What Would Oppo Baby?

"Dru" (therealkennyd) 09/30/2016 at 11:06 • Filed to: None

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I had a conversation with my brother in law last night about Dubya, my WJ Grand Cherokee. Dubya is needing some cooling system work, new headlights, and handful of other items. Ive had Dubya for about 5.5 years, and it’s been as trouble free as I could hope for a Chrysler product.

It was his opinion that I begin looking to upgrade/update my vehicle and move on. I really had hoped to acquire a new daily, and turn Dubya into an over landing rig.

Now my BIL was a GM master tech for years. He’s as biased as they come, but to hear him suggest that I get rid of this instead of fixing it was surprising.

The wife and I want to start a family in the next year or two, so I need to make a quasi responsible choice.

Here’s the thing: I am absolutely 100% not getting another SUV. I’ve only ever owned SUV’S and pickups, so I’m ready for something different.

If I had my way, I’d either get a ZHP sedan, as you’ve probably heard me blathering on about, OR I’d go all out for a Stealth Gray Focus RS.

Now it’s your turn. What would Oppo baby?

If you have babies, what do you currently baby?

OPPOsaurus WRX > Dru 09/30/2016 at 11:09

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i babied a WRX. it was awesome.

Nothing > Dru 09/30/2016 at 11:12

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I babied an RX8, then a mildly modified Volvo XC70. The FoST was past baby stage, and into booster seat stage. Now, I just throw him in the bed of the pickup and check to see if he’s still there when we arrive at our destination.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Dru 09/30/2016 at 11:14

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Comes over to help work on your car and only drinks beer > Dru 09/30/2016 at 11:16

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Well, a 2011-2016 Toyota Sienna with a 2RG-FE V6 + a supercharger = Lotus Evora engine. jussayin’...

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Dru 09/30/2016 at 11:23

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MR2s have a trunk and a frunk. There’s plenty of room for babies in there. Babies are small.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Comes over to help work on your car and only drinks beer 09/30/2016 at 11:23

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Put that in a Previa and it’s basically a Lotus Evora that seats 7.

Milky > Dru 09/30/2016 at 11:25

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Dodge challenger. Just pick your HP/Price.

duurtlang > Dru 09/30/2016 at 11:26

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mk3 Renault Laguna. Maybe a Alfa Romeo 159 or Citroën C5. All wagons obviously.

Jagvar > Dru 09/30/2016 at 11:28

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Surprisingly cheap in the used-car market.

Dru > Milky 09/30/2016 at 11:30

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Are you the madman who crammed three child seats into that backseat?

shop-teacher > Dru 09/30/2016 at 11:31

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Right now we baby (we’ve got a nearly 4-year old and a 1-1/2 year old) in my ‘06 Sierra crew cab, my ‘94 Roadmaster wagon, and my wife’s ‘15 Mazda CX-5.

So here’s my question, are you going to use your car just to baby around town, or are you going to baby for longer trips in it? Something the size of a CX-5 babies just fine around town. There’s any number of fun cars in that size range, your FoSTs, your WRXs and whatnot. I’m seriously considering a FoST for myself when we’re done paying off the CX-5, but we’ll still have my truck for the longer trips when you need to haul more stuff.

You’re gonna want at least one bigger vehicle that can haul a lot of stuff. Even just taking my kids to the apple orchard a couple weeks ago, by the time you have the diaper bag and a big stroller and a wagon and a bag of snacks loaded up for that 120 mile 2/3 of a day trip, the CX-5 was not an option for hauling that much stuff. At least not without playing cargo-jenga up to the roof, which is a huge PITA and really isn’t safe if you get into an accident.

Now if your wife already drives something bigger, problem solved. But if not, then you two are really going to need to strategize. Whatever you decide to buy, borrow a rear-facing car seat from somebody who has kids (if you’re in Chicagoland, I’ll gladly lend you a seat), put that in the back seat, and make sure there is still enough room for a person to sit in the front seat. It’s un-freaking-believable how bulky modern car seats are. My wife had a really nice ‘06 Mazda 3 that she’d had since new, but once we had baby #2 it had to go. With a rear facing car seat, the only way to fit a human sized person in the front was to saw their damn legs off.

My wife and I are both unwilling to drive a minivan. All my wife’s male coworkers were waxing on about how great they are, and how practical are. She shut them up when she pointed out that every single one of them drove something cooler, better looking, and more fun than a minivan, because it was their wives that drove the minivan.

functionoverfashion > Dru 09/30/2016 at 11:31

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Couldn’t find a nicer picture, but this is my kid hauler. It’s reasonably fun to drive every day (5 speed manual) and it carries plenty of stuff - dog included. I get 23 mpg driving my all-back-road daily commute/kid drop-off routine, and I have fun doing it. With AWD it’s a blast in the winter; it’s so easy to slide it when you want, and yet control it appropriately.

My kids are 2 and 4, and my wife and I took this car on a nice weekend trip this summer, plenty of room for all of us and our stuff, plus a surfboard on the roof. It’s a pretty fantastic all-around compromise vehicle. Also, it’s got all the modern safety requirements checked but no crazy nannies to annoy/hinder you on a daily basis. I feel very good hauling my family in this, despite its 13 year age.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Dru 09/30/2016 at 11:36

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My E90 M3 babied quite well.

interstate366, now In The Industry > Dru 09/30/2016 at 11:36

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A JDM import of some sort. Probably either a 4-door Skyline GTS-T, or a 6th generation Accord SiR-T or Euro-R, or maybe an SiR wagon if I source manual swap parts. By the time the Accords become importable, I’ll probably be close to babying.

AkursedX > Dru 09/30/2016 at 11:36

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I have currently leveled up past the baby stage into to kid stage. I have a 6 and 4 year old that I drive around in an’04 Mazda RX8 and a 2016 STi. The STi will definitely baby well. The RX8 is tough with a rear facing seat, but when you go forward facing, it works well.

Other cars I have babied in since my kids were born: MKV 2-door GTI, MK6 Jetta Sportwagen TDI, ‘05 Tahoe Police Package, ‘11 WRX, and a ‘14 Ford Escape.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Dru 09/30/2016 at 11:41

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My cousin babied a FRS. Anything is possible.

Thomas Donohue > Jagvar 09/30/2016 at 11:54

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This....though I’d go E63

Milky > Dru 09/30/2016 at 12:24

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Ah no, that’d be consumer reports.

Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle > Dru 09/30/2016 at 12:44

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With an averaged size wife, this would actually be fine for the three of us around town and even overnight trips, however, since my wife is super tall the kiddo goes behind me and it is tight but still workable. I’m going to take my kid camping in it this weekend without the wife, and I’ll let you know how it goes.

We’ve also got a E34 and a ford freestyle. I think most hot hatches are just on the small size of what I’d want if we had one car; I’d probably be looking more at a golf sportwagen 1.8t with a manual if we were going to have one car.

finn's arm > functionoverfashion 09/30/2016 at 12:53

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I need one of these.

I currently have a CTS Wagon & E39 Touring (528iT) for baby duty. The E36 (323is) does not seem suited for babying. Neither does the Civic.

CTS rear seats leave some to be desired.

diplodicus > duurtlang 09/30/2016 at 13:21

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Stupid 25yr import laws! That alfa is gorgeous.

brjklein > Dru 09/30/2016 at 17:46

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My baby-wagon (probably won’t fit a second):