Thought I would tap the forums wisdom. My son is looking for a family car. He has an 8 yr old a 5 yr old and a new baby due in a few months time. He is not too flush with money at the moment, so his budget is probably sboujt £7000 or under.
What would your recommendations be? Safety and economy top of the list, but he doesn't do big mileage so I dont know if a diesel would be ideal, as I have heard about the problems with some models with the DPF etc.
Any thoughts gratefully recieved.
Thanks.
Sounds like a mid-size people carrier would fit the bill, as the kiddies are still small. Something like a VW Touran/Ford Focus C-Max/Vauxhall Zafira? Not the most interesting drive, any of them, but generally inoffensive and perfect for a growing family. Most will be diesel (as the government encouraged people to buy them before the U-turn), but there will be petrols out there - although they're likely to attract a premium these days.
Cheers,
Plug
I have been extremely happy with my 13 plate Skoda Superb. It has a massive boot and incredible rear legroom. There’s plenty of room in the back for my 2 kids.
I've just bought an Octavia estate, the boot is huge so tonnes of space for all the paraphernalia that you tend to cart around with little ones. Great reputation for reliability these days and shouldn't be difficult finding one in budget.
Originally Posted by Phil Lee
I've had these cars....I was very happy with the both of them but I don't think they would suit the op's son and his three kids.They are great for two kids but I think the central seat position in the back isn't particularly suited to constant use and also wouldn't be particularly brilliant for a car seat.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them both for a family of four,but not for five.
Skoda Yeti with the 1.4 TFSI
Honda FRV. They are two rows of 3, so plenty of room and being a Honda it should be bulletproof.
Thanks for the swift replies. I must say my first thought was for the c-max ands hadn't thought about Skoda. Incidently one of my brothers has a Skoda Superb and it is a lovely motor. I believe it is an Audi A6 in disguise, at least it has the same chassis and engine as one anyway as far as I know
Definitely a people carrier type vehicle because they are so much more practical than anything else - even VW Transoorter crew vans!
People carriers tend to have all individual reclining seats that you can recline on demand, if need be. Nothing worse than your little one falling asleep and their head falling forwards, who knows what damage is being done to their necks when this happens.
They are a good height to lean into and put kids in their car seats/check the belts are done up - no bending right down and struggling in and across.
They tend to have picnic trays on the back of the seats.
When you pack the boot for a journey you can put stuff you might need right up next to the rear seats and the eldest will be able to reach and grab it. Food bag, pillow, blanket etc
Been a few years since a people carrier has been essential for me, but these are some of the things that stand out
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S-Max
It's just a matter of time...
The mother of my children has a zafira touring Sri diesel and it has proved to be reliable and a great driving (for a 7 seater) vehicle. Loads of room inside, and you may find one oldish one inside your budget.
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Lexus RX400h. The best family car that we have ever owned.
(Although, on reflection, you might struggle to get 3 car seats across the back).
The Superb offers more rear legroom than an A6 but I’m pretty sure it’s a bit narrower which is what you don’t want.
A very late (2006/7) Mk2 CRV.
Economy is not their strong point but they are amazingly reliable and a great family car.
If safety is king, then an XC90 is also worthy of consideration. Frankly, it's horrid to drive but in terms of keeping the little ones safe, it's hard to top.
Mercedes B series has worked well for us.
Little bit out of the box
The best family car I’ve ever owned for family duties also with 3 young kids is a Mercedes vito crewcab van loads of space for everyone including the big daft dog in the boot, with 2 seats at the front there’s a passage you can walk through to deal with whatever. Ok it’s not exactly a drivers car but exceptionally comfortable for long miles reclining seats all round easy to get in and fansten the middle child seat. It’s a van so a little bit boomy at times driving along but with 3 kids and their usual fights going on the radio goes pretty loud lol. Certainly not everyone’s cup of tea but I can see me buying another when the time comes.
I have an S-Max and wouldn't hesitate to recommend, however he may struggle to find a nice example for his budget.
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Another option: Toyota Previa. Save some money on budget, minimal depreciation and Toyota build quality/reliability?
Anything in the Ford range with the extra seats is likely to be diesel (you might find petrol 2.5, 5 pot out of the ST/Volvo in the S-Max but they were always thirsty) and anything at that price is likely to be a lot more tired than equivalent Toyota in my experience.
All for 7 grand ?
Hyundai ix35 is worth a look, very reliable and lots of kit on them too.. 2.0 petrol or 1.7 diesels with sensible miles from 2010 onwards are within the budget. We’ve had 2 and now a Kia Sportage as our family car and they have been faultless and the dealers are lovely.
Last edited by Kevin Glover; 22nd January 2019 at 09:46.
3 car seats across the back seat is the limiting factor here and most "normal" cars simply do not have that capacity (as the middle seat is usually narrower). I had this conundrum when my 3 were nippers and went with a Toyota Landcruiser but this was nearly 15 years ago and not something I would recommend for the OP's son.
With that in mind, I think you're better off going for something that has 3 individual seats in the rear - which is typically a "MPV" type vehicle. S-Max is a good shout and one that should be pleasant to drive too. Owner reviews are very positive.
£7k will get you a leggy example albeit with a reasonable life left.
Last edited by vagabond; 22nd January 2019 at 10:31.
You'd get a decent previous generation Mitsubishi Outlander 7 seater for £7k.
I had a Mitsubishi once and it was just as reliable as any Toyota I've owned and better than my two Honda's. An oft overlooked car but well worth considering for good reliability, well built and cracking value.
Ours cost us £8k a couple of years ago (and it is the top spec SE-L model with <100k miles). So, yep (without looking at Autotrader), I imagine that £7k would be very possible.
Edited to add: had 5 minutes to spare so had a quick look on Autotrader. There are currently 80 RX400hs available for £7k or less.
Last edited by Bravo73; 22nd January 2019 at 16:23.
Legally the 8 year old can travel in the back without a booster seat which if acceptable opens up more options.
https://www.gov.uk/child-car-seats-t...out-a-car-seat
That isn't true. A child must have a suitable car seat or booster seat until the age of 12 or they reach 135cm tall, whichever comes first. I know this because my 10 year old daughter is the shortest in her year and will almost certainly be 12 years old before she doesn't need a car seat. The law is stated here:
https://www.gov.uk/child-car-seats-the-rules
You can get an rx400h for under 7k with a good provenance I did exactly that 2 years ago and it's cost me nothing apart from normal maintenance and a new radiator which cost a few hundred fitted at my local mechanic.
I can definitely say you CAN get 3 car seats across the back however this will depend on the seats design as it was very tight. With a newborn you'll have a rear facing / isofix jobbie which are incredibly space hungry not only side to side but fore and aft too so if you need the front seats back a bit to fit then you'll need a large car.
While I love the RX to bits I'd say a people carrier is the best bet. I used to have a Seat Alhambra which was a hoot to drive (for what it was) but a money pit so couldn't really recommend if on a tight budget. I'd certainly recommend whatever you get is a petrol as older diesels are / can be money pits.
Your more likely to find something Japanese with 7 seats and a petrol engine - if you don;t mind a JDM import (still rhd)you may even get a hybrid.
Yes they can in the op’s situation, three children and only room for two seats.
Link here as per my earlier post.
https://www.gov.uk/child-car-seats-t...out-a-car-seat
Thanks again for the helpful replies.
I guess he will have to get on Autotrader and the like to see what is available in the budget. He is leaning towards a Ford for cost of parts and servicing etc, but there are a lot of options, so he is looking at all the suggestions.
The forums favourite......................................... ..............MX5.
I can vouch for a Touran. I bought one in September as I was fed up of people crashing into my A6 Allroad (3 crashes in 7 months!!) 2 of them didn’t have the courtesy to leave insurance details so I had to foot bills for both repairs - the second repair bill was £1,500.
Absolutely love the Touran...I wish I’d done it years ago. Elevated driving position, simple so there’s nothing really to go wrong, cheap - so I’m not bothered about it. Boot like a small van and 7 seats if I need them, rear seats all move independently and recline - the kids love it! Plus it’s the 172 bhp engine with DSG gearbox - so it’s got a bit of poke if you need it.
If you're going down the SUV route may I recommend the Matra Rancho? When I was a kid a friend's dad had one and the rear-facing row of seats in the boot was where we all wanted to be.
"A man of little significance"
Not sure if many have even heard of the Matra,
Looks suspiciously like an early Discovery,,
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
I believe it came before the discovery but I could be wrong.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
I think early 80's
n2
Wiki says 77-84
Last edited by number2; 22nd January 2019 at 22:49.
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
VW Caddy. Is it sold as a people carrier in the UK. 3 rows, wide, high and it won't break the bank. Not the sexiest car of the parking, but with 3 kids is that more or less the least of your worries. Talking about parking: sliding doors make it easier to help the baby inside when you're parked at Tesco's.
Menno
Safe, reliable, reasonable costs in all areas- I've driven Volvo since the children were babies
And Disco series 1 is 1989.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Quite a lot of similar styling going on.
n2
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
Honda FRV Interior, front and rear seats.
As shown in the photos the two centre seats can move forward and backward. The front middle seat can also be tilted all the way forward to make a table/flat(ish) surface.
Despite my earlier suggestion of the Mitsubishi Outlander, if you are erring towards an MPV then a Ford C Max is a great bet, I had one and it ticked almost every box; a great drive, economical, reliable, spacious, fun, safe, but outwardly looked as dull as Fitch-water, but still a perfect family car.
I ran 2 VW Tourans in a row - the First was a 1.9tdi, second a 1.6tdi. Neither ever missed a beat, fantastic space and very practical. All the reviews I’ve read never seem to rate the handling, but (having owned VW golfs for years beforehand) I thought they drive very like a slightly taller golf with pretty good solid handling. Not quick or exciting but very practical, and high enough to make buckling kids into seats a comfortable affair, not backbreaking! I’d highly recommend them
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A car that was ahead of its time (concept wise).Not sure if many have even heard of the Matra,
Looks suspiciously like an early Discovery,,
Definitely ahead of it's time, but 2 wheel drive if I remember rightly?
Anyone remember the 3 seater Matra Simca sports car from the late70s/early 80s? I think it was called a Bagheera or something similar. Looked nice but didn`t go very quick.
There was indeed the Bagheera, followed with the Murena.
Matra is best known (in car manufacturing) in France for creating the Espace, built by Renault of course.
But in the early 70s it produced a fun little convertible on a Ford platform (Taunus) with a Renault 16 engine, the M530
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Another vote for the VW Touran. Doesn’t set the world alight but massively practical and one of the few cars that was able to take 3 car seats for my lads when younger. 👍
My wife , who has zero interest in cars and doesn’t look after them either, has a Zafira Elite. In terms of pure functionality it is hard to beat - cavernous boot, seven seats if you need them, fairly comfortable (the elite spec is leather seats etc), automatic with more than enough grunt, and adequate but not better economy.
It’s proven extremely reliable and very flexible.
So clever my foot fell off.
Skoda Yeti, great value, removeable back seats which effectively turns it into a van as it has a boxy profile. I used to always have a grin on my face driving ours and never had any mechanical issues.
My Dad had the 1.8T model. He loved it...until it started drinking oil at the same rate I drink beer on a stag do!
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