madsina

Welp, looks like we have our first one on the way and will most likely need to sell my GTS 4.0. Wife currently drives a 2023 RR sport and refuses to learn manual and I’m living with the fear of “what if” while one of us is away with the RR and needs to take the lil one somewhere…

The Panamera does not do it for me in terms of power, driving enjoyment and cost. I can’t get behind electric — so am unfortunately looking outside of the brand.

Current contenders but would love other recommendations from folks that have gone through something similar. And before you ask, wife is adamant that we don’t have 3 cars.

In no particular order
1. BMW M3 comp (even tho the grill is horrendous)
2. Audi RS7 (more than I want to spend, might go used)
3. Never thought of myself as a Cadillac guy either.

Am I missing any key contenders? Thoughts from those who have gone through something similar?

Thanks in advance, this forum was invaluable to me as I ordered my GTS last year.

Mike981S

911 has a backseat and fits car seats. Macan (base, S or GTS) has a Porsche tuned handling.

Other 4 doors: Alfa Giulia (not sure how reliable they are), some of the Mercedes C or E class (AMG or normal)?

When my kids were young, my wife drove the MT station wagon and I drove a Subaru SVX (automatic 2+2 coupe, similar back seat size to a 911). We rarely needed to drive with both cars and the kids at the same time. The few times where I needed to drive the kids and she needed a car, she took the SVX.

Another alternative: trade your GTS 4.0 for a PDK GTS 4.0. That would allow you to keep most of the GTS 4.0 experiences and keep your wife happy.

Mark718

Your wife sure seems to be the one who puts down the rules 🥲.

Do you have buckets in the GTS 4.0 or what stops you from putting a childseat on the front seat when you’re alone with the baby and have to take off?

If I was in your shoes, I’d really think through if her arguments are valid or she’s just dictating things. You, selling a sportscar you love, (assuming here) is a sacrifice as well, and she should try to make it work in a way that you remain happy and satisified as well. I wouldn’t want my fiancee to learn how to drive the stick with my Porsche, but she better be willing if I say so lol.

If you love the NA aspect of your 718, but need rear seats, I’d probably look at LC500. Not the same nimble mid-engined car as 718, but has rear seats, looks gorgeous, has a 5L NA V8, and it’s a Lexus so it’s classy and will never let you down. I had a GS F and loved it.

If you like Porsches, 911 is an easy and always great choice.

RoadrunnerGTS

I had same 9 years ago. Sold my BMW 1M Coupe for a bigger DCT M3 F80. After, 6 years, my wife had never driven the M3, ever!

Word of advice, cross bridges when you come to them....there's always Uber as an option

VVG

My companion daily driver to my Spyder is an Audi RS5 Sportback. Wonderful daily driver for an enthusiast. Arguably one of the best looking 4-door vehicles made also.


Alternatively, you could just add a "beater" vehicle of sorts like a Honda HR-V or something just to haul around and not worry about it.

Aronis

(Oh fudge I was typing at the same time)

Don’t get rid of the car if you love it. Just add a late model Honda Civic, used car. No one will ever want to steel it. You can park anywhere. cheap to insure and provides seating for five. Don’t start down the road of regret or escalation to an Uber Sedan you can’t quite afford. Having a nice car YOU enjoy makes you happy. A Happy Dad and Happy Husband makes you better at both. Don’t let your wife dictate everything. Or you’ll be driving a minivan before you know it and she will be in the coupe as her daily.

Mike


and I am greatly offended that the awesome BMW M5 did not make your list. Seats 5. Crushing power. AWD AND NO UGLY FRONT GRILL.

Nickshu

What about an Audi RS3. A lot of car for the money. As much as I like the BMW I could not stomach the current grille design.

NS_MACAN_GTS

My daily is a 2022 Macan GTS. Maybe you didn't consider because its an SUV but it definitely does not feel like one behind the wheel and it has all the practicality you could possibly need. Perfect companion to my 4.0!

ipse dixit

Civic Si

Le Petit Garage

I have had the same dilemma, the gt4 went from a fun daily that my wife and I would take out all the time. To just a car I drive by myself.

I love sharing experiences together and would love to bring my family along. As far as I know, a rear facing seat won’t work with a 911 (someone correct me, because that might change things for me). I’ve held onto the GT4 as it’s irreplaceable to me but I’m not sure what the future holds.

baege

F87 or G87 M2
fun smaller cars with back seats

DFW01TT

Congratulations on your change in life! There's so much more reward from children than from cars.
Audi makes a great car, my last 4 door was an S4.

Xxyion

If you are worried about driving enjoyment i would stay away from the GXX M cars. I currently drive a G82X M4 and it's a freaking boat. Sure it's fast in a straight line, but you also didnt buy a GTS 4.0 to do drag races, so personally i would stay away.

Now i know there is a lot of prejudice against some of the cheaper brands (although i did see Honda thrown around here earlier), if you are still looking for something fun to drive, i'd look into a VW GTI, or Golf R. I've had both and while it's no Porsche, they are very practical cars that you can have a great amount of fun in for a very low price. Also consider the Hyundai Veloster N. I had one before i sold it for my GT4 and honestly in terms of how fun a car is to drive, that car was in my top 5. It has a 0-6 in 4.8 seconds which is kinda insane for an under 300hp FWD hot hatch, has a good amount of trunk space, looks great, and uses a really fast DCT transmission. And if you buy anything after the 2021 MY, you get their sport bucket seats which were honestly really comfortable. These cars can be had used for pretty cheap now. Of course if you cant get over the odd 3-door setup theres always the Elantra N which is exactly the same as the Veloster N but it's a sedan. This could very easily be a 3rd car for you guys due to the price unless there are space constraints you have to worry about.

Now if you feel like you HAVE to get rid of your fun sports car in favor of something with 4 seats, i do recommend the Audi RS3. While it's on the same platform as the Golf GTI/R and does feel that way, the 5 cyl engine is something really special and sounds amazing while giving you 400 hp. Theres also the F8X M4/M3/M2 that someone mentioned above and personally for me this was BMWs last good cars. And final suggestion would maybe be a Camaro 1LE. Theres really not much in the way of rear seats there (but they are there), however the car is fast as hell and is one of the best handling American cars out there.

Good luck on your search!

slilley

I'm of the opinion that you should consider the somewhat inexpensive 3rd car - which also comes in handy when one of the other cars is in for service. I never regretted adding cars to my family fleet. "But honey, it was cheap!"

sbsurfer

First off congratulations! As a father of two girls I would say keep your car and get a cheaper used car in the rare event someone is out with the RR and the other is at home and needs to go somewhere with the baby, Kids thrash cars. For the first few years the back of my wife's 4Runner was like a Hazmat zone from the kids eating in the car and just making messes...which is totally fine bc they're kids. Now that my girls are a little older (9 & 7) they're definitely better on the vehicles. About 9 months ago I picked up a low mile 993 and that has been my go to car...even over my 4RS. Mainly bc I can take my kids in it with me. I have found that at this point in life the things I enjoy the most are the things I do with them. In the blink of an eye they'll be grown and gone and then I can enjoy solo drives more. Just my 2 cents.