First baby on the way, now all we need is a car We are expecting our first baby in May and need to replace our cars with something suitable. We own a faithful but decrepit 11-year-old Daihatsu Charade for the practical side of life and a 2006/56 Honda S2000GT for anything else. We both need cars for work and I have lost the argument to keep the S2000. The Charade is rather creaky now, so we were thinking of replacing both cars to buy two large hatchbacks or a hatchback and a small estate. Both need to be able to transport two of us plus baby and a roof-mounted bike rack. We'll put about 12,000 miles on each car annually and can spend £15,000 plus whatever we get for the Honda and the Charade. We'd like to buy used cars up to three years old. You'll get about £8,500 for the S2000 and buttons for the Charade, which should equate to about £24,000. MPVs are best for babies because they mean less bending to get the sprogs in and out, so less chance of back damage. A Ford C-Max 1.6 Ecoboost 150 should be on the list, or maybe a Mazda5 1.6d TS2 (I've got one and it's brilliant). An older Mazda2 1.3 TS2 five-door might suit, too. Do not buy a three-door - that will hurt your back.