Viewing 22 posts - 1 through 22 (of 22 total)
  • Mini owners with kids…
  • loddrik
    Free Member

    Can you carry kids in the back comfortably? Wife looking at a new car and Cooper S is on the list. Had a couple when they first came out but that was before we had kids so can’t remember how much room in back.

    bencooper
    Free Member

    Real Mini or the BMW thing? A real Mini would be a bit cramped, the BMW thing would be easily big enough, they’re bigger than our Forfour which carries offspring easily.

    loddrik
    Free Member

    Definitely the new one, looking at 2010 ish.

    toppers3933
    Free Member

    in my experience kids are about the only thing that can fit in the back of them.

    Mintman
    Free Member

    I’m 6ft and can get in the back if the driver isn’t too tall.

    Assuming your kids aren’t also 6ft then it’ll be comfortable enough.

    banks
    Free Member

    I’m 6″1 and got a cooper S, not bad and can fit 2 people in the back easily if they are short arses.

    toppers3933
    Free Member

    im 6ft 1″ and could not fit in behind my brother in law in his old one. he is 5’9″. but as said, kids fit in fine.

    messiah
    Free Member

    Carrying the kids is the easy bit… getting in the pram or pushchairs and all the other stuff is where it gets tricky unless you check the ones you have or plan to buy fit (but you still have to get the shopping in as well).

    … but my wife went totally irrational and didn’t like driving a small car with the kids in so we ended up swapping the mini for a monster Volvo XC90. Thankfully now we are passed the pram and irrational phase we swapped the horror vengabus for another mini (Countryman so not really very mini at all).

    ourmaninthenorth
    Full Member

    We’ve got a Clubman, which is dead handy with our 3yo. She’s now free of prams and buggies, so Mrs North junks it up with all sorts of other stuff.

    Only tip is not to go too wild on big wheels – ride is fairly hard in the back with 17″ wheels and run-flat tyres.

    br
    Free Member

    Problem I always found when my kids were young is that you needed more room then you realised as when they sat in their car seats their legs stuck straight out – and been long-legged myself, I always have my seat well back.

    nmdbasetherevenge
    Free Member

    Has anyone got a 2005ish one, I’m thinking of the same thing. Good point br, mine are 3 and 5.

    banks
    Free Member

    Got a 2005, pretty much everything has broken on it so far. Currently the right wing mirror doesn’t fold in.

    Jason
    Free Member

    We have a Clubman Cooper S, the kids love the rear seats and have plenty of leg room. They prefer to sit in the back than the front. Surprising amount of room for grown ups too, the standard mini is a bit more cramped.

    18″ wheels on our one, which does give a bit of a rough ride, but the car came with them and I am not sure I will ever get around to changing them…

    nmdbasetherevenge
    Free Member

    Banks, you wouldn’t recommend it then?

    BigEaredBiker
    Free Member

    Mrs BEB used to have a 2003 Cooper S, and went through great lengths to get a pushchair that would fit in the boot.

    She ended up selling it as rear seats were too awkward to fit a proper kids seat in once the eldest out grew the baby carrier.

    nmdbasetherevenge
    Free Member

    Seems like it’s a no go then, thanks.

    andybanks
    Free Member

    They’re crap for kids. Had to sell ours and bought the bigger Countryman which is perfect for kids.

    banks
    Free Member

    I don’t have kids, i bought it for dicking about in 😀

    AD
    Full Member

    We’ve got two kids (now 7 and 5) and have owned a Cooper S for the last ten years. No problem as regards fitting them in – just buy the right child seats.
    Equally we never had a problem with finding suitable pushchairs etc (Quinny Buzz/Zapp for interest).
    Having said that we’ve also always had a second larger car for shifting bigger stuff (like our bikes!).
    The only car we’re likely to swap it for is a Clubman S (and to be honest the main reason for that is because our first car was an ‘old’ mini estate not because we need the space).

    PS pretty much nothing has broken on our car in the 10 years we’ve owned it (from new). Guess we must be lucky…

    loddrik
    Free Member

    Kids are 4 & 8 so carrying buggy not an issue. Not bothered about boot space as I know that’s crap.

    iolo
    Free Member

    My parents did fine with me and my sister in a 1275gt

    wobbliscott
    Free Member

    I was going to say, an Austin mini was our family car in the late ’70’s, though wouldn’t want to transport my kids in one these days – cars have got a lot bigger, heavier, more plentiful and faster. My wife had a mini for a while and now had a fiat 500 which is a similar size. It’s fine for short journeys and everyday ferrying about.

Viewing 22 posts - 1 through 22 (of 22 total)

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