You should definately have them fix the cord in the boot before collection, as said before it would help in case of needing the manually close the roof in case of malfunction. My CC has eaten 6 cords so far in its 4 years they never seem to last long.
There seems to be no way the standard radio (in mine at least) can be on without the keys being in, but yes the CD eject will still let you remove discs at any time.
the cc does look like a bit of a girly car!!! i think any men driving them look a little out of place, probably just cos most people i know that have them are girls!
as for the 4 people situation, my car is always full!
usual ages are...
driver 19 (me!)
passenger 24
back seaters 16 & 17!
so i dont think there will be a problem with the kids situation.
only thing i might suggest is that it's not necessarily the experince o the cc you enjoy, but just the experience of a convertible...and if thats the case there are plenty of 'manly' convertibles out there, cheap enough to just 'leave in the garage throughout the week'...just as your old fiat did at the weekends...
sorry about the rant! i seem to be full of opinions today...i'm nice normally. honest!!!