[Revlis]

Whats killing me is the Volvo Wagon... The wife buys a car she likes, falls in love with it, and will then drive it till it explodes or I manage to convince her it's time to upgrade. Couldn't get her into a Mercedes Wagon this spring, the Volvo is great, just boring as hell...

Nothing I could do could convince her that she needed an E63 AMG 4-matic Wagon. NOTHING... At least it was an estate car I could really get behind. But no, probably got another 5 years of Volvo in the garage.

[fireline43]

I hate mini vans also, but if I was going on road trips alot, I'd want one.

[geko29]

Originally Posted by E902009

It isn't by choice, but rather a requirement. The child seats nowadays are very different from when your kids were toddlers. They've grown in size, significantly. You can still get the thin, fragile, cheap ones, but if you're in an accident, you are placing your kids in great danger, as several things could happen: The plastic frame could break and could stab your kid, the frame would break, which renders the harness absolutely useless. Also, the cheaper ones usually have terrible harness point designs that could severely hurt them in an impact that is moderate or worse. Comparing to what was the standard 15 years ago, or even when we were kids, is not a fair assessment of what is necessary in today's world.

This is just an excuse. All 5 successive car seats (Peg Perego Aria infant/toddler, Recaro Como convertible, Britax Frontier 85, Evenflo Big Kid DX in high back and now booster mode--not a cheap or small seat among them) we've had fit just fine in the back of my old E46, and all but the infant seat fit in the E90 (only because it was long gone before I got the E90). I now have a 4'4" 5 year old, who fits in his booster seat behind his 6'5" dad with no problems. Both of these cars are a LOT smaller than a 530. There's no problem WHATSOEVER in fitting 4 people of any size in a 5-series, with any seat configuration. We don't have any issue fitting 4 tall people in an E90.

So I don't buy the "I need a minivan because carseats are big" argument. It's a cop-out, unless you have 3 or more kids.

[hardtothepaint]

Originally Posted by fireline43

I hate mini vans also, but if I was going on road trips alot, I'd want one.

Me and you BOTH! I got a minivan at home, and I can't stand driving it. Mind you it is an old 2005 dodge caravan, but nonetheless I am not a fan of a big chunky truck like vehicle. Not now for atleast. I think I will like to enjoy my youth before I get one of those for myself.

On a side note, this family talk got me thinking. What car would be suitable for an average size family besides a minivan? What about a powerful car like the M5? The new ones are both a comfortable 5 series and as well the M5 race car we all know. How about a Camry or a Sonata? OR what about and MB/BMW SUV?

[kondor]

Originally Posted by pup73

you sound like you're 12 years old; i'd wish my wife would make me buy a minivan. i'll take an Odyssey over our MDX any day. make my life easier, hauling kids and all the stuff associated with them.

then i can still drive my other three cars when i wanna not feel like a "castrated thumb-sucking sissy man".

-c

Exactly. We have multiple children and probably another on the way soon so driving a sedan is not an option. The minivan provides her will all of the utility features that make llife easier plus it can haul all the kids with backpacks, strollers, groceries, etc. the only other vehicle that would work is a suburban and it wont even fit in the garage so in Texas summers when it is 140 degress in the car outside and you put a baby in a carseat that doubles as a griddle its not a good idea. My family comes before any material possessions and I feel like it worked out to my advantage. I got a motorcycle and a 3 series in the deal.

[fireline43]

Originally Posted by kondor

Exactly. We have multiple children and probably another on the way soon so driving a sedan is not an option. The minivan provides her will all of the utility features that make llife easier plus it can haul all the kids with backpacks, strollers, groceries, etc. the only other vehicle that would work is a suburban and it wont even fit in the garage so in Texas summers when it is 140 degress in the car outside and you put a baby in a carseat that doubles as a griddle its not a good idea. My family comes before any material possessions and I feel like it worked out to my advantage. I got a motorcycle and a 3 series in the deal.

I'd probably say statiscally, most people with 3+ children don't drive luxury cars. Probably most people here have at the most 2 kids. There are always going to be a couple random families. Buying a van seems like an economical choice at least to me when you have a bigger family. None of you have those friends with kids that all they care about is the kids? I love my luxury cars, but I will admit it would be vain of me driving one with a family. Vacations, college all that stuff would seem to be more important.

[williamf]

Originally Posted by kondor

Exactly. We have multiple children and probably another on the way soon so driving a sedan is not an option. The minivan provides her will all of the utility features that make llife easier plus it can haul all the kids with backpacks, strollers, groceries, etc. the only other vehicle that would work is a suburban and it wont even fit in the garage so in Texas summers when it is 140 degress in the car outside and you put a baby in a carseat that doubles as a griddle its not a good idea. My family comes before any material possessions and I feel like it worked out to my advantage. I got a motorcycle and a 3 series in the deal.

I support your priority choice! It makes me sad when I read other posters who want to toss out their family if they had to choose. I wonder if they have EVER really experienced the blessing of family.

Every time in my family life, if there was a situation in which I needed to sacrifice something, it was for a good reason, not just to torture me. AND in most cases after carefully considering all the options, I was able to make the sacrifice and get something even better in return.

[junitos]

I didn't read the article, just the title
if wife make's you sell your bimmer. It better be for a newer bimmer




don't be that guy

[dreamspeed]

I have to say your average family doesn't NEED a mini van vs your standard mid size sedan.

I grew up in a family of 5 and ironically my mom got a mini van for a short period of time AFTER we all grew up and drove our own cars.

[Neph]

]

It isn't by choice, but rather a requirement. The child seats nowadays are very different from when your kids were toddlers. They've grown in size, significantly. You can still get the thin, fragile, cheap ones, but if you're in an accident, you are placing your kids in great danger, as several things could happen: The plastic frame could break and could stab your kid, the frame would break, which renders the harness absolutely useless. Also, the cheaper ones usually have terrible harness point designs that could severely hurt them in an impact that is moderate or worse. Comparing to what was the standard 15 years ago, or even when we were kids, is not a fair assessment of what is necessary in today's world.

When I was a toddler, child seats were merely suggestions, not a requirement. Now, my son can't even move onto a booster until he's 40 lbs., and 60 lbs. when he can sit in the seat and use a regular seat belt, as mandated by law. How do I feel about this? It's two fold: On one hand, I feel like we protect our kids way too much in all aspects of their lives. They live in a world of 10 airbags in the car, rubber bark on the playground, and rounded, padded edges on the things they play with. Kids are pussies nowadays. That said, when I was growing up, we also don't have huge behemoths with absurd performance numbers. We didn't have SUVs that tip the scale at 6,000 lbs. and can do 0-60 in 6.5 seconds. Chevy Suburbans were driven by people who went camping, had cabins in the mountains, and scoutmasters, and were pretty slow, even with a 454 big block. My Dad's Accord weighed about 2,400 lbs. My E90 is not much bigger than the second-gen Accord, yet it's pushing 3,000 lbs.

In a world where most cars being sold (including ours) are porkers, I can't in my good conscience, put my family in a tin can of a car. We're still screwed if a semi plows into us, as mass+momentum always wins. I still need to make sure I have a car that is sturdy enough to be "average" in today's world, whether I like it or not.[/QUOTE]
+1
Very well said.

All the modern changes further amplify how little driving pleasure society places on cars these days. We are a dying breed!

[Meeni]

Neph: the design of my brand new expensive car seat is exactly the same as the one it replaced I got from a friend (replaced because stickers said it was too old, plastic ages, so trash). When I say same design, I mean the plastic molds are identical and pieces of one would fit the other. These two seat have production date 12 years appart, and really, it is the -same- seat, but new.

Anyway, the newer car seat fits just fine in any compact car. They are made for it. The only thing that commands a big car is 3x toddlers. Anything else fits in a regular size sedan.