Dads/Family guys with BRZ as daily driver?

[53x12]

How many of you BRZ owners are dads/family guys that use it as a BRZ? I have test driven one. Realize the small back seat. Probably an impractical car, but not as bad as some. The back seat looks like it could fit small people just fine but most likely not a car seat facing rearward. Trunk is large enough to carry a few items for a family weekend getaway. Plus it is decently good on gas for a DD at ~28mpg.

Just trying to figure out how the car would be as a DD long term after the first months fun wears off.

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[junfan45]

I'm a dad with a 12 year old boy. I'm actually considering the BRZ as a second car (undecided between it and a WRX) - currently own a '13 Impreza Sport Limited. FWIW, my wife and I sat in one, and in my opinion it works, as long as the kids are young and under 5'0" and your wife is pettite (mine is 5'8"). With the BRZ, the wife will have to be relegated to the rear passenger side "seat" once the boy finishes with puberty (I'm 6'1").

I'll definitely be watching this space as more family guys chime in...

[Rev Works]

I clicked in hopes of seeing Peter Griffin in a BRZ.

[53x12]

Originally Posted by junfan45

I'm a dad with a 12 year old boy. I'm actually considering the BRZ as a second car (undecided between it and a WRX) - currently own a '13 Impreza Sport Limited. FWIW, my wife and I sat in one, and in my opinion it works, as long as the kids are young and under 5'0" and your wife is pettite (mine is 5'8"). With the BRZ, the wife will have to be relegated to the rear passenger side "seat" once the boy finishes with puberty (I'm 6'1").

I'll definitely be watching this space as more family guys chime in...

Yeah that is what I was thinking as well, but I might be a few years behind that as I still have kids in child seats. But I'll wait to hear what other members with more experience as owners.

Originally Posted by Rev Works

I clicked in hopes of seeing Peter Griffin in a BRZ.

Sorry to get your hopes up. Carry on.

[OrbitalEllipses]

One forward facing child seat will fit; person sitting in front of it will not enjoy their life. It can be done.

Single, young, and lovin' it.

[chanomatik]

Originally Posted by OrbitalEllipses

One forward facing child seat will fit; person sitting in front of it will not enjoy their life. It can be done.

Single, young, and lovin' it.

I don't think you or I are allowed in this thread.

Originally Posted by Rev Works

I clicked in hopes of seeing Peter Griffin in a BRZ.

Me too!

[OrbitalEllipses]

Originally Posted by chanomatik

I don't think you or I are allowed in this thread.
Me too!

I know.



Hai 636!

Here's an article on the car and its baby-friendliness: http://jalopnik.com/5928491/2013-scion-frs-will-it-baby

[53x12]

Originally Posted by OrbitalEllipses

One forward facing child seat will fit; person sitting in front of it will not enjoy their life. It can be done.

I guess it depends how big the "kid" is in regards to their legs, but this seems like two forward facing would work.





And possible a rearward seat might work depending on the brand/angle?



But it looks like the adult in front would be miserable.

[OrbitalEllipses]

I meant rear-facing, whoops. Hence the passenger hating themselves.

[53x12]

Originally Posted by OrbitalEllipses

I meant rear-facing, whoops. Hence the passenger hating themselves.

No I think you were originally correct as well. For forward facing, I think it might just depend how old/big the kid is. Once they are big enough to sit normally and have feet under the seat it would be ok. But if they are in a car seat/booster, their legs are still dangling like the larger kid in this picture. Hence the passenger in front of them being miserable as well.



The little guy on the right is probably fine as he isn't as big and the driver could probably have his seat all the way back, or close to.

[OrbitalEllipses]

Honestly, if you're trying to stick kids in the car and you already kinda want a WRX...get a WRX. This car is way more fun than my GD, but I have no experience with the new chassis. I can confirm, however, that the 09+ is a rocket.

[chanomatik]

If my niece and nephew were still up here, I most likely would've kept my 2011 WRX. It was perfect for having kids while still looking good and being relatively fun to drive. Once they moved to Florida, however, I no longer had any need for rear seats.

I've enjoyed it when people say, "Hey, can I be a third wheel?" I look back to my rear seats and whisper, "No."

[53x12]

Originally Posted by chanomatik

If my niece and nephew were still up here, I most likely would've kept my 2011 WRX. It was perfect for having kids while still looking good and being relatively fun to drive. Once they moved to Florida, however, I no longer had any need for rear seats.

Yeah I have thought about the WRX as a replacement for my Mazda hatch. But would have to wait for the new WRX in 2014. The thing I loved about the BRZ from my limited test drive was how sporty it drives, RWD, low cost of maintenance (no turbo), decent fuel economy...etc.

I really want the BRZ to work, but maybe I would be forcing it at this point in my life.

[chanomatik]

At almost $4/gal, I'm paying about $40 every 5-7 days to fill up, whereas my WRX cost $65 every 4-5 days. I'm not missing it, except the AWD acceleration in this snow. I like jack rabbit starts, but I can't do that so much in the BRZ. If you don't have tons of ice or snow like Alaska gets, though, it's no biggie.

You won't know if the BRZ works for fitting kids unless a dealer will let you fit everyone inside and let you drive it around for about 20 minutes. Some have made it work, but either your kids have to be really small or the parents have to be under 5' 7". I'm completely generalizing that last statement.

[OrbitalEllipses]

I get 22mpg on a 7 mile commute in rush hour traffic/city. On open highway I get 30ish. Way $30-45 fillups vs. my thirsty WRX.

Originally Posted by chanomatik

and whisper, "No."

[ IMG]http://www.destroythecyb.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/watchmen7hv.jpg[/IMG]

Oooh, excellent reference.

[soslow]

I have a three year old and I plan on dd'ing a BRZ. The key, imo, is minimizing the amount of time you HAVE to load the car up. If you have to haul a kid daily I wouldn't get a two door anything but if its only occasionally it might just be worth it. In my case we'll just use her car for family trips.

[Calamity Jesus]

I need my 2nd car to have the ability to transport my whole family (3 of us) if necessary. I do not need it to be a daily for my kid. I already have a big, reliable, well-insured, family vehicle for that duty, so I really only need something on the very rare morning that its in the shop and we all need to get somewhere the busses won't go.

The current healthcare/child development professional recommendation is that kids should remain rear-facing until they're 2 years old due to head/body size ratio and neck strength. I'm waiting until Spring '14 (when my daughter will be 2) to re-explore trading my current 2nd car in for a BRZ.

Right now I have an MCS. It's much longer and taller (on the inside) than the BRZ.



Our rear-facing carseat can fit behind me (6'2" w/ 30" inseam) with 1" of gap between the seats. I could probably ride around like that for up to 1 hour without complaint. My wife has plenty of room in the same position.. in fact, her feet (5'2") are still not up against the firewall at that point. This is with the carseat properly installed. I've spent some time checking out the back seats of the BRZ.. it simply will not work the same way.

If the BRZ had a passenger seat airbag deactivation switch (like our old Miata used to have) I could place the rear-facing child seat in the front seat and my wife could probably sit behind it for those rare cross-town trips... but it doesn't. It only has the now-mandatory passenger airbag weight sensor which isn't a reliable way to ensure your child won't be smashed by the airbag should the worst happen. There are ways to argue that a rear-facing seat will not fit in the back and get a permit to install an airbag deactivation switch.. but by the time I got the Fed government to review and accept my request to add a switch to the BRZ, it'd probably be Spring '14 anyway.

While we tested the fit out in the MINI she's still never actually ridden in it (8.5mo old)... but it doesn't make sense to own a car that I can't legally/safely transport my entire (albeit small) family in. I've got motorcycles if I want something exciting for solo trips.. the BRZ would be used like the MCS is now.. solo trips for my wife & step-father and my go-to vehicle for commuting and a few autoxes and/or track days a year.

Originally Posted by 53x12

And possible a rearward seat might work depending on the brand/angle?



But it looks like the adult in front would be miserable.

I'm willing to bet this seat is not installed properly. I'm fairly certain this seat would only be considered properly installed if the warning sticker was parallel with the ground. Not to mention how hard it would be to buckled a child into that.

[53x12]

Originally Posted by Calamity Jesus

I'm willing to bet this seat is not installed properly. I'm fairly certain this seat would only be considered properly installed if the warning sticker was parallel with the ground. Not to mention how hard it would be to buckled a child into that.

I haven't tried our rear facing car seat, but it looks like that car seat could be titled back further. The front passenger might have to move their seat further forward. Like I said, looks like the adult in front would be miserable

[OrbitalEllipses]

Beaver Jesus, tell me about the reliability of your MCS. I have a friend who wants probably a base model Cooper with auto tranny, but I'm concerned about their reliability.

[Calamity Jesus]

Originally Posted by OrbitalEllipses

Beaver Jesus, tell me about the reliability of your MCS. I have a friend who wants probably a base model Cooper with auto tranny, but I'm concerned about their reliability.

I do not recommend them to friends who don't wrench (mostly because the nearest dealer to me is a 2hr drive and I don't want to work on their cars). I've been lucky and my repairs have been minor. The '10+ MCS models are supposedly much better in the reliability department.. my '07 has the bad timing chain tensioner. I'm going to replace the timing chain assembly and tensioner with the newer updated parts this summer.. it should cost me about $600 all done (including the purchase of some tools). At a dealership the prices are much higher.

MINI dealerships are fantastic, though.. great service in my experience... BMW premium car service for a little car.

Mechanically the 'Justa' Coopers are fairly solid cars. If he's looking at a newer one, especially. Avoid the old CVT Coopers like the plague. Skip the sunroof.

They hold their value extremely well and are very well built.. but every now and then a MINI is an electrical nightmare (fewer gadgets is better) and a few are mechanical nightmares.

If he's looking for a used one, the '05 & '06 cars (last of the 1st-gen) are extremely solid.

[OrbitalEllipses]

Thanks CJ!

[Deslock]

It's awesome as a secondary family vehicle. From another thread:

Originally Posted by Deslock

BRZ Limited 6MT:

• I carry my two boys (ages 11 and almost 8) on the passenger side (one in front, one in back) a couple times per week. They love it.
• I fit three large adults in the car a few times for short trips. Not recommended for long trips, but useful in a pinch.
• I fit two adults plus two kids in the car for a few medium trips (the 8 year old fit OK behind me driving, but I wouldn't want to put anyone larger behind me).
• I put down the rear seat to carry stuff once every couple weeks. Coming from an MX5, this car feels like an SUV.

To elaborate on a couple points, most forward facing child seats shouldn't be a problem. My younger one (who is now 8) was still using his booster seat until a couple months ago.

That written, obviously the BRZ has limitations. I haven't (and don't plan to):

• Driven with an adult passenger in the rear-driver-side seat
• Used a forward-facing infant seat

[Calamity Jesus]

Originally Posted by OrbitalEllipses

Thanks CJ!

Actually, right after I posted that I went to lunch with some coworkers and since my car was the only one not parked in Timbuktu, I drove.

4 men, the shortest of which is 5'11" (the tallest 6'4") all got into the MCS and we drove half-way across town (not far). They were all amazed that they actually fit without totally hating it. It was hilarious walking as a group into the restaurant having just made a classic clown car exit.

[BlkWRXWag]

We have a nine yr old. He pretty much refuses to get in the back of the BRZ as he claims it makes his legs go numb. I think this is mostly because he's pissed at me for selling the FJ Cruiser which he loved, but also because he's not one to sit straight and put his legs on the floor. He likes to sit cross legged, or sideways... anything but normal and thus the bucket seats don't really agree with him.

[cgcarvell]

I have a BRZ as my daily driver and I my 6 year loves the ride! She is in a forward facing car seat. However, if she was still in a rear facing car seat, I would have waited to buy the BRZ just for the hassle of gettting her in and out of the car.