Tough Decisions

[MJinZ]

Can't see the pic, but there is no reason your wife or husband should ever drive your car. Just own a garage with 2 spaces and voila. Separate cars.

 

[vshah]

Tragic.

I made my last few GF's learn manual. hah

i made a few things clear to my gf when we started dating. one was that i will only ever buy manual cars.

 

[MotF Bane]

Can't see the pic, but there is no reason your wife or husband should ever drive your car. Just own a garage with 2 spaces and voila. Separate cars.

Strange, pics.bbzzdd.com. Anyways, that's about the message it conveys.

 

[MJinZ]

Strange, pics.bbzzdd.com. Anyways, that's about the message it conveys.

It's like, do you let other people use your shoes? Underwear?

If not, the same applies to the car. :awe:

 

[MotF Bane]

It's like, do you let other people use your shoes? Underwear?

If not, the same applies to the car. :awe:

Or, you like your car un-dented, and therefore do not let your woman drive it. :awe:

 

[PingSpike]

My MIL recently bought a silver V6 auto 2010 camero, and I've gone for a ride in a few times. It does get the looks...but from a practicality standpoint it makes no sense. It didn't seem slow to me (I'm the wrong guy to ask though). A few things left me scratching my head, like the need for the seats to move back for you to get out, and the automatic windows that roll down slightly when the door is open to make for the bad seal that happens on those frameless windows. That said, it has a cockpit like a spacecraft with ass hugging seats and the styling in nice, like a match of speed and tank like toughness.

I have other considerations when buying something like that up here, our roads are terrible and it snows all the time making that kind of car impractical beyond its limited passenger capacity, cop attracting nature and likely more expensive parts.

I don't know your situation, but I'd never buy that thing if I was planning on having a baby soon.

 

[scorp00]

I'd go for it and get a manual too. One of my biggest regrets in life was buying an automatic pony car. The only thing the back seats are good for are little kids? My 4th gen has baby seat mounting brackets on it.

 

[vi edit]

I'd go for it and get a manual too. One of my biggest regrets in life was buying an automatic pony car. The only thing the back seats are good for are little kids? My 4th gen has baby seat mounting brackets on it.

Just because it has a latch system (by code) it doesn't mean it's actually useable. Try loading a 20" TV sized object that weighs 30 pounds in and out of the back seat of it in a tight parking lot and see how fun that is.

 

[PricklyPete]

Definitely get a manual if you get it.

 

[jaydee]

The Camaro is winner, no doubt. I agree with the others in that now is the time to buy one, or else you'll be waiting until your kids are in college. Also, I don't think the 2-door/small backseat will be an issue until your kids are out of car-seats, which would be how many years from now? Since you're not even expecting, at least 4 years? Even then, their legs are skinny enough I don't think it'd be a problem for awhile.

That being said, a great alternative/compromise, would be to pick up a used 2009 Pontiac G8 GT. Hear me out, it doesn't have the Camaro prestige with the common-folk, but for about the same price, it drives on the same Zeta platform, you can get your RWD/6.0L V8 engine (361 horses, 385 ft/lb), is a full-size car (~200 inches) 4-door sedan with plenty of room, automatic transmission standard, rivals the BMW 5-series as far as handling/size, and you get the look of approval within the real car enthusiast community (despite not being as flashy with the rest of the world). And it's the last "true to their history" Pontiac ever built.

Example: http://atlanta.craigslist.org/sat/ctd/1803544596.html

 

[vi edit]

The Camaro is winner, no doubt. I agree with the others in that now is the time to buy one, or else you'll be waiting until your kids are in college. Also, I don't think the 2-door/small backseat will be an issue until your kids are out of car-seats, which would be how many years from now? Since you're not even expecting, at least 4 years? Even then, their legs are skinny enough I don't think it'd be a problem for awhile.

You *obviously* have not used any modern forward facing car seats/infant carriers. These things are HUGE. Your kid is going to be in one of them for the first 9-12 months. These things are over 2'x2' by almost another 1.5'...and have a handle that gets in the way. Trying to shoehorn that out of a backseat of a normal sedan can be a challenge some days. Doing it in a cramped coupe would be a punishment.

And then when the kid is big enough to go forward facing you are trying to get a 15-30 pound lump of dead weight that is 2.5 to 3.5 feet tall under the roof but then up and over the edge of the seat without trying to either give them irreperable brain damage by banging their head against the roof or without rupturing a disk in your back hunching down and twisting to get them in there. You'll be doing this until they are 80 pounds..or able to crawl back there and buckle themselves in...whichever comes first.

Again...that's hard enough to do with a normal four door sedan/SUV. A coupe would misery.

 

[Jzero]

Also, I don't think the 2-door/small backseat will be an issue until your kids are out of car-seats, which would be how many years from now? Since you're not even expecting, at least 4 years? Even then, their legs are skinny enough I don't think it'd be a problem for awhile.

It's pretty much just the opposite - kids that climb in and out of the car on their own are fairly easy to get in and out of the car. Getting a bulky child seat in and out with a kid in it is when it's a pain in the ass.

 

[ViviTheMage]

Get the V8 with the manual, even if the wife disagrees, make her agree. It's just one of those things you have to man up for.

 

[vi edit]

I just hate to be debbie downer...but if you are pretty certain kids are coming into focus then just skip the Camaro. You are going to enjoy it for a while but then once kids come into play and you (and your wife especially) put up with trying to make it work you are just going to end up selling/trading it for something more practical. You'll eat $5,000 in depreciation (if not more) for the mistake and just put yourself in a finacial hole right out college and when you are possibly looking at a $500-$1000(or more) a month in daycare bills.

If you want a performance/rwd car with some muscle, then I fully endorse the G8 recommendation. Absolutely cavernous back seat and trunk.

Just my $.02

 

[jaydee]

It's pretty much just the opposite - kids that climb in and out of the car on their own are fairly easy to get in and out of the car. Getting a bulky child seat in and out with a kid in it is when it's a pain in the ass.

Why would you be bringing the childseats in and out? I guess I'm assuming you're not going to keep pulling it out and putting it back in everytime to buckle your kids in. If you're pulling the car seats out to put other kids or adults in the backseats, then I don't think you should be looking at this car anyway.

You *obviously* have not used any modern forward facing car seats/infant carriers. These things are HUGE. Your kid is going to be in one of them for the first 9-12 months. These things are over 2'x2' by almost another 1.5'...and have a handle that gets in the way. Trying to shoehorn that out of a backseat of a normal sedan can be a challenge some days. Doing it in a cramped coupe would be a punishment.

And then when the kid is big enough to go forward facing you are trying to get a 15-30 pound lump of dead weight that is 2.5 to 3.5 feet tall under the roof but then up and over the edge of the seat without trying to either give them irreperable brain damage by banging their head against the roof or without rupturing a disk in your back hunching down and twisting to get them in there. You'll be doing this until they are 80 pounds..or able to crawl back there and buckle themselves in...whichever comes first.

Again...that's hard enough to do with a normal four door sedan/SUV. A coupe would misery.

Lol, I think you're a bit over the top, don't you think. Obviously it's not a family vehicle by any means, but if you can have a car seat in that stays in, and you're only using it on those rare occasions that the regular family vehicle isn't available for whatever reason, I think it's do-able. My bro-in-law has young ones with a Ford Probe and used the vehicle in just that fashion. Was it as easy as a mini-van? No. Did the kids suffer irrepairable brain damage? Umm... no.

 

[vi edit]

I'm talking about a rear facing infant carrier. Lots of people have the ones with interchangeable bases where you can switch it in and out of cars without hooking it up each and every time. Plus they work as..well...an infant carrier and also snap into a stroller (which is also about the size of giant golf bag). Those come out (or usually) come out every time you pull the kiddo out of the car.

As for the other seats, the newer ones are pretty freaking big with arms/cup holders, ect and car roofs are getting more and more raked for the sake of looks (rather than function). Trying to manuver a three foot tall wriggling midget under the roof and over the sides of the seat can be very awkard with a normal opening door. Trying to add the complexity of doing that with it being a row behind you would be an even bigger pain.

I have no doubts that it can be done. I just would have no desire to do it on a semi-regular basis.

 

[Jzero]

Why would you be bringing the childseats in and out? I guess I'm assuming you're not going to keep pulling it out and putting it back in everytime to buckle your kids in.

1. That's how these child seats work - you put the kid in the seat and then the seat in the car. It's also worth noting that the bulk of rear-facing child seats may barely even work. If I put my child seat behind the passenger seat in my Fit, I've got to pull the front seat so far forward it's uncomfortable and maybe even dangerous for whomever is in the passenger seat. I imagine the back seat of the Camaro is on par with (or perhaps even smaller) than the Fit's.

2. Even after they've graduated to front-facing, before they've got the strength/coordination to get in the car themselves, you're going to have to lift them into the car and then go strap them in. Plus chances are the seats will "live" in the family car so if you have to transport the kids in the Camaro, now you've got to load the child seats, then load the children.

Which brings us back to the reality of the wife driving the Camaro when she goes somewhere without the kids...because that's how it's going to end up working.

 

[jaydee]

I'm talking about a rear facing infant carrier. Lots of people have the ones with interchangeable bases where you can switch it in and out of cars without hooking it up each and every time. Plus they work as..well...an infant carrier and also snap into a stroller (which is also about the size of giant golf bag). Those come out (or usually) come out every time you pull the kiddo out of the car.

As for the other seats, the newer ones are pretty freaking big with arms/cup holders, ect and car roofs are getting more and more raked for the sake of looks (rather than function). Trying to manuver a three foot tall wriggling midget under the roof and over the sides of the seat can be very awkard with a normal opening door. Trying to add the complexity of doing that with it being a row behind you would be an even bigger pain.

I have no doubts that it can be done. I just would have no desire to do it on a semi-regular basis.

1. That's how these child seats work - you put the kid in the seat and then the seat in the car. It's also worth noting that the bulk of rear-facing child seats may barely even work.

The only carseats I've dealt with (nieces and nephew), the child was the only thing coming out of the car, so that's what I'm thinking of. Arms? Cupholders? If that's what your dealing with, I see where you're coming from.

All that being said, again I recommend the OP take a look at the 4-door G8 GT, because not only do you get the 4-doors and render this debate useless, but for the same cost you also get the V8 (albiet the 6.0 instead of the 6.2 but what's a few tenth's between friends?)

Edit: FYI, I've said my piece (peace?) I'm done with the childseat arguement.

 

[vi edit]

The only carseats I've dealt with (nieces and nephew), the child was the only thing coming out of the car, so that's what I'm thinking of. Arms? Cupholders? If that's what your dealing with, I see where you're coming from

Yeh, my wife bought one of these:
http://www.amazon.com/Graco-Nautilus...4&sr=8-1-spell

I had that in the back of a Malibu Maxx (which has an enormous 42" leg space in the back) but it sat up so freaking high off the seat and then had these arms and I literally had like 18" of clearance between the arms of the seat and the door opening. I had to crouch down and turn my poor daughter sideways to fit her in there.

We've since moved that to my wife's Equinox which has a much taller distance between the door opening and the bench seat so the seat works better...but it's still awkward for me. I'm 6' tall and my wife is only 5'6 so she's got a more "direct" shot at it than I do.

We've since put this in my car:
http://www.amazon.com/Sunshine-Kids-...ef=pd_sbs_ba_1

It's much, much lower sitting in the seat and doesn't have arm rests to maneuver around. It was a night and day difference getting my 2.5 year old daughter in and out of there. Downside to this one is that if you want to pull it out and use it in another car it's 40 friggin pounds. It's seriously made entirely out of steel with a plastic shell over it.

 

[MJinZ]

My MIL recently bought a silver V6 auto 2010 camero, and I've gone for a ride in a few times. It does get the looks...but from a practicality standpoint it makes no sense. It didn't seem slow to me (I'm the wrong guy to ask though). A few things left me scratching my head, like the need for the seats to move back for you to get out, and the automatic windows that roll down slightly when the door is open to make for the bad seal that happens on those frameless windows. That said, it has a cockpit like a spacecraft with ass hugging seats and the styling in nice, like a match of speed and tank like toughness.

I have other considerations when buying something like that up here, our roads are terrible and it snows all the time making that kind of car impractical beyond its limited passenger capacity, cop attracting nature and likely more expensive parts.

I don't know your situation, but I'd never buy that thing if I was planning on having a baby soon.

That's a standard feature on cars without window frames.

 

[Tsaar]

I am not sure what to do. I really like the car.

I am thinking of just pulling the trigger (my wife wants to start trying for kids this December...) and the consequences be damned.

 

[MotF Bane]

Get the V8 with the manual, even if the wife disagrees, make her agree. It's just one of those things you have to man up for.

Thou shalt maintain thy stance of dominance.

 

[jaydee]

I am not sure what to do. I really like the car.

I am thinking of just pulling the trigger (my wife wants to start trying for kids this December...) and the consequences be damned.

What do you think about the Pontiac G8 GT?

 

[ichy]

24 years old, married, already considering kids, getting a Camaro with an automatic transmission and a V6? Oh lord there are so many things wrong with this, I don't know where to begin...

 

[StageLeft]

Atlanta traffic SUCKS enough I'd consider an auto. Get this car or the V8 version of it or a mustang NOW. Do not wait. It will never happen again. I am 32 with kids now I drive a prius and a minivan. Don't become me. I've warned you. Once you have a kid forget it you won't get a nice detroit muscle car until you're at least 50, maybe never and worse you won't even care by then. The only thing that excites me about driving now is yesterday the prius has an awesome turning radius so I uturned in a street without a 3 point. Last car I drove that was fun was a v8 pickup truck because it sounded good.