i apologize for this thread as i'm sure this has been asked before, but time is of the essence. our poor little mini was mercilessly rear-ended about six weeks ago just before a three week holiday. all indications before we left were it was going to be repaired, upon our return we found it had been totaled and so we're getting a new one (3rd). our intention with the last one was by the time the lease was up we would probably be at the child rearing stage and would move on to a clubman. this unexpected return to the mini dealer has thrown those plans in to disarray.

cutting to the chase: how do people feel about kids and the mini? would we be better off in a clubman with the suicide door? we have no qualms about the safety, the idiot who hit us was going 35-40 miles an hour and the skid marks were about 5 feet long so he hit us at near full speed and my wife and i both walked away with minor bumps and abrasions. the mini is a stupendously sturdy car in an auto accident.

 

Get it, mini has a great safety features. The clubman gives you more room.
Just my 2 cents.

BTW I am glad you and the wife are OK.

 

If you ever said to yourself...WOW I love MINI Coopers and I wish they had a bit more room well then the logical step would be to get into a Clubman. Now if you said that you need a lot more room like getting groceries and toting around a baby stroller well that maybe something else like the Countryman in 2011 or whenever it get to the US

I have had quite a few Clubman to drive around in all day as loaners from the dealer. They do give a bit more room than a R56 but not really that much more.

If I had a child or two to tote around with strollers and the other accessories well then maybe I would be looking at something larger like a wagon or a small SUV.

I do not have this issue as my other car is a 08 Toyota Highlander.

 

I would agree with the above and just throw out that you should take a appropriate aged child/baby seat to the dealers and try getting it in tight and then sit in your seats and judge the room.

I never had real young kids in mine, my youngest was in a booster seat which was a pain b/c her feet did not slide under the front seat so had to slide forward enough to allow her room.

 

I think your best bet would be to opt for the 2011 Countryman that is coming out... I think it'd be hard getting a baby in and out of the back of a Cooper. Clubman would likely be easier with the extra door, but it's still not that much more room.

Maybe get something 'temporary' in the meantime? Like a used MINI? Or... just something good but cheap that you can drive for a year and sell easily (honda civic?).

 

I think like someone else suggested...I can see where getting a child in and out of a car seat in the back of a MINI might be a bit bothersome...you need to determine that for yourself.

As to the need for more room with kids...that really won't be an issue for a long while. We bought our first MINI when my kids were 11 and 8. We drove everywhere with both of them in the back...including a cross country road trip.

It really wasn't until the last couple years that it's become impractical to have them both in the back (They're now 15 and 12).

With the exception of car seat issue...if you figure that two kids can ride back there easily until they're 10...even if you were pregnant today...it's unlikely that you are going to the keep the car for 10 years.

Bottom line...I'd buy another straight MINI.

 

Well there are lots of MINI people toting babies around in their MINI. How well it works is probably subjective. I think the Clubman willl give you more room but will it be enough? I mwould suggest that you do a virtual baby drill with a clubman, car seat, stroller, supply bag and see how it works for you. If you don't like how it works, then get a used MINI, keep it till baby time, and then get a Countryman. You should be able to sell the fill in MINI for pretty much what you paid for it a year later.

 

I have spent the last six months getting a baby in and out of a Clubman. I LOVE MY CLUBMAN AND WOULD NOT AND COULD NOT HAVE KIDS (specifically babies/toddlers who can't climb in and out alone) IN A MC DUE TO THE EVEN SMALLER SIZE. I traded in my SUV for a CLubman.

I will put it simply...A MINI (even a Clubman) is a purchase for MOM and Dad and NOT the baby. It's a compromise car. You will hit your head, the baby's head, you will hurt your back, your wife will complain, you will not have enough room for stuff, you will have to spend time shopping for strollers for your CAR as well as the baby, same with the baby seat, rear facing is a PITA until the kid is front facing, the list goes on and on and it does get a little easier as the kid enters the toddler stage but the head hitting gets worse cuz they are bigger until they can climb in and out themselves. The Club door is a big help but also a huge pain in tight parking spaces. It creates a V shapes wedge that can't easily be negotiated holding a baby etc... when the car/wall is close to your right side. All the doors on the MINI are great cuz they open wide but when they can't be opened wide they stink. Look for "stupid doors" on you tube.

On the plus side, you will love your car and have fun driving it. That's it. Oh, and great gas mileage!

Do it in a MC and not a Clubman and all those negatives are amplified BIG TIME. Have two kids and more issues.

Sure, some people do it. Some people LOVE MINI's. How much do you want a MINI? Are you "Some" people? If you are, then do it and have fun. I did!

 

thanks for all the replies. the wife and i discussed it last night and we're still not ready for kids, so we decided it was best to buy the car we want/need now and worry about what to do when/if kids enter the picture. plus my motoring associate got me a great deal on cooper s that matched what we wanted while there was no clubmans that matched.

we share a car anyway as i work at home and my wife works half a mile away so we rarely use the car so we can always add a second car if needs must.

so looks like we're off today to pick up our third mini. a dark silver mark I, pepper white mark II and now a chili red mark II.

again thank you for all your replies and experiences.

 

IMHO, even if you just deferred the "kids" idea, get a clubman! It's frankly just as good as a MINI in the grand scheme of things, and then you're all set to go when the time comes!

My story:
Had a MINI Cooper, 2007. Baby arrived. Baby was in MINI for 6 months and then we realized putting an infant in and out of a car seat that is rear-facing in a regular MINI is insanity.
Got rid of MINI -- a few years later, I got a Clubman, and now that the seat is front facing I frankly find it easier than to put her into my wife's four-door sedan.

Oh, and I absolutely love my clubman. Do I wish it was a regular hatchback cooper? Only like 3 times a year if I go autocrossing or something, but even then once I'm actually doing a run, do I even think for a moment "oh no I have a clubman this sucks"? Hell no! It's an absolute riot to drive to the limit, because it is a MINI!

Besides, I actually love the Clubman for being different, having room, and actually improving on the ride (which for 98% of the year, is what matters).

Good luck!

edit: p.s. a few weeks back, we took our big stroller (seriously, an SUV of strollers -- a big huge britax), went and bought like three plants, went to the bookstore (all on a rainy day too!) and it all fit. Was it just throw-and-go? No. I had to think a bit, put one of the seats down, but eventually everything travelled and we all had big smiles.

Now, that's one kid. Two? Might be pushing it but I've seen it done!