A few *hours* on the weekend? Where do I sign up for this wealth of free time?
But seriously, I'm in this exact situation (WFH, toddler and infant) and a 2 seater, sadly, would absolutely never get used. I have a fun daily, but if I were to get another fun car I'd get something that, at a minimum, could be enjoyed occasionally with family or used in a pinch to get the kids places, coupe or convertible with 4 seats.
That’s why I got a long wheelbase S class - when we had two rear facing seats, it fit them better than anything short of a minivan. It puts jeep grand Cherokee and 4runner to shame. Don’t even get me started with the forester.
Our kids were in the back of a 911 from a booster seat until their teen years. Now that our youngest is 13 he is starting to get cramped in the back seat.
I cannot imagine a rear-facing seat in that car working well.
If you go through cars every few years, I would look at a Civic Type R for now. A four door hatchback that can run with must sports cars…done.
Totally agree! Picked up a CTR six months ago and love it. Glad to see prices now trending towards MSRP. I have no complaints daily driving it on comfort mode.
M3 sedan here… it worked perfect for 95% of drives with the wife and kids. If going away for a few nights, I did need something bigger because babies just need so many things. Toddlers on the other hand don’t need that much.
Pretty much. 1 baby + 2 adults filled up the entire trunk of my mid size suv for 3 nights. Diapers, travel crib, play mat, a case of water, all the formula and baby food stuff, etc.
The toddler phase (after milk) doesn’t need much though.
I have a 2 door roadster. Kid is 2.5. I’m driving the car more and more now. That’s what daycare and other family members are for, thankfully.
Also now’s the time to go shopping for all your dream cars… in 1/3 scale battery powered.
I resonate with this first line. It has been years since I was able to take out the fun cars. They sit in the garage waiting. Luckily, both don't cost anything other than space since they were paid off before children. My compromise was an engaging 4 seater daily driver and a plan to get back to the impractical 2 seaters when the kids are older.
I drop off and pick up the kids at daycare, and we can use it for trips around town without issue, it has 4 doors after all. We typically just take the Rogue though, since it's just vastly more practical and civilized.
ETA: Though it is totally usable, the Blackwing is not spacious. Its on par with the rest of the compact sport sedan class, maybe a bit worse.
Second this.
So much of parental life is real work. If you can get something that brings joy when getting to/from those chores, it will increase you quality of life. Also, a wagon is basically a portable changing table. Find the wagon you like and then use that to convince your SO it would NOT make sense to get any other type of car. ::wink::
Not exactly a wagon but I definitely changed both my boys a number of times on my X5's lower tailgate when they were infants. The little things like that can be a game changer when they're babies!
Yes this is totally true.
However I can’t tell you how many times there has been a “where is the [insert snack/clean outfit/water bottle/wet wipes/thisweeksprecioustoy” scenario where the response is “in the back.” The ability for an adult passenger to retrieve that item without having to stop the vehicle has at times felt like a super power.
The Volvo V60 Polestar would like a word (assuming you can find one).
Not cheap at all, but $70k-ish new is way less than an RS6 Avant or the upcoming M5 Touring, and you can get them used in the $50k range, or even less if you get the previous generation.
As sacrilegious as it is to admit this out loud on this sub… I’m actually not a fan of wagons.
But, fortunately there are still lots of good options for sport sedans!
Things also change very fast and your 2 month old will be a 2 year old before you know it, and you'll have more time on your hands to drive your fun cars. You'll never have the time to yourself you had before, but you get just a bit more free time with every stage of development.
Yep and that's exactly what I planned for. I'm a bit older at 37 to have my first child so I had lots of free time through my 20's and 30's to do fun car stuff. Everyone says to enjoy the young moments with children and I can see why! Pretty amazing.
The first few months are the roughest. It increasingly gets better day by day, week by week, month by month, and year by year.
As one person put it: Raising a child is like taking care of a shit-faced drunk person...but in reverse order.
That being said, think about every time you leave the house alone to get groceries, errands, takeout, hardware store, late night diaper/formula runs, etc... that's when you can drive the fun car. That happens way more often that you might imagine. Sure, you can't disappear for several long hours at a time. But, you *will* get to use your fun cars this way.
*edit: spelling*
I don't fret over time allocation to drive my 2-seaters. A few months after my son was born, I got my first Corvette (2003 Z06) and the string of 2-seaters in my stable is never broken since then for over two decades. Currently, there are four 2-seaters.
Even with a baby-toddler son, I was determined to make time to drive a 2-seater. In the '3 Z06, the passenger airbag was turned off with a twist of the key. In later ones, the passenger occupancy sensor took care of that aspect.
When I had 2-door 4-5-seater cars, the kid sat in the front seat, granted that there was no adult. It's much easier to retrieve him compared to in the back in nearly all accident scenarios.
It was fun pulling up to his school for drop-off and pick-up in a murdered Corvette/orange Solstice GXP/orange-wheeled 350Z/black 370Z while other parents were in ultra-boring, appliance-class minivans and sedans. All heads were turned.
At one point, I had a '5 CTS-V as a "sensible" sport sedan, but, even with semi-loud Borla exhaust, heavily-tinted windows, and aftermarket wheels, it didn't have the wow effect of a 2-seater.
If I could offer an advice, don't give up on your 2-seater. There are multiple ways to make it work. Always find an excuse to take it out even for an errand. Your Miata is still practical and is easy to drive. Get a 4-door sedan or a 5-door hatchback for when the whole family is going. Not the time yet to get a minivan which is reserved when there are more than 2 kids.
Exactly. Better make sure they are FAR, FAR away from that front airbag. Some cars have more adjustment room than others. And of course the kid absolutely can not be rear facing unless the airbag can be shut off.
Yep. Have had my Miata all through his Middle School and High School years. And while he never wants us to show up at school, the only time it’s ok is when I pick him up in my Miata. In hindsight, I could have easily made it work in his elementary school years too. As I’ve said so often, my only regret with my two-seater, is that I waited so long.
> When I had 2-door 4-5-seater cars, the kid sat in the front seat, granted that there was no adult. It's much easier to retrieve him compared to in the back in nearly all accident scenarios.
A Corvette is designed to carry an infant seat next to the driver. These 2 door cars with 4-5 seats likely were not. Your theoretical paid off, but it was a gamble. You put your children in danger putting them in the front seat.
> the kid sat in the front seat, granted that there was no adult. It's much easier to retrieve him compared to in the back in nearly all accident scenarios.
I’m sorry are you saying he was *safer* in the front because you could get to him easier? That’s not how that works at all.
You are vastly misunderstanding the amount of time you will have win a new born.
Your first 6-8 months your Miata will be a local grocery getter when you're out of diapers. The whole first year, you're serving your child hand and foot and helping them develop. Tummy time, solid foods, talking (babbling), motor skills, habits, etc.
My first son is 4 months old. The only time I get a couple hours is late when he's asleep or mom has him. When Mom has him usually doing shit that he can't be around (work, house projects, lawn, choirs). Until your child is 1-2 years of age you are not getting a couple hours during the day to drive. I sold my race car because of this.
I'm currently writing this comment from my couch watching MotoGP with my 4 month old because he got us up at 0500 and I need some quiet. Mom is asleep because she needs it. I was on ladder till midnight yesterday.
Side note; mom and I plan out who gets an hour here and there. Mom takes the bulk of the care taking cause she's mom. I get more time but I'm often doing *have to do* project or the coupe times a week or sim racing.
New borns are a time suck and will override doing things you previously enjoyed because you don't want to be away from them.
@op, the first 30 days your kid is alive, they're learning to baby. Things don't emerge from the oven working. It can take hours or days for things to work. Intestines are working well till well 2 or 3 and even then, your baby is a gas bag.
Edit: Mine forgot how to breath on week 2 and back to the hospital we went. Dogor3s found nothing wrong after every. Single. Test. They could perform. The only thing we had was his blood ox was low and his lips went blue but he never stopped breathing. This is one example of how things can go sideways quickly and a couple hours away to drive and you'll miss a lot.
Edit 2: op, have you communicated with your spouse you'll be leaving them for hours on the weekend with your kid? If not, do so. Raising a kid is all about communication. Note their reaction when you do.
I forgot how enjoyable diaper and Costco runs were until reading this. Solo trips out of the house were precious in those first few months, and also when I learned to appreciate the Mazdaspeed 3 that begrudgingly replaced my Miata.
Doing the quick runs is my favorite and always has been. The quick runs were way more enjoyable with my focus RS but I'll settle for our Honda pilot, begrudgingly.
Oh we've talked about this at length. She's perfectly fine with it, but I would be the one who would feel bad about doing it even with her blessing. We're talking like a 1 hour loop at most on a saturday/sunday morning. It definitely seems like a fun enough dad mobile is the way to go for the foreseeable future. Thanks for sharing your experience!
If you spouse is fine with it, you have a green light. Take it and run.
Btw, most babies are very active in the morning. Might want to either beat your baby up or flip it to a night drive.
>Thanks for sharing your experience!
Absolutely! Just trying to share my experiences so far.
Realistically it’s gonna be hard to carve out a couple hours just for driving with a kid. Sports sedan or hot hatch would be the way to go, you can enjoy the mundane bits of driving like diaper runs or daycare drop offs
Disagree. When my first born was still in the nap phase, I used to load him up in my Z4M at nap time and drive for hours while he slept. Mom loved it because she could get some actual rest without the anxiety of him waking up.
Our kid was terrible sleeper so we were all sleep deprived. Going on a sleepy drive was last on my mind at the time.
Ngl didn’t know z4s had isofixes. How are they? Remember briefly looking into them before going with a e46m3
I don't know man. I think it's important that parents still give themselves some mental health/fun time.
When we had a newborn I would take her one weekend so the gf can have free time. Go have lunch with friends, shop, go see a movie, whatever. Next weekend she would do the same for me.
I also know that a car seat fits just fine in the back of a 5.0 mustang. Ask me how I know :)
My kid is 10 know and I drive a baby Blackwing. She fits fine in that too.
Yea def still important to keep your hobbies before the kid. That’s why hot hatches/sedans are great, you get to have fun time doing the chores. I try to carve time for track or canyons but it’s very rare. Priorities shift and I want to do fun stuff with the kid instead of going for a solo drive
It’s all about making time. We have no helpers. No aunts. No uncles. In-laws have passed. My folks are in skilled care. Very little “adult” time. But I do what I can. For example tomorrow after dropping off at daycare I will come back home and swap cars.
OP just needs to figure out what will work for them and honestly you can do that until you are in it. You need the kid first and then adjust accordingly. All the prebirth plans we had are a joke now.
Not a parent myself but my dad used to have a 911 back in the day, he would just use it as a regular car whenever he felt like it, pick me at school with it, go to work, car trips, whatever.
I’m on baby bonding leave from work now so whenever I go somewhere for a quick errand and my wife’s staying home I’ll take one of my coupes. Volunteer for store runs you’ll be able to drive your car but when you’re with the family take the family car.
Side note: I tell everyone my rav4 hybrid is/feels faster than my mk4 Supra
I love cars too. Not realistic to use a sports car in any meaningful way when you have an infant. The problem is, if one parent is off cavorting about, the other takes over, and exhaustion and resentment become inevitable. Even if you did have time with the car, it will be tainted by guilt or consequences, or both.
The trick is to enjoy what you have got. Driving our SUV is extremely fun with the kids in the back. There’s a feeling of togetherness and adventure that’s hard to explain. I focus on driving very smoothly, with gradual acceleration and braking and a lot of coasting. I now understand minivans. Our current situation is two SUVs, our ideal is one minivan, one luxury sedan.
Went from a S2000 to a WRX STI because I can get rear facing car seats in the back. Every day can be fun car day with a 4 door and a manual transmission.
My wife and I contemplated which car to keep, at the time before kids we had an MX-5 and GTI, both manual.
But the Miata was sold for a CX-5, and I ended up modifying my GTI a bit to be an alternative fun/family car. I’ve always thought about getting another fun car one day, it seems like Miata or bust (I’d love a 911 convertible for the 4 seats)
> so it seems like a 2 seater like a Miata would literally be relegated to a few hours on the weekends by myself.
The few free minutes you will have will be spent trying to sleep or enjoy coffee before it gets cold.
As a former Miata owner I can relate. The reality is that your solo car time will be greatly diminished for quite some time. But the good thing is that most kids love to ride in cars, so bring them along!
[This](https://imgur.com/a/WY1WG6e) was the back seat of my M5 for a very long time.
I then upgraded to a 911 partially because it had back seats.
Now that the kids are much older, I’m back in a 2-seater and will try to sneak out for a spirited drive in early morning when everyone’s still asleep. Even better when I come back with bagels or pancakes.
When my girl was born, we had a problem. The A2 Recaro Package 16v GTi was a two door and you could not get the baby in and out of the back seat without painful contortion. Mama said "four doors only".
We had a succession of fun cars-all with four doors. (330i, SVT Contour, Saab 9-3 all manuals) We did the obligatory truck when her brother arrived, drove that sporty truck into rust. (MDX)
We didn't two door again till the boy got a Lexus SC400, gone sadly, and now we have an NA Miata toy. Still, the main cars are all 4 doors.
My current 4 door has a 0-60 of 4.5 seconds and is faster than most of the flying doorstop cars, but cops don't notice it. The best stealth tip for a fast driver is "four doors". There is no rule you need to get a boring module when you reproduce.
Dad protip-get them involved in your stuff-teaching them to ski, swim, taking hikes, is the best part of the job. My girl is 100x the skier I ever was, and my boy runs his own Lemons team.
If you're in Europe you can get plenty of sports wagons. If you're into diesel, you can get a bmw/Mercedes/audi 3.0/3.2 and with a little OEM-ish upgrades you can have a family wagon that eats their M5/AMG/RSx counterparts for breakfast and still gets better fuel efficiency than whatever your daily petrol powered vehicle (unless you're into hybrids) and is also way more reliable even when making crazy power
4 seater sports cars are treated like a 2 seater most of the time but with the option of back seats. They are horrible for rear facing seats, but once the child is in front facing seats, your good until teenage years.
Almost never, which is why I sold my track Miata. Every track day or fun drive becomes incredibly expensive. Not in terms of $, but in terms of having to make up for being gone. Not worth it.
Spot on. Rear facing car seat? No problem. Full size stroller in the trunk with more space for groceries? Also no problem. It's the best dad daily driver.
I sold my race car to get a jeep, and take the kids overlanding and I also have a motorcycle I will take for a ride often after work. I also work from home, so my driving is more deliberate.
It ebbs and flows, sometimes they sit for long periods of time and sometimes they get used regularly or see a few track days.
It also depends if your significant other works or is a stay at home parent and what kind of family support you have locally.
If you have the means, drop the miata (or stash it somewhere) and get a 4 seat convertible. Used Rental spec Mustang, VW Eos, whatever. I can tell you from experience that the fun you will have is less from sporty but more family fun. Going to a beach, into town, or a late night cruise with the top down is like nothing else. I found myself being more risk adverse knowing I want to see my little guy grow up so speed is secondary.
My M4 is my daily driver. I've put 26k miles on it since January last year with another 10k on a beater Hyundai Elantra. The others don't get used much. Probably only 1-2k miles between them.
Never get rid of your good cars.. buy a car specific for family and keep the good ones for yourself, you will certainly regret it if you lose them and you'll grow to resent those that made you get rid of them
I remember a family with quite a few muscle cars. His daughter loves to ride in his 80’s blue Mustang.
They do have a big, very big, garage and are well off, though, so they do have a Explorer ST for family matters (as well as towing his race car, lol).
Less than a few hours weekly tbh.
The problem with kids isn’t that you don’t have free time - it’s that the free time is so fragmented that it’s basically impossible to use it productively.
If you enjoy the car, keep it. Every single item or toy you own doesn’t need to be a whole family item. Go talk to a bunch of old guys about cool cars they sold when they started a family. You’re not going to find one guy who doesn’t miss the car and regret selling it.
I have a miata, and we are 3. That car drives almost every day from April to Oct.
I'm "retired"/ work from home at my own thing, and she works in town. So she used the miata.
If you go for dinner or shopping we have other cars that have 4+ seats.
Some road trip would've been nice with the miata, but due to the kid, it stayed home.
I also have a 2 seat offroad project that i didn't want at first because of the 3 of us. But I ended up getting it anyway.
You get to ride it as much as you decide to. Even if it means leaving a parent home or having a babysitter. By 12 or 14, they dont want to fallow as much.
Just keep in mind that, depending on your state, its going to be ~8 years before your child can legally ride in a two seater. I'd personally get a sports sedan.
Nearly zero. Have a toddler with a baby on the way. Planning on giving my Mustang to my dad honestly lol. It just sits in the garage on the battery tender.
I don't have kids yet but my situation is probably not too dissimilar. I travel for work.
But you're right, it will most likely just be a little bit of driving here and there but it still makes a great weekend getaway.
I bought a MK8 Golf R so that my daily car with daycare drop-off/pickup can also be fun. It's nearly the perfect daily, and will be even more fun when I get around to tuning it.
Longer trips with all four of us, we use my wife's Tiguan (which itself is ECU tuned lol).
Well I have a 3 and a 1 year old and bought a Miata two days ago. So give me some time and I can tell you.
But no realistically either no or my wife have to drive around either to work or doing work related stuff. Whenever no kid is in the car I think I would go with the Miata.
With one kid, it wasn’t bad. Still a few times a week to the gym etc (I also work remote have no commute). With 3 kids, it’s harder to drive my 2 seat fun car (93 RX7). I also had a Porsche and never drove it. I kept the RX7 and ditched the Porsche and got a new Civic Type R. Now I drive my fun car all the time. With my 2/3 of my kids (no third seat in back). You will find no car at 46k (they can be had for MSRP if you look around) that will deliver so much fun. The suspension even in comfort might be rough for some. You can swap out the suspension control module for $220ish to the Acura Integra Type S one if you want a more compliant comfort mode but also a less stiff Type R mode (or just get a Type S as they are close cousins but you’ll be over $50k).
I’ve had a lot of fun cars in my life from Porsche to BMW M cars and lots in between. With kids, there is no better 4 door do it all FUN car that has legit performance chops in its price range.
Anyone who says “it’s just a civic” or is “overpriced”, I’m willing to bet hasn’t actually driven one. There is a reason it’s won accolade after accolade. It’s a phenomenal car and for a family man or woman who wants a fun car that is everyday practical that is also reliable and bulletproof, you won’t find anything else. Also has one of the best 6 speed manual transmissions you’ll ever drive. Congrats and good luck.
Not everyday, but most days.
Yesterday cultural celebration at the in-laws. Hour trip each way.
Today. 1 supermarket run. 2 trips to the emergency vet.
5 kids and a sick chihuahua.
1 gr corolla.
Zero problems.
I don't know why but when weekend finally arrives it's either pouring rain, or some external factor shows up like headache, insomnia... I drove a mountain climb 1 time since April.
Edit: I guess what I'm coming to terms with is that you have to take chances that show up, because "I'll do it tomorrow" is not guaranteed.
I bought my 2020 STI for this reason. 4 doors for the baby seat, large enough to fit a family and comfortable enough for short road trips. It does daycare drop off easily and soccer practices and weekend games for the older kid. Both kids are growing up loving the car, I might get back to a coup but growing their love for cars can only really happen if they can also ride in it!
i read a theory on here about why pickup trucks are so popular now with guys especially the raptor and all the special trims. it lets guys who are dads have their fun car while also having it be the family hauler all in one vehicle, and i think that theory makes a lot of sense.
I own a 2 seater roadster and my wife supported and convinced me not to sell it even before the baby arrived. Everyone has vastly different situations of how much help they get with a child. I’m fortunate to have both sets of parents local.
You can expect the mileage on the weekend car to be put on hold during pregnancy and infant stage. Research ways to store a car long term like fuel stabilizer and tire savers.
My wife even drove the car on a fall drive when she was 7 months pregnant. I constantly have help from the in laws who either lets us have a weekend off, or the wife takes the kid for a few hours.
Either way if you have the car and willingness to keep it, you’ll find ways to drive it to run errands or prioritize free time to drive it. I’ve put 3k miles on the weekend car in the kid’s 2.5yrs of existence. I’m planning to get the car seat in the passenger side soon and just take him and I to car meets while mom relaxes at home.
Oh and we also got a 6cyl turbo SUV for the daily family car to compensate haha.
3 month old here, also work from home and have a Miata.
Miata basically doesn’t get driven at all. Probably going to sell it soon. I suggest just going for the sporty four door so you can have a bit of fun every time you go for a drive.
A wide fellow father told me that you get one hobby to carve time out for the first few years. As much as I love cars, riding bikes is going to be my first choice 10/10 over going for a joyride in the Miata. If you think you’ll have free time to drive around aimlessly and alone after the birth, then maybe a sports car is fine.
I had a V70R for a spell after I had my first kid, but the maintenance pains made me release it back into the wilds. I bought a new mk7.5 GTI for my family car; both car seats fit great and there's enough room in the hatch for both dogs for short trips. It's been a perfectly fun, economical, and practical daily driver.
I have an MR2 for my actual fun/project car which I get to drive for random runabout trips, an hour or two on the weekend, and for my commute when the weather is nice.
I went out of my way to buy a 4-seat sports car so kids could join. In truth you don’t really need to fit them in your fun car at least till they’re about 5-6 YO. Drive a two seater until then. And pro tip: kids usually don’t like riding in convertibles top down.
2-4x per week. Days I commute by myself and the weather isn’t horrible, and then a couple times over the weekend. Cars and coffee, club events, errands, gym, etc. You probably won’t have the kid(s) all the time.
Also, one of the great things about a 911 is the rear seats can actually fit kids. Not much else, but kids do fine and mine have a blast back there. Have to wait a few years until they’re in forward facing seats and boosters there’s a nice window of time there for sure.
Thankfully my fun car has back seats and now that my youngest is in the booster seat stage it’s easy to take it at any time.
If it was only a 2 seater I’d maybe have time once a month, unless I decided to go for a lunchtime drive
I have gone through this and always wanted a Miata but that would not be practical. I ended up with Mini but that feels too cramp and eventually settled with a RWD small sedan with manual transmission
I was debating between getting a Miata or a BRZ at some point. I was so happy went for the BRZ. Definitely not family friendly but at least I could use it to commute and take kids to day care. A Miata would have 0 use a part maybe for a few hours a months riding with friends.
2+2 is the way to go for a sports car. My next one will have to be a 911 :)
I had 2006 Mustang GT when my daughter was born 14 months ago. I still have my Mustang. I told my mom i might sell it when i found out my wife was pregnant. She told me i was crazy and that a car seat will fit just fine in it, because it did in hers when i was a baby. Lol
The car seat fits fine.
Also, Don’t count on those “few hours one the weekend” for quite some time, my dude. It’ll take a while before the little one is capable of entertaining themselves for a little bit, and not in constant need of attention. We are at 14 months and i am starting to not feel guilty asking if my wife would mind me spending a couple hours wrenching with to dad.
Maybe once a month for an hour. Same with my motorcycles. Although, I try to use them to do light errands once in a while.
My "fun" cars are a 1997 BMW M3 sedan and an Audi 5000CS Quattro Turbo. Also a sedan.
Haven't driven my motorcycle since before my kid was born, at least 2 years. I've had the time, but the energy lacks.
My "sports" car was a 4 door AMG. So we drive it all the time and I got my thrills on the regular.
Your life isn't over as a parent...
I have 4 kids, a GT3 and a Boxster. GT3 gets tracked/autoXd 6-7 weekends/weeks a year. Driven roughly 2k/year. Boxster driven 1-2k a year.
It's nice to get out for hour or so drives on the weekend or nice weekdays. The wife goes out for hour stretches to do her things too like this. Both of us get our recharge time and it works great. She doesn't leave for weekends as much, but she still goes 2 or so times a year to the beach with her friends.
I tried a 4 seat sports car(GT500) and the 2 older boys(7/6 at the time) were super excited....then just fought anyways.
I will take one about half the time. Make it's more special plus the 1-1 time.
I certainly wouldn't sell because "becoming a parent". I would sell if you cannot easily afford maintenance/issue concerns or if there are financial health concerns with the family. Otherwise enjoy the car when you can, especially alone or on date nights. Being a parent enhances everything in your life(hi/lows) it DOES NOT DEFINE who you are. You are still your own person, your kids need to be their own person. Obviously your kids come first, but they need to see you(and your partner) enjoy themselves without them also.
I work remote too, but I have a 10 and 13 yr old. So anytime I have to make a trip by myself or with just one kid (a lot due to sports practices) I am driving my Corvette. This Summer I am putting more mileage on my Vette than my Daily. So I think the key is out of car seats and kids activities where you are just taking one.
When I had a 2 and 1 year old, I ended up getting a WRX. Now that I have a 13 & 14 year old we have a Miata.
I would suggest a hot hatch or power wagon for the first 5 years or so (quick and convenient compromise), and then slide into the 2-seater for your alone time, or time with the kids or wife.
Son and I just got back from a long weekend in the Adirondacks bombing around in the Miata - we had a blast.
I had a 77 280z as my daily when we had three kids under 10.
That gave way to a 95 Civic, which was a better car in so many ways.
When my youngest was headed off to college, a fun car returned…
I’ve had a daily and toy car since I was about 26. So that was part of the deal. Kids weren’t going to change that. My first toy car (1984 Audi Quattro) actually had a big backseat - but the kids were rarely in it. When I got my 964 Turbo when they were 5 and 7 - perfect age/size for that back seat. And the kids loved riding in it. Especially my daughter - who is younger. If I wasn’t able to have 2 cars I would have gotten a cool sport sedan (well actually I do that anyway with a 1998 Audi A4 then a couple B5 S4s) but my point is yeah if one car - probably a sport sedan or a killer wagon.
Some context: I've raised 3 kids. The first child was born in 2001. The other two were 2007 and 2009.
I purchased my 6- speed BRZ in 2014. At the time, it was the best I could afford. I've been blessed as i drive a company vehicle to and from work.
In 10 years, I've only managed to put 51k miles on the car.
Have children kept me from driving my car more than I'd like? Yes. Do I regret it? No. Having done this, would I do it again? You bet your sweet ass I would.
My next sports car will be bought when my kids are all grown and gone, and let me tell you, it's gonna be a huge step up.
I bought my Mini Convertible 11 months ago and have put 14k miles on it. I drive it daily, rain, snow, or shine.
We have one kid. And one family car. He rides in the Mini fine.
We’ll be moving to a Boxster/Cayman soon and I’ll use it the same way.
Use it for every errand you can. Use the family hauler when you need.
For us it came down to cost, found a vehicle that I thoroughly enjoyed that could hold the car seats comfortably. This way I had a lot more excuses to enjoy the vehicle and it got my kids into cars as well.
Car seats are the real bottleneck, it's temporary. If you can afford the 2 seater, keep it. It'll feel more special when you get to drive it.
Usually at least once a week weather dependent.
If nothing else you will need to run to the store for diapers etc. A perfect job for a Miata or any other impractical car.
There is less aimless drives in the country but driving them still happens.
The biggest change is time to work on them. I am in the middle of a subframe refresh and “fix” on my Z3 that I hoped to have done by June 1st and now I am just hoping it’s done before the snow comes. 😩
I still drive my Miata a few days a week. Of course, my kid is out of the car seats stage. Still, it might have been doable, if I were willing to but the car seat in the front passenger seat. (Check if there are LATCH anchors and remember to turn the airbag off.)
The big enabler is that my wife has a practical car, and we swap when I need her car.
I have a work vehicle so I'm in the same boat as you. I also live in Buffalo so having a dedicated sports car is unrealistic as a daily driver.
When my first kid was born I bought a 4runner. I figured that I needed the space and it would be a fun vehicle. I gave up speed and on road performance but figured the off road would make up for it.
Got rid of it with 60000 miles, of which 0 were driven off pavement and it was honestly awful to drive.
Before trading I test drove a lot of vehicles. I was determined to get something that would fit all my needs. Had to be large enough for both kids, be good in snow, have a gas engine because it's mostly used for weekend road trips and had to have a reasonable lease payment.
I ended up settling for a grand cherokee 4xe. The interior is really nice. Has all the tech that I wanted. Large enough for two full size car seats and strollers in the back. Good in the snow and pretty nice on the highway. Oh and 0-60 in 5ish seconds (almost half as quickly as the 4runner)
While it's not a sports car, there aren't really that many available these days anyway and definitely none that fit all my requirements.
Welcome to fatherhood! It's the best thing that ever happened to me. Sometimes you have to make some sacrifices for your kids but it's worth it!
Get something you can enjoy as a family.
I have a 280z 2+2 and found the smallest / least bells and whistles car seat fits in the back. She’s ridden in it every summer since she was born and loves to go to daycare in the fast car.
So to answer your question - I commute to daycare and work a few times during the week and as it makes sense on weekend adventures.
Theoretically any time you go out without the kids. Grocery runs, etc.
Personally, not much. I used to daily my MR2 but in the past 14 years I have put 20k miles on it. Some of that is because my daily is a Macan Turbo which is still really enjoyable. The mr2 also has a few annoying things I want to fix, which is really what I haven't had time for. If I didn't have the luxury of owning 3 cars, unfortunately I think the mr2 would be gone.
Never. It is a fox body mustang that likes jack stands. When it is running, nobody will ride as the 3” exhaust is too loud and the no cats make it stink. I plan on putting cats on it to possibly fix that problem.
I got an M4 and I mostly use it to commute, but it technically has a back seat and my children are small enough it works when it needs to. Most of the time, we take a different car when the children are going.
Only on the weekends.
Not long after we had our first, we decided to buy a S2000.
My missus loves it as the special event car for dates (cruising around, day trips etc). That sometimes means driving it for 3-4 hours, but that may happen only once a month (I'll still take the car on shorter 1-2 hour drives on every other weekend or so in the summer - the S2000 hibernates during snowy season).
We are good with driving less expensive cars as dailies and family cars though: she drives a 2018 Mazda 3 hatch, and I've got a 2008 Honda Fit (both cars with 2 car seats).
Two cars here. I jump in my 2 seater to do a quick grocery run, when I go play my weekly round of disc golf, random spur of the moment type situations.
Now my 2 seater does not have AC so when summer is in full effect it does not come out much. But when the weather is good it’s at least a weekly occasion.
My kid hit 1yr old and started requesting rides in "dada cool car" and screams when I try to take him out so: all the time.
His Mom likes cars too so it was in his blood I guess.
I'm in trouble when he turns 16 though...
(2018 Focus RS)
Had my eyes set on the GT4 but went with the 911 so I could enjoy it with my whole family. The little one absolutely loves to ride in the back and has ample room to get in/get out... Handles carpool line like a champ. As for time, the 911 is easy enough to drive for errands, work, etc.. so it's really about choice. Mountain runs or track weekends have become less frequent for sure.
Two boys, three and five years old. Daycare/elementary school are across the street from each other 5 minutes away from our house.
Mom drops them off in the morning and I (dad) pick them up in the afternoon. I take my Z4M to work most days, zip home and grab the X5 to pick them up. Couple that with solo errands on the weekend (whether it's me or my wife, if we're going to the store alone, we're in the Z4), it gets a ton of use.
My fun cars would have been my SC300 and E92 328i. I drove them a lot when my daughter was young. Having a kid didn’t change much, but I only have 1.
Later on I sold replaced the 328i with an old GS300 to daily. The SC300 has a hole in the AC line so it’s too hot outside to drive with a kid in the car. Once I fix it up later this summer I’ll drive it much more.
My Spitfire sat for about 10 years when my girls were little but my MGB was driven at least weekly every summer, with a few commutes to work on nice days. Now that they're adults both cars are parked, along with other projects, because I'm working contracts away from home!
Swapped out my GT3 for a GR86 for largely this reason. Can't fit the whole family, but it fits my daughter's car seat, so I can at least pick her up from preschool, take her to the park, etc. I drive it every day, whereas the GT3 had come to just collect dust.
Still have a Corvette which doesn't get driven much since having a kid. It's heavily modified, so not easy to sell, otherwise I might as well just sell it.
A 2+2 is not really as bad as it seems. If you have one of those travel bases that the seat clicks in and out of, then it's really not too bad to get them in/out of the back seat. I would prefer a sports wagon or sedan, but those are in short supply nowadays if you're looking for an ICE with a manual, supposing you don't just have unlimited budget.
Daily’d my Mustang for 7 years, until our son was born, then it became a third car. I still drove it fairly often when we only had one but the rear facing seat won’t fit behind the driver and behind the passenger, it leaves the passenger with basically no legroom, even for my 5’4” wife, I could still drive him to school and use it as a commuting car.
Then we had the second and there was no way that would work anymore so, these days, it’s mostly used for running quick errands and some drives with just the boy and I, which he loves. But, if it weren’t for the every-other-year driving adventure road trip I do with buddies and put on 2,000 mi. over five days, I would be driving it less than 1,000 miles a year at this point.
We only still really have it because it’s long been paid for, doesn’t cost much to operate and the fact that it would be so prohibitively expensive to ever buy another one down the road. And my wife knows how much I love it, thankfully. So, that will continue to be the plan until it starts having issues that make it not worth the cost anymore, which hopefully never happens.
I work from home and have a toddler and infant both in day care. My fun car is a 2-seater. I get maybe 2 hours every other weekend for cars and coffee. During the week, I take the car for errands during lunch breaks.
My biggest impediment to driving is repair/maintenance. My projects take days or weeks to finish. I find this time by doing the kid drop-off in the morning, then having my wife do pickup in the evening. This gives me 1-2 hrs after work to tinker on the car. It helps that day care has the kids for 9 hours.
I daily a Dodge Challenger. I typically don't have kid pickup or dropoff duties. When I do, there is enough room for a car seat in the back. My daughter loves riding in my car. She is my little Drifting Queen. 😎 The trunk is huge, so I also use it for grocery duties.
i bought a new wrx and which was supposed to be my “fun dd dad car” but that car even stock with the sti muffler had too much drone on long drives for my wife and newborn, was cramped in the back, and too stiff to drive everyone around comfortably.
after we got a cuv for family duty i literally never. ever. drove it (i also work remote). so i just said fuck it and sold it to buy a sports car that had less compromises and we just use the family car anytime we go anywhere. if i need to take my kid somewhere and my wife is using her car we have a cheap 3rd car i can put my kid in to drive around town.
I made the "poor" choice of buying an nd miata 2 or 3 months after my first was born. It's an expensive garage piece, but my wife and I swap who gets to drive it whenever one of us really needs a break from the kids. I 100% think about the what if I try to get a slightly bigger vehicle to take the kids around in, in the future. I drive it every chance I get, but it's just a matter of priorities and what you and your partner are comfortable with whenever you guys have free time.
TL/DR I'd make the same "mistake" again. I love my car and don't plan on getting rid of it.
Now that two ofmmy kids are able to ride without a car or booster seat I get out in it a lot more than. I did a couple of years ago. I would say a few hours on the weekend and a couple nights a week now that the weather is nice I get out in it for a quick spin around town
In all seriousness;
Is your fun car paid for?
Do you have room for it?
Do you need the equity in the fun car to buy the car that’s “more practical”, or can you swing it regardless of the status of the “fun” car?
Depends on your situation. We only have 2 cars with 3 dogs and a 9 month old, and I get to drive my 911 4-5x a week on trips out of the house without the kiddo (pretty much any time I'm going without the kiddo or all 3 dogs -- groceries, dr visit, gym, taking 1 dog to the vet, etc.).
If I had 3 cars, I probably would still get to take it 2-3x a week. But a 911 is legally a 4-seater, I guess.
If I was a more responsible dad, I probably would have gotten a RS6 avant.
I have 3 kids, a 7 y/o, 5 y/o, and 2 y/o. I have a C7 Corvette and a M235i (amongst other cars/trucks/vans). I daily the C7, my wife takes the 2 y/o to daycare in the M235i, the other kids ride the bus.
When I had a newborn, 5 y/o, and 3 y/o, I had 2 motorcycles and would ride them pretty regularly.
Ultimately, this is a time use question. I would take a motorcycle or sportscar every time I needed to run errands, and as you'll soon come to learn, running errands with a newborn is an astronomical chore vs only one of you going.
With our first kid and the first couple weeks, getting baby fed, changed, cleaned, same for both of us, going to eat lunch at a pizza place, then going home was an all day activity. That was all we had time for during the day.
But after that, it gets a lot easier.
All the time. Drive it to work, to the gym, buy groceries/errands. Still do a handful of track days and autocross events per year, albeit not as often as before having a kid
>did you switch to a sports sedan, or something else?
Yes I did switch out my FR-S to an Elantra N so that in addition to all the above I can also take the whole family out in my own car instead of using my wife's car. Plus my FR-S was getting old anyway.
But I also wanted to share my passion for cars with my son. I drive him around in full N mode and when my son hears that exhaust he goes "vroom vroom!" If the kids are playing outside at daycare when I pick him up my son will hear the exhaust popping. Then the teacher says my son runs right up to the fence because he knows "daddy's car goes vroom vroom". Sometimes he likes to sit on my lap and pretend to drive the car and shift gears
Maybe when my son gets older and can do a front facing car seat I might switch back to a coupe of some kind. I would love to drop him off at elementary school in Mustang GT with active valve exhaust
This is why the m3, m340, s4/S3, golf R, type R, CTS-V, exist. Your priorities change and you realize that blending your hobby with a family friendly vehicle is a good fit. Plus going to car and coffee with the family is fun.
My daughter loved going on rides with me in my vette and on my bikes when she got older. One time, I got stopped in the vette for "failing to signal." The cop (she) saw my little girl riding shotgun in her booster seat and melted, just told me to stay safe and let me go. For years, I refused to wash inside the passenger window because it had her tiny handprint on it.
A sports car is great for one on one time with a kid, it's exciting for them and it's just you two.
I have a mustang convertible. It does have 4 seats my kids are 7&5 but I’ve had it since before they were born.
Definitely not used as much as it was but still enjoy it. Kids really like it now
I have two kids, ages 2 and 4, and daily drive my Mustang. Getting them in and out is a hassle, but it's worth it. Admittedly, we also have a Corolla for kid duty, so I only carry them in the Stang about once a week.
I had my E46 M3 before my first was born. I probably didn’t drive it at all for 3 months, and only a handful of other times for the first year. But eventually, I got to where I’m driving it every 2-3 weeks. My kids love it, but it’s a pain to switch the car seats lol. It also helps that it’s my track car, so I get to do a track day every month or two without switching the seats.
With that said, I didn’t like having a boring daily so I picked up an F80 M3. Very glad that I did.
I ride my motorcycle as often as I can, few times a month. I'd say it's probably a waste of money in most people's eyes but that time is worth it to me. Sometimes I get on it just to grab a couple things from the store so even if it's not for a long ride, it's two birds with one stone!
I was in this predicament about two years ago. Put a lot of thought into it. When we found out we were adding a little one to the family, I started brainstorming every scenario.
My daily is a Golf R, so that’s still a great fun car with room for the family. That wasn’t going anywhere.
At the time, my fun car was an NC Miata. It kinda lined up that I was “done” with the Miata - I had accomplished everything I had wanted to with that car, so I was kinda ready to move on.
So I started looking at bigger coupes with a rear seat. Something’s like a Camaro or Mustang or GR86 or 911. After a few test drives, I settled on wanting a 911.
There’s enough research on car seats for the 911 done out there, just they’ll be a compromise until the kiddo is big enough for front facing. You can get a rear facing seat in there, sure, but the front seat will have to be pulled up quite a bit, enough that it’s not usable for the passenger.
Anyways, the short of it is I bought a 911 (something completely not what I expected either) and a year + half later, I bought a Graco Slimfit 3X for my daughter. Test fitted it in the 911 and it’ll fit in there perfectly once it’s time for front facing seats.
In regard to time… well that’s the challenge. My wife understands that driving is a way I relieve some stress, even though driving itself is a stressful thing. So my family is cool with me doing car-centric things every so often on the weekends or weeknights. Cruises, autocross, all those things. But we are both still waiting for the moment our daughter can sit in the car with us and cruise too.
During the height of covid I worked remotely and barely put and miles on the Miata. Only if I was going to the grocery store solo or something. Now I'm back in the office 3 days a week and I use it for commuting.
I am/was in a similar situation as you (first child who is now 20 months and WFH).
Congrats in advance on the arrival of your first. They will change your life, and as tiring as it is, it is worth it. Every baby is differently so YMMV but I found free time to be a rare luxury.
In terms of car, I've had the exact same thoughts as you - 2 door coupe or 4 door sedan that can do everything. How many cars do you have atm? For us, we have a dedicated family car (SUV) which made picking a fun car easier.
For me, I still wanted a sporty 2 door but it needs 4 seats for the occasional childcare drop off/pick up. I found the best combination of sporty and practical is the BMW F87 M2. I haven't pulled the trigger yet though as I want to wait another 12 months until my little guy can climb in-and-out of the baby seat, which will make living with a 2 door easier.
Hope that helps and good luck!
A few *hours* on the weekend? Where do I sign up for this wealth of free time? But seriously, I'm in this exact situation (WFH, toddler and infant) and a 2 seater, sadly, would absolutely never get used. I have a fun daily, but if I were to get another fun car I'd get something that, at a minimum, could be enjoyed occasionally with family or used in a pinch to get the kids places, coupe or convertible with 4 seats.
Sounds like a 911 is in your future good sir
911 rear seats don’t fit a lot of car seats and ingress/egress sucks.
Ingreas and egress is no biggie, but the legroom left for the person in front is pretty brutal, especially rear facing.
Exactly. Rear facing car seats can be a hassle even in bigger cars never mind any generation of 911
That’s why I got a long wheelbase S class - when we had two rear facing seats, it fit them better than anything short of a minivan. It puts jeep grand Cherokee and 4runner to shame. Don’t even get me started with the forester.
tbf, my 4Runner has less legroom than most newer compact cars.
Rear facing doesn't fit in the 992 unless you literally remove the rear seat back cushion :')
I could do it in my 996, but no one was sitting in front
I'm basically just waiting until the kid can do a forward-facing, thankfully Rennlist maintains a list of which car seats fit in the back.
Same in Mustangs/Camaros.
Get the cabriolet, you can lift them them in/out with the top down
What if you got a convertible? Much easier to put kids in, no?
You mean Nissan Murano Cross Cabriolet
Our kids were in the back of a 911 from a booster seat until their teen years. Now that our youngest is 13 he is starting to get cramped in the back seat. I cannot imagine a rear-facing seat in that car working well. If you go through cars every few years, I would look at a Civic Type R for now. A four door hatchback that can run with must sports cars…done.
Totally agree! Picked up a CTR six months ago and love it. Glad to see prices now trending towards MSRP. I have no complaints daily driving it on comfort mode.
How in the world did you pull this off? A 911 is not a "family" car. What I'm really getting at is, "Your wife allowed this?" 😂
We had a SUV for grocery store runs and road trips but, to answer your question, my wife hated the SUV and was the one driving the 911 daily.
That's awesome!
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M3 sedan here… it worked perfect for 95% of drives with the wife and kids. If going away for a few nights, I did need something bigger because babies just need so many things. Toddlers on the other hand don’t need that much.
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Pretty much. 1 baby + 2 adults filled up the entire trunk of my mid size suv for 3 nights. Diapers, travel crib, play mat, a case of water, all the formula and baby food stuff, etc. The toddler phase (after milk) doesn’t need much though.
I have a 2 door roadster. Kid is 2.5. I’m driving the car more and more now. That’s what daycare and other family members are for, thankfully. Also now’s the time to go shopping for all your dream cars… in 1/3 scale battery powered.
I resonate with this first line. It has been years since I was able to take out the fun cars. They sit in the garage waiting. Luckily, both don't cost anything other than space since they were paid off before children. My compromise was an engaging 4 seater daily driver and a plan to get back to the impractical 2 seaters when the kids are older.
lol so true!!!! There’s not really even a few minutes. My wife stays home so I give her as much rest as I can on the weekends.
What’s your daily fun car?
Wanted to get a ct4 blackwing tbh, but they seem more cramped in the back than my challenger. Do you use the blackwing for family stuff?
I drop off and pick up the kids at daycare, and we can use it for trips around town without issue, it has 4 doors after all. We typically just take the Rogue though, since it's just vastly more practical and civilized. ETA: Though it is totally usable, the Blackwing is not spacious. Its on par with the rest of the compact sport sedan class, maybe a bit worse.
Sport wagon. Family car and daily driver in one
Second this. So much of parental life is real work. If you can get something that brings joy when getting to/from those chores, it will increase you quality of life. Also, a wagon is basically a portable changing table. Find the wagon you like and then use that to convince your SO it would NOT make sense to get any other type of car. ::wink::
Not exactly a wagon but I definitely changed both my boys a number of times on my X5's lower tailgate when they were infants. The little things like that can be a game changer when they're babies!
An infant can easily be changed in any sedan trunk too.
Yes this is totally true. However I can’t tell you how many times there has been a “where is the [insert snack/clean outfit/water bottle/wet wipes/thisweeksprecioustoy” scenario where the response is “in the back.” The ability for an adult passenger to retrieve that item without having to stop the vehicle has at times felt like a super power.
I completely agree.
Sport wagons are 6 figures new. At least in the states.
The Volvo V60 Polestar would like a word (assuming you can find one). Not cheap at all, but $70k-ish new is way less than an RS6 Avant or the upcoming M5 Touring, and you can get them used in the $50k range, or even less if you get the previous generation.
There's unfortunately very few options in this category in the US.
Civic SI and GTI wagons would both be great options to have…
Have you decided what car we're getting with our $30k budget? Honey allow me to introduce to you, the RS6...
RS6. Great car for hauling kids. Unfortunately having kids is what makes it so no normal human can afford it.
Surely it’s not the six figure price tag. Gotta be the kids.
I mean, the civic type r is a large hatchback. VW should do a golf r wagon, but I'm not even sure if the regular golf wagon exists anymore
Haven’t seen it mentioned but I got a manual Impreza wagon for a funish dad car in addition to a 4Runner for everything else
Yeah if you’re willing to spend 100k on a car
As sacrilegious as it is to admit this out loud on this sub… I’m actually not a fan of wagons. But, fortunately there are still lots of good options for sport sedans!
Sport wagons for life!
Yessir. That's why I love the liftback design. You get car performance with a big boot.
I have a two month old and rarely drive my fun cars. Definitely less time but I couldn't care less. Your life will change and priorities change.
Things also change very fast and your 2 month old will be a 2 year old before you know it, and you'll have more time on your hands to drive your fun cars. You'll never have the time to yourself you had before, but you get just a bit more free time with every stage of development.
Yep and that's exactly what I planned for. I'm a bit older at 37 to have my first child so I had lots of free time through my 20's and 30's to do fun car stuff. Everyone says to enjoy the young moments with children and I can see why! Pretty amazing.
The first few months are the roughest. It increasingly gets better day by day, week by week, month by month, and year by year. As one person put it: Raising a child is like taking care of a shit-faced drunk person...but in reverse order. That being said, think about every time you leave the house alone to get groceries, errands, takeout, hardware store, late night diaper/formula runs, etc... that's when you can drive the fun car. That happens way more often that you might imagine. Sure, you can't disappear for several long hours at a time. But, you *will* get to use your fun cars this way. *edit: spelling*
I don't fret over time allocation to drive my 2-seaters. A few months after my son was born, I got my first Corvette (2003 Z06) and the string of 2-seaters in my stable is never broken since then for over two decades. Currently, there are four 2-seaters. Even with a baby-toddler son, I was determined to make time to drive a 2-seater. In the '3 Z06, the passenger airbag was turned off with a twist of the key. In later ones, the passenger occupancy sensor took care of that aspect. When I had 2-door 4-5-seater cars, the kid sat in the front seat, granted that there was no adult. It's much easier to retrieve him compared to in the back in nearly all accident scenarios. It was fun pulling up to his school for drop-off and pick-up in a murdered Corvette/orange Solstice GXP/orange-wheeled 350Z/black 370Z while other parents were in ultra-boring, appliance-class minivans and sedans. All heads were turned. At one point, I had a '5 CTS-V as a "sensible" sport sedan, but, even with semi-loud Borla exhaust, heavily-tinted windows, and aftermarket wheels, it didn't have the wow effect of a 2-seater. If I could offer an advice, don't give up on your 2-seater. There are multiple ways to make it work. Always find an excuse to take it out even for an errand. Your Miata is still practical and is easy to drive. Get a 4-door sedan or a 5-door hatchback for when the whole family is going. Not the time yet to get a minivan which is reserved when there are more than 2 kids.
It is still much less safe for the child to be in the front seat in the event of an accident though.
Exactly. Better make sure they are FAR, FAR away from that front airbag. Some cars have more adjustment room than others. And of course the kid absolutely can not be rear facing unless the airbag can be shut off.
As someone who recently adopted a 2-seater, your comment is inspirational
Yep. Have had my Miata all through his Middle School and High School years. And while he never wants us to show up at school, the only time it’s ok is when I pick him up in my Miata. In hindsight, I could have easily made it work in his elementary school years too. As I’ve said so often, my only regret with my two-seater, is that I waited so long.
> When I had 2-door 4-5-seater cars, the kid sat in the front seat, granted that there was no adult. It's much easier to retrieve him compared to in the back in nearly all accident scenarios. A Corvette is designed to carry an infant seat next to the driver. These 2 door cars with 4-5 seats likely were not. Your theoretical paid off, but it was a gamble. You put your children in danger putting them in the front seat.
> the kid sat in the front seat, granted that there was no adult. It's much easier to retrieve him compared to in the back in nearly all accident scenarios. I’m sorry are you saying he was *safer* in the front because you could get to him easier? That’s not how that works at all.
You are vastly misunderstanding the amount of time you will have win a new born. Your first 6-8 months your Miata will be a local grocery getter when you're out of diapers. The whole first year, you're serving your child hand and foot and helping them develop. Tummy time, solid foods, talking (babbling), motor skills, habits, etc. My first son is 4 months old. The only time I get a couple hours is late when he's asleep or mom has him. When Mom has him usually doing shit that he can't be around (work, house projects, lawn, choirs). Until your child is 1-2 years of age you are not getting a couple hours during the day to drive. I sold my race car because of this. I'm currently writing this comment from my couch watching MotoGP with my 4 month old because he got us up at 0500 and I need some quiet. Mom is asleep because she needs it. I was on ladder till midnight yesterday. Side note; mom and I plan out who gets an hour here and there. Mom takes the bulk of the care taking cause she's mom. I get more time but I'm often doing *have to do* project or the coupe times a week or sim racing. New borns are a time suck and will override doing things you previously enjoyed because you don't want to be away from them. @op, the first 30 days your kid is alive, they're learning to baby. Things don't emerge from the oven working. It can take hours or days for things to work. Intestines are working well till well 2 or 3 and even then, your baby is a gas bag. Edit: Mine forgot how to breath on week 2 and back to the hospital we went. Dogor3s found nothing wrong after every. Single. Test. They could perform. The only thing we had was his blood ox was low and his lips went blue but he never stopped breathing. This is one example of how things can go sideways quickly and a couple hours away to drive and you'll miss a lot. Edit 2: op, have you communicated with your spouse you'll be leaving them for hours on the weekend with your kid? If not, do so. Raising a kid is all about communication. Note their reaction when you do.
I forgot how enjoyable diaper and Costco runs were until reading this. Solo trips out of the house were precious in those first few months, and also when I learned to appreciate the Mazdaspeed 3 that begrudgingly replaced my Miata.
Doing the quick runs is my favorite and always has been. The quick runs were way more enjoyable with my focus RS but I'll settle for our Honda pilot, begrudgingly.
Focus st to replace my 01 TT. honestly, a big upgrade and plenty fun and fast and look I can fit a kid in the back
Oh we've talked about this at length. She's perfectly fine with it, but I would be the one who would feel bad about doing it even with her blessing. We're talking like a 1 hour loop at most on a saturday/sunday morning. It definitely seems like a fun enough dad mobile is the way to go for the foreseeable future. Thanks for sharing your experience!
If you spouse is fine with it, you have a green light. Take it and run. Btw, most babies are very active in the morning. Might want to either beat your baby up or flip it to a night drive. >Thanks for sharing your experience! Absolutely! Just trying to share my experiences so far.
Every single day big dawg
Right?! Can't your wife take care of the kids alone for an hour? People need to grow a pair lol
Realistically it’s gonna be hard to carve out a couple hours just for driving with a kid. Sports sedan or hot hatch would be the way to go, you can enjoy the mundane bits of driving like diaper runs or daycare drop offs
Disagree. When my first born was still in the nap phase, I used to load him up in my Z4M at nap time and drive for hours while he slept. Mom loved it because she could get some actual rest without the anxiety of him waking up.
Our kid was terrible sleeper so we were all sleep deprived. Going on a sleepy drive was last on my mind at the time. Ngl didn’t know z4s had isofixes. How are they? Remember briefly looking into them before going with a e46m3
I don't know man. I think it's important that parents still give themselves some mental health/fun time. When we had a newborn I would take her one weekend so the gf can have free time. Go have lunch with friends, shop, go see a movie, whatever. Next weekend she would do the same for me. I also know that a car seat fits just fine in the back of a 5.0 mustang. Ask me how I know :) My kid is 10 know and I drive a baby Blackwing. She fits fine in that too.
Yea def still important to keep your hobbies before the kid. That’s why hot hatches/sedans are great, you get to have fun time doing the chores. I try to carve time for track or canyons but it’s very rare. Priorities shift and I want to do fun stuff with the kid instead of going for a solo drive
Once per week if I'm lucky,and once more to go to work,but even that makes me enjoy these little moments.
If OP is wfh, he can hopefully take some time to “grab some lunch” mid day when kiddos are in day care.
Your answer was to the point,tell me you are a parent,without telling me you are a parent.Cheers!
It’s all about making time. We have no helpers. No aunts. No uncles. In-laws have passed. My folks are in skilled care. Very little “adult” time. But I do what I can. For example tomorrow after dropping off at daycare I will come back home and swap cars. OP just needs to figure out what will work for them and honestly you can do that until you are in it. You need the kid first and then adjust accordingly. All the prebirth plans we had are a joke now.
Swapping cars after work on a cozy winter and a sleepy road is my adult time too!
Not a parent myself but my dad used to have a 911 back in the day, he would just use it as a regular car whenever he felt like it, pick me at school with it, go to work, car trips, whatever.
I’m on baby bonding leave from work now so whenever I go somewhere for a quick errand and my wife’s staying home I’ll take one of my coupes. Volunteer for store runs you’ll be able to drive your car but when you’re with the family take the family car. Side note: I tell everyone my rav4 hybrid is/feels faster than my mk4 Supra
I love cars too. Not realistic to use a sports car in any meaningful way when you have an infant. The problem is, if one parent is off cavorting about, the other takes over, and exhaustion and resentment become inevitable. Even if you did have time with the car, it will be tainted by guilt or consequences, or both. The trick is to enjoy what you have got. Driving our SUV is extremely fun with the kids in the back. There’s a feeling of togetherness and adventure that’s hard to explain. I focus on driving very smoothly, with gradual acceleration and braking and a lot of coasting. I now understand minivans. Our current situation is two SUVs, our ideal is one minivan, one luxury sedan.
Went from a S2000 to a WRX STI because I can get rear facing car seats in the back. Every day can be fun car day with a 4 door and a manual transmission.
My wife and I contemplated which car to keep, at the time before kids we had an MX-5 and GTI, both manual. But the Miata was sold for a CX-5, and I ended up modifying my GTI a bit to be an alternative fun/family car. I’ve always thought about getting another fun car one day, it seems like Miata or bust (I’d love a 911 convertible for the 4 seats)
> so it seems like a 2 seater like a Miata would literally be relegated to a few hours on the weekends by myself. The few free minutes you will have will be spent trying to sleep or enjoy coffee before it gets cold.
As a former Miata owner I can relate. The reality is that your solo car time will be greatly diminished for quite some time. But the good thing is that most kids love to ride in cars, so bring them along! [This](https://imgur.com/a/WY1WG6e) was the back seat of my M5 for a very long time. I then upgraded to a 911 partially because it had back seats. Now that the kids are much older, I’m back in a 2-seater and will try to sneak out for a spirited drive in early morning when everyone’s still asleep. Even better when I come back with bagels or pancakes.
When my girl was born, we had a problem. The A2 Recaro Package 16v GTi was a two door and you could not get the baby in and out of the back seat without painful contortion. Mama said "four doors only". We had a succession of fun cars-all with four doors. (330i, SVT Contour, Saab 9-3 all manuals) We did the obligatory truck when her brother arrived, drove that sporty truck into rust. (MDX) We didn't two door again till the boy got a Lexus SC400, gone sadly, and now we have an NA Miata toy. Still, the main cars are all 4 doors. My current 4 door has a 0-60 of 4.5 seconds and is faster than most of the flying doorstop cars, but cops don't notice it. The best stealth tip for a fast driver is "four doors". There is no rule you need to get a boring module when you reproduce. Dad protip-get them involved in your stuff-teaching them to ski, swim, taking hikes, is the best part of the job. My girl is 100x the skier I ever was, and my boy runs his own Lemons team.
It'll be for a few weekend hours if that's what you prioritize.
My 2009 370z had 25k kms (Canadian) when I traded it last year. Have 3 kids
If you're in Europe you can get plenty of sports wagons. If you're into diesel, you can get a bmw/Mercedes/audi 3.0/3.2 and with a little OEM-ish upgrades you can have a family wagon that eats their M5/AMG/RSx counterparts for breakfast and still gets better fuel efficiency than whatever your daily petrol powered vehicle (unless you're into hybrids) and is also way more reliable even when making crazy power
4 seater sports cars are treated like a 2 seater most of the time but with the option of back seats. They are horrible for rear facing seats, but once the child is in front facing seats, your good until teenage years.
Almost never, which is why I sold my track Miata. Every track day or fun drive becomes incredibly expensive. Not in terms of $, but in terms of having to make up for being gone. Not worth it.
Get a TypeR
Spot on. Rear facing car seat? No problem. Full size stroller in the trunk with more space for groceries? Also no problem. It's the best dad daily driver.
I sold my race car to get a jeep, and take the kids overlanding and I also have a motorcycle I will take for a ride often after work. I also work from home, so my driving is more deliberate.
It ebbs and flows, sometimes they sit for long periods of time and sometimes they get used regularly or see a few track days. It also depends if your significant other works or is a stay at home parent and what kind of family support you have locally.
If you have the means, drop the miata (or stash it somewhere) and get a 4 seat convertible. Used Rental spec Mustang, VW Eos, whatever. I can tell you from experience that the fun you will have is less from sporty but more family fun. Going to a beach, into town, or a late night cruise with the top down is like nothing else. I found myself being more risk adverse knowing I want to see my little guy grow up so speed is secondary.
My M4 is my daily driver. I've put 26k miles on it since January last year with another 10k on a beater Hyundai Elantra. The others don't get used much. Probably only 1-2k miles between them.
Never get rid of your good cars.. buy a car specific for family and keep the good ones for yourself, you will certainly regret it if you lose them and you'll grow to resent those that made you get rid of them
I remember a family with quite a few muscle cars. His daughter loves to ride in his 80’s blue Mustang. They do have a big, very big, garage and are well off, though, so they do have a Explorer ST for family matters (as well as towing his race car, lol).
Less than a few hours weekly tbh. The problem with kids isn’t that you don’t have free time - it’s that the free time is so fragmented that it’s basically impossible to use it productively.
If you enjoy the car, keep it. Every single item or toy you own doesn’t need to be a whole family item. Go talk to a bunch of old guys about cool cars they sold when they started a family. You’re not going to find one guy who doesn’t miss the car and regret selling it.
I have a miata, and we are 3. That car drives almost every day from April to Oct. I'm "retired"/ work from home at my own thing, and she works in town. So she used the miata. If you go for dinner or shopping we have other cars that have 4+ seats. Some road trip would've been nice with the miata, but due to the kid, it stayed home. I also have a 2 seat offroad project that i didn't want at first because of the 3 of us. But I ended up getting it anyway. You get to ride it as much as you decide to. Even if it means leaving a parent home or having a babysitter. By 12 or 14, they dont want to fallow as much.
My solution to this very problem is a manual MK8 Golf R.
Check out the youtube channel Dadcars
Just keep in mind that, depending on your state, its going to be ~8 years before your child can legally ride in a two seater. I'd personally get a sports sedan.
What states make it illegal for a child to ride in a 2 seater?!
Nearly zero. Have a toddler with a baby on the way. Planning on giving my Mustang to my dad honestly lol. It just sits in the garage on the battery tender.
I don't have kids yet but my situation is probably not too dissimilar. I travel for work. But you're right, it will most likely just be a little bit of driving here and there but it still makes a great weekend getaway.
I bought a MK8 Golf R so that my daily car with daycare drop-off/pickup can also be fun. It's nearly the perfect daily, and will be even more fun when I get around to tuning it. Longer trips with all four of us, we use my wife's Tiguan (which itself is ECU tuned lol).
Well I have a 3 and a 1 year old and bought a Miata two days ago. So give me some time and I can tell you. But no realistically either no or my wife have to drive around either to work or doing work related stuff. Whenever no kid is in the car I think I would go with the Miata.
With one kid, it wasn’t bad. Still a few times a week to the gym etc (I also work remote have no commute). With 3 kids, it’s harder to drive my 2 seat fun car (93 RX7). I also had a Porsche and never drove it. I kept the RX7 and ditched the Porsche and got a new Civic Type R. Now I drive my fun car all the time. With my 2/3 of my kids (no third seat in back). You will find no car at 46k (they can be had for MSRP if you look around) that will deliver so much fun. The suspension even in comfort might be rough for some. You can swap out the suspension control module for $220ish to the Acura Integra Type S one if you want a more compliant comfort mode but also a less stiff Type R mode (or just get a Type S as they are close cousins but you’ll be over $50k). I’ve had a lot of fun cars in my life from Porsche to BMW M cars and lots in between. With kids, there is no better 4 door do it all FUN car that has legit performance chops in its price range. Anyone who says “it’s just a civic” or is “overpriced”, I’m willing to bet hasn’t actually driven one. There is a reason it’s won accolade after accolade. It’s a phenomenal car and for a family man or woman who wants a fun car that is everyday practical that is also reliable and bulletproof, you won’t find anything else. Also has one of the best 6 speed manual transmissions you’ll ever drive. Congrats and good luck.
Not everyday, but most days. Yesterday cultural celebration at the in-laws. Hour trip each way. Today. 1 supermarket run. 2 trips to the emergency vet. 5 kids and a sick chihuahua. 1 gr corolla. Zero problems.
I’m guessing you have other cars. Five kids don’t fit in GR Corolla. Hell, I don’t think the sick Chihuahua fits in the trunk either.
Eldest has a caldina gtt so that helps lol. Chihuahua just fits in the trunk if I squash the lid. She no like that.
Every day. When would 2 adults ever be in the car going to and from work/daycare?
I don't know why but when weekend finally arrives it's either pouring rain, or some external factor shows up like headache, insomnia... I drove a mountain climb 1 time since April. Edit: I guess what I'm coming to terms with is that you have to take chances that show up, because "I'll do it tomorrow" is not guaranteed.
I bought my 2020 STI for this reason. 4 doors for the baby seat, large enough to fit a family and comfortable enough for short road trips. It does daycare drop off easily and soccer practices and weekend games for the older kid. Both kids are growing up loving the car, I might get back to a coup but growing their love for cars can only really happen if they can also ride in it!
i read a theory on here about why pickup trucks are so popular now with guys especially the raptor and all the special trims. it lets guys who are dads have their fun car while also having it be the family hauler all in one vehicle, and i think that theory makes a lot of sense.
I own a 2 seater roadster and my wife supported and convinced me not to sell it even before the baby arrived. Everyone has vastly different situations of how much help they get with a child. I’m fortunate to have both sets of parents local. You can expect the mileage on the weekend car to be put on hold during pregnancy and infant stage. Research ways to store a car long term like fuel stabilizer and tire savers. My wife even drove the car on a fall drive when she was 7 months pregnant. I constantly have help from the in laws who either lets us have a weekend off, or the wife takes the kid for a few hours. Either way if you have the car and willingness to keep it, you’ll find ways to drive it to run errands or prioritize free time to drive it. I’ve put 3k miles on the weekend car in the kid’s 2.5yrs of existence. I’m planning to get the car seat in the passenger side soon and just take him and I to car meets while mom relaxes at home. Oh and we also got a 6cyl turbo SUV for the daily family car to compensate haha.
3 month old here, also work from home and have a Miata. Miata basically doesn’t get driven at all. Probably going to sell it soon. I suggest just going for the sporty four door so you can have a bit of fun every time you go for a drive. A wide fellow father told me that you get one hobby to carve time out for the first few years. As much as I love cars, riding bikes is going to be my first choice 10/10 over going for a joyride in the Miata. If you think you’ll have free time to drive around aimlessly and alone after the birth, then maybe a sports car is fine.
I had a V70R for a spell after I had my first kid, but the maintenance pains made me release it back into the wilds. I bought a new mk7.5 GTI for my family car; both car seats fit great and there's enough room in the hatch for both dogs for short trips. It's been a perfectly fun, economical, and practical daily driver. I have an MR2 for my actual fun/project car which I get to drive for random runabout trips, an hour or two on the weekend, and for my commute when the weather is nice.
I went out of my way to buy a 4-seat sports car so kids could join. In truth you don’t really need to fit them in your fun car at least till they’re about 5-6 YO. Drive a two seater until then. And pro tip: kids usually don’t like riding in convertibles top down.
I traded up to a sports sedan and drive it daily. My son was born with my speed obsession in his blood and loves it as much as I do.
2-4x per week. Days I commute by myself and the weather isn’t horrible, and then a couple times over the weekend. Cars and coffee, club events, errands, gym, etc. You probably won’t have the kid(s) all the time. Also, one of the great things about a 911 is the rear seats can actually fit kids. Not much else, but kids do fine and mine have a blast back there. Have to wait a few years until they’re in forward facing seats and boosters there’s a nice window of time there for sure.
Thankfully my fun car has back seats and now that my youngest is in the booster seat stage it’s easy to take it at any time. If it was only a 2 seater I’d maybe have time once a month, unless I decided to go for a lunchtime drive
I have gone through this and always wanted a Miata but that would not be practical. I ended up with Mini but that feels too cramp and eventually settled with a RWD small sedan with manual transmission
I was debating between getting a Miata or a BRZ at some point. I was so happy went for the BRZ. Definitely not family friendly but at least I could use it to commute and take kids to day care. A Miata would have 0 use a part maybe for a few hours a months riding with friends. 2+2 is the way to go for a sports car. My next one will have to be a 911 :)
I had 2006 Mustang GT when my daughter was born 14 months ago. I still have my Mustang. I told my mom i might sell it when i found out my wife was pregnant. She told me i was crazy and that a car seat will fit just fine in it, because it did in hers when i was a baby. Lol The car seat fits fine. Also, Don’t count on those “few hours one the weekend” for quite some time, my dude. It’ll take a while before the little one is capable of entertaining themselves for a little bit, and not in constant need of attention. We are at 14 months and i am starting to not feel guilty asking if my wife would mind me spending a couple hours wrenching with to dad.
Maybe once a month for an hour. Same with my motorcycles. Although, I try to use them to do light errands once in a while. My "fun" cars are a 1997 BMW M3 sedan and an Audi 5000CS Quattro Turbo. Also a sedan.
Haven't driven my motorcycle since before my kid was born, at least 2 years. I've had the time, but the energy lacks. My "sports" car was a 4 door AMG. So we drive it all the time and I got my thrills on the regular.
When I had littles, mine sat for so long that I sold it. The compromise was to get something fun to drive that would also haul the fam.
Your life isn't over as a parent... I have 4 kids, a GT3 and a Boxster. GT3 gets tracked/autoXd 6-7 weekends/weeks a year. Driven roughly 2k/year. Boxster driven 1-2k a year. It's nice to get out for hour or so drives on the weekend or nice weekdays. The wife goes out for hour stretches to do her things too like this. Both of us get our recharge time and it works great. She doesn't leave for weekends as much, but she still goes 2 or so times a year to the beach with her friends. I tried a 4 seat sports car(GT500) and the 2 older boys(7/6 at the time) were super excited....then just fought anyways. I will take one about half the time. Make it's more special plus the 1-1 time. I certainly wouldn't sell because "becoming a parent". I would sell if you cannot easily afford maintenance/issue concerns or if there are financial health concerns with the family. Otherwise enjoy the car when you can, especially alone or on date nights. Being a parent enhances everything in your life(hi/lows) it DOES NOT DEFINE who you are. You are still your own person, your kids need to be their own person. Obviously your kids come first, but they need to see you(and your partner) enjoy themselves without them also.
I work remote too, but I have a 10 and 13 yr old. So anytime I have to make a trip by myself or with just one kid (a lot due to sports practices) I am driving my Corvette. This Summer I am putting more mileage on my Vette than my Daily. So I think the key is out of car seats and kids activities where you are just taking one.
When I had a 2 and 1 year old, I ended up getting a WRX. Now that I have a 13 & 14 year old we have a Miata. I would suggest a hot hatch or power wagon for the first 5 years or so (quick and convenient compromise), and then slide into the 2-seater for your alone time, or time with the kids or wife. Son and I just got back from a long weekend in the Adirondacks bombing around in the Miata - we had a blast.
I had a 77 280z as my daily when we had three kids under 10. That gave way to a 95 Civic, which was a better car in so many ways. When my youngest was headed off to college, a fun car returned…
I’ve had a daily and toy car since I was about 26. So that was part of the deal. Kids weren’t going to change that. My first toy car (1984 Audi Quattro) actually had a big backseat - but the kids were rarely in it. When I got my 964 Turbo when they were 5 and 7 - perfect age/size for that back seat. And the kids loved riding in it. Especially my daughter - who is younger. If I wasn’t able to have 2 cars I would have gotten a cool sport sedan (well actually I do that anyway with a 1998 Audi A4 then a couple B5 S4s) but my point is yeah if one car - probably a sport sedan or a killer wagon.
Some context: I've raised 3 kids. The first child was born in 2001. The other two were 2007 and 2009. I purchased my 6- speed BRZ in 2014. At the time, it was the best I could afford. I've been blessed as i drive a company vehicle to and from work. In 10 years, I've only managed to put 51k miles on the car. Have children kept me from driving my car more than I'd like? Yes. Do I regret it? No. Having done this, would I do it again? You bet your sweet ass I would. My next sports car will be bought when my kids are all grown and gone, and let me tell you, it's gonna be a huge step up.
50k miles still seems decent if it's not a daily driver.
Sold the Miata and got a convertible mustang instead so I could put a car seat in it
I bought my Mini Convertible 11 months ago and have put 14k miles on it. I drive it daily, rain, snow, or shine. We have one kid. And one family car. He rides in the Mini fine. We’ll be moving to a Boxster/Cayman soon and I’ll use it the same way. Use it for every errand you can. Use the family hauler when you need.
For us it came down to cost, found a vehicle that I thoroughly enjoyed that could hold the car seats comfortably. This way I had a lot more excuses to enjoy the vehicle and it got my kids into cars as well. Car seats are the real bottleneck, it's temporary. If you can afford the 2 seater, keep it. It'll feel more special when you get to drive it.
Usually at least once a week weather dependent. If nothing else you will need to run to the store for diapers etc. A perfect job for a Miata or any other impractical car. There is less aimless drives in the country but driving them still happens. The biggest change is time to work on them. I am in the middle of a subframe refresh and “fix” on my Z3 that I hoped to have done by June 1st and now I am just hoping it’s done before the snow comes. 😩
I still drive my Miata a few days a week. Of course, my kid is out of the car seats stage. Still, it might have been doable, if I were willing to but the car seat in the front passenger seat. (Check if there are LATCH anchors and remember to turn the airbag off.) The big enabler is that my wife has a practical car, and we swap when I need her car.
Every day because I bought a normal family sedan with a big dumb V8 and silly paint color. Plus, my child likes the loud (stock) exhaust.
Whenever I want to. It’s basically a daily during the summer.
I have a work vehicle so I'm in the same boat as you. I also live in Buffalo so having a dedicated sports car is unrealistic as a daily driver. When my first kid was born I bought a 4runner. I figured that I needed the space and it would be a fun vehicle. I gave up speed and on road performance but figured the off road would make up for it. Got rid of it with 60000 miles, of which 0 were driven off pavement and it was honestly awful to drive. Before trading I test drove a lot of vehicles. I was determined to get something that would fit all my needs. Had to be large enough for both kids, be good in snow, have a gas engine because it's mostly used for weekend road trips and had to have a reasonable lease payment. I ended up settling for a grand cherokee 4xe. The interior is really nice. Has all the tech that I wanted. Large enough for two full size car seats and strollers in the back. Good in the snow and pretty nice on the highway. Oh and 0-60 in 5ish seconds (almost half as quickly as the 4runner) While it's not a sports car, there aren't really that many available these days anyway and definitely none that fit all my requirements. Welcome to fatherhood! It's the best thing that ever happened to me. Sometimes you have to make some sacrifices for your kids but it's worth it!
Lots, usually three or four times a week and bring it to work once in a while since they have a spacious underground parkade
Get something you can enjoy as a family. I have a 280z 2+2 and found the smallest / least bells and whistles car seat fits in the back. She’s ridden in it every summer since she was born and loves to go to daycare in the fast car. So to answer your question - I commute to daycare and work a few times during the week and as it makes sense on weekend adventures.
Theoretically any time you go out without the kids. Grocery runs, etc. Personally, not much. I used to daily my MR2 but in the past 14 years I have put 20k miles on it. Some of that is because my daily is a Macan Turbo which is still really enjoyable. The mr2 also has a few annoying things I want to fix, which is really what I haven't had time for. If I didn't have the luxury of owning 3 cars, unfortunately I think the mr2 would be gone.
It’s not a sports car, but I drive my kid in my stage 3 GTI all the time and it’s super practical. Fits all his baby stuff, stroller, and car seat.
Every day, both of us. It helps that the best daycare ("Montessori school," lol) in KC is a 1/2 block walk from our house.
Never. It is a fox body mustang that likes jack stands. When it is running, nobody will ride as the 3” exhaust is too loud and the no cats make it stink. I plan on putting cats on it to possibly fix that problem.
October was the last time 😔
I got an M4 and I mostly use it to commute, but it technically has a back seat and my children are small enough it works when it needs to. Most of the time, we take a different car when the children are going.
Not much time. Mostly grocery runs for me. Maybe get to go with the wife when we have a sitter. No spirited driving any more.
Only on the weekends. Not long after we had our first, we decided to buy a S2000. My missus loves it as the special event car for dates (cruising around, day trips etc). That sometimes means driving it for 3-4 hours, but that may happen only once a month (I'll still take the car on shorter 1-2 hour drives on every other weekend or so in the summer - the S2000 hibernates during snowy season). We are good with driving less expensive cars as dailies and family cars though: she drives a 2018 Mazda 3 hatch, and I've got a 2008 Honda Fit (both cars with 2 car seats).
I drive mine to work as much as possible. I’d say I get at least 3 days a week in the summer
Two cars here. I jump in my 2 seater to do a quick grocery run, when I go play my weekly round of disc golf, random spur of the moment type situations. Now my 2 seater does not have AC so when summer is in full effect it does not come out much. But when the weather is good it’s at least a weekly occasion.
My kid hit 1yr old and started requesting rides in "dada cool car" and screams when I try to take him out so: all the time. His Mom likes cars too so it was in his blood I guess. I'm in trouble when he turns 16 though... (2018 Focus RS)
Had my eyes set on the GT4 but went with the 911 so I could enjoy it with my whole family. The little one absolutely loves to ride in the back and has ample room to get in/get out... Handles carpool line like a champ. As for time, the 911 is easy enough to drive for errands, work, etc.. so it's really about choice. Mountain runs or track weekends have become less frequent for sure.
Two boys, three and five years old. Daycare/elementary school are across the street from each other 5 minutes away from our house. Mom drops them off in the morning and I (dad) pick them up in the afternoon. I take my Z4M to work most days, zip home and grab the X5 to pick them up. Couple that with solo errands on the weekend (whether it's me or my wife, if we're going to the store alone, we're in the Z4), it gets a ton of use.
My brother has a toddler and a large property. He hasn’t driven his sports coupe in six months. If he isn’t dadding on the weekend, he’s husbanding.
My fun cars would have been my SC300 and E92 328i. I drove them a lot when my daughter was young. Having a kid didn’t change much, but I only have 1. Later on I sold replaced the 328i with an old GS300 to daily. The SC300 has a hole in the AC line so it’s too hot outside to drive with a kid in the car. Once I fix it up later this summer I’ll drive it much more.
My Spitfire sat for about 10 years when my girls were little but my MGB was driven at least weekly every summer, with a few commutes to work on nice days. Now that they're adults both cars are parked, along with other projects, because I'm working contracts away from home!
My daily driver is my fun car. So yeah, daily.
I have a mustang and 2 small ones. It’s a little tight but if you’re willing you can have 2 of your own little copilots lol
Swapped out my GT3 for a GR86 for largely this reason. Can't fit the whole family, but it fits my daughter's car seat, so I can at least pick her up from preschool, take her to the park, etc. I drive it every day, whereas the GT3 had come to just collect dust. Still have a Corvette which doesn't get driven much since having a kid. It's heavily modified, so not easy to sell, otherwise I might as well just sell it.
I have one and another on the way. I have an RX-8 and I'm happy that my child seats (Chicco KeyFit) can fit and be easily installed/removed.
A 2+2 is not really as bad as it seems. If you have one of those travel bases that the seat clicks in and out of, then it's really not too bad to get them in/out of the back seat. I would prefer a sports wagon or sedan, but those are in short supply nowadays if you're looking for an ICE with a manual, supposing you don't just have unlimited budget.
Daily’d my Mustang for 7 years, until our son was born, then it became a third car. I still drove it fairly often when we only had one but the rear facing seat won’t fit behind the driver and behind the passenger, it leaves the passenger with basically no legroom, even for my 5’4” wife, I could still drive him to school and use it as a commuting car. Then we had the second and there was no way that would work anymore so, these days, it’s mostly used for running quick errands and some drives with just the boy and I, which he loves. But, if it weren’t for the every-other-year driving adventure road trip I do with buddies and put on 2,000 mi. over five days, I would be driving it less than 1,000 miles a year at this point. We only still really have it because it’s long been paid for, doesn’t cost much to operate and the fact that it would be so prohibitively expensive to ever buy another one down the road. And my wife knows how much I love it, thankfully. So, that will continue to be the plan until it starts having issues that make it not worth the cost anymore, which hopefully never happens.
I get my TTZ out maybe once a month in the summer and the 240SX at least gets fired up on those days.
I work from home and have a toddler and infant both in day care. My fun car is a 2-seater. I get maybe 2 hours every other weekend for cars and coffee. During the week, I take the car for errands during lunch breaks. My biggest impediment to driving is repair/maintenance. My projects take days or weeks to finish. I find this time by doing the kid drop-off in the morning, then having my wife do pickup in the evening. This gives me 1-2 hrs after work to tinker on the car. It helps that day care has the kids for 9 hours.
I daily a Dodge Challenger. I typically don't have kid pickup or dropoff duties. When I do, there is enough room for a car seat in the back. My daughter loves riding in my car. She is my little Drifting Queen. 😎 The trunk is huge, so I also use it for grocery duties.
I have a 911 and I put on about 200km/*year*
i bought a new wrx and which was supposed to be my “fun dd dad car” but that car even stock with the sti muffler had too much drone on long drives for my wife and newborn, was cramped in the back, and too stiff to drive everyone around comfortably. after we got a cuv for family duty i literally never. ever. drove it (i also work remote). so i just said fuck it and sold it to buy a sports car that had less compromises and we just use the family car anytime we go anywhere. if i need to take my kid somewhere and my wife is using her car we have a cheap 3rd car i can put my kid in to drive around town.
I made the "poor" choice of buying an nd miata 2 or 3 months after my first was born. It's an expensive garage piece, but my wife and I swap who gets to drive it whenever one of us really needs a break from the kids. I 100% think about the what if I try to get a slightly bigger vehicle to take the kids around in, in the future. I drive it every chance I get, but it's just a matter of priorities and what you and your partner are comfortable with whenever you guys have free time. TL/DR I'd make the same "mistake" again. I love my car and don't plan on getting rid of it.
You mean… you’d *have* to spend a *few hours* in a fun car if you keep it?! Oh, what a terrible existence. I’m so sad for you.
VW GLI, not too pricey, fast, room for a family, plenty of upgrades on the market for it to go even faster, lasts long, i love the thing
Now that two ofmmy kids are able to ride without a car or booster seat I get out in it a lot more than. I did a couple of years ago. I would say a few hours on the weekend and a couple nights a week now that the weather is nice I get out in it for a quick spin around town
In all seriousness; Is your fun car paid for? Do you have room for it? Do you need the equity in the fun car to buy the car that’s “more practical”, or can you swing it regardless of the status of the “fun” car?
Challenger makes a great usable fun car. Back seat is roomy and can easily fit a rear facing car seat.
Depends on your situation. We only have 2 cars with 3 dogs and a 9 month old, and I get to drive my 911 4-5x a week on trips out of the house without the kiddo (pretty much any time I'm going without the kiddo or all 3 dogs -- groceries, dr visit, gym, taking 1 dog to the vet, etc.). If I had 3 cars, I probably would still get to take it 2-3x a week. But a 911 is legally a 4-seater, I guess. If I was a more responsible dad, I probably would have gotten a RS6 avant.
I got an integra type s and use that for fun/family duties
I have 3 kids, a 7 y/o, 5 y/o, and 2 y/o. I have a C7 Corvette and a M235i (amongst other cars/trucks/vans). I daily the C7, my wife takes the 2 y/o to daycare in the M235i, the other kids ride the bus. When I had a newborn, 5 y/o, and 3 y/o, I had 2 motorcycles and would ride them pretty regularly. Ultimately, this is a time use question. I would take a motorcycle or sportscar every time I needed to run errands, and as you'll soon come to learn, running errands with a newborn is an astronomical chore vs only one of you going. With our first kid and the first couple weeks, getting baby fed, changed, cleaned, same for both of us, going to eat lunch at a pizza place, then going home was an all day activity. That was all we had time for during the day. But after that, it gets a lot easier.
All the time. Drive it to work, to the gym, buy groceries/errands. Still do a handful of track days and autocross events per year, albeit not as often as before having a kid >did you switch to a sports sedan, or something else? Yes I did switch out my FR-S to an Elantra N so that in addition to all the above I can also take the whole family out in my own car instead of using my wife's car. Plus my FR-S was getting old anyway. But I also wanted to share my passion for cars with my son. I drive him around in full N mode and when my son hears that exhaust he goes "vroom vroom!" If the kids are playing outside at daycare when I pick him up my son will hear the exhaust popping. Then the teacher says my son runs right up to the fence because he knows "daddy's car goes vroom vroom". Sometimes he likes to sit on my lap and pretend to drive the car and shift gears Maybe when my son gets older and can do a front facing car seat I might switch back to a coupe of some kind. I would love to drop him off at elementary school in Mustang GT with active valve exhaust
This is why the m3, m340, s4/S3, golf R, type R, CTS-V, exist. Your priorities change and you realize that blending your hobby with a family friendly vehicle is a good fit. Plus going to car and coffee with the family is fun.
My daughter loved going on rides with me in my vette and on my bikes when she got older. One time, I got stopped in the vette for "failing to signal." The cop (she) saw my little girl riding shotgun in her booster seat and melted, just told me to stay safe and let me go. For years, I refused to wash inside the passenger window because it had her tiny handprint on it. A sports car is great for one on one time with a kid, it's exciting for them and it's just you two.
I have a mustang convertible. It does have 4 seats my kids are 7&5 but I’ve had it since before they were born. Definitely not used as much as it was but still enjoy it. Kids really like it now
I have two kids, ages 2 and 4, and daily drive my Mustang. Getting them in and out is a hassle, but it's worth it. Admittedly, we also have a Corolla for kid duty, so I only carry them in the Stang about once a week.
I had my E46 M3 before my first was born. I probably didn’t drive it at all for 3 months, and only a handful of other times for the first year. But eventually, I got to where I’m driving it every 2-3 weeks. My kids love it, but it’s a pain to switch the car seats lol. It also helps that it’s my track car, so I get to do a track day every month or two without switching the seats. With that said, I didn’t like having a boring daily so I picked up an F80 M3. Very glad that I did.
I sold my ISF this year for the same reason. I used to take spirited drives with my wife, but knew I wouldn’t go by myself.
I ride my motorcycle as often as I can, few times a month. I'd say it's probably a waste of money in most people's eyes but that time is worth it to me. Sometimes I get on it just to grab a couple things from the store so even if it's not for a long ride, it's two birds with one stone!
I was in this predicament about two years ago. Put a lot of thought into it. When we found out we were adding a little one to the family, I started brainstorming every scenario. My daily is a Golf R, so that’s still a great fun car with room for the family. That wasn’t going anywhere. At the time, my fun car was an NC Miata. It kinda lined up that I was “done” with the Miata - I had accomplished everything I had wanted to with that car, so I was kinda ready to move on. So I started looking at bigger coupes with a rear seat. Something’s like a Camaro or Mustang or GR86 or 911. After a few test drives, I settled on wanting a 911. There’s enough research on car seats for the 911 done out there, just they’ll be a compromise until the kiddo is big enough for front facing. You can get a rear facing seat in there, sure, but the front seat will have to be pulled up quite a bit, enough that it’s not usable for the passenger. Anyways, the short of it is I bought a 911 (something completely not what I expected either) and a year + half later, I bought a Graco Slimfit 3X for my daughter. Test fitted it in the 911 and it’ll fit in there perfectly once it’s time for front facing seats. In regard to time… well that’s the challenge. My wife understands that driving is a way I relieve some stress, even though driving itself is a stressful thing. So my family is cool with me doing car-centric things every so often on the weekends or weeknights. Cruises, autocross, all those things. But we are both still waiting for the moment our daughter can sit in the car with us and cruise too.
Weekends by myself cursing the backroads. 🙏🏻
During the height of covid I worked remotely and barely put and miles on the Miata. Only if I was going to the grocery store solo or something. Now I'm back in the office 3 days a week and I use it for commuting.
My daily has 450hp and has a baby seat. 4 door is the way to go if you have a kid and still want to be able to hit the mountains
I am/was in a similar situation as you (first child who is now 20 months and WFH). Congrats in advance on the arrival of your first. They will change your life, and as tiring as it is, it is worth it. Every baby is differently so YMMV but I found free time to be a rare luxury. In terms of car, I've had the exact same thoughts as you - 2 door coupe or 4 door sedan that can do everything. How many cars do you have atm? For us, we have a dedicated family car (SUV) which made picking a fun car easier. For me, I still wanted a sporty 2 door but it needs 4 seats for the occasional childcare drop off/pick up. I found the best combination of sporty and practical is the BMW F87 M2. I haven't pulled the trigger yet though as I want to wait another 12 months until my little guy can climb in-and-out of the baby seat, which will make living with a 2 door easier. Hope that helps and good luck!
Like never since I blew my motor when my first born was only 4 months old 😂
My dad had a 91 Mr2 and drove my two sisters and I to school with it 🤣