Hi all, first of all please forgive me if this post doesn't belong in this section, I just didn't really know where it would belong!

Ok, so my husband and I are in the process of settling our divorce- we have the 8 (mine) and a Chevy SUV (his). In the divorce, he is keeping his car and I'm keeping mine- problem is, the SUV is equipped for our 2 & 3 year old boys with a DVD player, storage space, easy to clean cloth seats, etc... and the 8 is clearly not! Not to mention that they're both in full size car seats and we all know the backseat isn't really suited for people at all, more like storage space! Anyway we have always used the Chevy for weekend trips and such, but now on MY weekends with the kids I'll have them both in my car wherever we go.

I guess my question/discussion topic is...how would you feel about your 8 being the only car you have for your daily driver to work, toting the kids around, road trips, etc? I'm really debating getting either a new car or an additional car/small SUV- but, the problem with an additional car is that it costs additional money...so that kind of leaves trading in the 8 for something more sensible as my "best" option at this point.

Comments? I'd really love to hear from anyone else who has been in a similar situation...

 

Well I am a single dad and I tote around my 16 year old and my 11 year old no problem at all. When they were little I had a turbocharged Civic coupe and managed the car seats no problem. I know plenty of RX8 owners with small children and it is typically a non issue. The four seats is the reason I went with 8 over something else.

 

i thought this was going to be one of those "Is this car a good first car, im 16 years old" thread LOL. But anyways you should be fine with the back seats. Obviously buying a newer suv would more roomy but i would personally keep the 8. Its more fun to drive. I cant really relate to your situation cause im not married or have kids but if i was in your situation i would keep the 8, no need in spending extra money. And plus nothing cooler and sexier than a mom driving an Rx8

 

Yeah the back doors & back seats were the main reason for me buying the RX8 in the first place over a 350Z or anything else- I just want to reassure myself that I'm not being selfish by keeping the car that I love even though it is not the best option for my kids- I don't know if I could sell it for what I owe on it right now (pretty sure I couldn't...) so financially it makes more sense to keep it than to trade it anyway. Then once paid off I could get an additional car I suppose. Anyway- the kid call it "Mommy's race car" and have always loved riding in it- so I guess it's a non-issue really just a guilt thing with their Dad rubbing the SUV in my face and trying to make me feel guilty over it!

 

If the kids love the car, then its not guilt .

 

True! And you can't see the car seats through the tint in the back...so it does double duty for going out on the weekends too ;-)

 

He's just mad because he has to drive a suv and you get to drive the 8. Rub it in his face your the cool mom with the cool car.

 

Haha...agreed...

 

I love my 8. I love it as the secondary vehicle. If my kids were 2 and 3 there is no way I would not want it as the primary vehicle. When I purchased the RX8 five years ago my kids were 3 and 7. It was/is ideal for me because I just had to take them to daycare or pick them up from school, sports or a friends house.

At the age of your kids you are hauling all kinds of stuff around and dealing with the rear doors and car seats. I would not want it as the primary family vehicle.

 

+1.

 

We use my car for most things during the week. I take my 6 year old to school with the 2 year old along for the ride. We go grocery shopping in my 8 usually with at least 1 if not both boys. I have one umbrella stroller we take around on occasion. I can fit groceries in the car with the stroller in the trunk.

With your boys both being under 3 you might want something like a sit and stand. there is one that fits. cant thing of the brand now but Ive tried several and only found one that went in and out of the trunk easily.

I disagree with your comment about the back seats being only for storage. I can fit quite easily as can most adults. Ive ridden in the back all the way to Socal from here.

 

I remember now.

It was the Joovy "Caboose" sit and stand stroller.

http://www.joovy.com/pages/pd_caboose.php

They have the ultralight too. I think the ultralight fit better.

http://www.joovy.com/pages/pd_cabooseultralight.php

 

this was one of my issues, but having my son (turns 10 in may) as the wife was saying there isn't any room... Looking at the specs of the 8 and what i planed on getting was the 6s, only difference is 3.8inchs of leg room and having a short in the but wife, he'll be fine sitting be hind her. As well seeing the ad's from the japan market seeing 4 adults get in to the car with out any issues helped as well.

as with the others, I'm sure your kids will be fine in the 8,

 

I've had my 8 with kids from the age of 4 to 14 and it is OK. Room for seating is fine but on long trips the kids can't see out the windows very well in the back which increases the chance of them getting car sick. The trunk works well and I have taken my son and his friend to a 3 day Scout camp outs with all our gear.

That being said it is a tight car with kids and I'll probably look for something larger in the next few years.

 

The RX-8 has a good crash rating, excellent obstacle avoidance, and it was the only car to get a 5-star rollover rating the first year the NHTSA did the tests.

You owe it to your children to keep your car.

Of course, I'm sure in the real world, the RX-8 is involved in more rollovers than the average car, but that's just because of the zoom zoom.

 

I feel that my 8 is also perfectly okay for traveling with my wife & 2 year old daughter. My wife is expecting our second child, so it does get uncomfortable for her to travel along in the 8. Even when she wasn't pregnant, she still complained, lol. Overall, my car is great for traveling around the local area & city with my family. Traveling any greater distance would be a stretch, since it can feel congested after a while.

We're fortunate of having the opportunity to take advantage of our other family vehicles if needed for long distance traveling, or simply if we want to be a bit more comfortable while traveling anywhere.

Though I have to say that the driving pleasure of my 8 motivates me to try my absolute best to persuade my family to tag along in it, instead of the 'other' car.

 

I picked up my 8 because the previous owner was "a little bit pregnant" (her words) and needed something more practical. So don't feel too bad if you get a different car; you'll just be making someone else happy

 

Yeah, having a baby seat in the back made the passenger seat a little too forward for my gf's liking. Fortunately she is short and so she fit.

When my little girl was a baby, it was really no problem for her, as she was small and didn't know what was going on. But as she got older, she wanted to see out the windows and well, she couldn't. The back seats are not that great for travelling long distances with the small port windows.

 

Although I may not have kids, the car is perfect for me and my girlfriend and we use it for lots of road trips. But to defend your case, you should keep the car until you children begin to complain. If they are happy, and you are happy... then what is to change.

Im a 20 year old collage student, and whenever me and my friends need to go somewhere i often find everybody running to my car because its "sweet" and "fast" so obviously the back room is not to much of a problem for anybody and these are full grown people piling into my car.

 

While doing the single dad thing, I had various cars unsuited for the task. However, I found among the kid set, there's a boredom with a world that parents adapt entirely to them. Given the choice between riding in a 4 dr sedan or a suv or minivan, the kids would always choose to ride with me in the 2 dr sports car - making their own little adventure of crawling past the front seats.

 

I have a 16 and a 14 year old and they fit just perfectly fine. It's a little bit tight, but they are used to it. I usually use the Mazda 6i for family trips. Anyway, my wife wanted to buy an SUV in the near future and probably will have to trade the Mazda RX8 for this. We will see if this will happen, i hope not.

 

I have a 3 year old and a almost 1 year old... my 3 yearold loves my car... he usually gets mad when we take the van instead of the 8 but he does have a complaint... he cannot see anything out of the back seat.... I have a portable dvd player that sits flat against the rear of the front seat.. works great but when we are driving he cannot see out of the back at all excluding sky and some out of the windshield.... other than that I would not have an issue with it... now if the kids start complaining I would look at other options... but the back seat, more importantly the rear doors, is definitely what sold me on this car vs a 2 seater or even something like an audi a4 or TT... as far as the leg room issue I am not really sure it is that bad... my 3 year old removes his shoes but does not seem to mind sitting behind the pass seat, my wife is only 5'6" so he has tones of space, the 1 year old sits behind me @6' he still has room... that might become an issue 3 years from now.... I will say to anyone concidering it, a rear facing car seat does not fit in the back seat AT ALL not even the infant carrier type... just wait until they face foward... do not even waste your time trying...

my kids love it, if yours do too... I would not worry about it... again when they start complaining, then I would address the issue... or look at trading in for another sportier car like an audi a4 or 4 door bmw, lincoln LS, etc.... I have a jeep cherokee as well that we take for longer trips if we do not take the soccer mom van, the kids complain about the rear seat room in the jeep more than the 8.... not really sure why though...

edit: I just asked the 3 year old why, the answer I got (best I can decipher)"Your car is fun, the jeep is boring... except in the woods... I dont think I would like your car in the woods...." AHAHAHAHA ... guess that answers that question...

lol

 

You're one year old is six feet tall? JFC.

 

Not true about the rear facing. Both of my boys came home from the hospital in rear facing seats right behind me.

We used this one - which just happens to have the perfect handle for the car



http://www.babytrend.com/car_seats_flex-loc/

here's a pic from the first week of Henry's life on his first trip to the doc after being home



here's his ultrasound

 

It's all about the milk baby!