Three cars and a baby (Aygo/C1/107)

notanewuser

Don't assume a 5 door car is better. I found it much easier to get into the car with baby and put her in her seat front on IYSWIM.

Nicki

peachyprice wrote: »

You do know those three cars are the exact same car, all built in the same factory with different badging, don't you?

It would appear so

pumpkinstew wrote: »

I am currently looking at an Aygo/C1/107 (all the same car for those who don't know) for their low Road Tax and high MPG. I am just wondering about practical, real world experiences people may have had with these cars and a baby.

fawd1

notanewuser wrote: »

Don't assume a 5 door car is better. I found it much easier to get into the car with baby and put her in her seat front on IYSWIM.

Sorry, I completely disagree. Me and DH have a car each, mine a 5 door and his a 3 door, and although it's easier to strap them in the 3 door one now that they're walking, there's no comparison to the ease of a 5 door. I would second the poster that mentioned a bigger boot.

It may seem like a long time ahead, but this may not be the only child you choose to have, so consider the size of a double buggy, plus shopping, plus the inevitable mountains of "stuff" that comes with taking children out anywhere! I have a vauxhall astra, nice amount of room in the boot, can fit the two car seats easily, plus another passenger and is pretty good on petrol, but I only use it for local journeys really.

notanewuser

fawd1 wrote: »

Sorry, I completely disagree. Me and DH have a car each, mine a 5 door and his a 3 door, and although it's easier to strap them in the 3 door one now that they're walking, there's no comparison to the ease of a 5 door. I would second the poster that mentioned a bigger boot.

It may seem like a long time ahead, but this may not be the only child you choose to have, so consider the size of a double buggy, plus shopping, plus the inevitable mountains of "stuff" that comes with taking children out anywhere! I have a vauxhall astra, nice amount of room in the boot, can fit the two car seats easily, plus another passenger and is pretty good on petrol, but I only use it for local journeys really.

We did add to the fleet with a 4x4. Even so, I find it harder to get her into her rear facing seat even with a 5 door, big car.

pawsies

The 107 comes in 3 or 5 door, be careful as to which you get. Yellow pugs only seem to have 3 doors.

I have a 107, it's nippy but so slow uphill. I imagine it would be ok for a small family. It is cheap to run though and is low emission and fuel efficient too

anderson8

When we were looking and test driving we were thinking along the same lines as you. But we found the aygo really bare inside, so worried about the protection in a crash. In the end we bought a 5dr yaris. Love it

pumpkinstew

Thanks for all the replies, I'll think about them when I start looking properly.

I'm not going to buy for another couple of months, my current car which is a 17 year old Polo and only cost £550 (so you can see how little I care about cars) still has a few more months of life left in it.

sammyjammy wrote: »

I swear it went from 80mph to 25mph in a matter of seconds. I had to go up the hill near my parents at 25mph, so embarrassing

That really wouldn’t bother me.

lovecake wrote: »

Don't know much about cars, but OH and I have a Fiat Panda and are expecting a baby. There is loads of room in the back and the boot is a decent size. It is so cheap to run too. They don't look that pretty - but they are practical so we aren't going to bother changing cars. I think we'll manage fine with the Panda. I've had my sisters kids in there with their car seats (they are 6 and 9) and there was plenty room for them so a baby should be no bother

Thanks, I’ll look at Pandas, I don’t care if it doesn’t look pretty, cars aren’t my thing so it’s just a way of getting from A to B for me, hopefully as cheaply as possible.

bluenoseam wrote: »

What about a Kia Picanto, 7 year warranty brand new, 5 door & now they've given it a face lift it doesn't look like a shoebox on wheels, should be the same tax & around the same fuel efficiency.

I’m not looking to buy new but I’ll take a look at second hand Picantos thanks.

psychopathbabble wrote: »

i drive a yaris and love it... a small car but still big enough for what you need. My friends drive a fiesta, not the new version, the one before and that is perfect for them with a 9month old, and occassionally a 15yr old even driving across the country visiting family.

I looked at the Yaris and Fiesta before but they are in higher tax bands than I want to go to, but I’ll keep them in mind as backups.

Nicki wrote: »

a large supermarket shop (you'll need to fit in all the bags, plus buggy)
Christmas shopping
visiting family and friends for a short stay (you'll need room for the buggy, a travel cot, and overnight bags for the 3 of you)
holidays (you'll want the buggy and suitcases in the car, and maybe the travel cot too)

I should probably have said that my wife doesn't drive and I do the shopping on the way back from work so I would never have the baby with me.

Christmas shopping is easy as we only buy for immediate family and I bake cookies etc as gifts for everyone else.

We never stay overnight at peoples houses, my wifes family are within walking distance and my parents are 30 minutes away. If there was ever a time my parents needed to look after it, they have their own cot etc from when my sister used to visit with her baby.

We don't go very far on holiday. My wifes uncle owns a bungalow at the coast a couple of hours away that we visit a few times a year and we plan to buy a cot to leave there. We also tend to go in a 7 seater when we go as we often go with two or three other family members so we have plenty of space in the back.

peachyprice wrote: »

You do know those three cars are the exact same car, all built in the same factory with different badging, don't you?

Yep.

Aimless

Definitely look at Pandas, they're bigger inside than they look. If you get an active eco, they're £30 tax, and if you get in the right gear they are fine for hills/overtaking. I recently got buggy, travel cot, car seat, sleeping bag and a week of clothes and nappies for two of us and baby in mine. It cost me £6000 new a couple of years ago, so you ought to be able to find a reasonable secondhand one.

*Edited to add* only the baby needs nappies, just read that back!

onlyroz

I used to have a C1 and it was a great little car - however, I don't think it's too suitable as a family car. The boot is big enough to fit in something like a Quinny Zapp but you won't get much shopping in ontop of that. Also, the more compact buggies are rarely suitable for a newborn because they don't lie flat. You could get a frame buggy that would allow the car seat to be clipped ontop but it's not such a good idea to keep a newborn squeezed into a car seat for the whole day either.

If you're concerned about economy then I'd suggest getting a mid-sized diesel car, which can easily do 50-60mpg these days.

dundeediva

onlyroz wrote: »

I used to have a C1 and it was a great little car - however, I don't think it's too suitable as a family car. The boot is big enough to fit in something like a Quinny Zapp but you won't get much shopping in ontop of that. Also, the more compact buggies are rarely suitable for a newborn because they don't lie flat. You could get a frame buggy that would allow the car seat to be clipped ontop but it's not such a good idea to keep a newborn squeezed into a car seat for the whole day either.

If you're concerned about economy then I'd suggest getting a mid-sized diesel car, which can easily do 50-60mpg these days.

I agree, I have a c1 and am expecting my first child in March. My pram fits on the boot but i have to put any shopping or anything else in the back seat as it just won't fit. I am planning on just the one child so the care is perfect for us but if there's a baby and other child I would rethink the c1/107/aygo idea.

It is VERY economical, and mine is a 1.4 diesel so is a great drive but practicality wise I wouldnt recommend it for more than one young child (plus it's only 4 seats and not 5)