Black plastic bumpers!

[r.welfare]

Right then. Every other weekend, it seems, I am out with a bottle of T-Cut, panel wipe and a rattle can and this...

 

 

...removing another scrape from a bumper corner. My wife is good at many things, but avoiding stone walls and other roadside obstacles are not among them. Of course, bumper sensors front and rear might help, but a bigger, estate-shaped vehicle may be preferable from a bambino perspective.

 

So what recent stuff still has black placca bumpers?

 

Specifics - no big 4x4s or Berlingo-esque efforts. I'm thinking previous-shape Volvo XC70 - ideally ex-police white. Audi allroad is another, but I'm nervous of expensive air-suspension faults. Let's call the budget £5k as I don't enjoy borrowing money, and like to spend what I have even less.

 

I suspect I will be served divorce papers if I locate the last remaining Rover 620 (non-i) or P11 Primera Equation in activity thus-equipped.

 

I await your alternatives!

[Mr Lobster]

Other than your suggestions and the already discounted Berlingo / Kangoo type cars then I really can't think of anything at all that wouldn't have had painted bumper when new other than some small cars which are presumably too small.On a related note - do babies really take up that much space? Our first is due in March and I'm really hoping the Toledo is big enough and that the assorted baby clutter will fit in that. Will it?!

[pogweasel]

[r.welfare]

Yes! What doesn't fit into the boot can go on a roof rack - look, the rails are already there! Shame the Streetwise was affected by the cheaparse "Project Drive" decontenting.Mr Lobster - how much space you need in the boot is entirely dependent on what type of pram/buggy your wife desires. If it's one of the Quinny 3-wheelers we have then you might struggle with the Toledo. Best thing to do is borrow something suitable from a friend/relative and try and fit it in the boot.

[pogweasel]

On a related note - do babies really take up that much space? Our first is due in March and I'm really hoping the Toledo is big enough and that the assorted baby clutter will fit in that. Will it?!

Your toledo will be fine. ;)No need to have the usual 'new parent' reaction OMG I MUST BUY A ZAFIRA...It's only superminis that will struggle to contain humungous modern 'travel systems'.

[r.welfare]

Yes, there's no need for an MPV, or a big 4x4 for that matter. Estate cars are FTW but not a necessity. Leather is nice from a "wipe clean" perspective - the interior of the Accord is a real mess (split milk and biscuits ground into the cloth), but it's a scruffy car generally; thankfully it's rust-free and mechanically very strong, so ideal for purpose.Buy a decent childseat - Maxi Cosi stuff is good - then get a second cheap childseat from a decent sort at a bootsale and stick it in the front of the R4 - my 15 month old loves riding up front in the 405 with her dad on occasion. The Accord doesn't have a disable-able front passenger airbag, see.

[seth]

Yeah, what they said /\ Toledo should be fine. Just don't buy mega huge stuff. There are some really compact buggies out there and once one of the more expensive makes design something neat it only takes a little while for the cheaper brands to do some BL inspired cost cutting engineering and bring out a cheaper (but slightly less good) version.

[pogweasel]

I am disappointed in you, Seth.

 

I really thought your contribution to this thread would be:

 

 

[Guest]

Alternatively.....

 

 

Then you can just do touchups with a Tippex bottle.

[seth]

I am disappointed in you, Seth.

 

I really thought your contribution to this thread would be:

 

 

Wha? But we can't get her car seat in the back of the B! She does like riding in the front though but neither of us fit in the back either.

 

But yeah, live the dream. Have a midlife crisis. Buy a "sportscar".

[r.welfare]

Alternatively.....

 

 

Then you can just do touchups with a Tippex bottle.

Now THAT is a quality brochure shot. Go to the expense of setting up a background photograph, then get a GCSE art student to do a painting of the car over the top.

[AnthonyG]

If t'wife keeps scraping it - why bother to fix it? Just making it look nice again will encourage her lack of care when parking

[Mr Lobster]

R.Welf / Pog / Seth - thanks for the advice! I was thinking the Toledo should be big enough as the boot is massive anyway. That and I really don't want to replace it. A lot of friends have done the whole OMG need a Scenic / Zafira / Picasso once they had kids and I reeally don't want to go down that road which strikes me as somewhat over the top really.Sorry for the thread hijack RW

[FredTransit]

I'm with Sir T on this one! None of yer namby pamby colour coded bumpers. Also AnthonyG has the right idea, just leave it. Saves you loads of time in the long run.....

[Ratdat]

Black bumpers you say? This should do the trick...

 

[Guest]

Actually, why not just tell her to be better at driving?

[Spottedlaurel]

Are modern black plastic bumpers any better than colour-coded in reality? After all, if they get scratched then it's a tad difficult just to fill or touch-in the scratches, you just end up with a raggedy graze.On the baby/child carrying thing, what I'd say in favour of as large a car as possible is the ease of getting baby and/or seat in through the door, then leaning and dealing with the straps. The Camry estate had wonderful big, square doors that made it a doddle. The Mazda 323F didn't, which is why it went in favour of the Carina E.

[Father Ted]

On a related note - do babies really take up that much space? Our first is due in March and I'm really hoping the Toledo is big enough and that the assorted baby clutter will fit in that. Will it?!

No they dont - we managed for years with a Mk 3 Fiesta (with black bumpers) and on child and associated crap fitted in nicely. I put a tow bar on and used an erde trailer for camping trips and holidays. We upsized to a Laguna when we bought a caravan, then progressed to a Xantia ( 2 kids by this point) again all the associated shite fitted in well it was only when sprog number 3 came along and we needed something to fit 3 car seats in that we bought the Berlingo (also black bumpers) Now we need to ferry around 4 or 5 kids so we have tthe Zafira (poverty spec with big chunks of unpainted plastics). Otherwise though with one kid a Mk 3 poverty spec Fiesta would do the job well

 

:

Dizzle ZX with black placky bumpers.

 

MK 3 Fester with Black Placky bmpers

 

Rover 216 GSi with Placky Bmpers and lots of toys.

 

Basic Corsa with Black Plack...

 

How about an Ital? 4 doors, capacious boot, Black Bumpers?

[Richard]

On a related note - do babies really take up that much space? Our first is due in March and I'm really hoping the Toledo is big enough and that the assorted baby clutter will fit in that. Will it?!

Choose carefully when buying baby equipment. Most of it is incredibly bulky and will take over all the space in your house. It doesn't have to be that bulky, the compact stuff is there if you look. When looking at prams check their overall size when folded. When the time comes to buy a pushchair buy an umbrella type one. Pushchair time is the real "quality" time and it makes sense to have one that's easy to throw in the car for spur of the moment outings, plus you can hang them on a coat hook. Most high chairs have a truly enormous footprint but they don't have to- again you can buy compact ones that fold neatly. In most cases the old-style compact baby equipment is considerably cheaper too.