83 911SC+wife+child seat=problems

kwm · 05-08-2006, 05:55 AM

I did some research and found one thread here on trusty Pelican about child seats in 911. The thread was from 2000 and was helpful but limiting and seemed to be a tip of the iceberg situation. First off please excuse my ignorance regarding babies. I have never had, been around, or known too many people with babies. I am 32 and most of my friends are 3 or 4 years younger than I so not too much exposure to babies yet but it is coming fast. First question is should I even drive a baby in my SC? Obviously it isn't nearly as safe as a modern car. My wife drives a GTI with full frontal and side collision air bags. Obviously I have none of these options. My wife is in a PhD program 3 days a week so the SC would be carting the little guy or girl around at least 3 days a week. I am presently looking to buy a pickup for house projects, landscape projects, hauling my bike around etc. I only wanted to get and can afford a compact truck say a Tacoma or a Frontier. Now all of a sudden she wants a 4 door truck like a T100 V8 to haul the kid in saying my SC isn't safe. Can someone offer some points of contention for me here on this argument and offer some pics of child seats and babies in 911s b/c I know I have seen them on here. I would be greatfull. I am starting to now see that this damn SUV craze is all generated by women claiming safety reasons and kids. Come on E85 flex cars and please make a conversion kit for my 911....Thanks guys

dan79brooklyn · 05-08-2006, 06:45 AM

Porsches have ACTIVE accident avoidance built in.
Superior brakes and handling and a driver who is entwined with his/her vehicle make the Porsche a safe car. I don't think airbags and car seats mix well either? Just had to put my friends baby (and car seat) in the front seat of my car (rear seat belts have been removed by PO) they had no qualms about their baby in a Porsche and were in fact pretty enthusiastic!
Wife and I plane to keep the Porsche "forever" and are planning for baby in a few years. Will be researching what seatbelts and baby seat fits in the back...Good Luck.

jdowty3 · jdowty3's Garage

For babies the car seat must be rear facing and I doubt you can put a rear facing in the jump seat.
So the baby goes in a rear facing seat strapped to the passenger seat (airbags are a NO-NO with child car seats anyway) and the wife is relegated to the jump seat.

widebody911 · widebody911's Garage

911SC - (wife + child seat) = no problems

Moses · 05-08-2006, 06:58 AM

I drove my kids around in my '83 SC when they were still in car seats. My only worry was getting T-boned in an intersection by someone who runs a red.

In truth, I'm a much more alert and aware driver in the 911. I think you're OK with a child in a 911.

kwm · 05-08-2006, 06:58 AM

Doest the car seat have to be installed by the fire dept. thought?

CharlesJones · 05-08-2006, 06:59 AM

I agree - I think the attention and care of the driver is much better safety precaution than air bags and crumple zones. I know that you can't control what the other guy is going to do, but you can go far to pre-empt others actions and avoid hazards on the road, and I reckon its easier to do that in a nimble 911 than in some fat, bulbous, heavy, cushioned SUV.

Besides, I thought 911's were pretty strong in the event of a crash?

atlporsche · 05-08-2006, 07:02 AM

Love me or hate me, these are my opinions.

1. Suv's aren't safer. The only thing that makes cars of any sort safer is educating the driver. Send her to a performance driving course, not a lapping day, but something like "extreme measures" where they teach handling and skid control.

2. Kids in cars are a distraction like cellphones and radios.

3. Accidents happen, we're all gonna die someday. for some people it's sooner, like my buddy Malcom who got killed on his motorcycle, or the numerous parents of high schoolers in the atlanta area here who lose their children every year (some I know personally).

4. Kids are more expensive than you can possibly imagine. My brother has no more toys. You'll end up selling the SC soon enough, mostly to pay for gas for the SUV.

I'm 31. I've been run off the road (well, into the lane on my right) in my '67 on the interstate once by a yukon with a bad case of lane creep, with some woman on the phone, turned around paying attention to the kid in back. I don't have kids, I have thought deeply, and think I might not be cut out for them, my little brother has two.

sjd
Not a fan.

kwm · 05-08-2006, 07:02 AM

See I got the Tbone scenario thrown at me this past weekend. Tust me I am 99% more aware while I am driving than most anyone else on the road who is eating, smoking, listening to music, talking on the cell, etc...b/c I don't do any of these things while driving. Rideing a motorcycle has also made me a better driver as well.

kwm · 05-08-2006, 07:08 AM

thanks for the input atlporsche but I am never going to NOT have a 911 for the rest of my life. If cars go to alt. fuels like E85 (and I damn sure hope they do) I will find a way to convert my car, if I become handicap I will find a way to convert my car for that as well, if I an 85 years old and can't work a clutch I will get a auto but I will never not own a 911 of some model year and I will never keep it in a garage and just rub it with a soft cloth.

Mysterytrain · 05-08-2006, 07:32 AM

I've always thought of my car as a 4 wheeled motorcycle and drive it as such..always monitoring the other guy. My son was 10 [1985] when the 78SC joined the family but that was back in the days before SUV's ruled. Do I think its a safe sports car, yes! Safer then my old MGA! Do I think its a safe family car.. not really. No airbags, no belts for the rear seats and not much in the way of side protection and certainly no match for a soccer mom in a hummer. Leave the kids home or move them about in the family truckster. The kids will be big soon enough and fit better without the car seats. Speaking of which really diminishes the babe magnetic effect.

kwm · 05-08-2006, 07:55 AM

I have seen young cute babies get a guy all kinds of attention from women. However, I don't really want to find that out which leads to a divorce, which leads to child support, which leads to me driving a Yugo. Anyway, I once saw someone post pics of a cab, and 993, and a longhood all with young kids strapped in that back. One out there have a pic like this. My wife is such the researcher she ahs already emailed me like 4 articles on how it is doable to hav e a 911 and a child seat. http://www.daddytypes.com/archive/2004/10/03/porsche_car_seats.php

dweymer · dweymer's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by widebody911
911SC - (wife + child seat) = no problems

Now that is funny

But really now...my wife freaked when I took my 3 yo out in the 911. In her booster seat riding in the FRONT seat. Someone at the grocery store actually came over to yell at me for allowing her to ride in the front seat cause the airbags will "tear her head off". Until I nicely explained the car was fuchin 30+ years old and had no airbags, and I also told her I used to run with sissors.

The 911 is great at active avoidance, but people are stupid and hit other things all the time. I will take my children in the 911 every now and then, but not in daily traffic, too many people shaving, eating, putting on makeup etc.

I just looked at the Nissan trucks, my car was in for service; the day after I looked at Ford trucks, other car in for service. The Nissans seem like a much better value. I also like the 4 door titan, but I thought the frontier came in 4 door as well. I do know the 3.5 that nissan makes is a good engine. I also know if momma ain't happy, nobody's happy. There is a compromise somewhere, after 10 years and 2 kids we are still together, and I still have the 911.

dweymer · dweymer's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by kwm
I have seen young cute babies get a guy all kinds of attention from women. However, I don't really want to find that out which leads to a divorce, which leads to child support, which leads to me driving a Yugo. Anyway, I once saw someone post pics of a cab, and 993, and a longhood all with young kids strapped in that back. One out there have a pic like this. My wife is such the researcher she ahs already emailed me like 4 articles on how it is doable to hav e a 911 and a child seat. http://www.daddytypes.com/archive/2004/10/03/porsche_car_seats.php

Your already there man! If she is supporting the child seat idea, and thats the way you want to go, go for it.

Would she be ok with this:
Car seats use the "latch" mechanism.
Find a set of early seat belt bolts, bolt them through the appropriate places(with appropriate backing plates), and viola! Rear or front facing, that is what I am going to do so all 4 of us can ride to events.

Laneco · 05-08-2006, 08:26 AM

Here's the solution: Give your wife the 911 and the put the child's seat in the passenger side. I know in our house that would make me VERY happy!!

Just teasing - I realize that comment is heresy to you guys! Your old 911 is a very safe car. Airbags do NOT make a car safe. They protect unseatbelted idiots. A year and a half ago I was driving our MX6 down the road and some stupid gal blew a stop sign. I could see her child's head in the back seat, driver's side, right where I was going to t-bone her... I swerved hard and piled on the brakes hitting her car right at the wheel ahead of the windshield. I could not stop in time but the car's quick handling let me CHOOSE where to hit her car. I missed her kid completely. No injuries except for my stupid airbag.

My airbag deployed. I was seatbelted in and no where near the bag. I thought a bomb went off in the car. Sounded like a very large caliber gun going off in my face. Blew white powder everywhere. Absolutely terrifying. As I had both hands on the wheel, the airbag burned/abraded the insides of my arms from my thumbs up midway to my elbows. NASTY!

Your 911 is a solid robust car with good crumple zones. In a rollover, I'd put my money on your safety in that 911 long before any SUV.

Steve and I (okay - mostly Steve) have put together probably half a dozen wrecked 911's. Every one of them, even the roll-overs, had a perfectly sound passenger compartment. We've had to replace sheet metal and do a fair amount of pulling to straighten them, but that is irrelevant. The important issue is that the passenger compartment survives very intact.

Next address the quick reflexes, acceleration and braking that your 911 exhibits. You have the option of moving away from the accident or braking to avoid it. Try a 70 mph fast double-lane change in an SUV - sphincter clamping event of sheer terror for a good driver and a near certain rollover for the inexperienced. Your 911 would handle that with ease. No comparison in the braking department.

With the little MX6, when the accident was unavoidable, I still had the choice of WHERE to hit and that choice saved her child very certain injury and possibly death. Take your child in the 911 every chance you get. It is as safe as practical on the public highway and you are making one more kid an enthusiast.

angela

tsuter · 05-08-2006, 08:30 AM

Parents who put their kids in these 25-30 year old sports cars and drive them around need to have their heads examined!!!!!!

Wives...now that's a different thing. You can get a new one pretty easy.....

berettafan · 05-08-2006, 08:46 AM

i have a Tundra d.cab and i can tell you it is a damn safe way to cart my 2 year old around.

therotman · 05-08-2006, 09:00 AM

I'm in the same boat- 18 days till the wife is due with our first and my 80sc doesn't seem like the best daily carrier for an infant.

I'll be buying a late 90's Subaru to cart the infant and dog around in, and still have my SC.

BTW- the car seat does not need to be installed by the fire dept., at least in law crazy California. They will install or look over your install at some of the fire stations for no cost here. My wifes car has the latch system though which is idiot-proof.

GothingNC · 05-08-2006, 09:06 AM

I drive with my kids in the Targa no problem.
4 YO in the front with the booster-seat all the way back.

Heck, I used to have them in the VW Thing on 200-300 miles trips.
Probably just a hair safer then a motorcycle.
Car did not go fast enought to get into trouble.

I tend to be a much more defensive driver with the Porsche or VW then if I was driving a rental car.

72doug2,2S · 72doug2,2S's Garage

Nothing is fail proof, but these are strong cars. I think the weekend drive is fine. As a daily driver, the risks increase. If safety is "the" concern, buy a Volvo.

I know my wife can't drive. She hits things as she backs out of the driveway, gee that was just last Saturday. No way is she going near the 911. My wife once hit a pickup truck at a stop light because the light turned green and the truck didn't go. No damage, But ????? Just be warned, they're out there 100's of drivers just like my wife.

My rule is this, the bigger the car the worse the driver.

That said, I regularly take the 8 and 6 year old out for drives, the 9month old has not been in the car.