bidou

Hello all, I had a quick question for the forum. The wife said I can pick the next car and I have had me eye on an A3 for a year or so, buying this spring so getting excited. We also want to have a little rugrat too and I was wondering if the A3 is a good choice in terms of space. My reason for asking; my sister owns a 07 jeep cherokee and her 2 year old boy has his legs held too securely in place but the front seat so his shoes or boots always have to be off so he can have some toe wiggle room. Also, I suspect you can get a good price on a 07 base model given the 08's are out......what can I expect? New at haggling so any advice it appreciated.

RyanS3

I have big hobbys. Djing, ice hockey, skiing. I get away with driving a smaller "sort of sports-car" b/c it's a hatch = I can take advantage of the back seat a lot.

The trunk is smallish. Kids in the backseat, wifey in the front seat. Not much room for a carrage, kid's bag(s), diapers, your stuff. etc.

A4 is a different story. Big trunk. Same backseat.

JimV

less rear trunk space but I can still fit the stroller in. Essentially thats the only space difference between the two vehicles.

We have a 2 year old and his feet still hit the front seats in both cars now that he's that big.

He's also getting old enough where the stroller is getting less necessary. We have a Britax stroller which is like the McLaren Umbrella strollers.

I have a graco seat which is a little bulky so its possible that other seats sit a little further back. I put it in the middle with the LATCH system. People say dont do it but I feel more comfortable with him in the middle then at the edges and I think the LATCH gets it tight enough. I cant wiggle it. Plus there is a rear hook in the middle but not the side seats so if you want the top of the seat to be secured, tahts the only way to do it in the A3. The A4 has it on all three seats.

Lots of head room with OpenSkye and he likes to look up.

Jack_Smackus

I thought it was going to be a lot more roomy. I need a small car and it's livable but if you are a space junky the A3 will bug you to no end.

TTwdrl

back seat space in the A3 is OK for kids, but as mentioned if the A3 is going to be your big car, or only car, you may want to consider the a4, or even a6 (price justified to look at).
I am in the same position, but my wife's car is a Honda Pilot which allows me to get a smaller car because when we have the kids and lots of stuff we have the option to take the Pilot.
Also if you are buying in the spring don't expect to see any '07s left on the lots.
Check edmunds.com for TMV price and possible dealer incentives once you're ready to buy - that is what I use as a guide.
Good Luck!

ABarthol

A3 is the perfect size for us. As a VW Cabrio is the other car, the A3 is our "big car".

The bulleted list:
1. Graco baby seat fits fine.
2. Britax Roundabout seat fits fine.
3. My son kicks the crap out of the seat in front of him, but he has plenty of leg room. It definitely seems like theres more room than your nephew has. I've never taken his shoes off and my wife is 5'5".
4. Both of our strollers fit fine. Graco stroller and McLauren umbrella stroller.
5. For really long trips (week or more) we put the roof rack on the top and put our Thule box up there. But, we're pack rats and would need to do the same if we had anything smaller than a mid-sized SUV.


There are a few other threads about having an A3 and a kid. Take a look around those threads. There's some good info in there from people who already have kids and an A3. I would recommend you listen to people who are speaking from experience, there are quite a few. The car works for many, but not all. Depends on what you're needs are with a kids.
Past Threads
<a href="https://forums.audiworld.com/a3/msgs/90245.phtml">kids and A3s</a>
<a href="https://forums.audiworld.com/a3/msgs/91530.phtml">A3s and baby seats</a>
<a href="https://forums.audiworld.com/a3/msgs/85782.phtml">more A3 and baby seats</a>

April

in the A3 is almost identical to the A4, but misses out on some extra luggage space. Some child seats work better than others for maximizing the space.

As for finding deals, you might still find some '07s on the lot, but I think factory incentives have expired since the '08s have begun arriving. Traditionally AFS stops incentives when the new inventory shows up - assuming that the dealers have taken the opportunity to clear the lots of old inventory.

The A4 is more likely to have attractive lease and finance rates on '08s as it's Audi's volume car here (the A3 is the volume car in Europe). However, the Avant is fairly rare and high demand, so dealers tend to discount a bit less. Also, it is the last year for the B7 body style, so that is going to affect resale.

bidou

Old car is a 03 focus but like I said looking for something new in spring. She has voiced that she likes the amount of space in the mazda cx7 but I want a little rocket to golf and ski with before I have to really buckle down and get the family car. No kids yet, hard work though trying to make em!!

bidou

How bout the jetta GLI? lots of cargo, same engine but what am I giving up?

Mark Sirota

Search in this forum for "car seats", "strollers", "kids", or any such term and you'll find many similar discussions.

We have two kids, and have had various combinations of infant carriers, rear-facing convertible seats, front-facing convertible seats, toddler seats, and boosters in the back seat. It's been great for me.

You can find my reviews of how the many seats fit in the car by searching.