Twisted1200

I'd been through a few Jeeps over the past 14 years or so- a couple of Cherokees and a Liberty- before finally making my dreams come true when I got my brand new 2011 Wrangler a couple of years back. My wife's argument at the time when I traded in my 09 Liberty was "This is a stupid move; You're never going to fit a baby or anything that goes along with them inside of it." We had no kids at the time, nor do we now, but I went in to get the JK knowing this was a "do it now or do it never" opportunity. We've been married a couple of years now and offspring will most likely make their way into the picture within a year or two. While the thought of starting a family is great, the concept that I'm now going to have to trade in the vehicle I always wanted for years and finally got my hands on...whether I said I was aware of it at the time of purchase or not...well, just sucks. The Mrs. has a 4-door sedan so one side of our transportation is fully family-friendly, but I'm obviously aware that a 2 door Jeep with (very) limited trunk space and a required degree in acrobatics to get into the back seat doesn't seem too easy. So my question is this...

Parents of 2-door JKs and kids: Is the dream of having both at all possible, or will I find myself back at the dealer when the stork does arrive at some point, and just enjoy the Jeep now while I can?

While I appreciate any advice, please note- I can't stand the 4-doors. Period. I'm already aware this would most likely be the common suggestion... Ain't happenin'. My question is just regarding 2-doors being a yay or nay. Thanks for your help!

leonescomp

I'm not a parent. But my girlfriend. Has a two year old and I have a 2door. I don't have a problem with the car seat or now the booster seat. And I drive 45 mins just to do some wheeling. So while it is a pain. It's still doable to some extent. Just don't plan on stuffing a coach in the back.

JK-Ford

Sorry Buddy. All I got is bad news. Your 2D will be OK after the kidos are big enough to climb back there. But those first few years are completely out of the question.

Guess I didn't help this time.

scouter4life

You should seriously consider the 4-door, otherwise forget having a Wrangler. Not sure why the animosity towards the 4-door, but it's the same vehicle, just longer and certainly just as capable. I regularly go on extended offroad and on road trips with 3 kids, a dog, and occasionally the wife if she wants to go. I just finished a 3600 mile round trip with the kids and dog and keep in mind my wife's vehicle is a mini-van, which certainly has more space and would have gotten better mileage, but nothing compares to driving the Jeep.

Trips like this would be impossible in the 2-door, even 2 kids and dog would not be possible. You'd have a lot more space to fit the stroller, travel bed, diaper bag, toys, your bags and anything else you want to bring. Good luck even being able to fit all that in a mid size 4-door car, ben there, doen that and we had to get a roof top carrier. The JK would likely become your primary vehicle when you travel as a family just because you have the space.



You have one option if you want to keep a 2 door wrangler and that woudl be to buy a used LJ. I have a friend who has one and 3 kids. His youngest is only 5 and has had it since he was born. When he was little it was a little challenging to get him in and out, but was not too bad. Plus there was plenty of room in the back for all the gear.

Sand Man

You say that your wife has a 4-door sedan, and that at least one side is fully family-friendly. So I guess it will really depend on how much you will need to use your 2-door JK for family driving. My Jeep has always been the second vehicle and my wife has always had a larger SUV for the family. Her vehicle is used about 90%-95% of the time to drive the kids. I drive my JK (to work, etc.) alone most of the time.

I've had my '07 2-door JK since '07. My boys were about 3 and 6 at that time, so I missed the child-seat issues and just went straight to putting in two booster seats in the back. My boys have had no problems climbing in (even now they can climb in easily; although the older one is 12 now and mostly rides up front). Because the front passenger-side seat in the '07s has the seat-belt attached at the base (and pulls it forward when you slide that seat up), I've always had them enter at (my) driver side. That' fine, since I have to be there anyway and I'll just wait for them to get in first. I found it easier to have them sit down and then I slide the seat back into place, before buckling them up. I found it easier to reach back between the two front seats to do up their seat belts (rather than being jammed between the seat and door pillar).

But you'll likely have to reach in between the seat and door pillar for the first few years, if you use your Jeep to carry little ones in a car seat. You may also have issues trying to fit a car seat through that space. I can't speak to that, but I remember another user on this forum also have a 2-door '07 JK and using it extensively for his young kids. He seemed to make it work. I think his name was Jeepin Dad, so maybe look for older posts by him.

I was happier once both booster seats were out. It makes it easier to flip the rear bench forward when I need the extra trunk space. Before, when I had the booster seats there, I would have to remove them and then lay them in the trunk space. Again, I also didn't use my Jeep too much for family driving. Usually a just once or twice a week to take my boys to their sporting events, etc. My wife's vehicle was usually available if we did family stuff.

But why not simply wait until such time as there is a little one. Then see how it goes with a car seat in the back and how often you'll have to use your Jeep to carry the entire family. Try it out for a few months, before worrying about trading in your JK. You may find that most of the family driving can be done with your wife's sedan. Or she may want to trade that up to something a bit larger at that time (while you keep your JK).

afpilot82

With so much hate towards the 4-door, enjoy your Jeep now and really enjoy your sedan in a couple years.

MagnumD69

2dr wrangler with a carseat & base station . Forget it. Diaper bag, pack n play, toys, stroller, luggage... Not to mention a trip to the grocery store. No room for kids. Also, legroom is an issue with some carseats, as with rear-facing seats: there isn't enough room to get the seat in and out without having the front seat pulled all the way forward.

My advice:
Borrow a friends baby car seat and put a 20lb barbell in it and buckle it in, then install it in your 2dr. Take the seat in and out a few times. Then, take it to the dealership. Install the seat in a 4dr and then reply to this post.


Edit:
Not much better than cruising with the top down (with dirty dog shades) with my kids in the back and happy wife. Plenty of room for two strollers and all their crap, plus a week's worth of camping gear. We can still do all the cool Jeep stuff the 2drs do.

Jonathan_JK

I actually talked my wife into a 2 door. She wanted me to get the 4 door I told her that was out of the question. I'v seen old people driving 4 door Wranglers I know I'm 31 but this old lady looked like she was in her 70's I really think the 4 door has killed the jeep now more people are considering getting Jeeps not the hardcore off road junkies anymore.

I have a 9 yr old and a 6 yr old and they love the Jeep. They would rather ride in it than my wifes 2012 Mazda 6 with 6 speed manual.

Having a baby in a 2 door would be hard I dont even think you could get a stroller in the back.

Rednroll

I can't speak directly about the 2 door but will give you my experience with my 4 door. My son is now just over 13 months old.

With my 4 door, when the baby seat was placed in the back seat and facing backwards...the back of the baby seat rested right up against the front of the back seat while allowing the front seat to be back enough for an adult to sit in the front seat. I know in most states that it's a law to have the rear baby seat backwards until the infant is 6 months or younger. So my 1st point is...if there is less space between the back of the rear seat and the back of the rear front seat, then don't plan on the person having to sit in the front passenger seat (ie your wife) to be able to sit comfortably which by the sounds of it, she is already looking for excuses for you to not keep the JK. This was a full size baby seat however which will accommodate the kid to at least 3 years old. We also had one of those hand carrying take in/take out seats which came with a stroller and that was fine for space. But you can only use that until the kid is about 9 months old. My 13 month has grown out of that one. Facing frontwards, the full size baby seat does not take up as much space.

Additionally, just being able to transport the baby is only a minor challenge. The bigger challenge is having the space for all the other crap you need to take with you when you take the kid with you to places. So you'll ALWAYS need to have a baby bag with you. Additionally, you may have to take a stroller and/or a play pen. In the back storage area of the 4 door, I find I have just enough room to fit those items. You may struggle with the limited space in the 2 door for those items.

Additionally, what I recently just learned since Christmas just passed....EVERYONE want's to buy the baby new toys and those toys tend to be on the larger size, so the kid can't swallow them. So plan on needing space to be able to load up some big stuff from the baby shower and Christmas gifts from grandma and grandpa's house. I was "barely" able to fit that stuff in my 4 door.

Sure it can ALL be done in a 2 door....but your wife is going to find plenty of excuses for you to not have a JK when those inconveniences start to add up.

One other item. Buckling the kid in and out of the rear baby seat will eventually become a frustration when you have to worry about folding the front seat forwards each time while you're having to hold on to the kid with both hands without a free hand to spare and a baby bag over your shoulder.

red2010rubi

Hello, Honda Odyssey. Just kidding my wife has a 4 door to move the baby around and I have a 2 dr and she is fine with the fact that we will be taking her jeep for family trips. I am perfectly fine with that. No crumbs or spit up in mine!