son was born 9 years ago and daughter 6 years ago. A 2003 Mitsubishi Evo VIII and a 2005 Mini Cooper S. We’ve done just fine with them. No need for a giant van or SUV. Don’t buy into the hype. Kids, child seats and their gear fit fine in both.

The trick is realizing you don’t need to travel with all that much stuff. Reasonably sized strollers fit fine in the back of either car. Your diaper bag only needs enough stuff for a few hours and not an arctic expedition. They are only small enough that you need to lift the minor out for about 2 years

Here is a pic of both from a couple of years ago...

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Flavien Vidal 12/03/2016 at 13:26

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I take it that you are not keen on the idea of a kid? I’m personally rather indifferent to the idea. If whoever my future wife ends up being wants kids I’m totally OK with it. If not I’m totally OK with that as well.

Old Red Wagon > Flavien Vidal 12/03/2016 at 13:28

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If that time comes for me one day I think my current stable of cars would suffice. I have a MK Vii GTI and an E30 touring. My wife probably wouldn’t want the kid in the E30 though. No airbags.

If I needed a new car if I had a kid i’d consider the new Fusion sport.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > Flavien Vidal 12/03/2016 at 13:29

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You can’t drive an MPV. That’s just giving up on life. You need to make a statement of masculinity. You need to drive a.........

Sn210 > Flavien Vidal 12/03/2016 at 13:44

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Twin boys = Ecoboost Flex

Kanaric > Your boy, BJR 12/03/2016 at 15:11

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You can have kids and drive a regular car.

IDK why people think you immediately need a SUV.

wiffleballtony > Flavien Vidal 12/03/2016 at 15:16

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Just about any sport sedan would work.

Your boy, BJR > Flavien Vidal 12/03/2016 at 16:47

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There’s a 3 row LWB model coming soon.

Flavien Vidal > XJDano 12/03/2016 at 19:18

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I don’t plan on having kids for now. So I have no idea if the RX7 will even still be around if/when it happens.

Wes Hutchings > Flavien Vidal 12/04/2016 at 09:43

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A few thoughts on children and life.

Dead_Elvis, Inc. > jkm7680 12/04/2016 at 14:11

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Indeed, if he spends more time in a Glory Hole, odds of having a kid should drop considerably.

handsoff > Flavien Vidal 12/04/2016 at 21:07

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Whatever the hell you want! My parents didn’t buy a 4dr car until we were 16 & 15, let alone the minivan or SUV every other parent was driving at the time. That said, my wife is planning on a used Sport Trac-ish vehicle when a child happens to us.

AssFault > Flavien Vidal 12/05/2016 at 11:20

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Obviously.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Flavien Vidal 12/05/2016 at 12:46

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I went E90 M3. No regrets.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > LongbowMkII 12/05/2016 at 12:50

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3) no

ESSSIX GmbH - Accountant/Wagon Thumper > Flavien Vidal 12/08/2016 at 11:37

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My wagon is my automotive life insurance. Turbo + AWD; Its fast, functional, and it babies very well. Dont have any kids yet, but I thought long and hard about the future when I dove into the wagon pond.

DrDDay > Flavien Vidal 01/26/2017 at 11:44

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I’ve got my lady pretty convinced that German wagons are the way to go. She’s a big fan of older Audi’s and the 540iT, and I’m thinking E500, but would be pretty happy with any of those.

In reality I’ll probably have one of those German tanks and a brand new RX350 or 450h F Sport for when I’m dismantling the German.