Best car for a baby?

Question

My husband and I are trying to get pregnant. In the mean time I have to get a new car. I want to buy a vehicle that would be good for me now and also good for my kids when we do get pregnant. Do you reccomend getting a 4-door? Is it hard to get a car seat into a 2-door cars? I haven't really like many of the sedans I have seen. I like coupes better. Are they just as safe as sedans? I am not going to get a SUV. I don't like driving them.

Thanks

Answer 1

FOUR DOORS! I could not afford to buy a new car when I got pregnant. I drive an Escort ZX2 sport with two doors and my hubby has a 2-door Dodge Dakota extended cab. While we had plenty of room for the baby, it's not very comfortable trying to manuever around the front seats. Also, the truck was VERY hard to get the carrier car seat into and we couldn't use the convertible in there at all until it turned around face front.

As for my car, the carrier seat was just fine and we have a Graco Triump convertible that is just fine too. It's also very easy to move back and forth betwen cars.

Maybe you could pick up a copy of this month's Parents magazine. They just released their 2007 best cars for families edition. There's lots of great styles and lots of information. Good luck!

Answer 2

Oh, sorry, I thought you meant that your baby was already driving. Hey, it could happen! Look at Family Guy!

I would recommend getting a four door vehicle, to make moving the child seats easier. Also, in case of an accident it is easier to get to your child. A two door coupe is cramped.

I would consider an SUV, but a smaller one (don't buy an Expedition or a Tahoe unless you need it, but an XTerra is nice). A small SUV drives like a car but is built on a small truck frame and is a bit more durable.

Congratulations. My wife and I are trying to do the same thing you are. I'm going to keep a sedan (I have an '06 Altima), but I'd feel better if my wife did have something like an XTerra instead of her little Kia sedan. One more repair close to the blue book value and adios little car.

Answer 3

FOUR DOORS! Fenangling the infant seat into our '81 Dautsun 2-door is not easy on the back. I'd get a minivan. Regardless of what they say, you CAN still look cool in a minivan and they have a lot more room and versatility than a smaller car, or SUV. I recommend a used car because although you want a new car, the certified pre-owned ones go through rigorous tests and have had the opportunity to be driven and rated by others in Consumer Reports. Also, even if you can afford the payments, you never know what is coming down the pike and a $300/mo+ car bill can really turn into a nightmare if you have a family emergency. It really doesn't make sense to buy a new car if it's just going to loose it's value so quickly. That's my advice! We have a '98 Ford Windstar. Oh yeah - also if you look at the ratings on a car, and they have bad tranny ratings, the reason why may be simply that the car is commonly used to tow things it was never meant to tow - for example Winstars have bad tranny ratings, but 50% of them have tow packages on them and I commonly see them towing boats and trailers - that explains the bad tranny!! We have no tow pkg and a tranny in perfect condition still!!

Answer 4

I would try finding something with some personality and 4 doors. getting kids and car seats in and out of a 2 door car is a pain in the a** . I recently had to replace my minivan and I wanted a car also. I ended up with a Cyrsler PT Cruiser (it's basically a glorified station wagon). I also considered a Chevy Aveo and The Honda Fit is also pretty cool looking and comes in 4 doors. My mother has a ScionAx which is also very nice. All of these have decent crash test ratings and get ok gas milage.

No matter what kind of car you buy make 100% sure you install the car seat correctly. That will make the biggest difference in the baby's safety. you can buy the safest car in the world but it won't matter if the carseat isn't installed correctly.

Answer 5

A car that will be good for you now & after you have children are going to be in 2 different leagues. A 2 door vehicle, or coupe, is not convenient to have a car seat in; you will have a hard time (and probably get sick of) leaning in to the back seat to get your child hooked up safely.

You say that you don't want to drive an SUV, and that is fine. They are probably the most convenient vehicle around when it comes to children at any age-car seat age because you don't have to lean over to hook them up and you have plenty of space for hauling strollers and necessities for a baby/toddler, and older because you will most likely have more stuff to haul around, like dance and sports equipment and friends!

However, if you look at the new Toyota Camry or the Acura RL or Acura TL, you might actually like them. They are very sporty looking sedans that seem to have a good bit of cargo space in the trunk.

Answer 6

I know that people do it, but I can't imagine trying to get my newborn into a newborn car seat in a 2 door car! What a pain that would be, especially if they were asleep.

We find the wagon we have great because when you open the boot, you can lift the pram and slide it right in. In some sedans, I've seen mums have to take wheels off their prams to fit them in, or they have to lift the pram right up over a 'lip' of the boot and then down into the boot. What a pain! and so bad for your back probably too.

I also like the fact that any 'luggage' we carry is completely separate from our baby so if we were ever in a crash, everything is contained in the back of the car and not likely to come anywhere near our baby.

Answer 7

You will not like driving a 2 door with having to take kids in and out. 4 door is MUCH easier. My husband and I owned one of those little Ford Festivas for a while and I ALWAYS ended up opening the hatch (the back) to get the baby's car seat out. Personally I prefer my minivan.

Answer 8

A 4 door car is much better with children than a two door car. It is extrememly hard to get an infant car seat behind a passenger seat to strap it in.

Answer 9

4-door is a must ! Putting the car seat at the back seat of 2-door car is difficult, and you will do it hundred times

Answer 10

trust me a four door is better with child lock. There is more space for family shopping the boot is more spacious. Easily accessible for the car seat i.e keep having to shift front seat backwards and forwards to access the back. Do you really want all that hassle?