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ford focus 2 kids... what would you do ??

xaeniac

xaeniac

Golden Member
my wife owns a 5 door model and I own a 3 door model. One of my children is ~ 2yrs old and there is a baby on the way. Should my wife and I be looking for a bigger car and then I take the 5 door model. What are your thoughts on a smaller car and kids.
 
What's your frustration level with the current situation? If it's workable and you like the car(s), then you probably don't need to make any changes - two car seats will fit in the back just as easily as one. If you hate bending over and contorting yourself to get the kids buckled in, then a minivan/SUV would be a better solution.

I doubt a Focus wagon would be any better, just hold more stuff 😉
 
Is your 5 door focus a hatchback like the Golf, or a wagon like the Jetta wagon?

My wife and I had a Golf and two kids 14 months apart. When the younger one was about 1, we sold it for a Ford Freestyle. After 18 months of really disliking driving it, we sold if for an Audi S4 Avant. My recommendation is:

If you like driving smaller cars because they are more fun to drive, and don’t mind occasionally cramming things in – and if your Focus is more of a hatchback than a wagon – I’d upgrade to a mid sized wagon. Unfortunately, there are very few of them available on the US market. The new Focus wagon wont be sold here. VW makes the Jetta and Passat. Subaru makes some quasi-suvs like the Forester and Outback which are the right size if you like how they drive. BMW 3 wagon and Audi A4 Avant.

I don’t think you need to rush though. We lived for a year with two kids and the Golf – as long as the double stroller fits in the back, and again if you don’t mind cramming at times – you can make it through with a small car. You might decide that your 5 door focus is sufficient.
 
Sell/trade the 2 door and get a Mazda5. Similar milage to what you are getting now, plus in a small, fun to drive package you are used to. But you get two very easy to use sliding doors for infant carriers and the toddlers seat and a huge cargo area for strollers/pack 'n plays ,ect.

As a bonus they are reasonably priced. New can be had for around $16,500 and used are in the 10k range. Insurance is dirt cheap on them.
 
I don't have any idea what your financial situation is, but if you were me, you would keep the two cars until they don't run anymore. The 5 door focus is plenty of room for two kids, even if it isn't a hatchback. My wife and I had three carseats in the back of our Corolla for a little bit until we upgraded to a 2011 Sonata. Sure, it can seem a little cramped at times, but the real question is... how much is the extra space worth to you?
 
How old are these cars? You usually take a bath on trying to resell economy cars unless you do a private sale and then find another private seller with a good deal on what you want.

Fwiw my brother and I were BIG kids, we were both 6' by about 12-13 years old, and our parents made do with an old pickup (short back seat) and things like an old Sentra, 87 Taurus Sedan, Volvo 240, etc. It's certainly more convenient to have larger vehicles with kids, minivans are usually the best, but it's definitely possible to make do with something like a 5-door hatch like a Focus.
 
Arkaign said:
How old are these cars? You usually take a bath on trying to resell economy cars unless you do a private sale and then find another private seller with a good deal on what you want.

Fwiw my brother and I were BIG kids, we were both 6' by about 12-13 years old, and our parents made do with an old pickup (short back seat) and things like an old Sentra, 87 Taurus Sedan, Volvo 240, etc. It's certainly more convenient to have larger vehicles with kids, minivans are usually the best, but it's definitely possible to make do with something like a 5-door hatch like a Focus.
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The 3 door is an 2001 and the 5 door is an 2005. I have 15k in cash to buy a vehicle, but do not want to burn it and then get buyers remorse. Maybe a roof rack would be a good purchase for one of the focus' for road trips. Maybe we should wait until the baby comes and see how life is then. I just do not want to rush into buying a car as both of mine are running good, but at the same time I know it would be easier to car shop when we both have cars that are running well and not a very young infant. Decisions decisions.
 
Arkaign said:
Fwiw my brother and I were BIG kids, we were both 6' by about 12-13 years old, and our parents made do with an old pickup (short back seat) and things like an old Sentra, 87 Taurus Sedan, Volvo 240, etc. It's certainly more convenient to have larger vehicles with kids, minivans are usually the best, but it's definitely possible to make do with something like a 5-door hatch like a Focus.
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Rules are a lot different now than then. The rear facing infant seats are monstrously huge nowdays. And if you have an infant carrier with the handle then it's even more cumbersome. Same thing with toddler seats. Trying to get my 3 year old out of her carseat is an act of contortion in some vehicles because the seats sit up so high off the cusion of the car.
 
vi edit said:
Rules are a lot different now than then. The rear facing infant seats are monstrously huge nowdays. And if you have an infant carrier with the handle then it's even more cumbersome. Same thing with toddler seats. Trying to get my 3 year old out of her carseat is an act of contortion in some vehicles because the seats sit up so high off the cusion of the car.
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I hear ya, the infant seats are pretty damned big. I manage with my Focus though, and it's a coupe 😀 It's one time I'm happy about the cavernous roofline.
 
No, on the moon drinking cosmic soda.

Come on, you know what I meant. Obviously stuck where ever they currently are (at home, work, etc).
 
I was able to put 1 car seat and 1 baby basket in the back of the Protege5 when I had it. Including full size stroller for the baby and a light stroller for the kid in the smallish trunk.

I think the Focus 5 door is about the same size no?
 
sdifox said:
I was able to put 1 car seat and 1 baby basket in the back of the Protege5 when I had it. Including full size stroller for the baby and a light stroller for the kid.

I think the Focus 5 door is about the same size no?
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Yea I would say Focus is somewhere near the same size as the mazda protege. You said when you had it. Did you upgrade to a bigger vehicle? If so was it due to it being too small for the family?
 
xaeniac said:
Yea I would say Focus is somewhere near the same size as the mazda protege. You said when you had it. Did you upgrade to a bigger vehicle? If so was it due to it being too small for the family?
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Got another car, then got into yet another accident on the P5. Wife wanted it gone because she thought insurance will be cheaper on one car. I told her she won't save much on insurance and I was right 😛

I loved that car. Put 150k km on it.


It was not too small, I have only 1 kid (the baby was my nephew).


currently on 06 E350 4Matic. I am not missing the P5 too much :awe:
 
Ah the first gen Ford Focus 5dr. Almost bought one of those. Glad I didn't. I like the second generation better. It's a little boxy but has a comfy interior. Drives really nice.

I'm not a big minivan/SUV person, especially when it comes to family vehicles. They chew through gas and are a bit much unless you have more than two kids. I would personally go with a nice mid-size. I really like the Mazda 6 myself. Some good deals on used ones out there. Ford Fusion is also very nice. Even the Kia Forte.
 
SparkyJJO said:
What? only one vehicle? That's nuts, one person goes somewhere the other is stuck.
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Wife and I have been one vehicle for four years. It's awesome. We rarely went anywhere alone anyway. Now I don't have to pay for a second vehicle to sit in the driveway most of the time.
 
Having grown up riding in the back seat of cars like a '58 Delray and '64 Fury in the 80s/90s, I always get a chuckle about how hard it is to use child seats in today's 2 door cars :awe:
 
Jumpem said:
Wife and I have been one vehicle for four years. It's awesome. We rarely went anywhere alone anyway. Now I don't have to pay for a second vehicle to sit in the driveway most of the time.
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