For Those with kids...

[cooticooti16]

Went from E46 M3 and E39 M5 to Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna.

I chose comfort and safety while my kids are in car seats. There will always be nice cars for guys like us to buy.

[MachinesWithSouls]

Originally Posted by cooticooti16

Went from E46 M3 and E39 M5 to Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna.

I chose comfort and safety while my kids are in car seats. There will always be nice cars for guys like us to buy.

Your statement implies that, by choosing to keep the M car, it is the selfish choice. I'd disagree.

I will say that a minivan is much more roomy, but mostly overkill, especially for a family with one child. That's based on personal need.

Sometimes I think we forget about the best kind of accident, which is the kind you can avoid. Those quick reflexes and extra power, not to mention better stopping distance, might just be the extra tenth of a second needed to avoid an accident.

I'm aware that minivans have come a long way, but driving dynamics are not at the forefront of minivan development. As for safety, perhaps the E39 and 46 are a bit out of date, but an E90 has all the airbags and frame strength needed to survive a crash.

[Dr. Dre]

Man up. You're having a kid. Do the right thing. If you've had the e90 for a couple years and enjoyed it. It might be time to move on.

Originally Posted by EnVe46

Talking over with the wife, trying to figure out our car situation. For those who don't know, I've got my adored E90, 740i and wife has an A3. Her car has about 11 months remaining and also a good chunk of negative equity. Her prior car needed about 4-5k in work so rather pay cash on that, we rolled into lease. No big deal.

Well, we are expecting our first child in May. My car situation is perfectly fine, both the 740 and E90 will do its job. Matter of fact, I planned this situation so Id be able to keep the E90. Here is our dilemma, the wife's car is too small for rear facing car seat. She can drive the 740 without a problem and its safe but lets be honest, its a 17/18 yr old car, anything can happen. If its me that breaks down or something, I can manage. She works about 40 minutes from home, while I work 5 miles from home. She wont drive the E90, she knows how I feel towards it and she'd be constantly worried about something happening and it being her fault hahaha. Plus she likes to kiss curbs with the wheels

Most of you, myself included, say do whatever you can, keep the E90 and thats the ultimate goal. But, I also have a good amount of equity in the car and can sell it, put cash in my pocket and get her a larger vehicle. Id drive her A3, , until lease end and hopefully get another E90 or something else. If selling the E90 does happen, Id sell the 740 too and consolidate. I REALLY dont want to sell the E90 and didn't plan to until my conversation last night with the wife. I definitely wouldn't have just spent a couple grand getting the body 100%. But, I also have to think about what makes the most financial sense. With the equity in the car, plus the drop of the 740 off insurance with the M3 and getting her a new SUV, it'll put 8-10k in cash in my pocket and save me about $250/mth. When planning for a kid, this HAS to be considered.

So lets put aside our love for cars and my love for mine. Does selling the E90 make the most sense?

[EnVe46]

Originally Posted by Dr. Dre

Man up. You're having a kid. Do the right thing. If you've had the e90 for a couple years and enjoyed it. It might be time to move on.

That's what I've kinda decided on. I have the E90 up for sale. Thinking E63 wagon or RS7

[IB M]

Originally Posted by GRUESOM3

Pm me if you also want to save about 2-3k for the formula in the first 12 months, can show you how not gonna post on public forum

Isn't that just called breast feeding?

[spazzyfry123]

Originally Posted by IB M

Isn't that just called breast feeding?

[GRUESOM3]

No it was intended with the assumption that they were doing formula.

[shimmy23]

Originally Posted by EnVe46

That's what I've kinda decided on. I have the E90 up for sale. Thinking E63 wagon or RS7

My buddy was saying he has a hard time getting his kids out of the a7 due to the sport coupe back. He mentioned head room. I haven't actually sat in his car but I guess I can see what he's saying.

[EnVe46]

Originally Posted by shimmy23

My buddy was saying he has a hard time getting his kids out of the a7 due to the sport coupe back. He mentioned head room. I haven't actually sat in his car but I guess I can see what he's saying.

That is something I'll be exploring once I go test drive. I'm leaning more towards E63 as I think it's more my style and the sound it makes is amazing.

[Richbot]

Originally Posted by JackieChiles

I have a two year old and an infant.

I’ll tell you my advice, don’t overplan. You can try to anticipate how you will use your cars, why you think you need a bigger or smaller car. The reality is you probably are going to get it wrong.

I would tell you to wait 6 months at least after you have your first child and then you will be able to tell what you do or don’t need.

For now, remain calm, change nothing (unless you swap out the 740 which I would personally and replace with an suv because I like suv more than large sedans) and see how things go.

This will allow you to get whatever you really need based on experience, instead of guessing now and possibly making the wrong decision.

Absolutely. Tell me more, dad who is expecting his first child, about what you will need to baby

Here's future you, at 2am, looking back at you now:


Kevin Kline Willy Wonka Do Tell Face Dot Meme

[For3]

Here is my 2 cents as a father of a 2, son is 7 and daughter is 4. I am in the market for a m3 in the next year and like reading this forum.

When my son was born, my wife had an A3 4 door sportback (sedan wasn't available in the States in 2011). I had a 350Z. His car seat/carrier was placed in the center and of course rear facing in her car. We had this arrangement for 2+ years until our daughter came along and the Z wasn't practical at all anymore. The A3 couldn't fit a rear facing seat without shoving the front passenger so far forward as to be impractical and had to move on.

I agree with the poster that says not to overplan. This is your first and you will realize how nothing can actually prepare your for that transition and you just have to learn to go with the flow.

My 2 cents if cash flow really isn't an issue is to keep the E90 M3 for yourself (seems to me it would be the perfect mix of family practicality and sportiness-which is why I want to get one), sell the 7 series, use the A3 until your child is born, get your wife the SUV she wants just before the child is born, and just run out the remainder of the lease. I don't know when the due date is, but if it's something like having to make 4 payments on the A3 you won't use, I would rather do that than sell the cherished M3. I know that is highly impractical, but if it meant I could keep the m3 and not take too much of a hit, I would go that route. It all depends on if the baby is due soon or a ways out.

That is my view though as a guy looking to get into one and not a guy who has had one and maybe has an itch for something else.

Whatever you decide...best of luck to you and your family.

[EnVe46]

Originally Posted by Richbot

Absolutely. Tell me more, dad who is expecting his first child, about what you will need to baby

Here's future you, at 2am, looking back at you now:


Kevin Kline Willy Wonka Do Tell Face Dot Meme

Is this a response to me? My questions and purpose behind this post, wasn't that the E90 couldn't do the job, or that I need an Escalade XL for one kid. Not sure how anyone read it that way

To summarize for those people, thought was to sell E90 and 740 so wife can get another car suitable to her and the kid when it arrives, consolidate cars as well as money and I drive her A3 until end of the lease. Also, whether those with kids felt it was the right play based off their experiences going through similar situations. Everyone's input was appreciated and taken into consideration. Ultimately, the wife likes the idea of getting an E63 wagon or RS7, for us both and ride the A3 til the end of the lease and figure out our next steps. That'll allow us to have a sizable car we are comfortable in for our needs and allow us to shop for another car once the baby arrives and make a good decision then, for us.

[cooticooti16]

Originally Posted by SoManyBlueCars

Your statement implies that, by choosing to keep the M car, it is the selfish choice. I'd disagree.

I will say that a minivan is much more roomy, but mostly overkill, especially for a family with one child. That's based on personal need.

Sometimes I think we forget about the best kind of accident, which is the kind you can avoid. Those quick reflexes and extra power, not to mention better stopping distance, might just be the extra tenth of a second needed to avoid an accident.

I'm aware that minivans have come a long way, but driving dynamics are not at the forefront of minivan development. As for safety, perhaps the E39 and 46 are a bit out of date, but an E90 has all the airbags and frame strength needed to survive a crash.

I most certainly wasn't implying it was a selfish decision. Not sure why you took it that way.

1 kid with my E90 330i would have been fine. But a rear facing car seat limited seat travel and the comfort of feeding the baby on road trips.

3 kids in the back of my 535d was doable, until it wasn't.

Ultimately, I've had enough of cleaning all sorts of dirt and debris in my nicer vehicles that I went for the most comfortable and sensible choice for my family of 5.

An E63 wagon would be a perfect fit for a growing family. I certainly didn't have the patience to continue cleaning spilled milk, Cheerios, ritz crackers, mud, etc....

But I don't mind it with the Honda Vac! lol

[cooticooti16]

Originally Posted by EnVe46

Is this a response to me? My questions and purpose behind this post, wasn't that the E90 couldn't do the job, or that I need an Escalade XL for one kid. Not sure how anyone read it that way

To summarize for those people, thought was to sell E90 and 740 so wife can get another car suitable to her and the kid when it arrives, consolidate cars as well as money and I drive her A3 until end of the lease. Also, whether those with kids felt it was the right play based off their experiences going through similar situations. Everyone's input was appreciated and taken into consideration. Ultimately, the wife likes the idea of getting an E63 wagon or RS7, for us both and ride the A3 til the end of the lease and figure out our next steps. That'll allow us to have a sizable car we are comfortable in for our needs and allow us to shop for another car once the baby arrives and make a good decision then, for us.

I think the E63 is a splendid choice! Very roomy cargo bay and drop dead looks IMO.

You're making a smart decision and can always get another down the road!

I'm in the market for a Z4MR and an E93 M3 after being on car hiatus for a bit.

But seems like you'll be taking an upgrade! IMO

[tooloud10]

Originally Posted by SoManyBlueCars

Your statement implies that, by choosing to keep the M car, it is the selfish choice. I'd disagree.

Hear, hear. I remember all of this silly 'man up, your life is over' talk when my first kid was born 15 years ago. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it was mostly all BS. I didn't have to dump my sports cars for a van or drastically change my car selections at all.

Originally Posted by Dr. Dre

Man up. You're having a kid. Do the right thing. If you've had the e90 for a couple years and enjoyed it. It might be time to move on.

I'm just gonna say it: an A3, E90, and E39 are perfectly fine/normal/usable cars for a family of three. There's no reason to trade things for minivans or $100k replacement cars here.

Originally Posted by cooticooti16

An E63 wagon would be a perfect fit for a growing family.

I guess I don't understand how it makes any sense to replace any of these sub-$30k cars with an ultra-rare uber-wagon that starts at $107k and doesn't have a remarkably larger rear seat than an A3 or E90. Hell, he'd be farther ahead to sell nothing and just add a $15k minivan for the times it's absolutely needed.

[GRUESOM3]

I have to wonder what type of car some of the people responding were brought up in..

[IB M]

Originally Posted by GRUESOM3

I have to wonder what type of car some of the people responding were brought up in..

No kid seats, no airbags, never wore seat belts. Never wore a helmet with the bike either. No wonder I'm so fucked up now.

[EnVe46]

Originally Posted by tooloud10

Hear, hear. I remember all of this silly 'man up, your life is over' talk when my first kid was born 15 years ago. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it was mostly all BS. I didn't have to dump my sports cars for a van or drastically change my car selections at all.



I'm just gonna say it: an A3, E90, and E39 are perfectly fine/normal/usable cars for a family of three. There's no reason to trade things for minivans or $100k replacement cars here.



I guess I don't understand how it makes any sense to replace any of these sub-$30k cars with an ultra-rare uber-wagon that starts at $107k and doesn't have a remarkably larger rear seat than an A3 or E90. Hell, he'd be farther ahead to sell nothing and just add a $15k minivan for the times it's absolutely needed.

Assumptions shouldn't be made that Im buying a brand new, $107k car just because Im having a kid. But, just to point out a few things:

No one NEEDS a 420+ hp BMW E90
No one NEEDS a 600+ hp E63 wagon
No one NEEDS an Escalade
No one NEEDS a BMW

I realize I could buy a used Honda Accord and save money. I dont NEED to sell my E90 either and if I don't get what I want, it wont sell. And, not trying to be a dick here but also don't need to justify as to why I want an E63. That said, Im blessed to have the ability to do so but I've also busted my ass for 10 yrs in my career so I can afford such a purchase.

[JackieChiles]

Originally Posted by EnVe46

Assumptions shouldn't be made that Im buying a brand new, $107k car just because Im having a kid. But, just to point out a few things:

No one NEEDS a 420+ hp BMW E90
No one NEEDS a 600+ hp E63 wagon
No one NEEDS an Escalade
No one NEEDS a BMW

I realize I could buy a used Honda Accord and save money. I dont NEED to sell my E90 either and if I don't get what I want, it wont sell. And, not trying to be a dick here but also don't need to justify as to why I want an E63. That said, Im blessed to have the ability to do so but I've also busted my ass for 10 yrs in my career so I can afford such a purchase.

Yeah but you are trying to justify it as if you need it in order to safely transport your family. Just read your own posts

Anyway, like you said, get what you want, no need to justify. You want an e63, get it. We all work hard to be able to get the toys we want, just like you.

Good luck with the kid and the new car. It’s fun, and gets more fun as they get older (at least so far, oldest is 2)

[EnVe46]

Originally Posted by JackieChiles

Yeah but you are trying to justify it as if you need it in order to safely transport your family. Just read your own posts

Anyway, like you said, get what you want, no need to justify. You want an e63, get it. We all work hard to be able to get the toys we want, just like you.

Good luck with the kid and the new car. It’s fun, and gets more fun as they get older (at least so far, oldest is 2)

Thank you. My thoughts changed throughout the post as my wife and I talked. It started with getting her a vehicle and ended up me getting something I wanted that we will share to ride out her A3 lease. Never once did I say I needed an E63 to Transport a kid safely, rather getting rid of the A3, to do it more comfortably. But that post about the cost of the vehicle got under my skin a bit hahaha. Maybe I need thicker skin as I asked for advice but I also never asked if I needed an E63 or any other bigger vehicle. I think people misinterpreted the post as asking what size vehicle I needed when in realty it was what we should do with current cars.

[scrammer]

I'm not sure if you've taken into account that for the first year your kid should probably ride in a bucket rather than a full rear facing car seat... These ones clip in and out and can easily fit in an A3 in the middle position (had one).
The nice thing about these seats is that they clip off your stroller (we had a Bugaboo Frog) and you or your wife can kneel down on the rear seat get things lined up and click it into the base that is already belted it.
Whatever you decide, go car shopping with your bucket or full rear-facing seat in hand and make sure it fits.
My Kids graduated from their buckets into Recaro Five Points and then into Recaro booster seats until they were each 9yrs old ... check em out!

Amazon.com : Peg Perego Primo Viaggio 4/35 Infant Car Seat with base, Atmosphere : Baby
https://www.amazon.com/Peg-Perego-Vi.../dp/B00J3KL4HG

[EnVe46]

Originally Posted by scrammer

I'm not sure if you've taken into account that for the first year your kid should probably ride in a bucket rather than a full rear facing car seat... These ones clip in and out and can easily fit in an A3 in the middle position (had one).
The nice thing about these seats is that they clip off your stroller (we had a Bugaboo Frog) and you or your wife can kneel down on the rear seat get things lined up and click it into the base that is already belted it.
Whatever you decide, go car shopping with your bucket or full rear-facing seat in hand and make sure it fits.
My Kids graduated from their buckets into Recaro Five Points and then into Recaro booster seats until they were each 9yrs old ... check em out!

Amazon.com : Peg Perego Primo Viaggio 4/35 Infant Car Seat with base, Atmosphere : Baby
https://www.amazon.com/Peg-Perego-Vi.../dp/B00J3KL4HG

Great info, thanks! We are considering the nuna or uppa baby which is exactly what you're referring to. Stroller and car seat in one with a base for the car