Babies and VR4s...

[Poita]

OK I never thought it would be me making a thread like this, and I'm feeling like an old fart just typing it, but here goes.

Baby number 1 on the way and I have a few questions... about the car and the kid! Please only people with actual experience (ie who have kids) post as I don't want opinions, I want experience.

1. What are peoples experiences with baby seats the Legnums. They are a fairly narrow wagon, so did you have trouble finding seats that were narrow enough to fit 2-3 in? Any particular brands that make narrow ones if needed?

2. Exhausts. Mine is not stupidly loud but its definitely not quiet. Will this be a problem with the kid travelling and trying to sleep?

3. Coilovers. Got the cash, about to press the go button but getting a lot of pressure from people telling me that babies like a smooth ride, and coilovers are a stupid idea. Again will this be a problem with the kid trying to sleep?

Dogs are so much easier.... LOL

Cheers!
Pete

 

[Hotwire]

Well i've got one child - and I bought the Legnum deliberately as a family wagon when he was in the oven baking.
First legnum was stock suspension, stock exhaust, COTY pre-fl. It was a great car for 1 child! The ride was smooth, noise was quiet. However, my 2nd legnum was lowered on Tein Springs, KYB shocks, all under body bracing, full exhaust etc. I purchased this when he was 2. By then sleeping in the car was not a requirement for the times driving (never long trips) and it was fine with a 2 year old. So my advice? keep the stock suspension for now, and fit coilovers when the little one is 2+ years old. As for exhaust, different kids are different. My son was (is?) a really poor sleeper and needed silence. His cousins can sleep anywhere, any time, any noise so you'd just have to wait and see.

Point I will say though, i'm 6'4" and had the seat full back at all times. Whenever I had his cousins in the car (i.e. 2 or 3 kids in the back seat) they did not fit behind me well. Constantly kicking the seat etc, and 2 car seats was the limit, i.e. VERY squeezy in the middle if you want to fit a 3rd person. They really are only good for 2 car seats in the rear, or 1 seat and 2 kids <5 (if you are thinking long term / lots of kids)

 

[Hotwire]

Oh, and that's referring to the Safe N Sound Compact seat, in conjunction with a booster seat (narrow seat) and no room - so you'd have no hope in hell of fitting 3 seats across (IMHO)

Thus Why I have the 'coon - about to be 2 kids, always bringing at least 1 cousin along at family outings and never know if/when the 3rd will happen

 

[godzilla]

1) mine fits a baby seat(forward facing) my 7yo in the middle and my 4yo girl in a booster. All fine.
2) at no stage have I ever heard a complaint about noise in either of my legnums from the kids. Babies like noise!
3) get coilovers. Babies dont mind bumps. Just go a sedate spring rate if you're worried and make sure they're damper adjustable.

Good luck and congrats

 

[Hotwire]

See - everyone's children are different! :tongue_smilie:

 

[Poita]

LOL ok thanks for that.

Yeah long term I am looking at a 4WD so by the time the 2nd or 3rd is there hopefully we will have more room. I was just contemplating the idea of getting it sooner rather than later if it was a better idea. But I really would like to keep the Legnum for as long as possible!

The coilovers I'm looking at are the ISC 8/10. I have no idea if that is a 'sedate' spring rate!

 

[qball]

Hd 3 kids through my Legnum on Bilstien suspension with Apexi cat back(loud). 3 seat fits ok and when i had 2 seats in i could fit in the middle but i had to have my arms up ( 6 foot tall), i with a rearward facing seat you will need the front seat fairly forward but i could still sit in it fine. My kids were never bother by the noise in fact they all loved it the older they got. I now have a full 3 inch exhaust with fujitsubo muffler and they don't even notice it

 

[qball]

I moved to a Tarago as getting the 3rd kid into the middle seat killed my wife's back. They easily do 2 kids with no hassles at all

 

[mookers]

1. Good luck fitting 3 kids across the back if you have 2 baby seats. It can be done (as Trevor points out) but you need skinny children. Also note that the centre seat has no shoulder belt so it is inherently unsafe unless you use one of those backpack-strap harness things that goes on the lap belt, over the shoulders and clips to the centre child seat anchor.

2. Exhaust. What the others said, depends on the kid. Probably ok however, since exhaust noise is kind of droning background noise which might even induce sleep.

3. Coilovers. I think this would also depend on the kid. I can, however, vouch for the very nice ride on Tein Superwagons, at 5/3. 10/8 might be ok if your roads aren't shit.

Points 2 and 3 can also vary depending on how you drive. Stock exhaust is probably gonna wake the kid up if you rev it repeatedly like an idiot at the traffic lights

 

[96vr4]

Yep.. Depends on the kid, ive got 3.5 inch exh and coilovers. The sound calms my 4 month old and he has no probs sleeping on long trips with the noise and bumps

 

[naughtika]

I can only add my experience when I had my brother, his wife and their child 3yr old at the time.. when my brother and his wife would tell me to 'slow down'

my niece would say "no tito (uncle), go faster! go faster!"

she was still using her booster seat at the time

 

[lathiat]

I soothed a terribly upset baby (for like an hour+) with the Evo's exhaust and going for a drive. Might have been co-incidence.. who knows.. but I'd like to think it's clearly a practical family car with family car features *laughs*

 

[vr4cobra]

I fit my 1 year old in baby seat and other 2 (4 and 6) on boosta seats in my galant no issues... No leg room behind my seat tho (I'm 6'5") and my youngest always kicks my seat when I don't boost it. I have a very loud exhaust and they all love it and can sleep with it open or closed (varex muffler ) they all seem to love it. As long as not trying to squeeze 3 baby seats in u should be fine. As said all kids are different and so far even my nephews love it too (not so much my sis )

 

[M0R81U5]

I have a 2yr old and 4yr old both in seats and can fit my wife in between if we have to. I have Tein super wagons and a full 3" exhaust with RSR cat back....it's pretty noisy. I find that it puts them to sleep on longer drives, they never complain about the noise...unlike wifey.

if I'd left it stock, it would be the ultimate family car I reckon, it's far more accommodating than my wife's MY06 Impreza wagon.

 

[NuffNuff]

I got my Legnum just after my son turned one (he's two now) and he loves riding in the Legnum, the exhaust and bumps put him to sleep sometimes, but generally he's happy looking out the window and listening to music.

i have the child seat on the passenger side, as the middle has a sash belt as described above isnt very safe. i've had two adults in the back (middle seat and drivers side rear seat) and were in the car for probably an hour and a half and didnt complain too much, they were glad to be out of there though. kids should be fine. we have the same setup in our swift and had two adults in the back along with the seat. so long as you arent driving to sydney and back, most appreciate the free lift they are getting and dont moan too much or their are out on their ass


getting a two year old in and out of a child seat is getting really tough, we're looking at getting booster seats now as it's a effort avoiding bashing his poor little head into the door/roof getting him in and out. the swift has a heigh roof and is relatively easy still

 

[Poita]

OK you have convinced me! LOL Thanks heaps for the feedback.

Coilovers it is, just need to hope like hell I can get up the driveway now!

Hotwire, checked out that Safe n Sound Compaq and it looks great, thanks! Turns out my sister has one so I will be able to do a test fit before buying.

 

[fieldy107]

I used to fit 3 baby seats in my backseat, it was tight but it worked. I now have 2 baby seats and the older kid sits in between the 2.

My exhaust is pretty damn loud and drones, has no muffler at all. It has put my youngest one to sleep on many occasions.

As long as the coilovers are not bone jarringly hard, it wont be a problem.

So yeah, do it.

 

[TME_Steve]

My 2 cents, get a seat that is narrow at the bar, otherwise you can't get them over to the edge properly. We have one in the outback that's great, pm for details if you want but it is by far the best seat we've had (gone through 4 or so now lol, maybe 5 or 6 even). The one in the VR4 is one of the narrowest seats on the market but is effectively 100mm widerdue to the base width, it sucks.

 

[TME_Steve]

Oh yeah, the bubs loves bumps (prams have hardly any suspension and he loves them usually) and our older kids never feel sick in the VR4, feel sick but don't throw up in the outback and get sick in an x trail. But they're all different.

As for the exhaust, just get a varex

 

[TME_Steve]

OK you have convinced me! LOL Thanks heaps for the feedback.

Coilovers it is, just need to hope like hell I can get up the driveway now!

Hotwire, checked out that Safe n Sound Compaq and it looks great, thanks! Turns out my sister has one so I will be able to do a test fit before buying.

I think that's what we have that doesn't fit well.... I could be wrong