max- camry or magna's can be had cheap- get the newest model you can afford. camry probably better than pre 2002 magnas (earlier magnas had some auto issues but otherwise very reliable. just dont try changing the rear spark plugs on a v6 model- intel manifold off job from memory)
they are safe too

p.s i never going to sell my datsun, it is a ethical decision that is about what is best for another person's life , though we maintain our Datsun's (and know more about them than most newer car drivers know about there cars) I have made a decision that I probably need a car that has very high safety standard... and this does not mean a SVU that can crush all in my path... but a car that can protect us in a crash. I will keep my Datsun as a inheritance gift hehe. thanks for all the advice, really put it in perspective xxxxxxxxx

Some info re the law in Vic: http://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/Home/S ... /ChildrenUnder6months.htm
I'm in the business and there is no way I would put an infant in the front seat of my 1200 ute when I think of some of the idiots out there. As an adult I get to make my choice for me but I owe it to an infant to make the best choice possible for them. Your call and I hope you don't have to live with any consequences. Choose wisely Grasshopper.
BTW - you should drive a Fiesta b4 u bag it - they are an absolute hoot - not quite as involving as a 1200 ute to drive but would eat it hands down.

I drove all over Tassie with that car and my young son beside me, before I did I made sure it was as mechanically sound as it could be, looking good never factored into the equation. It was all about having fun, which sometimes can have risks.... does this still make me a bad parent?


It depends on how you want to look at it...you could have the safest car in the world and then what...youdd be blaming yourself for having gone out at that particular time.
Glad to hear yr kid is OK. I just don't want to see society breeding any more soft, neurotic, overprotected kids than it already does, but I can understand from your perspective you would see things differently.

I agree that with you she should probably have a newer and safer car for daily use, just don't wanna see her get out of Datsuns for fear of being judged in such a way. Meanwhile soccer mums continue to roll over other ppls kids in their X5s...at least their family is safe...does this mean I have to go out and get one to be just as safe?

Quote:
so when your kids dead or has a brain injury it will be ok to say it wasn't my fault ,there was nothing I could do about it , it was the bad driver in the new car..and believe me a guilt trip here is better than a real one ,I've been there with one of my children, with a brain injury thankfully he is ok but that was 13 years ago and the feeling of guilt never goes away , You're right there is no better way to grow up than to own and maintain an old car to keep it working and understand that things aren't disposable , to get some grease and dirt on your hands and still eat your sandwich.

Unfamilia if your quoting me about the need for a bar in a sedan you misread my reply it says in a wagon or coupe. There are vehicles/Trucks 4WD's on the road these days that will destroy any car Datsun, Mercedes, Lexus, Chrysler, Mazda, Etc..... It can be unsafe to push a baby in a pram down the footpath. The moral to the story is abide by the rules of your Motor Registry and Use common sense the rest is Just Life.

im not laying on a guilt trip, i cart around my 2 in the sedan on the odd occasion, but in a ute, i doubt there is a seat that would fit.

yes i agreee with you a lot of new car drivers have lost the ability to think or drive in their rolling couches of luxury, but its thier stupidity you have to account for, not your own.

i wouldnt have carted around either of my 2 in the 1200 ute, but thats just me.

This is what you need:

I can see the point some of you are trying to make, but I'd have to say "choosing looking good over your own childs safety" is a BS call. Its also just the type of fear perpetrated by car manufacturers, antibacterial bench top cleaners etc. which suits our consumerist culture so well. The worst drivers on the road are in NEW CARS hands down.
Having and maintaining old cars teaches kids good values imo compared to the majority of kids born with disposable spoons in their mouths.
While I'd have to agree that it might be a good idea to have a daily and keep the Datto for the weekend. For the reason alone that its OTHER people in NEWER cars are the biggest threat to your childs safety...I think the guilt trips are completely uncalled for.

People have gotten soft.
When I was a kiddie, (A long time ago)I used to sit on mums lap, and no-one wore seat belts. If we had crashed, I would have been the airbag for my mum. lol

How does that rule apply to kids in a car with no factory rear seatbelts? I own 7 cars, and 4 of them aren't required to have rear seatbelts by law.