Granturismo newbie advice - Twins on the way!

H

Hasan

New Member
Messages
15
Hi all,

I've just joined this wonderful forum after deciding that a Granturismo S or MC shift will hopefully be my next car come August.
I've had 5 911 variants over the years and 2 years ago I bought an AM Vantage which I love.

So the tricky part is that my wife is expecting twins!

Do you think a granturismo purchase is still viable? I've read here that you can fit a rear facing seat in the back so we'll obviously need 2....and hopefully a stroller for twins that will fit in the boot.

I'm not keen on the QP, and really hope that having twins hasn't scuppered my dream of owning a GranTurismo.

Any advice would be greatly welcomed.
 
dickygrace

dickygrace

www.richardgracecars.co.uk
Messages
7,344
Welcome to the fold Hasan, perfectly reasonable to have two child seats in the back and a buggy. You may have a stiff back from taking the twins in and out though. Rather have a bad back than a 4 x 4. Quattroporte would be easier for getting the twins in and out but if you don't like it, that's not an option.
 
BigR

BigR

Member
Messages
447
Hasan said:
Hi all,

....and hopefully a stroller for twins that will fit in the boot.
Click to expand...

I don't want to quash your dreams, but the authorities are unlikely to approve of twins in the boot - regardless of whether you think they'd fit! (And doesn't that make quadruplets?) :omg:
 
Felonious Crud

Felonious Crud

Administrator
Staff member
Messages
21,287
Excellent choice of car. And welcome.

Big R's right, you shouldn't keep children in the boot, however tempting it might be. Happily you'll find the back seats to be surprisingly spacious. Dicky's right about your back - whilst roomy it takes a certain flexibility to get in and out of the back with any dignity. If you plan to put the twins in the back on a daily basis you may soon tire of the effort, but if you have another car for the more mundane tasks then the GTS will probably be an almost perfect car for those occasions when you do want to load it up. The boot's not what you'd call specious but plenty roomy enough for most day to day toot.

You might give some thought to the comfort seats. On paper they provide easier access to the back because they're electric and glide effortlessly out of the way when you fold the seat back forward. Trouble is, they're pretty grouchy - my driver's side one is fine, the passenger one is less cooperative. If it's peeing with rain you may have quite a wet back by the time you've buggered about with getting the front seat forward. You can reset them, but it doesn't seem to make much difference. Italians, eh.

Good luck and happy hunting.
 
safrane

safrane

Member
Messages
16,916
Rear facing seats in the back will be very difficult to get the kids in and out...you may need to see a chiropractor after each trip...forward facing will be ok once the kids are bigger.
 
hoyin

hoyin

Member
Messages
1,842
I would be more worried about them throwing up in the back! Isn't that what kids do when travelling in cars?
 
allandwf

allandwf

Member
Messages
11,018
I always found that a 2 door car was much easier than a 4, as you buckle them up face on and not side ways on, especially when they are flailing about! ;)
 
Classico

Classico

Member
Messages
895
Baby seats in the back is very doable. Big reason for me buying the GT.

I have two in the back of mine. Both seats are forward facing and absolutely no problem getting the kids in and out of the car.

My children are 4 and 2 mind, so they are able to stand up and wait for me to pick them up.

Rearward facing would be a touch more difficult, but not impossible. Decent amount of room back there. May need to bend your back a bit. Would be fine on a weekend basis.

Boot not the biggest, but can fit a pram.

As others have said, the four-door QP would be an easier option.
 
rd993

rd993

Junior Member
Messages
131
There is good news and bad news on this one...

The good news - there is a lot of room in the back of a GT. Rear facing is actually easier than forward facing in my experience (did both as GT was my only car until my daughter was 16 months old). With comfort seats, a fixed isofix base and rear facing seats it is pretty easy as you just clip the baby seat in and out and the seats automatically slide forwards when you fold. In rear facing, my daughter was behind me and my seat was right back. Forward facing was quite a bit trickier as you have to strap your child in the rear seats - so you actually have to lean in etc and they dont always want to be strapped in. Must get quite a lot easier when they can stand and get into the seat themselves. Maxi cosi isofix with isofix base works a treat. Boot is fine for one pram as long as it is compact and there is room for a surprising amount of luggage in addition.

The bad news - if you are having twins you will need a double buggy. Look into it but I think your only option will be something like the double maclaren buggy as that is one of the smallest. That's a good buggy however there will be very little room for anything else in the boot. Newborns meed to lie flat so that will also restrict your choice of compact buggy.

If it is a second car this may not be a problem. If it is your only car, do look at the quattroporte 4.7 gts as it drives and sounds like a gt 4.7 and looks great imho. 911s and the aston will be a waste of time for your purposes (unless it is a rapide).

By the way congratulations!
 
B

bigbob

Member
Messages
8,973
Welcome. You really do need a family car as well if you do not have one already but that can be cheap enough - lots of Leon's, Quashthing etc etc on cheap finance deals.

My kids came along individually but twins makes it harder. The GranTurismo will allow you to take both children out on your own - which you may do a lot at weekends to keep your wife/partner's sanity - or you can all get in but it's not ideal for that purpose.

Children fitting in cars varies a lot with their age. Rear facing seats take a lot of horizontal room so whether a seat will fit behind you as a driver of a GranTurismo depends on how tall you are. Once they move onto forward facing seats they will be fine for a while until the legs get too long, then their legs will keep kicking you (I sold my 645i at this stage) and then they are ok again once the thigh bones get long enough to bend the shins/feet down. Thereafter you are on a roll as they will always fit!

After that it depends how long you want to keep the car. I was walking though central Edinburgh yesterday and saw a very fresh looking DB9 on a private plate. Popped the plate into an app I have to find out it was ten years old. These sort of cars maintain a presence and an ambience for a long time!

PS Walked round the corner and saw an Aventador in a colour like Maserati's Bianco Fuji. Now that was something else!
 
H

Hasan

New Member
Messages
15
Thank you all so much for your advice and warm welcome!

I'm now in 2 minds really as my head tells me to buy a 4x4 like a Cayenne GTS for a year until the twins are ready for forward facing seats and my heart says to go for the MC Shift from when they're born.

Interms of cars, this will be the only car but it will be more of a weekend car, as I take the tube to work.

Finding the boot dimensions has been hard too, as I need to assess twin stroller sizes!

This is a really tough decision.
 
Jon

Jon

Junior Member
Messages
146
Hasan said:
Finding the boot dimensions has been hard too, as I need to assess twin stroller sizes!

This is a really tough decision.
Click to expand...

Hasan,

There's some really sound advice on this thread.

On the stroller issue, I strongly recommend you buy the stroller early and then head to numerous dealerships (including Maserati) and physically try it. Don't forget that with newborns you have a LOT of other clutter to carry around for a year but the other stuff generally comes in squishy bags that can help hold your stroller in place so it doesnt thrash around the boot when you're doing 80mph round the roundabouts!

Really, there's no substitute for trying it for real and the dealerships are used to that - tried ours in about 10 cars six years ago!
 
c4sman

c4sman

Member
Messages
1,264
Hasan said:
Thank you all so much for your advice and warm welcome!

I'm now in 2 minds really as my head tells me to buy a 4x4 like a Cayenne GTS for a year until the twins are ready for forward facing seats and my heart says to go for the MC Shift from when they're born.

Interms of cars, this will be the only car but it will be more of a weekend car, as I take the tube to work.

Finding the boot dimensions has been hard too, as I need to assess twin stroller sizes!

This is a really tough decision.
Click to expand...

Financially, I doubt buying a cayenne for one year followed by a GTwould be the right answer vs buying a low cost family runaround plus the GT and keeping both of those for say 3 years as you will pay dearly in depreciation on the cayenne as well as dealer tax. Why not go for newish generic family wagon for £10k that can be bashed about, plus your GT MC shift. Will your wife not use the runaround whilst you are at work in the week?
 
drewf

drewf

Member
Messages
7,159
c4sman said:
Financially, I doubt buying a cayenne for one year followed by a GTwould be the right answer vs buying a low cost family runaround plus the GT and keeping both of those for say 3 years as you will pay dearly in depreciation on the cayenne as well as dealer tax. Why not go for newish generic family wagon for £10k that can be bashed about, plus your GT MC shift. Will your wife not use the runaround whilst you are at work in the week?
Click to expand...

This is sound advice. Often very handy to have a 'normal' car that can be parked anywhere in the inevitable tight spot without worrying.
 
B

bigbob

Member
Messages
8,973
c4sman said:
Financially, I doubt buying a cayenne for one year followed by a GTwould be the right answer vs buying a low cost family runaround plus the GT and keeping both of those for say 3 years as you will pay dearly in depreciation on the cayenne as well as dealer tax. Why not go for newish generic family wagon for £10k that can be bashed about, plus your GT MC shift. Will your wife not use the runaround whilst you are at work in the week?
Click to expand...

+1 on everything bar the wrong advice on GTS gearbox choice!
 
Fangio63

Fangio63

Member
Messages
614
Don't have anymore kids !.... 3 car seats really messes up your options ....

Having done a 4200 with toddlers I would have thought the GT would cope with a double buggy + Bag + one of those foldable play-pens / cage (essential for confining them on arrival)

Good luck... but you'll still be needing a cheap wagon for the shopping trips...
 
gjwilson

gjwilson

Junior Member
Messages
146
I managed it in the older 3200 which I believe is a good bit smaller inside. Can be tricky but very manageable. So longs the front passengers aren't enormous as I found the seats had to be further forward than usual. You WILL chip paint and you will swear, you will curse the marks on the leather but manageable nonetheless :)
 
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