Hi all, we currently have 2 kids, one just turned 5 and one just turned 2 (and a cocker spaniel). Off out car hunting tomorrow as number three will be due in February.

My OH really wants a xsara picasso to fit the 3 seats, pram and dog in… Anyone got one to gve me some pointers on common faults or can suggest alternatives? I’m wary of french motors after all the electrical issues numerous people have told me about. I’d like a van based people carrier like a Torneo or transporter (thinkng of bike space too) but she’s not keen.

Oh, and I am budgeting for about £4000 max!

We had a succession of Fiat Multiplas.

A most excellent car, both for the transport of smaller humans and with the seats out of the back, for the transport of bicycles, tents, monkey bikes, wardrobes, bookcases, and all the other shit…

Honda FRV – brilliant, reliable and can be had cheap. I’ve had one for the last 6 years and it’s been superb. 3 proper full size rear seats. Japanese build quality and reliability.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201235483455385/sort/default/usedcars/price-from/500/price-to/4000/model/fr-v/make/honda/onesearchad/used/onesearchad/nearlynew/onesearchad/new/postcode/m113ba/radius/1500/quicksearch/true/page/1?logcode=p

Cheers Crikey, looked at one the other week, I liked it , she didn’t! Will try again if I spot one tomorrow!

We had a Sharan for a few months but got rid as it was a bit of a lemon. Might take a look for those too.

How about a 7 seat 4X4? Discovery type size?

Well found on the FR-V, hadn’t cast my search that far on the autotrader (we’re oop north) 😀

Been warned off disco’s by a mechanic mate, maybe a jap style one… Had a trooper for a while but it was a bit thirsty although it usually had 3 tons of trailer and logs fastened to the back 😆

pretty much any 4 door car should do..
the 5yr old will be in a booster, 2yr old a group 1/2 seat and baby in a baby seat so long as you choose appropriately those 3 will fit alongside each other fine. you might want something with 3 3point belts in the back tho. and switch-off able passenger airbags.

Next dadsnet question, how do you go about car hunting with 2 kids and a hormonal wife? 😕

Multipla is awesome.

Struggling to fit them in the current fleet, got a Mitsubishi lancer estate and a civic at the mo and there is no chance, about a six inch overlap with the seats. My dads CR-V just fits them in but they’re wonky with the shape of the seat bases…

Cheers for the suggestions, will ad a good search tomorrow and see what’s about. I do get the feeling we’ll be coming home in a xsara picasso though, anything for a quiet life!

I know you don’t like french but pug 307SW comes with three and has room for four seats in the back. Expect a Zafira would too.

Struggling to fit them in the current fleet, got a Mitsubishi lancer estate and a civic at the mo and there is no chance, about a six inch overlap with the seats.

😕 What child seats have you got?

Galaxy (Sharran/Alhambra), is a big old beast but so practical. Comfortably takes three car seats, leave the back seats out & a Phil – Ted stands upright in the boot. When they get older they swallow bikes with ease. We love ours. Consumption is about 35mpg, but well over 40 on a run. Avoid the auto box though, can be pricey if they play up.

The Toyota Verso is also very good, especially the D4D engine.

Steer clear of Renault Scenic’s. I can honestly say its the worst car I have ever had. Lot’s of common faults on these of which mine (2004 1.9 DCI) has suffered all off !.

Can get 3 car seats in our vw touran . The 2 extras fold out seats in the boot come in useful when visiting the grandparents as we could all go out in one car.

Volvo V70? Surely one of those will swallow bikes well.

eg: http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201236484007722/sort/default/usedcars/price-to/4000/fuel-type/diesel/body-type/estate/maximum-mileage/up_to_80000_miles/model/v70/make/volvo/onesearchad/used/onesearchad/nearlynew/onesearchad/new/postcode/bs66bs/radius/1501/page/1?logcode=p

or get a towbar carrier for the bikes.

Same mission here, although only two kids. After extensive research, think I’m going to go for a Zafira. Like the ordinariness of it, the fact you see millions of them on the road (I know f-all about cars) and the massive amount of space you can make in it. Only others I’ve seen that I’d consider are the C-Max (doesn’t seem quite as roomy in the boot) and a Touran (more than I want to spend on a car). Avoiding French and Italian. FR-V looks great – currently have a Honda and its been magic for 8 years – but old now, extra seat in the front seems pointless for us, and not as much boot space as the Zafira.

Next dadsnet question, how do you go about car hunting with 2 kids and a … wife?

Took them to a nearby garage last Sunday for a look around and a couple of test drives to see what was acceptable and what wasn’t. Mrs Tyred is WAY fussier than me when it comes to cars, it turns out. Tomorrow afternoon I’ll be dropping them off at a park with bikes, snacks and money and going to actually buy a car on my own. Its a grim task and I want it done ASAP.

Zafira

and

I know f-all about cars

(not saying this in a nasty way but) can I hazard a guess that you don’t enjoy driving? Had a Zafira rental car and it was truly dire. The newest ones might be better but out of the OPs price range.

Then had a mondeo estate (current type) and it was fantastic and much more practical as it actually had a boot unlike an MPV.

Echo Andyl’s V70 suggestion – BiL has one after trying as many cars as possible to find one that could take three child seats side-by-side, with a decent safety rating and good to drive.

This was all covered in a thread yesterday. Apparently you have to have an Audi Q7 or BMW X5, especially if you live any where near the country side or its snows once a year. Of course you need to keep up with the Jones’s too!

I had a V70 and it was brilliant. The only problem with it was that I do 30k a year privately and I couldn’t average more than 40mpg, hence it got the bullet for a 5 series.

Which isn’t big enough for 2 kids and bikes:-/

I’d have a look at an Audi A6 avant as well.

I’m considering a V70 for my next car. What size engine was that fizzicist?

My mum and dad bought a Xsara picasso brand new and they both to this day admit it’s the worst car they have ever bought. It was gutless as a gutless thing on a gutless day and according to dad it handled like a bubble…

D3 – great engine, sounded fantastic for a diesel as it was 5 cylinder. Which may have been part of the fuel consumption issue….

I had an SE, but on balance I should have gone for the R design.

Moving house soon, which will save me abou 25k a year, so I can see another Volvo on the horizon.

Oh, the local Volvo dealer was terribe as well. Expensive, unhelpful and didn’t clean the car either. Which I know is pissy of me, but on a luxury motor, you expect it…

I would go for 7 seater and will throw a TD Renault Grand Scenic into the mix?

5 seats are fine for transporting the family as is but it become a 2 car job when your 5 year old has a friend that wants to tag along on a day out or a grandparent wants to pop to the shops with you all.

Steer clear of Renault Scenic’s. I can honestly say its the worst car I have ever had.

We have a Renault Megane Grand Scenic. Nothing has gone wrong on it (yet) but it is utterly joyless in almost every way.

We have had a V70 in the past and enjoyed it until Mrs Higgo wrote it off. Very comfy, capable car but keen on petrol and front tyres.

Nissan almera tino.

We had a Picasso a few years back.

The CAN BUS was temperamental, so we’d get random non-existent warnings all the time! Handles like a barge.

Not cheap to run when it gets a bit older (4k budget means it’ll be an oldish one) due to parts/maintenance.

But it was very practical. It would be a fairly miserable ownership prospect though!!

The only French cars worth buying are the very latest batch; the older ones are just a reliability minefield!

I have a 7 seater Kia Sedona, older style with 2,2,3 configuration.

It’s great as none of the kids actually sit in contact with each other so the fighting is greatly reduced.

We’ve got a Zafira for family duties. its perfectly adequate in most respects. if you are considering one then I’d give the following advice.

many people on here will tell you all vauxhalls are comprehensively rubbish. there are two reasons for this
1. the base spec ones you get from the rental companies are comprehensively rubbish
2. the motoring press constantly bang on about how Fords handle better (and they probably do, but I’ve never been able to perceive a difference). stick to the top spec models and they are as comfortable and relaxing to drive as any equivalent

we have the 1.9 16v cdti 150bhp engine. its pulls very well at any road speed even 7 up with a trailer and roof box. does 60 in 10 seconds and it will also do 50mpg on a run. MPG does take a hammering over 70mph. the 8v 120bhp engine is nowhere near as good and (according to my indi vaux mechanic) suffers from a number of common faults. iv e driven a 1.7d in an astra and that was also rubbish
if you get a 55 plate with the 150 engine, they come without DPF (same new shape body) you’ll get a 55 plate Design/SRi/Elite with sensible miles for your budget easily

the boot isn’t great for bikes as its squared off between the wheel arches so its not as wide as it could be. it seems only the bread van derived cars do this right. the middle row fold vertically and slide forward but don’t come out, so you don’t have as much length in van mode as you would in a touran. also, the middle row needs to fold and slide all the way forward deploy or stow the rear row, which is a faff if you have car seats fitted.

we’ve done 100k in ours and in that time (other than servicing) its had an alternator which was a £400 job, one broken spring and split wires on the multi-plug for the rear door. a couple of the alloys have peeling lacquer on the bead so they loose pressure over a month or so – really need to get that sorted. it doesn’t use any oil between services and its pretty light on tyres. servicing is very cheap at an independent. im always surprised how cheap things like brake discs are especially considering how big they are!

you’ll still need to be careful with your car seats tho – we have a pair of maxicosi something or others (for a 18month old and a 4 year old) and whilst mrs petrieboy can squeeze in between them, you wouldn’t get a booster in and access the seat belts.

at the end of the day, the touran and s-max are probably better cars, but they will be more expensive, a galaxy will offer more space for child seats bit will be more expensive to fuel and slower, a berlingo will probably be more practical but you loose a bit of refinement but the zafira offers pretty good value and all round practicality. you pays your money………