XP: 2 Door vs 4 Door Car

brij2006 · October 2013

So I posted this on the GP Mom's board, because I'm a regular there. But I know we have quite a few parents in this board too, so I'll ask here also.

Since H and I found out that we're expecting, we have been trying to figure out whether or not to trade in his 2 door car for a 4 door.
Here's the situation...
I have an SUV, and will likely be taking the child too and from daycare most of the time. Depending what daycare we choose, he might be picking up the baby every night though.
He puts about 30k miles on his car per year. He currently drives a Nissan Altima coupe. Our monthly payment is $241/month (owe $9,500 on a 5 year loan with 3 years left), and the fuel expense is around $250/month.
We are looking at a VW Jetta TDI. It will get better gas mileage than his current vehicle. The payment will go to about $250/month (will owe about $14k at 2.9% interest for 5 years), but gas expense will go down to around $200/month (or less). It would also be nice to be able to use this car for errands and things instead of the SUV, and save on gas.

Would it be worth it for us to trade in his 2 door car for the 4 door? We would be getting a newer car with less miles, better MPG's, more options, better resale value, and the ability to get the car seat in and out of the back seat. Please keep in mind that H is not for not having a car payment. With the amount of miles he puts on his car, he knows that he has to trade in about every 2 years in order to keep value in his car.

Or should we just make due with the 2 door car? If we keep this one, we will likely have to trade it in within the next 1-2 years due to the miles.

CuriousKiddosMama · October 2013

I would consider how often your husband will be picking up the little one. We bought 2 car seats, (one fortunately is a convertible one that grows with the kid, not 2 infant seats) and DH has never installed the second one in his car because he either takes my car or I drive LO. So when LO grows out of my infant seat, then I will install the other one in my car.

brij2006 · October 2013

@vikingsfan71713 We figure that we will likely do one that has a base you just snap the carrier into, and buy a base for each car. I can't even imagine how difficult it will be for him once we switch to a convertible car seat. He's 6'5" and about 290lbs. So he's a big guy, and maneuvering the carrier out of the back seat may be quite the challenge.

I know that if we were to keep his current car, then it will be strictly used for his commute. To where if we went with the 4 door car, then we could use it for a lot more.

smbenevides1989 · October 2013

It really depends on how you feel of spending money on another vehicle. My brother is the sole driver in his relationship (his gf doesn't drive) and he drives a 2 door Hyundai Tiberon. He has been doing this and my neice is now 2. It is easier now since she is FF, but they were able to figure it out with a baby carseat.

hoffse · October 2013

I think the first thing I would look at is whether the car seat you're inclined to get would fit in his car at all. I'm not a parent, but H and I are talking about getting started, so I've begun researching a bit to get a sense of what we need to do before then.

The AAP recommends children stay rear-facing for the first two years. That takes up more space than front-facing. My H drives an Altima 4-door, and we were sort of looking at his back seat this past weekend while considering whether we would need to get him a new car before having a baby... we think a car seat might just fit. Barely. I don't know that you would have enough space in a 2-door. At best it will be pretty tight.

Also check out the crash test ratings from IIHS if you haven't done so already. They started a new crash test for the 2013 models that replicates a crash scenario that is responsible for about 25% of all deaths on the road these days (or so they say). My understanding is that in that scenario all the weight of the car gets crumpled on the driver's side front - and it can push the engine into the cab of the car and into the driver's body. That sounds like an awful way to die to me.... Some traditionally great cars failed that test miserably in the 2013 models - the dummy in the Corolla, for instance, was pretty much obliterated. Like, it was bad enough that Toyota halted crashing the 2013 Camry so they could make adjustments to it before the test. I'm not sure how VW performed, but I would look into it. Manufacturers are apparently adjusting for it, so I might wait at least a few more months before trading it in to make sure you're getting a car that can stand up to that test.

hoffse · October 2013

OK I just looked -

The 2013 Jetta scored 'marginal' in that test. The scores ranges are good, acceptable, marginal, and poor.

And also, I had the Corolla and Camry mixed up - it was the Camry that failed the crash test so badly that they didn't test it on the Corolla. They did test the 2014 Corolla, and it also scored 'marginal' on that crash... which makes me wonder what's going on with Toyota's engineers...

I am a Honda person and H has converted as well after driving my car so much - both the Accord and the Civic scored "Good" on that test.

brij2006 · October 2013

@hoffse That's interesting. I had never heard of that crash test until you mentioned it.... Off to Google to find what my SUV is rated at, and what H's car is rated.

hoffse · October 2013

They didn't do the test before 2013, so you probably won't get any data on your current cars... but the pictures look awful. It's like the engine pushes the steering wheel and internal components into the driver's "survival space" as they call it.

So many cars did badly in it, that it's no wonder it accounts for such a high rate of death.

The other thing is the IIHS is apparently now requiring cars to have collision warnings to receive their top safety pick plus designation... which means that in the next year or so the less expensive models will all carry that technology. I honestly think they do more for advancing car safety than Congress does - too many people pick cars based on safety ratings alone for car manufacturers to ignore the IIHS standards.

EDIT: Just so you know, I don't know much about cars in general - the only thing I look at when picking out a car is the IIHS ratings and the color choices. People who know more about this than me should definitely chime in. H and I only briefly looked at the new ratings/standards when deciding whether he was going to need a new car before having a baby.

brij2006 · October 2013

I'm impressed that my SUV (Ford Flex) rated very well on that test. So that makes me feel good.

However, they didn't even do the test on the Altima Coupe. Only the 4 door one. So I have no idea how H's current car would hold up to it.

vlagrl29 · October 2013

DH does a lot of driving with DD and he has a honda element which is really great. I've had a 2 door ford focus hatchback since I was 23 and plan on driving it into the ground. It's still running really well and I can probably get over 200,000 miles on it. I don't really think it's caused any problems for us when I take DD in and out of my car. I say keep the 2 door.

MrsAshleyH10 · October 2013

I would highly recommend the Jetta TDI. We bought a 2012 last year. My H who is 6'4" fits-- even as a backseat passenger. We average around 45 MPG, but have gotten over 50 MPG on the highway. Diesels also tend to last longer-- think upwards of 250k miles, however the oil changes will be pricey (upwards of $70), but they are every 10k miles.

ETA: If you get an automatic transmission, the maintenance will be more because of the dual clutch transmission (I believe this is every 70k and can be costly... not sure b/c we have a 6 speed manual)...

brij2006 · October 2013

@mrsashleyh10 Thank you so much for your input! This helps a lot! We are definitely looking at the TDI with the 6 speed manual. H drives at 60mph, 50 miles each direction. So we figure that he will average around the 40mpg mark. But we've been reading that with his type of drive, others are getting well over that. So it would make the gas cost even better if he could get 45-50mpg. We would actually be saving money by him having this car instead of his 2011 Nissan Altima coupe (6speed manual also).

Marquettefan1 · October 2013

I have never posted here before but lurk a lot. I drove a 2 door car when my first child was born. We kept that car until he was almost 2. I used an infant car seat, a rear facing convertible and ultimately forward facing. I drove my son in that car almost everyday but we never used it with 2 adults. Car seats were installed on passenger side and I kept the seat slide all the way forward it make it easier. It was not convenient but can easily be done.

Wulfgar · October 2013

I would get the Jetta TDI four door and then keep it until it is driven into the ground. I put about 18k a year on my car currently. I can get about 10 to 12 years out of it. You get basically nothing for trade in but you have the opportunity to have a good down payment for the next car especially if you keep making your car payments to yourself.

My wife likes to drive Chrysler products and so far the ones she buys are the lower end so they only last about 100k before they are junk. Luckily she only drives about 5 to 8k a year.

XP: 2 Door vs 4 Door Car

XP: 2 Door vs 4 Door Car 23 votes

Re: XP: 2 Door vs 4 Door Car

Choose Another Board

Search Boards