help with new car debate

My husband wants to get a Mustang convertible and I don't. I thought he was talking in a few years, and would have been fine with it then, but he wants one this year. We will have 4 kids.

Right now, we have a Mazda 3. We only have a booster and one carseat, because we never have all three current kids in it, so he thinks a 4 seater car will be fine.

He's just not thinking ahead. Next fall, he will need to take and pick up our (then) 8 year old, 3 year old, and 2 year to school once a week (the two little ones rearfacing, plus high back booster) and two days a week the following year (one rearfacing, one forward facing most likely, and maybe a low back booster for the oldest). When I mentioned this, he said the then 8-9 year old could sit in the front seat. He doesn't believe the airbags will kill her if they get in an accident. I told him she can't sit in the front seat until she is 12.

He wants to just take the van on those days, but I have a home daycare and may need the van. That just doesn't sound like a good plan to me.

Am I missing something or is there any way to make a 8 or 9 year old safe in the front seat of a Mustang? Husband thinks the airbag turns off if the child is less than 60 pounds. I wasn't sure about this, but I still think the front seat isn't safe even without the airbag. Doesn't a booster make it less safe because you are closer to the airbag?

I think he should either get a 5 seater vehicle now or wait 5 years to get a mustang because he wouldn't be dropping multiple kids off at preschool--they would mostly be in regular school and ride the bus or I could take them. Right now, the little ones go to my mom's preschool 20 minutes away, right next to my husbands work.

Or car is a 2004 Mazda 3. I love it and there isn't anything wrong with it. He wants to sell it now because he wants to get money for it before it isn't worth anything and he doesn't want to be stuck replacing both cars at once (my van is a 2000). I don't know if those are good reasons or not...

I'm going to side with you on this one. We own one vehicle (a truck without a back seat) that is not appropriate for child transportation. It is pretty much never driven because inevitably there is some reason whoever has it needs to pick up the kid from school, or what have you, and there isn't a safe enough method of doing that.
Short of desperation I would not knowingly purchase a vehicle that I could not safely transport my kid in, in this case your 8 year old who wouldn't be able to ride in the back seat. Surely there are plenty of fun 5 seat cars your dh could consider as replacements for the mazda3.

I'm going to side with you for a different reason.

DH and I sold our Mustang because we had kids. While rollover accidents are rare, they can be very serious, *especially* in a convertible. We won't own another convertible until our children don't ride with us on a daily basis. The risk is just not worth it for us.

I also would never buy a four seat car when I had four children.

I'm going to side with you.

In short, I feel it's important (if at all possible) that both parents have vehicles that can transport the whole family, for all those "what ifs" and "special circumstances" and "unpredictable times" in life.

Is this his only car or does he drive something else, too? It would not be a good idea in his situation if it's the only car he has to drive. Convertibles suck in the winter, if you live in a wintery area. 4 kids in a 4 seater is a bad plan. He should wait. My dh got his Mustang after all the kids were out of college. And it's his summer car.

I'm a bit biased because I don't understand 2 door cars with a backseat. It just doesn't make sense to have a seat that to have a seat than can't be accessed without moving everyone around.

I would tell your dh that sometimes as parents we have to make sacrafices and do things we don't want to for our kids. I personally don't enjoy driving my van but that's what comes with having 4 kids. There are plenty of sporty 4 door hatchback cars out that I'm sure are run to drive. He just needs to get it out of his head that he has to have one now. My dh wants a big truck but right now he commutes 100 miles a day so it ain't happening, even if we could afford it, it would be stupid.
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I feel bad because I know he has always wanted a Mustang, but it just doesn't make sense right now. I hope I can convince him to either wait to buy a new car or to buy something else. I personally don't even think we need a new car.

I really want him to get a Subaru Outback or Forester. We had a Forester before we had to get my van. He likes the new outback, but says he refuses to get a hatchback because we already have a van. He thinks we only need a hatchback for the sole purpose of putting something big in the back. I don't agree. I like having the small SUV type car with a hatchback. I don't like having a sedan with a regular trunk at all.

I forgot the other part that I hate about the Mustang is the two doors. I hate two door cars. We are going to have a rearfacer back there, and that does not sound fun. We live in Missouri. It is cold for most of the year and then really hot in the summer. There really isn't much time out of the year for a convertible.

Yeah, I side with you for many reasons. Is he in denial about having 4 kids? It just doesn't make sense unless it's your family's 3rd car or something.

Lemonade said:

Yeah, I side with you for many reasons. Is he in denial about having 4 kids? It just doesn't make sense unless it's your family's 3rd car or something.

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I don't think he is in denial about having four kids (I hope!). I think the problem is that things have changed recently regarding our car needs. I initially agreed that we could use our van for the family vehicle. I didn't put three across in his car, because there is no reason at the moment, that all 5 of us would take his car. We had reasoned that we would have the booster in his car, because he picks up and takes his daughter to school a few times a week. We have another carseat in there with slide harness so that one of the 2 rearfacers can ride if one of us is just taking one child somewhere. We knew that we were going to have 4 kids, and that we would never fit into a sedan, so this sounded like a good plan.

However, it is just in the last 2 months that things have changed. Our son goes to my mom's preschool 20 minutes away. Initially, I took him to school and got a sub to watch my daycare or my parents get him the night before since he just goes 1 day a week. I was planning on continuing to do this as long as our kids do preschool. Then just 2 months ago, my husband's office building got moved 5 minutes away from the preschool. So, now my husband is able to pick up/drop off Oliver easily. He hasn't done it too often, because I had already scheduled a bunch of prenatal visits which is right by the preschool, so I still take Oliver frequently.

My long term plan now that Ryan works right there, is to have him drop off the kids at preschool. I think he just can't picture how it is going to be since he hasn't done it very often yet. He says he can get a mustang because he only ever has 2 kids in his car. He just can't picture having to drop the older one off at school, and bringing the two younger ones to preschool on the same day.

I don't know what you mean by he can't picture having to drop off multiple kids? My dh doesn't have the kids in his car very often but I still have seats in there in case he needs to pick them up somewhere or I want to drive the car. I can't fit the seats in my van in his car so he has a whole other set of four seats and I'm certainly not going to have them just sitting around when they could be installed in the vehicle. I compromise by letting him still smoke in there although that means I have to wash the covers pretty reguarly.
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Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think I remembe there being quite a few threads on here about airbag sensors. IIRC, a lot of posters indicted that they shouldn't be relied upon to make sure the airbag doesn't deploy. Am I remembering the correct information?

My husband has a '93 Mustang convertible but it's one of 4 vehicles. I really wish he hadn't decided to fix it up after he hit a pig and ran off the road. If he'd gone off the road just a few feet later than he did, I'm sure he would have rolled. Long before having kids it was my idea that he get a convertible. Now It's just a huge money pit. The back seat is very very tiny I haven't figured out how to get 2 seats back there yet but I haven't tried very hard either. DH doesn't need to take the kids often but he still has seats in his car, just in case.

mominabigtruck said:

I don't know what you mean by he can't picture having to drop off multiple kids? My dh doesn't have the kids in his car very often but I still have seats in there in case he needs to pick them up somewhere or I want to drive the car. I can't fit the seats in my van in his car so he has a whole other set of four seats and I'm certainly not going to have them just sitting around when they could be installed in the vehicle. I compromise by letting him still smoke in there although that means I have to wash the covers pretty reguarly.
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I guess I mean that he is not thinking ahead. At this moment in time, he typically has 1 child in his car, and on occasion, 2. It's my idea to send Oliver to preschool 2 days next year and Claudia 1 day. I don't think I actually discussed it with my husband. I just now that is the next step in the program. So, even though I told him while we were having the car discussion, I don't know if that sank in.

Maybe you should have him try the new plan. Rent one for a few days and have him do the kids. Have him see how it works.

I love the renting idea. I told him that we would do that before buying one. I told him that I don't think he will be able to get a rearfacer out of the back seat with the top up. Wouldn't you have to pretty much crawl through the middle of the car or get the child out from the opposite open door? I can't imagine how you would get a rearfacer out from their side of the car. He didn't believe me though. He thinks you just pull the front seat forward and there is magically enough room. Maybe he is right, but I just can't picture it.

Anyhow, I let it go for a few days and now my husband has other car choices he is thinking about. I guess he thought about it and realized we do need 5 seats. He is thinking of the Cadillac CTS, Infinity G25 or G37 and the Mini Countryman. I know nothing about any of these cars, but, in January, we are going to an auto show that has all of the cars to look at and compare. I'll see them then. I thought I read somewhere that the Countryman has only 2 usable seats in the back, but I may be wrong.

I also found out that when my husband said we are getting a car next year, he meant that we might be getting one in April 2012 or the following year in 2013. He wants to get a 2011 or 2012 so the car is at least 1 year old (I guess depending on when we buy).

This kind of makes me want to get the car in April. I think I'd have a much easier time getting a three across in the Cadillac or Infinity than in our current Mazda 3. I don't know how the heck I am going to do that. I was hoping the Radian would fit with the new adjuster, but it sure doesn't as is. It might be smarter to get the new car before next fall so I can get new carseats that will fit our longterm car.

ETA: also thinking about Kia Optima (I think that is a funny addition to the other cars he is looking at, but as long as it has three seats in the back, I'm game).

ETA: also a Buick Regal--Now he's shooting out all of these ideas. Glad to have something else in his mind other than the Mustang!

The Countryman is a 4 seater or a 5 seater if you get the optional 3 seating position rear bench seat according to a review I read the other day. It was reviewed in the latest CR if I'm remember correctly or maybe in Car and Driver - both magazines show up in my mailbox on the same day usually, lol. Not sure how roomy it would be for 3 back there in a Countryman, but there is the option for it at least.