Quote:
Originally Posted by logit
Morning all,
My first post on here, looks like a great forum with plenty of helpful people 
Apologies for the long first post but I'm after a bit of advice on my next car purchase. I normally have a good idea about what I want to buy next, but my thoughts have been thrown in to a bit of a muddle with the announcement that I'm going to be a dad come the summer, and so whatever I buy must be suitable for being the main transport for a newborn.
The plan is to sell our current car (my wife’s Scirocco) and buy a used car with a bank loan to finance the rest - I think this is the better option than buying new and leasing etc as I'd prefer to minimise depreciation costs.
I get the train to work so we will only have one car and my wife will be driving whatever we buy at least 50% of the time. She has absolutely no interest in cars - her only stipulation is that it must be an automatic and easy to drive. She knows I like my cars so she's happy to leave the buying decision up to me. Key for me is that the car must have a nice petrol engine - even though I won't be driving it quickly with the family on board, I characterful engine can make even mundane journeys more of an occasion. Whatever car I buy I’ll be looking to add an MPE and the M Performance rear diffuser as I think it finishes off the rear nicely.
With one eye on practicality, I started looking at the 335i M sport touring. No reason other than I think they'll be more practical for carrying baby paraphernalia than the saloon equivalents. I’m struggling to get my head around driving an estate car having always had coupes and 2 seaters (they seem a bit bland and boring to me), but needs must I guess. There also don’t seem to be any 335i tourings for sale at the moment – guess it must be a rare car. Hopefully I can pick one up for less than £20k. The cheapest 340i start at £24k but when you start getting towards £25k and above there are other cars that catch my eye (always wanted an RS4 though the running costs are another level). I also see the new 3 series is being released in March this year which looks very tidy, so spending big on a nearly new one now doesn’t feel right to me.
During my search I’ve also come across the 4 series gran coupe. Never knew it really existed tbh, but the more I read the more it seems like a great compromise - the hatchback gives easy access to the boot (which is a decent size) and they come with memory seats as standard which is a big plus as I’m sharing the car with my wife. If I can get one with a reverse camera it looks like a perfectly practical car for baby duties – the only downside I can see is more hassle putting the car seat in the rear isofix due to the sloping rear roofline – I’m only 5’10 and my wife is 5’3 so we’re both not very tall so won’t have to bend as much as someone who’s over 6’ – I’m thinking it’s an ok compromise for the sleeker styling (out of interest, does anyone know if a mountain bike will fit in the boot of the GC with the seats down?).
I’ve been looking at the 435i GC as you can get a 14 plate for around £20k, or maybe a bit less if a private sale comes up. The 440i starts at £27k for a 17 plate – again, I’m not sure I want to stretch the budget that much as not sure the differences are worth it.
Grateful for any thoughts and advice from owners. Does anyone have a GC that they use to ferry around their baby? Is it ok or should I just bite the bullet and go with the touring for ease? Also, is it worth stretching for the x40i – is it really worth the extra outlay (about an extra £7-8k on the loan)? I’ll probably have to stick the MPE on whatever I buy  |
I have a 440i GC, a 2yr old and another baby due next month. I got the GC as I needed to be able to get the kids in the back sometimes (my wife has the big family 4x4 so we use that most of the time).
I have to say the 440i is a massive pain with babies/young kids and looking back it was not a good choice in this regard. There are three main issues:
1) The rear seats are at an angle, so when you put in a baby seat it tips it up at a weird angle - my wife's car the seats are flat, so the baby seats sit properly. Yes most baby seats have an adjustable angle, however I have tried multiple units a d none correct the angle enough
2)the biggest problem is access - most car seats, or at least good ones like MaxiCosi, Joie, etc, now are pretty big, and because the rear door is so small, plus the roof is sloped down, you have to kind of post the baby through straight, then turn it to get it in the car seat. This is easy enough when they're tiny, but believe me with a 2yr old it is a pain and my wife struggles with it if she's using my car. Also, you can forget about getting them out without waking them up if they're asleep u less they're a very heavy sleeper.
3) The boot is way too small if you're going away with all your stuff Inc. pram, etc
Long story short, the 440i/435 is not good for babies/young kids, so if this is to be your main car then get the 340i.
That all not withstanding, I LOVE my car. I've got the MPPSK and then had an aftermarket tune with DMS to take it to 444hp and it's incredible.