I need some wisdom from those of you with kids

[desperado]

I'm torn. I love the car, but all of sudden this ****ed "responsibility" thing kicked in with me! I'm wondering if this is a normal thing for new dads.

Yes, definitely normal. When my kids were little I sold the airplane, did the van / SUV thing, ditched the motorcycles, all of that. Chose hobbies that the whole family could share. Now that the kids are grown we find we enjoy the same things, so we are back into cars, an airplane, motorcycles, etc.

It's the natural way - don't fight it.

And by the way, lots and lots of good advice in the previous posts. You guys and gals are the BEST!

[drifting]

surely a 2013 GTR would interest you. Its faster than a r8 its faster than a 911 TBH its faster than most things. Its got 4 seats tho I've never tried to put a kid seat in one.





Or its time to just give in and buy a volvo

[desperado]

Yeah, a Volvo! Here's Randy Pobst's S60:

[Stig 1]

if your considering the A8.... like SebringSilver said, Look at the S8! Its a monster. Slightly larger car than I care for, so I dropped a level and ordered an S7 that is built and on a boat out there somewhere right now!!

[rawg]

Why not try the S8, it's a fine car and costs less than the new A8

[godjira1]

did the whole family thing as well.

i did the sensible thing (had a cayman S back then) and got a cayenne s for the heavy lifting. but then added a old 996 gt3 because i wanted a fun car for the weekend blast because no matter how powerful your saloon/sedan/suv is, it's just not the kind of car you will take for fun drives.

that's my experience anyway and it remarkably seems in a common vein given the other responses in this thread...

[drifting]

Yes, definitely normal. When my kids were little I sold the airplane, did the van / SUV thing, ditched the motorcycles, all of that. Chose hobbies that the whole family could share. Now that the kids are grown we find we enjoy the same things, so we are back into cars, an airplane, motorcycles, etc.

It's the natural way - don't fight it.

And by the way, lots and lots of good advice in the previous posts. You guys and gals are the BEST!

You had a plane :O that is the next level of cool

[nsxray]

I have 3 children, age 5, 3 and 1. I also have an R8 GT, a 4 door Lexus IS-F and a Honda minivan. Get the minivan. The four sedan is a nice idea but has one big negative. Your wife will either have to sit in the back with the new baby OR you will have to stop and she will have to get out and move to back if he/she becomes fussy....even if it's raining or there isn't a convenient place to pull over. As a result, our 4 door sedan never gets used to transport the kids.

The minivan allows one to move between the front and the back of the van in relative ease. This is a big deal when the child is facing the opposite direction in a newborn baby seat. Not to mention that the Odyssey costs less than half the price of the A8! And don't forget the built in DVD. It is a lifesaver.

The Odyssey handles very well for a large 4200lb. minivan. It's no slouch of the line either.

My 02.

[nsxray]

And one more thing...

The middle seats of the minivan can be removed. Why?
Because it creates open floor space which is really handy if you have to change a diaper on the run or it's raining outside and you don't want to carry a child with a leaky diaper to the restroom. Can't do that in a 4 door sedan. Ask me how I know.....

[Jeff]

Have to agree that minivans are the perfect vehicle for a family with kids. We had several (Dodge Grand Caravans) many years ago. While I'm so glad those years are behind us, the vans were the perfect car for those years.

You could trade your R8 in for a new RS5 and a minivan -- probably an even swap.