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General 500 as a 'family car'....

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General 500 as a 'family car'....

306maxi said:
Where's your

Travel cot
Moses basket
Intercom system
Ear thermometer
'Super fun happy joy joy learn to play with Hitlers severed testicle' mobile hanging from the roof
gate across the rear seats so baby can't fall down
bottle steriliser

etc etc??????

Anyone would think you're a negligent parent not having all those things with you wherever you are :p

When I have a child it's going to have the following things in the car

A child seat
Something for it to be pushed around in
Some nappies for those uncontrolled bowel movements
Some food (Wifes boobs should do for a while)
A change of clothes
Some nappies
Some wet wipes
and if I'm feeling nice some toys

How the hell that wouldn't fit in something as big as a 500 I don't know, for those doubting that the 500 is a big car, just wait till you see it next to something like a Fiesta that your parents had when you were young. The 500 looks like a people carrier. We were parked up at my brother in laws on Thursday and his wife was amazed at how big the 500 was compared to her 900 convertible. I'll go back to what I've said before and say that it's companies convincing us that we need endless loads of crap which means that people think they need people carriers and saloons just to carry a little baby.....
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Park it next to a seicento/cinquecento same shock
 
Thanks very much for all your responses (particularly OrangeSport with the detailed example :D)

Looks like I'll look at the fiat more closely than I had been - hadn't even considered leather but the reasons mentioned (projectile minute-and-a-half old Apple and Coconut mush (or whatever kids eat these days) could be an irritation on cloth) make perfect sense.

Guess I'll start looking at 1.2 and 1.3 lounges for the split rear seat :)
 
I personally would have found it very hard to have my 500 when my son was under 2 years old - this is mainly due to the pram I had being too large to fit in the boot (it was a mamas and papas pliko pramette). There is no way it would have fitted in the boot nor across the floor in the back. Also I would have had alot of trouble getting the baby car seat in and out of the back (downside of the leather seats is that you can't put the baby seat on the front seats as they are more bucket shaped). Having said that, if I'd have the 500 from the start, before having a child, then I would have sourced a smaller yet still as comfy pram that would have fitted in the car and would have lived with the baby seat situation as it's only for 8 months.

It wouldn't be most people's ideal situation having a small fiat 500 as a family car, but as has been said above, my mum had a small original mini when we were little and yes we didn't have all the commercial rubbish that seems to get thrown at new parents as 'must haves'! I think however that 306Maxi is being a bit on the optimistic side with the amount of stuff you need to cart around lol, however it would all fit I reckon anyway.

From 2 years on life gets easier, you get to just use a small umbrella fold stroller, a booster seat (so much smaller than a car seat), less clutter when on long journeys (no travel cot if staying somewhere where there isn't one etc etc).

So my opinion? Go for it - the kids are only babies for a while and you've got years of enjoyment out of the 500 after they are bigger and easier to transport lol.

I would definitely go for the leather seats though -when my son threw up in the back of the car it was so much easier to clean it all up with the leather ... I had to use cif as it was but on fabric I can only imagine the smell lingering for weeks, with the leather the smell was gone as soon as I wiped with the Cif.

Good luck with the 'trying' - my husband didn't want kids at all, but now he wouldn't be without our little monster (we just stopped at the one too, husband said no more!!).

Heidi.
 
Heidi said:
I personally would have found it very hard to have my 500 when my son was under 2 years old - this is mainly due to the pram I had being too large to fit in the boot (it was a mamas and papas pliko pramette). There is no way it would have fitted in the boot nor across the floor in the back. Also I would have had alot of trouble getting the baby car seat in and out of the back (downside of the leather seats is that you can't put the baby seat on the front seats as they are more bucket shaped). Having said that, if I'd have the 500 from the start, before having a child, then I would have sourced a smaller yet still as comfy pram that would have fitted in the car and would have lived with the baby seat situation as it's only for 8 months.

It wouldn't be most people's ideal situation having a small fiat 500 as a family car, but as has been said above, my mum had a small original mini when we were little and yes we didn't have all the commercial rubbish that seems to get thrown at new parents as 'must haves'! I think however that 306Maxi is being a bit on the optimistic side with the amount of stuff you need to cart around lol, however it would all fit I reckon anyway.
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I'm sure I am but I was just trying to be a bit humourous ;) As you say if someone can do it in an original Mini then the people carrier 500 should be able to do it unless you want to carry all the rubbish that gets thrown woman who are understandably just wanting to do the best for their children. When a woman gives birth she gets pumped full of hormones which instill the whole motherly instinct thing so I do understand why they but all the rubbish their mothers never ever had the option of.
 
LOL 306maxi I agree ..... when they get to my son's age though THEY are the ones to bring the rubbish into the car - currently, aside from the pushchair (in the boot) and the booster seat, I also have 3 teddy bears, a sword (?!), 3 books, a microphone and a pair of binoculars in the cab part lol
 
same argument applies "can I have a kid in a 2 bedroom flat"

well yes you can but you may find you could use a bit more space at time

the car has 4 seats and a boot

i had 3 adults in my 500 the other day and it was fine(y)
 
Hi - for everyday use - probably fine, my parents switched from a Triumph Spitfire to a proper car - a Mini Coooper when I came along in 1965, mind you they didn't have half the paraphernalia you seem to 'need' these days.

You maybe need to think about a bigger car for holidays etc depending upon what you like to do!

We recently swapped my wifes Volvo estate for a 500 and she much prefers it, however our kids are 11 and 12 now and can get in and out of the back easliy enough, however we did have the transportation of my sons cello to consider - it does fit with one of the rear seats folded flat, so pushcahirs are not the only considerations!

We are luck enough to also have a large estate and so can afford to run a smaller less practical car as well providing it has four seats.

I would say thay you will need to think carefully about what you want from a car before picking a 500 as your sole means of transport?
 
My kids are 8 and 11 and don't have my 500 yet so possibly can't be that helpful in answering your question! My main reason for responding is to totally agree with the others who say that parents are often (and I fell victim too when they were little) persuaded that you need a lot more 'stuff' than necessary for babies/toddlers. I wish those little lightweight frames on which you can pop a car seat were available in my day! I cannot ever understand why people need a huge, 3 wheel all terrain thing and then give themselves a headache trying to negotiate it around shops etc. In my experience a small, folding buggy was just brilliant for most excursions. Admittedly I did also have a 3 wheeler but then I have/had dogs and only used it when I needed something to push the kids in through mud, snow, and all kinds of terrain when walking the dogs. Thinking back, I reckon I could have managed with a 500 when they were babies (especially if I only had one child) - it was the dogs that would have made it hard! When I get my 500 it will be my main runaround but fortunately we are keeping our very old, tatty estate as a 'dogmobile':)

Also definitely go for leather - cloth and kids are not a good mix.

Have a look at the 500 and give it a go as sounds like you are very keen on the car. Others here seem to cope and where there is a will there is a way. Good luck!
 
i'm sure there's enough space, sometimes it might be a little tight, but a 500 is worth it.

we'll have 3 adults and little dog in the 500 quite alot. Whether we'll attempt to shove my 24yr old 6'1" brother in aswell, i doubt it, but i'm pretty sure we'd all fit, he might feel uncomfortable but eh, i'm willing to risk it.

maybe our dog is more of a problem, he seems to think he's 10 times his size and has previously decided he likes the drivers seat best :D

i think 500's would be a nice little family car. go for it. :)
 
We use our 500 occassionally as a family car (2 kids, 1 at 3yrs and 1 at 5yrs). Their seats go in ok but at a certain age their legs will constantly kick the back of the front seats unless you pull the front seats too far forward to drive comfortably.

The boot is plenty big enough for everyday use and a day trip to the seaside but too small for a fortnights family holiday.

Also, I know the 500 is 5star ncap rated but everytime I shut the hatch and see my kids heads so close the rear of the car it does make me fearful of being hit from behind by anything too large.

We run a new Skoda Octavia estate as our main family car but the kids prefer the 500!
 
brigguscoop said:
We use our 500 occassionally as a family car (2 kids, 1 at 3yrs and 1 at 5yrs). Their seats go in ok but at a certain age their legs will constantly kick the back of the front seats unless you pull the front seats too far forward to drive comfortably.
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Back in my day you'd get told (shouted at rather) to stop kicking the back of the seat or doing whatever you were doing. Tended to work on us.
 
elsie said:
we'll have 3 adults and little dog in the 500 quite alot. Whether we'll attempt to shove my 24yr old 6'1" brother in aswell, i doubt it, but i'm pretty sure we'd all fit, he might feel uncomfortable but eh, i'm willing to risk it.
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I'm 5'10" and it's not safe for me in the back really.
 
I was recounting to a neighbour who was filling his peope carrier with enough stuff to survive Armageddon the other week (for a family camping holiday) that in 1967 my mum, dad, me and two sisters went away to Cornwall for 2 weeks in my Mum's mini traveller!! We had a roofrack and the back "van" bit of the car stuffed to the gunnels plus we all had stuff on our laps and around our feet. eee, them were the days.
 
I like the Fiat 500 a lot, but if I was choosing a family car I think I would choose something else to be honest, especially if I had a baby in a car seat. Trying to get the doors open enough in a car park to get a baby seat out is a nightmare. Having 5 doors makes things a lot easier. I'll be honest from a safety perspective the 500 is 5*, but regardless of this the distance from the back seat to the rear of the car is pretty small. It doesn't offer much of a crash absorption zone.

Having the split seat down is great, but anything loose next to a baby is just like having ammunition in a accident, it will fly around like projectiles.

My honest opinion is there are better cars out there for a family for similar money.

The 500 is probably one of the best town cars you will come across, but I don't think it was designed for families.
 
juliecully said:
I was recounting to a neighbour who was filling his peope carrier with enough stuff to survive Armageddon the other week (for a family camping holiday) that in 1967 my mum, dad, me and two sisters went away to Cornwall for 2 weeks in my Mum's mini traveller!! We had a roofrack and the back "van" bit of the car stuffed to the gunnels plus we all had stuff on our laps and around our feet. eee, them were the days.
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The Mini with a roof rack probably did 30 mpg tops. MPVs aren't necessarilly that bad - ok there's the zafirra autos of course, but the rest of the market has moved on significantly.
 
Yes it is absolutely fine as a family car.
I have 3 very young kids and get my 500 next week.

Don't be suckered into planning your every decision around your kid. Especially as it is not born yet.

And don't think you need all those kiddy accessories. You don't.
 
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