OK, so this June, 2 will turn to 3, through the magic of childbirth.
This May, Daddy wants a new car. Daddy wants that new car to be a Jeep Wrangler with a soft top. He promises Mommy that baby will never be in the car with the top down, and is trying to sell that carseat + rollbars is safer than carseat + everyday, ordinary car roof.
Logical argument, or am I a fool?
I told Mommy that that Dopers were brilliant and wise and that I would trust in their opinions.
Thanks
Bill
the rollbars might be great protection if/when you roll over. but is that what you really want to do? most suvs have a higher center of gravity than cars, and that makes them much more prone to rolling over in circumstances where an ordinary car would just skid. personally, and especially if i were a new father with a baby in the car, i’d like to stay upright.
The soft top is not the issue here. Top up or top down, you can’t get past the point that a Wrangler is a short wheelbase, narrow, vehicle with a high center of gravity. It will be much more prone to rollovers. Also due to the soft top, you cannot equip one with side curtain air bags to help in a rollover.
Also don’t foget that if all three of you are riding in the Jeep, the child seat will be in the back, where it is less protected by the roll bar…
Rollbar |=Bulletproof
There is no way I’d drive a Jeep, much less put a baby in one.
The only reason to get a Jeep Wrangler is to do some serious off-roading. Why would you want a new one just to get it banged up and dirty? You’d be better off getting a well-used Wrangler with some after-market goodies already installed, and sticking with a sedan for the family.
OTOH, it’s your money, and your kid – do what you think best. I grew up riding in the back of pickup trucks, and didn’t start wearing seat belts until I got my own first car at 16. If I can survive that, chances are so will your kid.
I used to have an older version of the Wrangler. '84 CJ7, softtop. My DOG was afraid to ride in it. She loves my Pathfinder though.
Softtops are fun for a while, but they are noisy. At least mine was.
I used to run studded snows in the winter. Sure its a 4x4 but with that short wheel base you want to make DAMN sure you don’t put it in a ditch.
Try a midsize minivan instead.
haha! No can do, then I will have officially turned to the dark side.
I’m not really worried about the rollover issue. I’ve always driven SUVs and that is definately the direction I will be going, but let’s not start that debate again.
I had a Wrangler before I was married and loved it. The biggest pros for another one are obviously the top down aspect, and the fact that they are easy to find with manual transmissions. I have an automatic now and HATE it.
I’ll probably just compromise and get a hard top. . . and when I take it off in the spring, just keep the baby out of the car.
I’m guessing you don’t want avice from the guy who tried valiantly to convince his very pregnant wife that a car seat would, too fit securely in the flip down rear seat of an RX-7.
I have a friend who spent time as a trauma surgeon. She absolutely forbids any of her 6 siblings and 16 neices and nephews to buy either a motorcycle or a soft-topped car of any sort.
I drive a Wrangler and hate having ADULTS riding in the back. There is absolutely no protection whatsoever for the backseat passengers. What if you get broadsided? It’s a terrible, horrible, awful idea–please talk him out of this.
Daddy is kidding himself. He is trying to pull the wool down over his own eyes.
Funny Daddy! Peek-a-boo!
A four-door jeep might solve that problem.
Have you considered the Liberty? No, it’s not as cool as a Wrangler, and, no, the top doesn’t come off, but it’s still a little Jeep with actual working 4-WD and a 5-speed manual. I realize this is a compromise, but, trust me, parenting is all about compromises.
That’s a bit out of my price range. . .
InternetLegend I have a Grand Cherokee now and hate it.
I’ll probably just get a car, which I will probably drive too fast. The Wrangler really was just a pipe dream.
Maybe I’ll take Danalan’s advice and try and convince my wife to let me spend $3-4K on an old CJ.
Thanks for your opinions folks.
And Doctor Jackson, I see no reason why a carseat can’t fit in the fold down seat of the RX. The baby will have plenty of room, it’s the people who have to put the baby in the carseat that will be inconvenienced (sp?).
No commentary on the Jeep issue, but as regards to:
I wanted to mention that the child seat should always be in the back these days, regardless of how many people were in the car, and make sure we were all clear on that.
I cover that everytime I teach an airbag class. I would have mentioned that except when I looked at the jeep webpage they mention that there is an airbag cutoff switch for the passenger airbag. This means that if you are smart enough to turn off the airbag, a car seat (even a rear facing one) could safely be used in that seat.