To Coupe or not to Coupe with Kids??.....

[Iba]

Help. I'm a lady who needs Merc advice! Currently I drive a 230 Kompress' Coupe which I love it's a chunky car but sporty looking! Am now looking to contract hire a new Merc and don't particularly fancy a Saloon but we are planning to have a Baby sometime in the next few years. Hubby drives a Passat Estate (which I dont particularly like) and I'm just wondering if I am bring a Plonker by considering a Merc Coupe what with potential Baby chairs etc etc etc, no idea what to do!!! Also considering a Lexus but would poss be the Saloon . All advice welcome. Thankyou :smile:

 

[television]

Hello and welcome, if you only having the one baby for the duration of the car lease then a coupe is fine as baby can use a chair on the front seat, and they have wider doors than 4 door cars

 

[100%Bitch]

You could always consider a CLS. That way you get a coupe looks and saloon practicality.

 

[crammy69]

One consideration is if you put babes in the back (due to airbag in front - unless it can be de-activated?) then you will get sick of bending over to do up belts etc. also reaching into the back in tight parking spaces can wear thin very quickly.

I like the CLS idea!

 

[television]

One consideration is if you put babes in the back (due to airbag in front - unless it can be de-activated?) then you will get sick of bending over to do up belts etc. also reaching into the back in tight parking spaces can wear thin very quickly.

I like the CLS idea!

It can be de activated with the correct seat, and I think that it is safer to have the child rear facing

 

[stuartmac]

Hi,

As Malcolm says, the 'correct' baby seat will deactivate the airbag, but then you're restricted to buying that seat, which might not suit either your budget or other sensibilities.

Then it becomes a pain when you want to carry someone else in addition to the baby - do you force them into the back seat, or scramble through a ridiculously narrow opening (because the coupe's longer doors don't open so far in the average British car park) to strap the baby in the back?

Then you are going to get truly hacked off with hoofing the buggy/pushchair into the boot of a coupe (not to mention all the other junk a baby seems to need ).

Fwiw, when Number One Son arrived, while we'd got our first E-class estate, for various reasons related to elderly members of the family, we often had to go out in a Saab 900 coupe. This is why I strongly suspect the baby/coupe interface will cause you early chronic sense-of-humour failure.

Hth.

Regards,

 

[Iba]

Hi again, Thanks so much to you all for your advice! Like the idea of a CLS, just checking out prices but may be out of budget... Still not sure what to do, I really want a coupe but don't fancy the sense of humour failure, am sure things get tough enough when motherhood arrives!!! LOL, I'm not even pregnant and I'm already fretting! Okay, thanks again, anymore votes welcome!! I'll let you know...

 

[television]

I'm not even pregnant and I'm already fretting! Okay, thanks again, anymore votes welcome!! I'll let you know...

We can ask if we can have a pregnancy section on the forum

 

[Alex M Grieve]

We can ask if we can have a pregnancy section on the forum

Sadly, Malcolm, with the Equal Opportunity Legislation, we are not allowed to ask. Even by considering it, you may have committed an arrestable offence.

It is alright if you ask everyone, and I used to get a funny look from the boys in answer to that question.

I stopped asking when one replied "The way I was f***ed about in my last job, I might well be".

 

[Juddian]

Its many years ago but ''i remember it well'' (there's a song there), the arrival of a sprog is a motoring life milestone, and the baby years especially you wouldn't believe just how much junk and baby gear you'll carry.

My experience is that a 4 door car is the very minimum, and preferably a nice estate.
Remember always this is Britain so sods law dictates that every time you wish to do something its raining.
Tailgates are a wonderful temporary shelter whilst you do a quick nappy change and other such daft but necessary things, try doing a nappy change with a baby seat on the passenger front seat in a 2 door car in the pouring rain (baby will learn all sorts of first words i guarantee).

I'm not suggesting that you get a people carrier or anything hideous like that, but a C/E class estate for example is a very smart looking and practical vehicle and as has been said, you do not want huge doors as they'll soon be pitted and scratched whilst you try and perform all sorts of manoeuvre's getting the sprog(s) in and out.

hatchbacks are ok, but don't provide any shelter.

Good luck with the future plans anyway.

 

[Alex M Grieve]

Its many years ago but ''i remember it well'' (there's a song there), the arrival of a sprog is a motoring life milestone, and the baby years especially you wouldn't believe just how much junk and baby gear you'll carry.

So very true. Sadly, however, there is a law of nature which decrees that the luggage you want to take always exceeds the space available.

Or that is how it works out in most marriages. Perhaps as the distaff side of your team, you might be able to prevent that?

 

[David Nock]

Sadly, Malcolm, with the Equal Opportunity Legislation, we are not allowed to ask. Even by considering it, you may have committed an arrestable offence.

At one place I worked in the late 80's, where we all had fun in the office, any new girls or ladies would be told suddenly that it was their medical that day. Then another electrical engineer and myself (I was always up for this jape) would walk through the door dressed in white coats, with big galvanised buckets and also wearing elbow-length thick rubber high voltage testing gloves. Laugh..... we could have cried, we laughed so much. Where has it all gone wrong eh??

Back to the post, the CLK is perfect for child seats in the back but then, as they get older, they like to poke the rear window switch with their toes.

 

[st4]

Help. I'm a lady who needs Merc advice! Currently I drive a 230 Kompress' Coupe which I love it's a chunky car but sporty looking! Am now looking to contract hire a new Merc and don't particularly fancy a Saloon but we are planning to have a Baby sometime in the next few years. Hubby drives a Passat Estate (which I dont particularly like) and I'm just wondering if I am bring a Plonker by considering a Merc Coupe what with potential Baby chairs etc etc etc, no idea what to do!!! Also considering a Lexus but would poss be the Saloon . All advice welcome. Thankyou :smile:

Try an MB saloon or estate, ditch the passat and get a nice E class estate and a wee converitble for the 2 of you for high days and holidays. MB estates are the best in the business and the E class an excellent, safe (important with little uns) and extremely good to drive car.

I don't get 3dr cars (they're less practical and no better to drive than the equivilent saloon), but I'd only have a 3dr car if the roof folded away, and a wee convertible also may just be the ticket.

Good luck with whatever you decide, and stick about on here too.