500 New - 500 for a family?

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500 New - 500 for a family?

Scrappy

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Hi there

I'm new to this forum and looking for some advice :)

I would love a 500 as our second car, I know it's small but is it totally impractical for a young family? I have two children aged 1 and 3 and travel light in terms of baby paraphernalia but the one thing you need by law are the car seats.

Can anyone tell me if the Maxi Cosi Pearl fits in a 500? Or provide any suggestions for a Group 2/3 car seat that fits? Would I be better waiting until they just need a booster seat rather than big bulky car seats?

Thanks in advance
 
To be honest I think you'll struggle with a 500, much as it pains me to admit it, the problem you will have is strapping your children into their seats. The 500 does have Isofix child seat mountings I think, so the child seats should fit, it's just a bit cramped squeezing in to the back with only two doors.
My two children are 21 and 24 now and haven't been in child seats for a while, so I haven't any experience of strapping them in but I know it's tricky just accessing the back seat to vacuum it.
You could always get a 500L, I had one as a courtesy car and it's like the tardis for interior space.
 
Rented a 500L overseas a for a few weeks. Much bigger car overall than a 2 door 500, but a good family car no doubt.
 
I had a 500 with a 6 month baby, and Grande Punto with two small children and while the Punto is bigger in the back there was the same amount of squeeze space to buckle them in in both. I also have a vast 7 door Volvo and I honesty don't find it much easier to strap the kids in. In three door cars (500 included) the width of the door is so much bigger so the access is about the same. If the thought of getting in the car and buckling the belts fills you with dread, than 500 is not for you. From memory Maxi Cosi seats were fine in the 500 but ABSOLUTELY go somewhere like Mothercare to try the fit as it might not fit properly. Good luck!
 
Getting rid of my GP for a 500L as the kids have outgrown my 2 door version, mine are 7 & 9 and find they constantly hit their heads getting in.
 
I had a 500 with a 6 month baby, and Grande Punto with two small children and while the Punto is bigger in the back there was the same amount of squeeze space to buckle them in in both. I also have a vast 7 door Volvo and I honesty don't find it much easier to strap the kids in. In three door cars (500 included) the width of the door is so much bigger so the access is about the same. If the thought of getting in the car and buckling the belts fills you with dread, than 500 is not for you. From memory Maxi Cosi seats were fine in the 500 but ABSOLUTELY go somewhere like Mothercare to try the fit as it might not fit properly. Good luck!



7 door VOLVO - is that a US option..??




OP.
I would hire a 500 for a weekend / trip,
the £150 odd quid it'll cost you will be money well spent against depreciation / costs if you buy the WRONG vehicle,


Charlie


Charlie
 
Good advice Charlie - nothing like having first hand experience of driving a car and seeing yourself what it is like.

Re the OP's original post - it is a tough one. We swapped our old 500 back in April 2012 for one of the new shape Pandas as we were struggling with the 500 and our little boy who was a chunky five month old at the time (although that was mainly down to my wife's joint condition).

The Panda is absolutely fantastic for young families, no two ways about that. Have a search on the forum and you'll see a few threads with people's comments. It offers loads of space inside and is about 10cm longer than a 500; hardly any difference at all.

But...and this is the big but...it just doesn't make us smile like our old 500 did. I don't think it ever will, irrespective of how good it has been for us. Totally pathetic I know but it's the truth!:eek:

Anyway...you do say this is going to be your second car. I don't know what your other car is, but by the sounds of it you would not be using the 500 as your main car. If that is the case, I reckon a 500 would be fine to be honest.

But the main thing is of course to try out your car seats in the back and see how you get on with the kids. A weekend hire would definitely help you to make up your mind.
 
Hi there

I'm new to this forum and looking for some advice :)

I would love a 500 as our second car, I know it's small but is it totally impractical for a young family? I have two children aged 1 and 3 and travel light in terms of baby paraphernalia but the one thing you need by law are the car seats.

Can anyone tell me if the Maxi Cosi Pearl fits in a 500? Or provide any suggestions for a Group 2/3 car seat that fits? Would I be better waiting until they just need a booster seat rather than big bulky car seats?

Thanks in advance

I just noted your point about the Maxi Cosi Pearl seat.

We have got a Britax First Class Plus seat for our little boy. It's quite tight on legroom in the back of the Panda (at least if you want some decent room for the front passenger), and it's 57cm deep.

I just spotted the Pearl is 61cm deep. I'll be honest with you, I reckon it would be a tight fit in the back of the 500. But you'd have to see for yourself I guess.

I haven't got first hand experience, but my wife follows a lot of baby/mum forums and apparently the Cosatto Zoomi is quite highly rated and not too expensive either (it's Group 1, 2 and 3). Available in a variety of designs and it's only 44cm deep which is a big difference for legroom.
 
Further update on this thread - we actually went ahead and got the Cosatto Zoomi car seat in the Vroom design. Can be bought for under £80 as of today depending on where you buy it from.

Brilliant car seat. I'd be amazed if this wasn't a good fit in the back of a 500 as it really has made an absolute world of difference in the Panda which has (give or take) equal leg room in the rear.

And our little boy who is car mad absolutely loves it!:)
 
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Hello :waves:

I am a single parent and have two children now ages 6 and 3yrs - I have had my 500 for 2yrs and it is my only car.

My eldest daughter has a maxi cosi Rodifix and my youngest is still in her maxi cosi tobi. They fit in great and I used to have a Bugaboo Bee pushchair that fitted in the boot too! I could still get 3 or 4 shopping bags in there with the buggy.
Now the girls are growing there is less leg room in the back but mainly for my youngest in her giant car seat!!

I hope this helps you xx
 
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