MK5 Golf GTI
All Things Mk5 => Mk5 General Area => Topic started by: phil197 on February 03, 2013, 08:32:11 pm
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The wife has finally decided its time we thought about starting a family.. Does the 3 door gti have to be exchanged for a 5 door or is the 3 door child friendly enough to keep, concerned about getting in and out the back etc...
Cheers guys
Phil
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you can manage with a 3 door but your better half will tell you to get a 5 door as its easier to get in and out of which she is right :grin:
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child = 5 door
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3 door drove me mad with kids :(
sent using my own fingers
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child = 5 door
You can't say that.... My wife has just announced she's pregnant!!!
My first response was " I'm not selling my gti".
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child = 5 door
You can't say that.... My wife has just announced she's pregnant!!!
My first response was " I'm not selling my gti".
:signLOL: :signLOL: i got a toyota 7 seater when my g/f told me that
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I sold my 3 door Ed30, then bought a 5 door stage2+ with a higher spec, it was not all bad.
The three door was liveable, just a pita :)
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Take the hit in one and get a T5 :happy2:
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I was going to buy the 3-door version and my then 14yo daughter (am happily divorced) told me I would need a 5-door for her friends! I had a BMW 2-door previously and so she knew what she was talking about. And she was right!
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Still got a 3 dr myself, though our two year old normally travels in the other half's 5 door car.
But when needed she can travel in mine and it can be worked (with not too much hassle) by lifting our little Miss into the back of the Golf.
Gotta admit next car will be 5 doors though.
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RS6? :wink:
Practical family car? :laugh:
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Though I don't have a family, I must admit the 5 door is far more "roomy" than a 3 door, I am rather tall myself, at 6'6 and it feels better, probably something to do with the door arches and pillars etc
Just my 2 pence :)
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5 door definitely better, you can manage with a 3 though but it will be a PITA putting the seat in and out of the back.
We had a 5 door mk5 when the first one came along... swapped for a vRS wagon when we had number two.
:happy2:
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Although we don't have kids of our own yet, we do have quite a few young nieces and nephews and I have to admit that our 3 door is a right pita for car seat and clean up duties..
Its not helped by our very narrow drive and the longer doors of the 3 door meaning we can't open the doors fully, in our case a 5 door would make life a lot easier :smiley:
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We have got our first baby due in 8 weeks and I have got a 3 door ed 30. I know it's going to be a bit awkward but I'm keeping it as long as poss (especially as i have just gone stage 1 revo with it)! I have bought an isofix base/seat to make things a bit easier but I think it's still going to be a bit difficult getting the seat into the back!
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We have got our first baby due in 8 weeks and I have got a 3 door ed 30. I know it's going to be a bit awkward but I'm keeping it as long as poss (especially as i have just gone stage 1 revo with it)! I have bought an isofix base/seat to make things a bit easier but I think it's still going to be a bit difficult getting the seat into the back!
Get some practice in now ;)
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5 doors would certainly help, make's getting the nephew in the back of mine easier compared to my sisters Twingo, but she cope's ok with it.
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5 door definitely better, you can manage with a 3 though but it will be a PITA putting the seat in and out of the back.
We had a 5 door mk5 when the first one came along... swapped for a vRS wagon when we had number two.
:happy2:
I am so close to that myself now it's not funny. If you have a 3 dr you should view parenting as mentioned a path to 5 door + spec upgrade.
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Get a Jetta, perfect car for babies. Loads of room in the boot for all the paraphernalia that goes along with them. We had a Passat Estate and then a Bora when our son was a baby. Fitted everything in the boot perfectly as it should be with nothing in the interior so no chance of things flying around should the worst happen.
In fact, the perfect vehicle for kids is a 4x4, thanks to them being higher you don't have to bend down to put the kid in the seat and strap them in.
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Get a Jetta, perfect car for babies. Loads of room in the boot for all the paraphernalia that goes along with them. We had a Passat Estate and then a Bora when our son was a baby. Fitted everything in the boot perfectly as it should be with nothing in the interior so no chance of things flying around should the worst happen.
+1 :happy2:
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In fact, the perfect vehicle for kids is a 4x4, thanks to them being higher you don't have to bend down to put the kid in the seat and strap them in.
....Hence 'Knighstbridge Chariots'! Also, their wealthy husbands think that their offspring and wifey are safer while in a huge 4x4.
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I have had my Golf for a year now and it's a 3 door. I have a 2 yr old and one leg (well 2 if u count my prosthetic) and I have no problems at all with getting my lad in and out of the car so no need to get rid of your 3 door for a 5 door :)
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I have had my Golf for a year now and it's a 3 door. I have a 2 yr old and one leg (well 2 if u count my prosthetic) and I have no problems at all with getting my lad in and out of the car so no need to get rid of your 3 door for a 5 door :)
:notworthy:
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although the 3 door would be fine life would def be easier with a 5 door.
i have a 5dr with a 7 yr old and a 3 yr old and im imagining pouring rain with a nasty wind whilst the front seat is forward and door wide open while you are fastenning his / her seat belt and then giving them whatever attention they need before you actually get in the car yourself.
i still remember the days having this problem esp if it is a busy road with one foot outside the car and one foot in the back whilst frantically trying to get the little ones secure in their seats and giving them things like teddies etc before someone came along and took my large drivers door off along with my leg.
at least with the 5dr the door is a lot smaller and lighter.
the joys of adapting for our little ones lol
:happy2:
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If its raining I be in the back fully and close the door whilst I fasten him in his seat, I just use the back of the front seat to rest against because squatting with one legs gets harder very quickly haha
Adapt and overcome is something I go by in life! :)
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^^^^ like your style matey! :happy2:
I've had moredoors for years (because of the kids and their friends etc). As soon as they had both left home I went out and bought a 3dr, assuming (wrongly as it turn out) the car was for me and my convenience and not that of my passengers as a year after buying my car my daughter now has her own daughter and I now find having a 3dr a PITA.
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Kids = 5 door.....
One other thing to consider is imagine heaven forbid you have an accident........I guarantee you will be in the mangled wreck of your 3 door TELLING the emergency services to get your kid out the back first before they lay finger on you.
If they've got to move you to get access its a little more difficult.
For me.....Lowered Rocco on 19s + Twins = Mondeo Estate..... :sad1:
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I've got to admit that is a very good point Dave!
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We've just weighed in the wifes 3 door A3 Cabriolet (as she's pregnant with our first) , for a Nissan Qashqai (that's what she wanted). It's not a bad drive really, .........a little bit plodding, but big, safe and 5 door :happy2:
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There is no dounbt a 5 door is easier, although you can get by with a 3. We has the ISO ifx base and baby carrier and putting him in and out was quite easy, does start to get a bit heavy as they grow though. He is now 19 months and has the second stage seat that stays in the car and that makes life abit easier.
Having said that O/H has a 5 door which we use some of the time as well.
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I have just got my first 5 door and my kids are now 18 and 23 all previous cars have been 2 door, so you don't have too change. When my kids first came along ( surprised I was !! ) I had a Honda MK2 CRX that was fun getting the kids in the back :).
The only reason I have a 5 door now is that my parents are 90 and 85 and when I pick them up its a bit difficult to pick them up so had to borrow the Missus 5 door Charade :).
Steve
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We bought our 3 door about 6wks before we found out the Mrs was pregnant, tbh it's been fine so far, using an ISOFIX seat was dead easy but now as he gets bigger (approaching 1yr old) we've decided to look at a 5 door as getting him in and out is hard work but not impossible. Not sure what we're going to do yet, the choice is either another Gti or we may change to Leon FR again.
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Quite apart from babies, which healthily grow in size and weight every week, a 5-door is far easier to load/unload heavier or awkward shaped items. Heavy lifting (growing baby or otherwise) while your back is cantilevered forward is something you may regret having done when you are older. It is anyway easy to hurt yourself.
The other downside of a 3-door is simply the size of the doors when opening in tighter spaces.
I actually don't see the point of having a 3-door Golf unless you intend to strip it and use it as a track car - You lose most of the advantages of a great allround hatchback. But ETTO.
(https://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fdaz.co%2Fmedia%2FMods%2FUNIbrace%2FXB_chair_1961.jpg&hash=3b313493203530df19f8ce04e994616c89decf65)
So, it's only a matter of time until baby = 5-door.
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looks like all the replies are saying a 3dr is livable but a 5dr is so much easier, it gets to difficult as the little ones get a bit heavier.
i personally like the look of a 3dr but tbh theres no way i could function properly with the kids in the back.
the amount of times i have to stop the car etc to either fix something with them which requires me getting out of my seat or to pick something up, wipe chocolate fingers etc etc etc is unbeleivable.
to do this in a 3dr is a scary thought for me, plus on hot days the little ones love putting their windows down, unless i lock them that is.
5dr all the way :happy2:
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I thought i was fine with my 3dr till i got my 5dr and realised how easier things are. Fitting a rear facing isofix baby carrier into the rear of a 3 door is a real pain.
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I shall keep the 3 door for the time being and keep a 5 door in mind..the moment I get annoyed with the car I shall use it as an excuse to grab a newer 5 door :happy2:
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you can manage with a 3 door but your better half will tell you to get a 5 door as its easier to get in and out of which she is right :grin:
............5 doors is a lot easier. :wink:
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I think a lot of it depends on how much you prefer a 3 door car when compared to a to 5 car, from a car styling perspective. For me, 5 doors completely spoils the look of a sporty hatch, so we always had 3 door cars when we had our children and still do even though we now ferry around the grandchildren. 5 doors would be easier, but I would rather suffer the slight inconvenience of a 3 door car, than have to suffer the ugly appearance (imho) of a 5 door car. Isofix is your friend. :happy2:
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I think a lot of it depends on how much you prefer a 3 door car when compared to a to 5 car, from a car styling perspective. For me, 5 doors completely spoils the look of a sporty hatch, so we always had 3 door cars when we had our children and still do even though we now ferry around the grandchildren. 5 doors would be easier, but I would rather suffer the slight inconvenience of a 3 door car, than have to suffer the ugly appearance (imho) of a 5 door car. Isofix is your friend. :happy2:
....I expect that most folks with 3-door versions have chosen them for preferred styling. Yes, what is ugly or not is very subjective - I think that the current Scirocco is extremely ugly for example.
The styling differences between the 3-door and 5-door Golfs is less when compared to some other car brands.
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No kids but 3 door is a pita with older parents, in reality we always use the mk5 for that give its a more door, in reality only the cat has graced the rear seats of the Ed35
Oddly the 3 door has been more practical on ikea and DIY trips as you can slide and tilt the flront seat to liberate more space
I've ordered a 5 door polo for the practicality and to be frugal as in reality never like leaving the golf in multistoreys or supermarket car parks
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Five door is much easier than a 3 door that's why at the weekends we use the mrs's 5 door Polo rather than my 3 door GTI.
(Too lazy to mess about with swapping the child seat over). :signLOL:
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I have a 5dr tornado red gti at present and missus is due anytime,but the baby when born will never get in my lovely interlargos lol,thats what her 5dr msport 1 series is for.baby=sick+minted gti=think not lol. :grin:
Dougie
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I thought i was fine with my 3dr till i got my 5dr and realised how easier things are. Fitting a rear facing isofix baby carrier into the rear of a 3 door is a real pain.
might i add that this is my first 5 dr car and ive been driving a total of 21 years now (how old does that make me feel right about now) :confused:
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Getting a child in the back of a 3 door car that doesn't want to be in there is a lot like trying to get a cat in a bath tub.
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might i add that this is my first 5 dr car and ive been driving a total of 21 years now (how old does that make me feel right about now) :confused:
....Pah! I've been driving 48 years.
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Getting a child in the back of a 3 door car that doesn't want to be in there is a lot like trying to get a cat in a bath tub.
......... :grin: very true. :congrats:
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might i add that this is my first 5 dr car and ive been driving a total of 21 years now (how old does that make me feel right about now) :confused:
....Pah! I've been driving 48 years.
Yep 38 years for me thats longer than some members of this forum have been in this "mortal coil"..... also my first 5 door :)
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I was using a 3 door mg zr until my son was about 2 and found I managed most the time, baby seat was the type with a base which I think helped getting him in and out in the early stages but the misses did pester me now and then to get a 5 door. Her only requirements was a 5 door hatchback so I brought an edition 30 and love it
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might i add that this is my first 5 dr car and ive been driving a total of 21 years now (how old does that make me feel right about now) :confused:
....Pah! I've been driving 48 years.
:surprised:
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I was using a 3 door mg zr until my son was about 2 and found I managed most the time, baby seat was the type with a base which I think helped getting him in and out in the early stages but the misses did pester me now and then to get a 5 door. Her only requirements was a 5 door hatchback so I brought an edition 30 and love it
always found the mg cars to be to tinny, hard ride with a very basic front cabin layout,
fast cars but that put me of buying one a few years back
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5 door. can not imagine trying to cope with getting a child in a car seat via a 3 door especially when they approach/get to toddler age - they put on the pounds and start thrashing about like a fish out of water. I'm reasonably young and still fairly supple but i want to stay that way rather than hit middle age with a f'd-up back :laugh:
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You can get by with a 3 door but a 5 is going to be easier.
We switched to a 5 door GTI (from a 2 seater) because we have a young baby with another on the way. Yet, I grew up with my folks having two door cars (Triumph Herald and a couple of Alfa Romeo Alfa Suds) and we got by ok.
One tip..... because we live in a small London flat we take our now 8 month old out of the baby seat and leave the seat in the back of the car. We just dont have the space for it in the flat. Out of town I see most folk take the baby seat out of the car with the baby in it when they get home. Baby might stay asleep if you are lucky, but you will wake them when you take them out of the seat so only delaying the inevitable and young babies shouldn't spend too long in a car seat, it's not good for their backs. Just take baby out of the seat and leave it in the car.... less weight to lift and easier to get in and out of a car, especially a 3 door.