So my wife and I were talking potentially about having children or whatever...

"Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck) 04/06/2017 at 10:05 • Filed to: Leggo my eggos

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After a long, serious adult-ing conversation, my thoughts drifted elsewhere. “Man... I’m gonna need a nice family car!” My wife immediately, and uncharacteristically, interjected: “Something with four doors,” she said with zero humor. I gasped in horror.

I spent my entire childhood cramming into the back of my dad’s Audi 4000 coupe and Scout II, and I turned out okay.

[crickets]

Also, SHE already has the family-ish 5-door car, why must I suffer the same fate? I’ll reach back for the little bastard in MY car every time and never complain (in front of my wife).

Better have 4 doors? PSSSSHAW!!! What could be more family-oriented than these?!?

(Edited because I posted a 4 door GTI somehow)

I rest my case.

Nibby > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 10:07

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You need one of these.

pip bip - choose Corrour > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 10:08

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your Tercel will be fine.

Sweet Trav > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 10:10

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Nothing says fast family truckster like one of these

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 10:11

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You should’ve used a 2-door GTI to make your point...

Rico > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 10:11

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Lol but the GTI you picked has 5 doors.

crowmolly > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 10:11

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Try it, and if it sucks, change. Some people are OK with it, it’s a drag for many others.

The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 10:12

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Your Tercel has 4 doors.

S65 > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 10:13

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But you have the Tercel

victor > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 10:13

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My wife’s car to schlepp around the baby is a 5 door gti. We use it for in city trips. Easier to park around Queen Anne, bell town, Ballard, etc.

jasmits > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 10:15

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Family car if I’ve ever seen one

Klaus Schmoll > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 10:17

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She can’t say no to one of these:

TorqueToYield > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 10:18

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Fitting rear facing car seats in small cars is a pain. They’re huge. And required by law. And now kids need to be in car seats until they’re like 8 or something.

It sucks but it’s safer for them.

Also, a lot of medical advice and scientific knowledge has changed about raising kids in the last 30 years. Every time my parents say “but that’s how we raised you and you turned out OK!” I cringe. It gets super annoying to have to explain why no, they can’t use that 30 year old drop side crib with bumpers, or no, we can’t use the old high chair.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 10:20

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If ‘4 doors’ is the only solid criteria I reckon you can still have some pretty funky options ;)

For instance, an SD1 has 4 doors (and a hatch!). I fully intend to just rock up with one of those if ever that particular situation arises...

Edit: actually, who am I kidding? Buying a new car when you’ve just got a new child is a terrible financial decision. ‘I’ve just got a new person to look after now which will cost thousands and thousands annually...lets add an extra monthly payment on top of that!’.

Realistically that means I’ll just have to fix my XJ40 and use that. That’d be the most sensible thing... ;)

facw > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 10:20

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Have you seen what a modern car seat looks like? And you are supposed to keep kids in booster seats basically until they are old enough to drive from what I can tell. Creates tighter requirements than in the old days. You’ll want those extra doors at least until they are old enough to get in the car on their own. Not saying you need to go out an buy an Expedition, but something with easier access to the middle back seat would be good.

That said, you’ve got an edge with your wife, because your starting point is “30 year old death-trap” so a more modern car comes off looking better regardless of door situation.

PS9 > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 10:20

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Nothing against your dad, but making your kid ride in the backseat of your Audi as it is being flatbedded away for the 10,000th time is pretty cruel.

Tohru > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 10:21

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I’ve never understood this modern mindset of “We have a kid we need a minivan or an SUV.”

When I was growing up, dad usually had a regular-cab truck and mom had a coupe. At one point, the only cars they had were a pair of Chevy Camaros - yet I wedged myself into the back seat and didnt complain too much.

CalzoneGolem > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 10:22

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When you are trying to cram a squirming toddler into a rear facing seat you’ll understand why 4 doors.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 10:23

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Growing up, we always had a four-door sedan, minivan or (later) an SUV that was the family vehicle. My dad always drove a two-door and sometimes two-seat car to work. I fail to see how both parents would need a car that has rear doors or even rear seats.

yamahog > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 10:23

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“Also, SHE already has the family-ish 5-door car, why must I suffer the same fate?”

...Because they’re your kids too, you’re already suffering the same fate. You can potentially make do with 2 or 3 doors provided you can physically get a modern rear facing car seat and eventually front facing and booster seats into the rear seat but it’s a pain in the ass, esp if someone needs to sit in the front passenger seat. If you can’t fit the kiddo(s) in your car, it is extremely unfair to effectively force your partner into all child-related transportation, and that is a source of relationship misery waiting to happen.

Source: this was a minor factor in my parents divorce and I’m not even joking.

Rust and Dust - Oppositelock Forever > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 10:23

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!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

TorqueToYield > Tohru 04/06/2017 at 10:30

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Fit two rear facing car seats and a dog and now try to have more than one passenger or luggage.

That’s why people get minivans/3 row SUVs.

I’m almost there already.

Wacko > jasmits 04/06/2017 at 10:30

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can’t even begin to imagine how slow that would be with 4 people and their things too.... 

Where have all the lightweights gone? > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 10:30

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My wife immediately, and uncharacteristically, interjected: “Something with four doors,” she said with zero humor. I gasped in horror.

Problem solved.

yamahog > TorqueToYield 04/06/2017 at 10:31

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Yea for *some reason* you don’t hear nearly as much from the people who got killed or whose kids were killed in the good ole days of no seat belts, no traction control/ABS, and the like.

Wacko > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 10:32

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back when we were young 2 door cars/trucks were ok for families.

but don’t forget we sat on our parents laps too while driving.

rear facing baby seats were not really a thing.... 

Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 10:33

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I don’t have or want kids, but I get the appeal of a nice and practical 4 door:

Rico > yamahog 04/06/2017 at 10:35

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Maybe his goal is to eventually run away with his mistress, the Tercel.

crowmolly > yamahog 04/06/2017 at 10:37

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Feels like I say this frequently to people:

“I used to ride in the back seat of my dad’s 65 Buick with no seat belts and no safety gear and I’m fine.”

Yeah, because you were one of the ones that made it.

Tohru > TorqueToYield 04/06/2017 at 10:37

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When I was young enough to need a car seat, mom’s car was a Plymouth Horizon. As soon as I didn’t need it anymore, they sold it and mom got her Camaro.

We had a black lab when I was a kid - she either sat in the back of the Camaro with me or rode in the bed of the truck.

shop-teacher > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 10:40

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I grew up exclusively in coupes myself, my mom refused to drive anything with four doors, “Because four-doors are ugly.” My dad drove a regular cab work truck until I was 13 when he got an extended cab, so still two doors.

That said, modern car seats have really changed the game. If you’re going to haul the kiddo(s) around with any regularity, you’ll find this to be a spectacularly huge pain in the ass in a coupe. You can do it if you’re really committed to it.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 10:42

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That STI Forester or a w123 300TD are my choices. Volvo 240 Wagon.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > yamahog 04/06/2017 at 10:43

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My post was written entirely different in jest...

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > TorqueToYield 04/06/2017 at 10:46

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Solution - convertible! Drop the top and they are even easier to get in than in a sedan plus you can just pick the kiddo up and throw them over the side - easy! Seriously, though, child seats have gotten comically huge. When we had our second child, we had to trade our Fit for something bigger because I could no longer slide the driver’s seat far enough back with a rear facing car seat behind it - yet an adult could sit behind me just fine.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 04/06/2017 at 10:48

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I think it depends on just how impractical your car situation is. I limped along an extended cab S-10 for about 18 months after our first was born, but at some point it just became ridiculous to have a child seat in the passenger seat with the airbag disabled and my wife in the jump seat in the back.

WRXasaurus > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 10:50

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You will want a sedan, it is hard enough to put a squirming toddler in a rear facing seat in my WRX. I can’t imagine the pain in a 2 door.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com 04/06/2017 at 10:53

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Yeah true, although I was aiming it more at the ‘lets buy a brand new car with 4 doors now that we’ve got a kid’ brigade ;)

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Wacko 04/06/2017 at 10:53

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It’s slow when it’s empty.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Rico 04/06/2017 at 10:54

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Oops

yamahog > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 04/06/2017 at 10:54

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Because it’s not fair to make one person be the designated pack mule while the other one shirks responsibility.

benjrblant > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 10:55

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Put some Subaru Brat-style jumpseats in the Taco, add a rollbar. BAM! Family truckster.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/06/2017 at 10:55

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Oops

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Nibby 04/06/2017 at 10:55

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N O

O

WRXasaurus > WRXasaurus 04/06/2017 at 10:56

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There is another way I forgot to mention. If you have a sensible car for when you need to haul the kid around that frees up room for a 3rd car that is impractical.

Chariotoflove > yamahog 04/06/2017 at 10:57

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Everything you say is true, although it’s not necessarily as bad as all that. The first 8 years of my daughter’s life we negotiated with my RX-8 and my wife’s Solara. We went from rear facing to front facing to booster in both. It was a bit of a pain though. Actually, it was easier access in my Mazda because of the rear doors. Ironically, one of the reasons for sticking with her two door car for so long (along with the economic issue) was so that I could continue to drive both cars and give us maximum flexibility so she wouldn’t be stuck with all kid transport. Like you say, that’s kind of unfair.

Later when we could afford it, we got the minivan, after I assured my wife that I could figure out how to get my chair in and out so that I’m independent with that as well. We are all much happier now.

TorqueToYield > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com 04/06/2017 at 10:58

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I’ve seen people squeeze car seats into fun small cars. It’s not impossible. But 4 doors makes it easier on a daily basis.

RyanFrew > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 11:01

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Your wife is right. You need a 4 door. And it needs AWD. And it needs to be made with love. FOR SAFETY!

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 04/06/2017 at 11:04

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Jags are eminently sensible, when compared to the correct less sensible options.

Textured Soy Protein > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 11:04

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You can get away with being a dad and not having overly parental cars. Like my dad did! But my mom did have both a wagon and later a minivan when we were a 3-kid family.

Cars my dad drove when I was a kid, along with what my mom was driving at the time, and number of children in the family...

1 kid - me!

Dad: 1981 Datsun 200SX

Mom: 1981 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme

Dad: most glorious 1985 Toyota Supra P-Type in two-tone blue

Bonus brochure photo with private jets!

Mom:

1985 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera, white with blue velour interior

2 kids - me and my brother

Dad - 1987 Sterling 827SL (a.k.a. Acura Legend but made more British and less reliable)

Mom: 1989 Ford Taurus LX wagon

Dad had a brief stint driving mom’s old Cutlass Ciera between the time he got rid of the unreliable Sterling and replaced it with...

1990 Acura Legend LS Coupe

3 kids - along comes sister!

My sister was born in 1991 and my parents continued along with the Legend Coupe and Taurus wagon until 1996, when my mom got a new hotness fully loaded bubble Chrysler Town & Country LXi in maroon with gold accents...

And my dad got an early-1997 (special ordered in May 1996) Mercedes E420

This all stayed the same until my dad got a 2001 Audi TT Roadster as a second car right before I graduated high school in 2000, in the signature gray and baseball glove leather color combo.

In 2004 he totaled the TT on the DC Beltway, when he tried to avoid a stray tire that was bouncing in the left lane, spun out, ended up in the shoulder with the front of the car sticking into the left lane, and was promptly clipped by a dump truck. He was fine, but the car was not, and a cop gave him a reckless driving ticket which he later fought and reduced.

After that they kept driving the E420 and Town & Country until my mom got a 2005 Acura MDX and my dad got a 2007 Saab 9-3 Aero convertible, both of which they’re still driving, even though the Saab has the notoriously unreliable 2.8T V6. Comfy-ass seats though.

Wacko > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 11:09

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that’s because it’s parked, unless you have the worlds only self driving tercel

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 04/06/2017 at 11:14

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Precisely! It’s all a matter of perspective :)

Yes the engine’s a bit thirsty...but at least it has a roof. Unlike that Ariel Atom over there...

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > jasmits 04/06/2017 at 11:14

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One of my childhood friends family had a tercel 4wd wagon, yes it is spacious, yes it is efficient, yes it looks cool. But in todays traffic and highway speeds it is best used as an in town commuter. That car was third gear and 35 mph up even the slightest of grades on the highway. I mean slow doesn’t even start to describe how slow it is. How about frozen snail? How about petrified sloth? How about lichen grow faster than an ‘84 tercel accelerates?

DipodomysDeserti > TorqueToYield 04/06/2017 at 11:16

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The best is when the previous generation talks about how they never worried about which pesticides and chemicals were sprayed on their food, and “they lived!” Then you ask them how many of their friends/family members have cancer and heart disease...

Patrick Nichols > yamahog 04/06/2017 at 11:18

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They could always share both cars? Share the responsibility and share the fun.

interstate366, now In The Industry > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 11:18

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Note to self: get vasectomy again

smobgirl > WRXasaurus 04/06/2017 at 11:19

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Who needs a sedan. Sounds like a good argument for a wagon to me!

DipodomysDeserti > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 11:22

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It’s the rear facing seats that kill you. Save up for one of these carseats. They’re the smallest, safest, and easiest to install. They’re just very pricey. I had an Abarth for a few years with two kids, and now I have a two-door Jeep.

http://clekinc.com/fllo/

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > yamahog 04/06/2017 at 11:22

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Responsibility is an interesting thing, because it cuts both ways and takes different forms. One person’s responsibility might be to schlep the kids around in the family tow vehicle. The other person’s responsibility might be to go to work and make the money. I never heard any complaints from either of my parents. In fact, the trade off for my dad (besides having to go to work) was that his fun car was always the older car purchased for cash. The family hauler and tow vehicle was always purchased new or nearly new, and was usually never kept past being four or five years old. The tendency for the boat to get replaced with a bigger one over the course of the 90's also had a lot to do with replacement cycle for the family truckster. And anyway, if both people drive family vehicles, then nobody gets to have any fun ever. You can’t go autocrossing, or to the racetrack, with a pair of minivans, and autocrossing was a family activity growing up.

vicali > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 11:26

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Camry Wagon,

with trunk seats;

I rest my case.

Spaceball-Two > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 11:29

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Just keep the longbed and get a Land Cruiser.

DipodomysDeserti > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 11:32

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Can you not throw kids in the back of a pickup like here in AZ? I remember riding in the bed of my dad’s truck while on vacation in Newport Beach. A cop saw us and lost his mind. He pulled us over and started screaming at my dad, who was like, “what’s the big deal, is this not legal here?” The cop then saw the AZ, plates and told him calmly to get us the hell in the cab. He didn’t give him a ticket, though. He probably could have thrown him in jail in CA.

AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC > Nibby 04/06/2017 at 11:33

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Because how else would he get to Whole foods for that free range, organic, non-GMO, quinoa with fortified chia seeds and extra flax seeds?

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 11:37

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It seems like a decent excuse to buy an LS400 or LS430.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 11:38

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I respectfully disagree.

To be clear, we had a Pontiac Sunbird coupe and a Mazda truck when my daughter was born. A few days after my wife started putting our daughter in the back seat of her car, she demanded a new vehicle. I can’t say I blame her. We could only afford one new vehicle, so she got the sedan she needed and I kept my truck.

Our new situation made coordination difficult. Any activity which required us to transport our child also required the use of the only vehicle we had which could safely transport our child. The logistics of our daily schedule became more than a little complicated. This made life harder than it needed to be.

The birth of our son didn’t complicate it much further. There were just two kids to deal with instead of one.

Once the kids were big enough, we started using the jump seats in the extended cab of my truck to transport them, but only when absolutely necessary. Those seats really aren’t safe for anybody and I hated to use them, but me being able to pick up the kids sure made our schedules much easier. She would drop off kids in the morning, I would pick up in the afternoon. Or vice-versa.

When the kids got too big for the truck, I finally bought a car safe for hauling kids. It just happened to be turbocharged, AWD, and has four doors. :)

Four doors really make a difference. Having to deal with loading kids in and out of the truck every single day convinced me.

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > Sweet Trav 04/06/2017 at 11:38

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Nothing has a 30 head gasket and water pump(15 hours by itself) replacement like one of these.

yamahog > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 04/06/2017 at 11:43

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What if - and this is a wild idea, I know - other people have different arrangements from your parents wherein childcare and working outside the home are both supposed to be shared responsibilities, and yet one parent still ends up working AND taking care of the house and kids? Not to mention that never hearing your parents complain about their arrangement doesn’t mean that there weren’t disagreements that were kept from their children.

Also, it’s entirely possible to have fun with two practical vehicles. Dirtbikes are cheaper than autocross, and three cars are reasonable for some households as well.

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 11:43

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No need to worry about that till she pregnant. There’s a reason you get 9 months to get your shit together before the little one comes along. But if you come across a bargain, then by all means. One thing to remember, those rear facing car seats take up way to much room, I don’t think there is a sedan, short of the big bodies, that will properly handle those rear facing bastards (the seats, not the kids) without putting your front passenger seat up in the dash.

Besides, there’s still cars out there like the S4 and S3, four doors and manual trans. I had one for 3 years, but outgrew it when we went to the third little one. Once you make it through the first year or two with those rear facing seats, you’re golden. But until then. Good luck. Also, you only need one family ride, but you want yours to work in a pinch. But don’t stress about it till that pee stick comes back positive. Plenty of time. Hell for our first two boys, I didn’t even have a kids seat in my car before the S4. We just used the Q7 as our family car. i don’t think I put kids seats into my car till we came back from a trip to Disney. (We bought two seats to travel with in lieu of renting them on the other end, or subjecting our good seats to the baggage handlers). That was into the second year of S4 ownership, so we got by for more than a couple years with two in seats without defiling my car with kid seats.

The best sound you can hear, besides your child’s laughter, is them saying faster daddy, faster.... that right there is the shit my friend.

Good luck on your endeavors, they change everything, but it’ll be the best thing you do.

yamahog > Patrick Nichols 04/06/2017 at 11:45

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If it actually worked out that way, yes. In practice, I’m skeptical that it turns into “oh I let the Mrs take the fun car today (read: once in a blue moon) while I played Mr Mom and actually had to take the kids to daycare!”

CaptDale - is secretly British > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 11:46

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I have never understood the need for 4 doors with children. My GTO would fit two kids very easily in the back. So NO I will never get rid of my fun cars for stupid children and more likely never have children.

yamahog > CaptDale - is secretly British 04/06/2017 at 11:55

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It’s not fitting the kids themselves, it’s wedging a giant ass car seat back there.

Though I am with you on the last point, and this thread is just making me more confident in that decision. Maybe if I could’ve been a dad and get applauded for “helping” every so often, but being a mom and therefore expected to do everything including driving the cheerio van ain’t for me.

Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 11:57

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My counter-argument, speaking as a father of two:

All four doors. All tons of fun.

Patrick Nichols > yamahog 04/06/2017 at 11:58

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Fair, I don’t like my girlfriend (who I live with) driving my truck more than occasionally, but that is because she’s not covered under my insurance without me in the car and I really hate driving her CR-V. Fortunately, both our cars are practical.

Also in NH winters, she has no reason to want to give up her heated leather seats and FWD-based AWD for cloth seats, dog hair, and no weight over the rear. I think it is mutually beneficial and when the scooter is running, we share it.

CaptDale - is secretly British > yamahog 04/06/2017 at 12:02

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Right, the only hard part will be physically getting the car seat(s) back there, but if you want a two door hoonmobile and carry kid(s), then buy a seat(s) for your car and for your S/O’s car. Then you can just leave them back there when the kid(s) aren’t in them. Honestly the buckets in my GTO are big enough for me (6'2" large man) to fit comfortably. So you will not have an issue fitting kid(s) and Seat(s).

Look at all that room for activities...

But yeah, I get my fill of children from others, so I don’t really need them myself....

KFN > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 12:02

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I got in front of this conversation by proposing a somewhat impractical coupe, knowing that my wife would counter with the somewhat impractical sedan version of the same car ( psst. I wanted the sedan to begin with).

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 12:07

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I’m on your side. It’s bad enough I have to have a car with four seats. Why four doors too? 99.9% of the time the three of us go somewhere it’s in in her car. And 80% of the time just Jonah and I go somewhere I still take her car.

CobraJoe > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 12:16

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Having strapped kids into rear facing seats in a 2 door car... 4 door cars help. Unless your car will be rarely used as the “family car”, you’ll be happy you got the doors for the back seat.

Now, strapping 2 kids into car seats in a 2 door car, that’s nearly impossible if one is rear facing.

I can’t wait until my kids are old enough to both be forward facing and hopefully buckling themselves in, I’m planning on getting a 2 door car again. Maybe a Challenger...

RallyWrench > yamahog 04/06/2017 at 12:32

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I feel very fortunate that my better half doesn’t really care what I drive as long as it’s cheap.  She asked for and got a minivan when we had our second, we sold a GTI we both loved and I took over her wagon for that. Still gotta sell that to pay off the van though, so I’ll be looking (sell a manual RWD wagon for a minivan?!?Blasphemy!) Though I haven’t daily driven a two door car in over a decade, since well before we had kids, I could if wanted without issue because the kids are almost never in my car or truck. I mean, I’m not going to bring home a Miata, it’d have to have back seats. If I’m Mr. Mom, which happens quite often as I encourage her to get the hell out of the house when I’m not at work, we swap. It’s hasn’t failed us yet. We’re also done at two kids, because, you know, family planning. If it was more, no damn way would I even consider smaller cars. It helps that our Sienna is faster than most of the cars I’ve ever owned though.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > yamahog 04/06/2017 at 12:39

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You’re assuming dirt bikes are fun.... Actually, I kid. I’ve messed around with one a little. I’m sure some people find them fun. Reasonable people can disagree. I know some folks split working and childcare responsibilities. It seems unnecessarily complicated to me as an adult in my 30s, but what other folks choose to do isn’t really my concern.

What I take issue with is your contention that such an arrangement isn’t fair. Being a car guy, I actually asked my parents about this much later on as an adult. It turns out the arrangement was the compromise that everyone was happy enough with. Mom never wanted a sportscar herself. In fact, she liked trucks a lot at that time. Had it been totally up to her, there would’ve been a new Excursion or crew-cab F-250 parked on her side of the garage instead of an Mazda MPV, Explorer and later a Durango. Had it been totally up to my Dad, there would’ve been a new Corvette convertible on his side of the garage instead of a things like Integras, Miatas or MX6s. It turns out they agreed that better boats were the best family investment, so they both gave up something to get that.

Come to think of it, we all compromised to get what we wanted. My sister wanted a horse, but she was the only one into them. Actually getting one (and keeping it alive) probably would’ve required sacrificing boating for everyone, so she got a decade of lessons and rented saddle time. She became an accomplished rider, but she never got her own horse. I would’ve liked to go racing for real as a kid, but that to would’ve required sacrificing boating for everyone, so I had to be content with autocrossing with my Dad. Racing for real (or at least starting the process of doing so) didn’t happen until I was able to fund it myself towards the end of high school.

wafflesnfalafel > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 12:43

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“family wagon”

Nibby > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 12:53

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WRXasaurus > smobgirl 04/06/2017 at 14:32

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Fair point, wagons for everyone.

Monkey B > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 18:01

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I don’t recommend children...doggo’s are good.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 04/06/2017 at 22:33

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u jelly

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/06/2017 at 22:36

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My dream car garage is an 84 Tercel and a Nissan Juke.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > CaptDale - is secretly British 04/06/2017 at 22:38

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You have your own watermark? I KNOW YOUR NAME NOW

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > PS9 04/06/2017 at 22:39

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Hey that 4000 was the bees knees. He got rid of his 5000 after one year though... Said it was the most unreliable thing he’s owned.

CaptDale - is secretly British > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/07/2017 at 11:26

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I use CaptDale for everything... You could have found my Insta which is attached to my FB and found me out that way too... Though I need to make a better watermark for my photos.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > CaptDale - is secretly British 04/07/2017 at 11:51

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Comic sans?

CaptDale - is secretly British > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/07/2017 at 12:01

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No, like a small image to brand my photography now that I am getting back into it. Like my buddy is doing with Kitsune KREATIONS