Do family friendly sport coupes exist?

"RightFootDown" (rightfootdown) 08/23/2013 at 15:02 • Filed to: None

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We've all heard of this happening. Guy gets married and next thing you know he's selling his motorcycle. Guy has a baby and suddenly the sports car is up for sale and he's rolling in a mini van. Nobody wants that.

Here is the hypothetical: Guy has an E46 M3. Does he sell it?

What are the daily driver alternatives that check the "Will it baby?" box and are FUN to drive?

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > RightFootDown 08/23/2013 at 15:05

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2004-2006 Pontiac GTO?

twinturbobmw > RightFootDown 08/23/2013 at 15:05

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Well, a coupe with some room is ok for a few years while they're little I suppose. But if you want a 4 door and go from an M3, how about a 330i ZHP, 335i, or B7 S4?

William Byrd > RightFootDown 08/23/2013 at 15:05

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Hypothetical. Right... :)

I hate to say it, but the back seat helps. I tried to baby with a Mustang and it worked for a bit. Eventually it gets too much and being able to open a back door to get baby in and out helps a lot. Luckily there are lots of fun 4-door cars out there.

So....if you decide to sell the E46, let me know.

Vizzini > RightFootDown 08/23/2013 at 15:07

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The 911 will baby, and remains a serviceable family car (no luggage, please) up through about third grade.

CobraJoe > RightFootDown 08/23/2013 at 15:08

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Personally, I was looking for a fun project vehicle when my wife was pregnant, so I opted for something cheap and easy to work on with a reasonable back seat: A Fox Thunderbird.

It might not be your style, but I think anything with a back seat meant to haul people should be fine. I bet a M3 should work just fine...

Casper > RightFootDown 08/23/2013 at 15:10

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People buy WAY bigger vehicles than they need as soon as they have a baby. Probably due to insecurity. Personally I have shoved kids (not mine) in coupes, including the wife's BRZ. I don't see why something like a 911 wouldn't work... at least until they get big and extra annoying.

Jagvar > RightFootDown 08/23/2013 at 15:16

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Dude, just get yourself an M3 with two extra doors. Problem solved.

dogisbadob > RightFootDown 08/23/2013 at 15:17

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78 Buick LeSabre Sport Coupe

92-96 Camry coupe

Ferrari Mondial

Mazda RX8

Saturn Ion Red Line

dogisbadob > Casper 08/23/2013 at 15:18

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Yeah, but the torch showed us that the BRZ will baby :p

William Byrd > Jagvar 08/23/2013 at 15:19

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Sort of depends on budget. That's twice as much as an E46 (on average).

Jagvar > William Byrd 08/23/2013 at 15:22

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In that case, you could go a generation earlier. The E36 M3 was sold as a 4-door, too.

William Byrd > dogisbadob 08/23/2013 at 15:23

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"Will it baby" isn't really a long-term test. I've baby'd using a Mustang (it will) but after awhile it gets really annoying.

95HondaV6 > RightFootDown 08/23/2013 at 15:28

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Yes, he sells the E36 M3 (immediately) and purchases a new (or nearly new) Honda Accord. Over the next few years (which will be nearly maintenance free) he saves a boat-load of money he would have spent on his BMW, and uses said monies to send his offspring to college.

dogisbadob > Jagvar 08/23/2013 at 15:28

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I love the E36 M3 4-door!

BMW was stupid for not selling us the E46 M3 4-door.

Jagvar > dogisbadob 08/23/2013 at 15:30

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Though a few enterprising individuals have seen fit to build their own.

Saracen > William Byrd 08/23/2013 at 15:36

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330i ZHP.

Saracen > 95HondaV6 08/23/2013 at 15:38

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He wants a fun to drive car. Not a beige car.

Jayhawk Jake > RightFootDown 08/23/2013 at 15:55

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A5/S5? There's actually quite a bit of room in the backseat and the trunk is huge.

Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig > RightFootDown 08/23/2013 at 15:55

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I can't speak to the coupe department, but my WRX wagon is very kid friendly. I say this as a single guy with no kids, but I fit full-size adults comfortably back there with no issues.

moarpowerr > RightFootDown 08/23/2013 at 16:00

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Yes, the Merc CL. It is an S-class with 2 doors, so it is consequently massive inside. However they are quite expensive to maintain ....

Kugelblitz > Saracen 08/23/2013 at 16:01

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It is not the same. Drove one, liked it though. just not quite the same.

RightFootDown > RightFootDown 08/23/2013 at 16:14

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BMW has a fantastic folding front seat design in the E46 and E92. After folding the seat with the easy pull bar, I can also effortlessly lift and tilt the entire seat forward giving ample room for even Dikembe Mutombo to ride in the back. This is unlike every other sports coupe I've driven. All others require to manually fold the seat back forward and if there still is not enough room to get in the back then you also have to search blindly for the slider handle hidden beneath the front of the seat or wait for the painfully slow electric motor to move the seat. The latter induces anxiety that could lead to rage. We could do without both.

I think any car that is capable of securing a rear facing infant seat in the back is good enough for kids through their teenage years assuming they don't sprout beyond the headroom limitations of the car.

Toby F., Manager > RightFootDown 08/23/2013 at 16:23

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Panamera?

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > RightFootDown 08/23/2013 at 16:30

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I drive a '10 Taurus SHO the thing is positively cavernous in every way. The sheer amount of power the twin turbo EB engine provides also makes it a blast to drive. It's quite the sleeper, haha.

As a side note, I am pretty convinced that people get large vehicles for the convenience factor, that, and people just have it ingrained in them that they need a bigger vehicle once they get a child. I get so mad when a CL ad selling a sensible '01 Taurus states "need SUV due to baby on the way". Chances are these people really don't need to be buying a new car and the mpg's that come with it, they need to save up. The Taurus/Neon/Passat/Roadmaster/Escort/Focus/Volvo/Century you have now will baby just fine. But I digress, I am fully confident the Taurus SHO would baby well and it's a fun car.

SpeedSix > RightFootDown 08/23/2013 at 19:06

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Are Lamborghini Espadas practical enough?

SpeedSix > RightFootDown 08/23/2013 at 19:06

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Volvo 850R

In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you > RightFootDown 08/24/2013 at 12:36

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Mini Paceman JCW All4.
It's awesome.

highpsi > RightFootDown 08/24/2013 at 15:46

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Any 4 door sporty sedan should work. I have a two year old. We own an eclipse convertible, e46 sedan, evolution and a durango. Everything babies fine. The eclipse is a pain to get him in. I have put the top down to make it easy on myself at times.

We bought the suv because we simply did not have enough room to move all oh his stuff and our stuff at times. A full size jogging stroller (I call them mall raiders) takes up the entire trunk on the sedans. His diaper bag/backpack is in the back seat. He has the safety one seat, which is huge. That takes up more space than a single person sitting in the back seat.

We could make it work sans suv, and we did for almost two years. My wife prefers us to do family activities as a single unit without taking two cars to go bike riding at the beach. We use our sedans during the week because they are much easier to get around in, and the suv on the weekend when we are all together.

RedlineGirl > dogisbadob 08/24/2013 at 16:09

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I second the Saturn Ion Redline...FWD, 2.0L Supercharged, aprox 205hp to the ground, full Recaro interior, 2dr w/2 rear suicide doors(STILL get daily comments on this!)Bought it before the kid, wanted a fun commuter car for the canyons but knew there was potential for a kid in the 5 years we'd have a loan on whatever- Surprise! Knocked up 2.5yrs later!
Its a blast in the canyons and just about anywhere, handles awesome, can still beat "most" V6 and under N/A cars...people are shocked when a Saturn smokes em-always flag you down asking "WTF is (in) that?" Fits kids seat easy-huge trunck. Kept it stock for "commuting" and its still a blast, but can be modded to full race if wanted.

6.5yrs and 173,000 miles later no problems! Replaced the clutch for the first time 10k miles ago, and had a bad cam sensor once... only Bad- axles geometry is flawed from the factory- I replace one side about every 6 months, but I drive it hard(launching, canyons, etc) and Im finally buying the reverse trans mount to fix that problem!

SpeedSix > SpeedSix 08/24/2013 at 16:19

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I swear this article was titled Family Friendly Sports Cars. Carry on then.

RedlineGirl > RedlineGirl 08/24/2013 at 16:27

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With that being said... I clicked this story because the RL is getting high in the miles and finally paid off, Im beginning the hunt for the next car to buy in about a year...
Now Im actually a RWD V8 kinda girl, but with said "kid" and a 80 mile daily commute in lovely $oCal...I need a fun car I can run canyons/etc in that's still "commuter" friendly, Id also like 4 "real" doors(as cool as the suicides are- still not enough interior space for an adult in the backseat!)...

Ive already thought about the G8 or CTS-V, but gas prices here in CA would probably kill me! But for the right car, I'd still go V8! Ive also pondered the Subies, but Im trying to get out of the "getting pulled over just cause you thought I was an 18yr old boy in a tuner car" deal... Soooo...suggestions?