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I will say not ideal. If the seat is still rear facing its a nightmare. If the seat is forward facing you can have room to climb in front of the seat, where in a r door you won't.
I also want to say I was talking about being surprisingly more convienent then a small 4 door like a civic, corrolla, etc...
If its rear facing you also kind of lose the passenger front seat, but how often do you drive a kid and yourself around.
Just bringing it up since coupes are always thought as smaller but I think at times the bigger single door, and ability to flip.the dear forward gives more room then the 2 smaller doors and fixed seat.
Yes there is generally less leg room but this isn't an issue with a kid.
My daughter just bought one. They were the safest car made in 1992 according to some internet thing I saw. They are cheap because people do nto want them. They look like the must get terrible mileage, but it is actually not that bad. They are comfortable and reportedly pretty dependable. Shepaid just over $2000, but hers looks like it is new. It must have been kept in a garage. They commonly had a transmission problem, but hers had already had it and been repaired. It has only been a couple of months, but so far, it has been a great car for her. Her 16 Y/O brother thinks it is the coolest car in town and keeps trying to borrow it, or trade for the car that he is allowed to use (which is a $5000 Ford Ranger).
Anyway safe, purportedly reliable, lots of room for the kiddo car seat. You can put five bodies in the trunk. Not a beauty though. I knicknamed it "Buc" (Big Ugly Car). However some people think that they are very nice looking.
We have two older Volvo XC station wagons in our extended family. They are not well loved. You need a big budget for repairs and an alternate car to use while it is in the shop.
Avoid 1997 and 1998 Chrysler Minivans. They have been complete nightmares for us. Plus Buc gets better mileage.
The japanese cars in this price range are very old and have massive miles. Even though some (not all) Japanese cars form this time have somewhat better quality, they are not better at 240,000 miles than a ford or Chevy with 110,000 miles. You are going to have problems with a car with that much mileage, no matter the brand.
I agree, 4 doors is the ideal when you have a kid. My daughter is 2 years old so the seat is forward facing, but it just seems like it would be an annoyance, especially with all the extras that I have to put in the back seat. And I drive daily with my daughter, so yeh that wouldn't be ideal.
My daughter just bought one. They were the safest car made in 1992 according to some internet thing I saw. They are cheap because people do nto want them. They look like the must get terrible mileage, but it is actually not that bad. They are comfortable and reportedly pretty dependable. Shepaid just over $2000, but hers looks like it is new. It must have been kept in a garage. They commonly had a transmission problem, but hers had already had it and been repaired. It has only been a couple of months, but so far, it has been a great car for her. Her 16 Y/O brother thinks it is the coolest car in town and keeps trying to borrow it, or trade for the car that he is allowed to use (which is a $5000 Ford Ranger).
Anyway safe, purportedly reliable, lots of room for the kiddo car seat. You can put five bodies in the trunk. Not a beauty though. I knicknamed it "Buc" (Big Ugly Car). However some people think that they are very nice looking.
We have two older Volvo XC station wagons in our extended family. They are not well loved. You need a big budget for repairs and an alternate car to use while it is in the shop.
Avoid 1997 and 1998 Chrysler Minivans. They have been complete nightmares for us. Plus Buc gets better mileage.
The japanese cars in this price range are very old and have massive miles. Even though some (not all) Japanese cars form this time have somewhat better quality, they are not better at 240,000 miles than a ford or Chevy with 110,000 miles. You are going to have problems with a car with that much mileage, no matter the brand.
Just saw this ad for a 2002 Lincoln for $1,600. I don't know how reliable these cars are, but it seems like a good deal, no? And the post says it's still under warranty
2002 Lincoln town car /TWO this ad (http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/doc/cto/2618889741.html - broken link)
I agree, 4 doors is the ideal when you have a kid. My daughter is 2 years old so the seat is forward facing, but it just seems like it would be an annoyance, especially with all the extras that I have to put in the back seat. And I drive daily with my daughter, so yeh that wouldn't be ideal.
I admit I don't do it daily, we have a midsized sedan (G6) that normally does baby duty mainly do to safety and carrying 3 people in the car. But compact cars like a Civic or corrolla, I'd take a 2 door car like a Monte Carlo, 2 door Maxima, etc... first. Remember most 2 door cars, the door is about 1.5 the size of a door on a 4 door.
I have a babyseat already mounted in. I just open door, plop seat forward, I lean on back of the seat and put him in. MISC stuff goes on the passenger seat or in the trunk. The hard part with this, is its a sports car so low to the ground.
With the 4 door, I can't get as far with the door open.
Also while driving, I have alot more access to the kid if need be in traffic(dropped bottle).
For a primary car, I'd say no. But if you have another vehicle(truck you mentioned) I'd consider it, because how often is it going to be more then just you and the baby? Use the truck for that.
I mean get what you want, but just because its a 4 door doesn't mean it has "more room" and accesibility. And there are 2 door cars on the market that are bigger then 4 door cars on the market. Just tossing it out there and expanding options, since the price range is so low.
Last edited by MustangEater82; 09-30-2011 at 10:25 AM..
Just saw this ad for a 2002 Lincoln for $1,600. I don't know how reliable these cars are, but it seems like a good deal, no? And the post says it's still under warranty
2002 Lincoln town car /TWO this ad (http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/doc/cto/2618889741.html - broken link)
They are reliable, they are "luxury" Crown Vics Basically...
the good and bad about those... They are likely "chaufer, or Taxi" cars. Meaning they were used to haul people around not personal vehilcles. Which means 2 things.
1. they were likely well maintained, unless a real small company owned by an idiot. (Could be a small company if in a craigslist ad)
2. People driving them knew they weren't there cars so drove them like a rental.
Those are the main red flags on that post, that and even if they are high mileage, etc... those are going a little too cheap. That is cheaper then an "inferior" ex cop car.
Also to point out, you are looking at pickup truck mileage, if its that big of a deal.
The japanese cars in this price range are very old and have massive miles. Even though some (not all) Japanese cars form this time have somewhat better quality, they are not better at 240,000 miles than a ford or Chevy with 110,000 miles. You are going to have problems with a car with that much mileage, no matter the brand.
My mom has a Chrysler LHS of similar year. I think she's been driving it for 15 years with nothing major I can think of.
We had a 1992 Integra, cute car and in great physical condition in and out, but it had significant issues with the computer sensors that got worse over time. Sometimes it wouldn't start for anything. We spent several thousand and were never able to get it fixed.
Also, 4 doors have more frame and better body integrity.
Whatever you do, get a Carfax or Auto Check report. Some will dismiss them as not fully accurate, HOWEVER, you will still give you some informative history on the car than you'd other wise have. It can help ID red flags and assuming it's good, assist in your resale efforts.
We have two older Volvo XC station wagons in our extended family. They are not well loved. You need a big budget for repairs and an alternate car to use while it is in the shop.
For the record, the XC's are the AWD Volvos that someone in this thread already warned against buying. They are based on the FWD 850/V70 models which are more reliable, but still need extra attention. The most reliable Volvos from that era are the RWD 940/960 models, since their engineering dates back further, and is more proven.
Yes, I will look @ carfax reports before buying anything.
The thing about the Lincoln town is that it reminds me a lot of a cab and Im not really attracted to its look, it's a bit too long for me. I prefer shorter lengths cars.
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