2 young kids, 1 family car - logistical nightmare or workable?

Andrewf20

Hey folks,

We have a 2 year old and a 2nd baby due in December. Im thinking of buying a 2 seater car (without the ability to disable the passenger airbag possibly) but we are concerned with the logistics of having 2 kids and 1 "family" car.

Do many people have this set up and is it workable or a pain? i.e. Mammy wants to go somewhere with kid A but Daddy needs go somewhere else with kid B.

Some alternative ideas I have are child seats for the bike possibly, bus or good old fashioned walking. Other ideas welcome!

We are based in Dublin btw. All feedback appreciated.:)

Jennehy

4wd suv especially with all the snow we get now.

harr

Only one car here and generally it’s fine only on the odd occasion we have found a need for a second car..but if your are in the position of getting a second car I would definitely reconsider getting a two seater.. it would be a shame having a car in the drive and not being able to use it.
Kids grow up very quick and with that comes the long list of new activities..
Surely you can find a sporty car with 4/5 seats ...

Wheety

Priorities change now. If you're going to have 2 cars, both should be capable of carrying both kids?

If you insist, would a Go Car subscription or something similar work?

Andrewf20

Go Car might be an option - il look into that also - cheers.

The idea of not having this car breaks my heart and this car is very rare in Ireland. No 4 seater compares to this car im afraid. If I dont get it now, ill never get it. : (

jlm29

We have one car that fits us all (2 adults, 3 kids), and one commercial vehicle with two front seats and no ability to disable the front airbag.
It’s a balls about 3-4 tines a year, but otherwise it’s grand!
The odd morning I go away for work, my oh does the drop off in my car and I take the jeep.
Only one of our kids is in school now though, maybe it will be more annoying as time goes on!
My OH can take one child forward facing in the front seat of his jeep, airbags on.

pwurple

Andrew, you’re a father now. This sounds like a car for a man with a mid life crisis. Does it come with obligatory golf clubs and a bald patch?

Forget the pretty toy for a few years and get something practical for gods sake.

uck51js9zml2yt

2kids and 1 car.
My wife did the unthinkable and walked both kids to different schools. Both in same school this year

Pelvis

First World problems eh?

Yawns

2 Kids - 1 car here. I work about 85km away so wife walks the kids to school. It's only about 3k/m each way. If I'm off work and she needs the car for anything, I'll walk them.

If you are getting a car, don't get a two seater. Get something practical with plenty of boot space to carry everything you will need. You'll be delighted in the long run.

facehugger99

Andrewf20 wrote: »

Im thinking of buying a 2 seater car

You're having a mid-life crisis.

It's quite common and will pass.

Get an estate.

helimachoptor

Our oldest is almost 4, youngest 2.5.
We've had one car for 3 years, I cycle to work which helps.

The only time I miss a car is when my wife goes home for the weekend to visit her family but I'm in Dublin so I can't get anywhere I need to on the bus if I want.

Its been a big cosy saving tbh, #3 arriving later this year so will buy a 2nd car

BBMcQ

Yawns wrote: »

If you are getting a car, don't get a two seater.

Mazda RX8 is a great compromise but you need to have a mechanic as a best friend! And don’t intend on going far in it, you’ll have to save up for the petrol to come back!

Rowley Birkin QC

What kind of car is it?

Greybottle

Andrewf20 wrote: »

Go Car might be an option - il look into that also - cheers.

The idea of not having this car breaks my heart and this car is very rare in Ireland. No 4 seater compares to this car im afraid. If I dont get it now, ill never get it. : (

Buy it, no point in regretting it. If it doesn't work out you can always sell it.

Not sure if you drive t owork, but in Dublin I know almost no family who really needs 2 cars. As somebody above said, it might be inconvenient 3-4 times a year at the most.

Sign up to Go Car and use that if things get tricky. You'll only know if it's working or not if you try it.

Best of luck with it.

fishy_fishy

So car of your dreams comes along, you already have a family car, and the response here is "no no Andrew, you're a father now. No more fun for you." And then you're mocked for even liking it in the first place. Smells very Irish.

Go get the car. Exactly how often do you expect to be taking two kids to separate places that both require driving them and gocar or public transport or a lift or a little bit of logistics can't resolve? Plenty of families survive on one car, you'll have 1 family car and 1 daddy car. No big deal.

You're still a person deserving of interests independent of parenting.

shesty

Will this be your only family car?What are your schedules like, will child no.1 be in school soon?Who does drop offs and pick ups if they are in childcare?

If you have another car, then yeah maybe you could consider it depending on any childcare/school arrangements.If you don't have another car....then no.Sorry.

It is a bit of a mid-life crisis thing.At the same time, that doesn't mean don't buy it.But two kids is a game changer (and I'm speaking as a mum of 3 smallies here).Does it have room for a buggy, possibly a double buggy?Can ypu fit the shopping in it (and the buggy)?Sorry but you have to be practical here, two small kids is heavy duty and yes, your life kind of goes on hold for a few years and practicality has totake precedence over wishful thinking.

You have a lot of years ahead of you to get a car like this.Believe me.

miamee

Is it a car that mammy will be happy and comfortable to drive on days/weekends when you are with the two kids and she is heading off somewhere?

Neyite

fishy_fishy wrote: »

So car of your dreams comes along, you already have a family car, and the response here is "no no Andrew, you're a father now. No more fun for you." And then you're mocked for even liking it in the first place. Smells very Irish.

No, he's saying that the 2 seater will be the family car. He'll be trading in the actual family car for this one. The family has four people in it. The logistics won't work. Not with kids in the mix.



The time to get a two-seater was either before children, or wait until he's enough funds to get it as well as a car that holds the entire family. It's all very well to suggest walking or cycling but that is very dependent on your work circumstances and locality.

jlm29

I understood that he’s going to have two kids, and only one practical car. Ie, they will have two cars, but only one can accommodate the lot of them

Neyite

Maybe the OP can clarify that as I suspect the feedback he will get depends a lot on that.

fishy_fishy

Neyite wrote: »

fishy_fishy wrote: »

So car of your dreams comes along, you already have a family car, and the response here is "no no Andrew, you're a father now. No more fun for you." And then you're mocked for even liking it in the first place. Smells very Irish.

No, he's saying that the 2 seater will be the family car. He'll be trading in the actual family car for this one. The family has four people in it. The logistics won't work. Not with kids in the mix.



The time to get a two-seater was either before children, or wait until he's enough funds to get it as well as a car that holds the entire family. It's all very well to suggest walking or cycling but that is very dependent on your work circumstances and locality.

Pretty certain he's talking about the 2 seater being his car and his wife keeps the "family" car that will fit both kids in the back. Otherwise he'd be concerned about "what if we need to bring the kids anywhere" and not "what if we need to bring the kids to two different places at the same time".

Most people need A family car, and plenty of people on here saying they get along fine with just 1 car. OP will have a family car AND a 2 seater. Whoever has the kids with them takes the family car. Not seeing any reason why they both need family cars living in Dublin.

Bandana boy

Go for it
you only live once
you will find a way to manage when you need the kids to go in different directions

hi_im_fil

What car is it? If you’ve got a normal car already and the 2 seater will be an additional car then go for it. If it doesn’t work out just sell it!

GarIT

Couples in Dublin have 2 kids and one car or even two kids and no car and manage fine. If you have one practical car, one nice car, and back it up with a leap card and and go car and you'll never have any issues any will probably only used the leap card or go car once or twice a year at most.

_Brian

If you have easy access to gocar then I’d say you will be grand owning one family car.

mirrorwall14

How does your wife feel about it? Being the one driving the only car that the kids can fit in means she’s the one who may feel under pressure for runs around and could end up leading to some resentment. It would need to be a joint decision imo. We have one and two cars and a baby on the way. Honestly it wouldn’t work with only one workable car between commutes etc in ours anyways. What happens if wife is home late and you need to collect the children etc? These are the things to think about

Chocolate fiend

We have 3 children aged from 10 down to 6 and have only ever had one car. Go for it.

Andrewf20

Rowley Birkin QC wrote: »

What kind of car is it?

It's a BMW Z4. The compromise is for about 1.5 years as our eldest can go into it forward facing when she outgrows the rear facing seat.

Andrewf20

jlm29 wrote: »

I understood that he’s going to have two kids, and only one practical car. Ie, they will have two cars, but only one can accommodate the lot of them

Yes, we have 1 family car that can take all of us plus this car potentially. I'm in love with this motor, and there's only 1 for sale of this type in the country. If i don't buy it now, I'll never get it as in 5-10 years they will be too old / non existant. Definitely a hint of mid life crisis perhaps. I have to buy a car as the nct has killed my current car recently.

We have a mobile child seat, so contingencies for the 1.5 years (see last post) are taxi for short notice situations, or to swap this car with my parents car when needed. We are within walking distances to shops, schools etc so I'm thinking / hoping the risk is reasonably low. My wife cycles / has bike rack for family car currently. Worst case, I could just sell it perhaps.

It's one of the last great engines that doesn't have a turbo and it eats me to think I may miss this oppourtunity. My wife is on the fence in this one.

catrionanic

Andrewf20 wrote: »

Rowley Birkin QC wrote: »

What kind of car is it?

It's a BMW Z4. The compromise is for about 1.5 years as our eldest can go into it forward facing when she outgrows the rear facing seat.

Plenty of z4s on the market- we have one! Not sure why you feel it is a now or never deal (in fact you can buy ours in a year or two if you want it!).

We have a second baby on the way in the autumn. The z4 is just a toy for my husband, although you can disable the passenger airbag so he has taken our toddler in it before. The z4 lives in his parents house though as we have no use for it in Dublin - instead we use our family car. Neither of us have to drive to work though. I imagine it would be more difficult if you both commute.