C class Push chair problems

[davycaslad]

Hi Guys i have a 2008 C class which of you out there have kids and have to put a pushchair in the car.

because when i look im not sure which will fit and i have even contemplated selling the car

please help

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Saloons and pushchairs don't mix in my experience. Even if it fits it's a squeeze.

Still, it would be a shame to sell your car.

PS Porsche branded pushchairs fold up small enough to fit in the nose of a 911, and so that might be worth looking at if you're finding it difficult to get the pushchair in and out?

 

[stevesey]

Saloons and pushchairs don't mix in my experience.

Just how big are pushchairs these days?

Our youngest is nearly 16 and I can't recall ever having any problems fitting pushchairs in the car (Cavalier saloons at the time). Often alongside travel cots and other baby palava. We also had a proper pram wheeled carry cot that slotted in without issue (although that might have been an issue on shallower boots as it was 12-18in high when you collapsed the wheels).

 

[verytalldave]

You must have a very big pushchair.
Like stevesey, my youngest is now coming up for 21, and I too can vividly recall just how much you had to drag around with you when taking junior.
Our old McClaren buggy would fold up so well that I could get 6 or more in a C Class boot.
We also had a proper coachbuilt pushchair/pram that folded quite flat and I guarantee would easily fit in my W203 boot.
I would get a different pushchair and keep the car if it was me.
However, I do sympathise and things are SO much easier with an estate it must be said. We went from a Cortina saloon to an estate at the time and I can assure you having that full opening rear tailgate makes a world of diffference. Stops you getting wet in the rain as well............

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

A buggy is no problem, it's when they're younger you need the space for a proper push chair.

Our buggy thing fills the boot in the ML, except space for a few shopping bags squeezed in around the edges!!

 

[davycaslad]

I know it does seem extreme but i have also just moved and found that the merc was pretty useless in moving partly because i did not think of having split fold rear seats but that would not have helped the boot depth

 

[stevesey]

A buggy is no problem, it's when they're younger you need the space for a proper push chair.

Even so - I'm struggling to see how a regular pushchair (even a large wheeled one) would be a problem in a regular saloon boot.

Exactly how small is a 204 boot

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Ours is a W203 C-Class and this is our pushchair

Getting the base/frame (shown folded) into the boot would be possible, but it's not quick or easy because of the size of the aperature, and the nature of having to slide it along the boot floor. It wouldn't be easy for Mrs D with an armful of Baby D.

Then of course you've got to fit the blue bit in!! I've never even tried in the C-Class as we have the ML - much easier with a wide swinging tailgate.

A stroller is a different proposition though:

 

[Howard]

That's a pram Bob !

A pushchair to me means one of these expensive designer things with inflatable tyres that i see people jogging with ....

I remember when i was young a pushchair was a pushchair , not a lunar rover ...

I had a blue anorak with orange lining with my gloves sewed onto elastic too

 

[219]

My youngest just had his first birthday the other day ( July 22nd)

When he was born , I had the 190E 2.6 which I was very happy with - probably very similar space-wise to the C Class .

I found out straightaway that the pushchair ( we got a 'Bugaboo Bee' ) pretty much filled up the boot all by itself .

The BIG problem was the rear-facing , lie-flat infant carrier which is pretty much obligatory nowadays ( my older daughter is 23 - slight age gap - , and she had a conventional carry-cot which just lay on the back seat of the Ponton ) . The new infant carriers are of such a length that - in the 190 , almost certainly in the C Class too - restrict the movement of the front seats and need the front seat pushed so far forward as to make it uncomfortable for whoever is in front . I also purchased a base which straps permanently in with the seat belt so that you just clip/unclip it rather than having to belt in and tighten/adjust every time :- this raised the height of the infant carrier to a level that it would not fit in through the door aperture with the carry handle raised ; it was a real PITA . I looked at various infant carriers but they all seemed much the same .

In the end , I needed more LENGTH to accomodate the infant carrier - most saloons and other vehicles didn't look much different to the 190 in that department - so I ended up looking for a LWB S Class and ended up with the W126 500SEL The long rear doors open wide and it was easy to load/unload the infant carrier through them . I had the car set up with Harris behind me in the carrier and SWMBO travelled on the passenger side in regal luxury ! The twin cigarette lighters in the rear were handy for the electric coolbox to keep milk cool on long journeys and to power the bottle warmer at feeding time !

A new baby is just about the BEST excuse ever to buy a BIG car , and SWMBO will not argue against it when you demonstrate just how much more solid and safer it is , even than the smaller model in the same range ! The S Class also has the benefit of a cavernous boot which would take TWO pushchairs , if required .

Although Harris has now outgrown the infant carrier , and now has a Recaro 'Young Sport' forward-facing seat , I'm not about to downsize back to the 190 - even though it is still in the family !

 

[stevesey]

That's a pram Bob !

Looks like a bit of a multi-purpose thingy in pram/carrycot mode - I assume you can turn into a pushchair by taking the carrycot off and adding a seat (which the folds within the frame and easily fits in the boot).

We had a pram/carrycot like this.

Properly designed so the frame folds down and the carry cot sits on the axles - never had any problems fitting in the boot (even the Astra without removing the parcel shelf).

BDs can't be far off, baby in car, carrycot between the wheel arches and frame at the rear, job done, and to reassamble just reverse the sequence.

Most importanty (Davy) don't change the car to suit the pushchair - buy the pushchair to fit the car - might cost you a few quid extra, but compared to changing the car.

 

[stevesey]

A new baby is just about the BEST excuse ever to buy a BIG car , and SWMBO will not argue against it when you demonstrate just how much more solid and safer it is , even than the smaller model in the same range !

Most importanty (Davy) don't change the car to suit the pushchair - buy the pushchair to fit the car - might cost you a few quid extra, but compared to changing the car.

Unless of course it is an excuse to upgrade to an E63.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Looks like a bit of a multi-purpose thingy in pram/carrycot mode - I assume you can turn into a pushchair by taking the carrycot off and adding a seat (which the folds within the frame and easily fits in the boot).

That's it - here it is in puschair mode:

Properly designed so the frame folds down and the carry cot sits on the axles - never had any problems fitting in the boot (even the Astra without removing the parcel shelf).

That's the thing - with a tailgate it's easy as you can drop the carry cot or pushchair attachment on top, and if needs be you can leave the parcel shelf retracted or remove it. Not an option on a saloon - got to wedge it somewhere!!

 

[stevesey]

That's the thing - with a tailgate it's easy as you can drop the carry cot or pushchair attachment on top, and if needs be you can leave the parcel shelf retracted or remove it. Not an option on a saloon - got to wedge it somewhere!!

That was - even in the Astra (with it's smaller boot) as mentioned earlier the Cavalier Saloon also swallowed it no problem.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

That was - even in the Astra (with it's smaller boot) as mentioned earlier the Cavalier Saloon also swallowed it no problem.

Blimey, when you mentioned a parcel shelf I assumed you meant an Astra hatchback rather than a saloon.

I had an Astra IV/G Coupe which is based upon the saloon. Whilst you could get our then pushchair in, getting it through the aperature was tight. Hence we bought a Maclaren buggy as soon as Baby D was big enough to sit it safely.

 

[stevesey]

Blimey, when you mentioned a parcel shelf I assumed you meant an Astra hatchback rather than a saloon.

Yes Astra was a Hatch (Mk1), but our Cav's were Saloons (Mk2s) and it fitted in fine - come to think of it the Mk2 Cav had a high load sill to lift the thing over as well (didn't cause any problems at the time though). Actually it would have probably fitted in an Astra/Belmont saloon as they had the same size boot as a Mk3 Cav - never had one but they always struck me as having the right combination of rear leg room and boot space for young families (little leg room and massive boot).

Looked at an Astra coupe for SWMBO last year (metalic blue 2.2 turbo - she said it looked too boring, just like an ordinary Astra) - did notice the boot apeture was pathetic becuase of the slope of the rear window.

 

[Smatt]

We used to be able to get a Bugaboo Chameleon with the pram top into wifes 330 & also my C-coupe with no problems.
The Bugaboo & a Phil & Teds Vibe buggys were both able to fit in the B class.
If you want a really compact buggy, would recommend Quinny Zapp or Bugaboo Bee, but both have small wheels & not sure how good/sturdy they are.

 

[219]

Bugaboo Bee is excellent : very sturdy , easy to put up and down , folds up reasonably compact - went into boot of 190 no problem - but did take up most of small boot .

 

[Londonscottish]

We've been using a Bugaboo Frog for my 2 kids over the last few years. When they are babies we had the clip-on carseat from another manufacturer - it doubles as the seat in the car and on the Bugaboo frame.

If we needed to take the whole lot (frame+seat+carry cot) I would take the wheels off the frame and in extreme circumstances dis-assemble the carry cot.

Getting an estate made the whole experience a lot easier as you can load gear a few inches higher than in the saloon - or higher still is needed.

 

[Londonscottish]

And I would endorse the Buagboo Frog. Ours covered a massive mileage (we live in London and walk virtually everywhere). I once estimated that my wife was doing 1500 miles a year with the Bugaboo (and less than 800 in the Clio).

The Frog lasted three years/4500 miles before the frame lock packed in so we bought a replacement frame for one of the other Bugaboos - one down from the Frog.

This was not quite as good (cheaper material sand a shorter wheelase/smaller seat, prone to tip if overloaded or on a slope) but overall still very good.

When out of town they are great for rough trails, beaches etc.