The 996-Ok For A Young Family?

Hi Everyone, I've had a love affair with Porsches since I was a kid, as a lot of you probably have. I bought my first last year (a 1987 944S) which I love, and now I am debating about upgrading to an early 996 in the near future (either C2 or C4). My wife and I are going to start a family soon, and I was wondering if anybody uses their 996 daily with a carseat. Also, does a stroller fit comfortably in the trunk? I'd love to know, it will help me convince the wife it's a safe and acceptable route for a child seat. Granted, I won't be going on many long trips with a kid in a 996 but it would be a heck of a car for a daily driver around town. Also, if you do use a carseat and stroller, which do you recommend? I know the typical route is to have your fun with the sports car and then dump it when kids come for the minivan. I know the backseats in the 996 are equiped to handle a carseat, so why can't you have your cake and eat it too? Thanks! John

I would say better than ok, a little munchkin is about all those rear seats are good for.

My wife and I have 3 boys. I bought the 996 as a daily driver. My plans changed and it's a weekend car still, but I would have had no reservation transporting the kids around in the 996. They love it too. In all honesty, it really isn't practical. But, you can make it work. If you have any concerns about paying for service for your daily driver Porsche, then I'd recommend that you wait. Financial stress is a whole different ballgame and could potentially sour your love affair with these cars. Bob

I am in a similar situation. My wife is currently pregnant. We have 3 Porsches and a grand cherokee. We have purchased a Porsche Stroller and a Porsche baby seat. They are made specifically to fit in the 911. Of coarse, they cost too much. They are nice though. Having two people and an infant would be inappropriate because the infant seat is large and will only fit in the front seat. If you can get by until the kid can fit in a seat that can be placed in the backseat, then it would probably be ok. Look at DPS Motorsports- they have the seats and stroller. I use my 996 as a daily driver, it is quite comfortable. I drove it from Salt Lake City to Columbus Ohio and it was probably one of the most comfortable cars that been in (I was a test driver in the past so I have driven thousands of cars). Safety on the 996 is not an issue. It is very nice having a back up car that the whole family can get in without problems. My wife and I work together and it is also nice for the snowy days. I have never regretted purchasing any of my Porsches- especially the 996's. As I mentioned above, the only problem would be for the first few months with the baby- can't safely have the three in there. It would be ok if you had a back up car for then.

The 996 is a great DD and my two kids (4 and 7) love it. You may have to wait until the little one fits in a forward facing seat, unless of course your wife is willing and able to sit in the back. Stefan

u guys are crazy man

The 996 and it's back seat kept me out of a lot of other 2 seat wonders. The 996 was my DD for a 1 1/2 years and my 2 little ones rode in the back of it every morning. If I had a 2 seater it woulda just sat there.

My kids are 13,15, and 18. My kids love the Porsche. I just sold my BMW sedan because my kids would rather ride in the back of the 996 than the front seat of a BMW (03 330i). We have a Range Rover for long trips, but for around town...it's almost always the Porsche.

While we have bigger cars and an SUV I still stuff my 1 year old daughter in the car seat and off we go in the 996. I also throw my 2 German Shorthaired pointers in there sometimes, They love it! (I vacuum allot)

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+1....I have 3 boys....7,5 and 1. Not sure what I'm gonna do when I put the little one in, but I have my 2 oldest in the car all the time. We also have a minivan tho too. Last year...I got rid of my 3 series and '85 Targa. No issues thus far. I figure if I really need a bigger car or another car for any reason...I'll just rent one. Have not rented once since I got the 996 last May. Not sure how well an infant seat would fit in the back...especially facing backwards. j

My kid has been driving with me in the C2 since he was born. His rear facing seat fit fine in the rear seat behind the passenger seat and left enough space for my wife to be comfortable in the front. We have another one arriving in September, so the toddler will move to a booster seat behind the driver's seat and we'll start the process over again with the rear facing seat on the rear passenger side. No worries. I've seen photos of two front facing seats fitting comfortably in each of the rear seats.

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jbiggie you a father?! that's fantastic! man a lot of you guys are deep into fatherhood. very nice. someday.

Wellard....CONGRATS on the future arrival of baby Mac. BC....yezzir...daddy over here. I know I sound way more phat than ur average popps...that's cuz I am. That's how I roll. Pimpin all the way. lol. j

the engine noise back there knock out my kids to sleep in 5 min... very well designed sports car!

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Hey Congrats on the upcoming new arrival!! What car rear facing car seat did you use? I have a Britax but it's a tight fit.

Front facing seat was fine in the back, when my little guy still needed one. Have seen 996s with two kiddie seats in back. Remember, life is too short to drive boring cars...or trucks of any kind!

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Ha, that's true. My 996 taught my 2yo girl how to say "wheeeeeeee"

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+1 BTW, Congratulations Wayne!!!!

John, Good luck with this. Been there. When we had our 1st kid, I was driving a '94 C2 cab. Was a pain (on the back), putting our baby in and taking our baby out of my 'baby'. And there really was no good fitting rear-facing infant carseat for the back or front passenger. Plus, hauling all the other baby 'care' shtuff was a challenge (more back pain and i'm a short dude). Funny, my wife never complained nor did my kid. haha Once everyone & everything was packed, driving was wonderful! I recommend making sure the wife has a big enough comfortable car to haul the family. And make hers the primary family hauler. Use your soon-to-be new Porsche only for them can't avoid family hauling situations! So yeah, get one!

TIP: remove the rear seats in the 996 (just velcro) before installing the baby seat- a little more space. John

Thanks for the kind words guys. My 2 year old loves his "porcher", so I'm hoping that the new one takes to it just as well. It's going to be a tight squeeze, but i think it's workable... on top of that it helped build the case with my wife that we needed a Panamera. Now I've just gotta get my head examined to find out why I'm going to subject my head to another 2 years of sleep deprivation... and my nads snipped to stop it from happening again.

I have 5 & 3 yr old girls. As it warms up, they are getting used to the top down and the wind. Rolling up the windows helps. They both sit in booster seats that fit in the back kinda sorta. With the seat belted, they are completely safe. The do complain about my seat being too far back that makes their leg room vanish. I have to say it is the greatest feeling on a warm day with the top down, stereo blasting to something we can all enjoy (very limited selection for now) and my two kids in the back loving every minute of it. Can't wait for this weekend!

BTW: check out the Recaro website for some really excellent (all front facing) child seats and boosters all featuring head side impact protection. We just re-equipped our fleet with all new seats. Your wife will be proud of you for thinking of the kids (even if it is for the pcar) your wallets will be light. But your kids will be safer.

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We used the Graco rear facing seats up until 20lbs, then we moved to Recaro Young Sport front facing seats in all of our cars - they really are outstanding seats. We're flying next month and it will be accompanying us on the plane trip to Europe.

W - congrats on the new arrival. I fully understand the lack of sleep issue - first with my twins who didn't sleep until they were 7 months, and now just because I'm an insomniac. Just to make sure I don't have the "bug" to have more, my wife fully endorsed the new Audi TT roadster with NO back seat!

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Thanks! Yeah, well, my son didn't sleep through the night until after we stopped breast feeding and that was 2 months before his second birthday... it's a balancing act... no sleep, but really nice ***** that you're too tired to play with.

My 13 year old son has grown up riding in a 911 or a 996. I had a 911 Targa for about 6 years that he really enjoyed. Only problem I ever had was him tossing a cell phone out the oopen roof. The 996 has a little more room in the rear and the Britax fits nicely in the rear. When my two sons were both younger, we could take the 996 when we headed out on vacation. The oldest cannot fit in the rear any more since he is almost 5' 11'' so those days are over. My 6 year old rides to school every day in the 996.

If you going to start a family, I would hold off on a 911 for about a year....ask me how I know!! "back in the days" before my little one was born I could convince my wife to get in the P car, but now we have to wait for 12 months before she (the baby) can drive facing forward...and ofcourse you can be irresponsible and put her facing forward from the beginning..BUT that little neck is very delicate and flops and will break when you have to make an emergency stop! And is the need to drive a porsche worth the life of your kid??? Don't think so!! So my P is catching dust in the garage and I hate it... I am trying to take it out for a ride, but just bought a home and need a lot of stuff (wood, paint etc.) and can't get myself to use my P as a Homedepot shopping cart! So my advice (for what it is worth)....wait with buying a Porsche and keep looking for the perfect one, research and get one when your baby is a little older. I just bought a Cadillac Escalade, because even a BMW X5 isn't big enough for the kids and the strollers and all the other stuff my wife thinks she needs to take care of the baby while on the road.

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Are you saying it is not possible to install a rear facing child's seat and have a passenger on a 996?

Mine is a daily driver and kids love to ride in it. I have two girls 15 and 10, both fit comfortably in the back seats. I let the 15 (with learners permit) drive it the other day and she loved it more then the 944S she is learning to drive with. Rick 1999 996C4 1987 944S 1977 924

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You or the kid?

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I'm saying that it IS possible, because we have done it.

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...less me and the kid and more my wife.

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same here with 5&3 years old girls. they love 996 cab. they always ask me to put the top down on the way to day care. for long trips, i ask them to take their shoes to OP: u need a special stroller to fit in the front trunk.

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To be perfectly honest, I can't imagine trying to squeeze a rear-facing child seat in the back of my 996. My forward-facing seat barely fits, and that's with the passenger seat pushed forward somewhat. I recall that my rearward-facing seat wouldn't even fit in the center of the rear seat in an '03 VW Jetta without adjusting the driver's seat to a slightly uncomfortable position.

definetley remove shoes prior to plopping the girls in the back. Unless I get get them in, buckled and the front seat back to the upright position, then they cant move their legs enough to get their feet on the back of the seats. Someone keeps posting to remove the rear seats before putting in the booster chairs. I find that does not work as well as leaving them in. Maybe because mine are Brittax (I think). Works fine for me. Regarding putting a rear facing seat in the back, I have seen F430 with seats in the front. I think that how I would go.

Now that's a family hauler!!! Love it! Them seats look like they fit really well back there. Now all you need is the luggage rack that fits on the trunk lid... ala 356 cabriolet!

I use clear plastic seat protectors available from Babies 'r' Us, they jut strap onto the seat - are easy to use and remove.

My wife and I added a little boy to our family last may. Before he arrived I purchased a Porsche infant seat from a fellow rennlister, and away we went. We had many great day trips with him in the back. If you decide to go the 996 route drop me a line, I got a nice Porsche infant seat I'd let go for cheap!

Do you have another car? If yes, then the 911 is doable. Otherwise, you'll have a hard time convincing her to go the 911-route. Ask me how I know. I'm just waiting for our next house to buy a 911 again because we only have room for 1 car where we are at now.

NO you can't put a baby in rear facing and have your wife in the P as well...unless she is a midget. Let's get real people and stop being freaks...yes I love my P, but wouldn't put my wife and baby thru this ordeal.....maybe if you are retarded (sorry) and HAVE TO HAVE and DRIVE your Porsche,,,yes you can put a child in rear facing (BUT NOT IN THE BACK)... get a Cayenne....If the P is a 2nd or 3rd car.....BUY BUY BUY...if not stay away untill the kid is more than 1 yr old.

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Again, yes you can, and I did. My wife is 5'2" and had no problems with the rear facing seat behind her. There were no comfort issues for her and visibility was no impaired for me as the driver. Now, I agree that you cannot do this if the Porsche is your only car, but that in itself is a rare thing - for most it's a second or third car.

I'm totally blown away by the response of all of you. Thank you so much for your honesty. We have a Honda Accord Sedan as a primary car, so what I'm hearing is that I'd probably be ok. We would have to sell my 1987 944S and my wife's 2007 Honda Civic Si before we could afford our 996. Anyone out there want to learn more about either car and live in the Columbus, Ohio area? If anyone has a 1999 or 2000 C2 or C4 for sale, I'd be very interested in it. Thanks! John

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I'm impressed, but it also may have been easier for you since your wife is not that tall. Porsche sold their own range of carseats for this car (I believe they were re-branded Britax seats). But they never recommended the infant rearward-facing seat in the back -- theirs was to be placed in the front passenger seat. Note that it comes with a special mandatory buckle/clip that deactivates the airbag, which is a MUST. So, you were successful, but I recommend that everyone test out whether this solution would work for them. My own family, we could not get a rearward-facing seat in the back and have my 5'6" wife fit in the passenger seat at the same time. We waited 1 year until our son could face forward, and then fit him easily in the back. Same deal with our second kid, although I have yet to get them both in the car at the same time. Do-able, just haven't gotten around to it. Our strollers have not fit in the trunk, although with just one kid in back there's space to carry a stroller back there. You may be able to find a more compact folding stroller. In general, it's definitely do-able to use the car with kids, especially after they are 1 year old. However, I'm not sure I'd recommend it as a true daily driver if you're going to haul the kids around a lot. There are a lot of limitations on space and convenience. For example, I once agreed to give a couple of folks a ride somewhere (one person was small enough to go in back for a short trip). I figured I could throw the carseat in the trunk but....it didn't fit. By the time we got three people in, plus the carseat in the other rear seat, we were running out of space for briefcases. If my trunk had been anything other than completely empty, we would have been SOL.

agree Gnome....if your kids are older..they are will probably love it, especially in a cab....I just can't imagine my wife sitting in front (she is only 5'6") and the baby in the back....the baby needs a lot of attention (ALL THE TIME) and my wife sits in the back of the now Escalade (before X5) to tend to the baby when it started crying. If you have another car...buy a p and love it!! I hope you understand that having a baby is very costly! I can't look into you wallet, but I would use my money for something more sensible....scratch that!!! BUY THE PORSCHE and enjoy!

I'd get your kids those little michelin man blow up suits, fill them helium and let them bounce around in the back as much as they want