Once they can crawl back on their own, this becomes a different question I think. As a friend once said, his kids much preferred getting dropped off at school in his '72 2002 than his wife's Suburban. 
Once they can crawl back on their own, this becomes a different question I think. As a friend once said, his kids much preferred getting dropped off at school in his '72 2002 than his wife's Suburban.
Loading a rug rat into a car seat in a coupe is a front loading ergonomiclly easy maneuver.
Loading the kid in sideways sucks.
My daughter grew up in the PS seat of a Miata and the back seat of a 2 door Protege. It was all good.
When they're very little and the car seat pops out with the kid attached, a coupe (early Focus hatch for me) was cake. When it starts to suck is when they are still rear facing and they are big enough that the seat is permanent. Now you have to hold the kid and basically crawl back there with them to get them safely buckled. Still not a deal breaker with only one, but now put kid #2 in there and there's no room to put two car seats and you to buckle them up. Once they can buckle themselves up (which might be booster seats at 4 or five) then anything works again.
Hmmm.... So that is two for coupe and 10000 against.
FYI My wife has a 9-3 Sportcombi that will be the primary family vehicle so this would be for the occasion that I need to take them somewhere.
i prefer 4 doors, but the kid is pretty easy to get into the chevelle. the reason there, however, is that the doors are huge.
the rendezvous and the avalanche are pretty sweet for kid duty, and i prefer to use those, and the buick moreso, to cart them around. the vous has huge rear doors and seating area, and still has a 3rd row for grandparents or other passengers thanks to my junkyard find.
I'm pretty sure when I was a baby I was held in place by my mothers arms. When I was big enough I was held in place on the rear package tray by gravity and a heavy application of throttle. I thought it was fun when I would get thrown into the floorboards by a heavy application of brakes...my son doesn't know what he's missing.
Here is someone that isn't on GRMS's point of view. 2013 Scion FR-S: Will It Baby?
Wait, rear facing, permanent mount car seat. What the actual berkeley? When did this happen?
I saw that, Montana, and it is part of why I asked this. An FRS is on my radar.
This car will be used only when the wife's Saab isn't available. As long as it CAN baby, that is what is important.
This question was just to gather peoples experiences
4 doors are easier while the seat is rear facing, but 2 doors are infinitely easier once they face forward. Two kids, through several 4, and 2 door cars, and the 2 door was the choice every time once the seats were forward.
Wife drives a Tiguan, so that is the Family car, but my MINI is the kid carrier in a pinch. My 10month old is a bit of a stretch getting in the back, but her 9 yo sister would much rather ride in the MINI than Mom's vdub.
4 doors are the way to go with small kids unless your buying a van..but what do I know cause I'm with Nick.
I skimmed these responses, most seem to touch on convenience. A bigger issue for me has been safety and I always thought in the event of a fire or accident, it would be easier to get the kids out with a four door. One could argue though that that would mean in an emergency you would have to spend precious amounts of time to open another door to get the kids out whereas in a 2 door car, you would already have the door open when you open your door. But if you were dead and slumped over your steering wheel, it would be much harder for bystanders, emergency personnel, etc. to get to your kids. So I would settle for the four door even though the rear doors would be locked and the glass broken to gain access assuming it wasn't already broken...
NOHOME wrote: Loading a rug rat into a car seat in a coupe is a front loading ergonomiclly easy maneuver. Loading the kid in sideways sucks.
Zomby Woof wrote: 2 doors are infinitely easier once they face forward. Two kids, through several 4, and 2 door cars, and the 2 door was the choice every time once the seats were forward.
I'll happily believe that's true for you guys, but I have never under any circumstances found it to be easier to put kids in the back of a 2-door rather than a 4-door. More power to ya. Of course, I just dropped my last baby off at college, so perhaps I missed some fresh circle of carseat hell the NHTSA unleashed after my kids didn't need them any more.
Nick_Comstock wrote: I'm pretty sure when I was a baby I was held in place by my mothers arms. When I was big enough I was held in place on the rear package tray by gravity and a heavy application of throttle.
My aunt had a Mercury Turnpike Cruiser, with the back window that rolled down into the back seat bulkhead. One day she was tooling along with the rear window open and happened to look in the rearview mirror and see my young cousin crawl out across the trunk lid. Luckily her immediate reaction was the correct one - she slammed on the brakes, and the little tyke bowling balled forward into the cabin again. 
KyAllroad wrote: Just to be clear then. The concensus among ALL the parents in the group is that two doors with small kids is inferior to 4 plus doors. Sorry Woody, the group has spoken
Well, that does it. If you guys are gonna be jerks about it, then I'm just not going to have any more kids...
Interesting and timely information... of course, now I am terrified just a little bit more than previously about the upcoming addition to my family. Thanks!
It sounds like you are all in agreement that cramming a baby seat into my e30 coupe is a tremendously stupid idea. I accept the decisions of the hive and am not an iconoclast out of spite, but I really do not want to get rid of this one.
If it matters: we only have one car (city dwellers) that only gets about 3-4k miles a year of use (1 hour trips about the longest) and I drive 99% of the time alone(passenger wife is only 5'1"). Ugh, time to go treat my growing ulcer. 
One more data point that I have mentioned before.
Kid seats are bigger than they ever were, and they are soon going to get a lot bigger. Especially reverse facing seats.
Our #1 kid hauler was down a few years back, and a church friend lent us an Aerostar. We were smitten with their kindness, another minivan is perfect for our (then) three kids.
But not quite. The reverse facing seat didn't fit in the second row, because the non adjustable bench was not far enough from the front seats, even when in 'knee eating' position.
It didn't fit in the third row, either, because the second row was too close.
The only way it fit was to wedge it in the third row, in the little gap on the side (you remember how the back row was slightly longer than the second to allow for cramped kiddo ingress/ egress?). It was not truly in there, but it fit enough to make me temporarily satisfied, even if it meant that the other two kids had to share the short bench.
So, before you buy a car, take a carseat with you and try it out. It's surprising.
tuna55 wrote: So, before you buy a car, take a carseat with you and try it out. It's surprising.
This is totally happening.
Part of my enjoyment of cars comes from the way it looks. Coupes IMO, just look better than 4 doors. I have always owned coupes (and several convertibles) and getting kids in and out of the back was a small inconvenience for me and my wife. We were both in shape and flexible. Getting in and out of a Miata or S2000 isn't as easy as getting in and out of an SUV, I hope that doesn't stop you from enjoying them. Frankly I am amazed at how many people are willing to give up a passion for their car(s) just because it is easier...what has happened to us!!!
tb wrote: Interesting and timely information... of course, now I am terrified just a little bit more than previously about the upcoming addition to my family. Thanks! It sounds like you are all in agreement that cramming a baby seat into my e30 coupe is a tremendously stupid idea. I accept the decisions of the hive and am not an iconoclast out of spite, but I really do not want to get rid of this one. If it matters: we only have one car (city dwellers) that only gets about 3-4k miles a year of use (1 hour trips about the longest) and I drive 99% of the time alone(passenger wife is only 5'1"). Ugh, time to go treat my growing ulcer.
Then it sounds like 2 doors won't really be an issue for you, so rest easy, young padawan.
Now that I am in my golden years, I find access to the back seat for what ever reason to be handier with a 4 door.
FR-S with a baby seat review video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ec4CFGlgeE
Interesting channel this guy has
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdmWqCdsjCu50RxrEOlPZJLi8E-xolDWJ
In reply to Duke:
Thanks, Man; I needed to hear that!
I am stressed out in about a million different ways and a first child is a huge one!
Being disabled, I know that it will suck getting it in and out on a city street but knowing that ahead of time will make the couple of times a week less of an ordeal.
Of course, SWMBO has an irrational love of 4 door cars (NO minivans, though) and I am always prepared for the inevitable "You can't use that e30, trade it to me" comments... 
foxtrapper wrote:xflowgolf wrote: once kids can get in themselves, agree it makes no difference.Disagree! Kids wait until you're seated to remember they need to go get something. With a 2 door, you get to get out along with them, or scrunch up to the steering wheel. They are very good at remembering three different things, one at a time. Then needing to go pee. This gets old fast in a 2 door. They will also tangle themselves up in your seat belt, every time. Kids invariably swing the door open wide. A 2-door coupe has longer doors than a 4 door sedan. Denting will happen with both, but especially with a 2-door.
After getting burned a few times, you remember to run through the checklist before they get in the car. Do you have to go potty? Do you have your xxxx?
And yes, kids love to fling doors open just for the fun of it. Hence why I love the minivan, sliding doors are the cats' meow. We've had our van for 7.5 years now and are talking off and on about replacing it. For towing reasons, we'd like to get a Suburban/Armada. But I'm reluctant to give up the sliding doors and other more family friendly advantages a minivan has over an SUV
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