- This topic has 35 replies, 27 voices, and was last updated 8 years ago by perchypanther.
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7-seater Spawn wagon – Recomendations?
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hatterFull MemberPosted 8 years ago
My Missus’s childminding business is coming together and at some point in the near future we’ll need to trade in her hatchback for something that can handle vast numbers of ankle-biters.
She cares not a jot for how fast it goes or how fashionable it is, she wants something comfy, economical, reliable and preferably not a monster to park and with an easy to clean interior.
There are the obvious MPV’s but what else out there? Well aware there’s probably stuff out there we haven’t thought of.
We have a budget of 10K. So, what does the hive mind think and are there any bargains out there you’ve spotted?
thegreatapeFree MemberPosted 8 years agoYou can, or at least could, get a brand new Zafira for about £10k. The old model but new and full warranty.
brassneckFull MemberPosted 8 years agoS Max – have 7 proper seats and a great boot if using 5. Drives like a car.
Child minder friend however has some sort of Hyundai van/minibus – got a very good deal on a business lease, if you’re looking that way.
ScamperFree MemberPosted 8 years agoI think those deals are long gone on the Zafira, but there are loads of nearly new within that budget last time I looked.
The last generation C4 Grand Picasso? Unlike the Zafira I think this has three proper isofix seats in the second row?
andy8442Free MemberPosted 8 years agoVW Touran. 7 seats but not much bigger than a Golf. Probably good prices at the mo as well!
mtbfixFull MemberPosted 8 years agoFord Galaxy. A smidge bigger than the SMax. 3 isofix points across the middle (iirc). Cheaper, like for like. If I had to replace my SMax it’s what I’d get.
hatterFull MemberPosted 8 years agoZafira’s and Vauxhalls in general are off the cards.
We live about ten miles south of Luton and there’s a gang (suspected to be ex-Vauxhall employees) that goes round here stripping them, they’ve been in the news a fair bit recently, several of our friends have been done.
S-max and Touran are both on the cards. Kinda like the idea of a big estate with seats in the back rather than a pure ‘MPV’but there don’t seem to be that many about.
chrisdieselFree MemberPosted 8 years agoIn the used/2nd hand world I find that people that buy 7 seaters use them so they see a hard life. As in people buy mini mpv 5 seat cars that see an easy life
I see a dispatch van that comes in work with 6 baby seat and the sick/bread sticks and damage everywhere to go with it
Yep child minder and probably the angriest customer I’ve ever delt with!!!rickmeisterFull MemberPosted 8 years agoZafira and the like, the last row of seats are so close to the back door boot space is gone. Plus, the last row of kids will be the crumple zone if the car gets hit at the back.
Simple van like a SWB T5 or similar, same footprint as an estate car. Proper seats/belts, some boot space and crash protection for a business methinks.
hatterFull MemberPosted 8 years agosick/bread sticks and damage everywhere to go with it
Which is why we’re getting dedicated a brat-lugger, I’m not letting the little darlings anywhere near my beloved T5.
Also, 7-seater T5’s hold their value irritatingly well, we’d rather not have to buy something with more mileage than a NASA probe.
She wants something more car-like.
tangFree MemberPosted 8 years agoGalaxy owner here, great offspring lugger. I like the rear seats going flat, you loose a bit of load space to the older model but versatility wise much better. We can go away with 3 kids to visit parents and unload and travel about together.
maxrayFree MemberPosted 8 years agoWe have had a Touran for about 4 years now. It has been just the ticket, easy to drive a bit of poke and swallows lots of stuff up.
Downside is that the +2 seats in the boot are not proper seats which may be an issue if they are going to be in use full time, maybe a dedicated 7 seater is a better idea?
ads678Full MemberPosted 8 years agoI bought an Smax back in April, was originally going to get a touran but it was just too small and basic feeling inside. I’d had 2 passats previous and really wanted another VW but the Smax was just sooo much more betterer!
Back back seats still don’t have too much leg room but you can actually get an adult in there whereas I couldn’t fit in the touran.
jefflFull MemberPosted 8 years agoS-Max rear seats can only be accessed by sliding the middle (normal) seats forward so if children are small bit of a ball ache getting them plugged in and the like as you have to stretch through. Also they are reasonably wide so parking spaces can be troublesome, especially as they don’t have sliding doors.
Plus they are priced too high for what they are, in my opinion.
Galaxy is based on the same chassis, a few inches longer but has proper back seats. Not sure if it has slidy doors though.
ads678Full MemberPosted 8 years agoNo Galaxy doesn’t have sliding doors, i probably would have bought one if they had. New shape VW sharan has sliding doors, pricey though.
T1000Free MemberPosted 8 years agolast of the old shape Alhambra / Sharan as they are cheap compared to similar aged Galaxy / smax’s (as they took so long replacing the old model those from 2008 -2010 are good v for money) not as nice as the newer generation SMax, galaxy or new shape Alhambra / Sharan but you’ll get loads of change from your 10k….
fanatic278Free MemberPosted 8 years agoI’ve had two VW Tourans. First one did >100k miles before I sold it on. I don’t think we ever had any big repair bills on it that I can remember. Replaced with another Touran that is up to 90k miles. The turbo went in the second one recently, but I don’t blame the car for that – just one of those things.
We also have a brand new Ford Galaxy (two people carriers in one household – living the dream!). It’s a nicer car (top of the range). But it must have been to the garage 9 times since we bought it 12 months ago! Small niggles mostly, but then on one occasion it just shut down whilst my wife was driving at 60mph on a back road.
I’d get another VW next time – Sharan probably.
midlifecrashesFull MemberPosted 8 years agoWe have had seven seaters for the past dozen years or so, Volvo estate, Honda Stream and currently S-Max. If I was buying now for my family, and not in the Q7/LandRover/X5/ML budget, I’d still go S-Max or Galaxy, best combo of nice drive and usable space.
If I was buying for a childmining business though, I’d want something completely different. Original big MPVs like the Grand Voyager and Toyota Previa used to do a triple row of seats at the back, a shorter bench of two seats in the middle, with sliding doors, then regular seats up front. Any kid getting picked up or dropped off could jump in and get fastened in without any of the others being disturbed, or seats having to be folded, they were brilliant. They don’t make them like that any more though, and the old ones are getting long in the tooth. Closest thing I can see today is the Fiat Scudo combi.Comes with 2 front, 2+1 middle and 3 rear seats. You can remove the +1 in the middle and it gives you the same 3-2-3 layout and sliding doors. You’ll get a good one for well under £10k.
Oops, that rambled on a bit.
jiFree MemberPosted 8 years agoGalaxy. Sliding doors are great, but add a lot of weight to the car (and the electronic ones on Peugeot and Kia are a pain when they go wrong…)
We got an ex Addison Lee taxi from here which has been great and very cheap. They also have 20 or 30 in stock to choose from. Had highish miles but that doesn’t bother me on a well serviced diesel.
gavinpearceFree MemberPosted 8 years agoWe have a 9yr old XC90. I wouldn’t say economical but it’s been reliable and is very safe and seats 7 easily with a decent boot. That age would be well within your budget.
hatterFull MemberPosted 8 years agoThanks for the wise words everyone, some rummaging had thrown up the Renault grand scenic, they seem to depreciate lIke stones from new which means they’re a bit of a bargain for us and the missus has seen a bargain is 2014 one she’s taken a shine to.
Any thoughts on them?
jefflFull MemberPosted 8 years agoYeah friend had a grand scenic. Sliding door on one side broke, various electrical issues. They wouldn’t get one again.
northernmattFull MemberPosted 8 years agoCaddy Maxi, huge big thing which can swallow 7 adults so could probably fit around 15 kids in. Not technically legal though. Big boot as well even with all the seats in.
takisawa2Full MemberPosted 8 years agoDon’t be tempted to spend less on a n older Galaxy / Alhambra / Sharran.
Before we bought the Galaxy I read that they were happiest in the repair bay than on the road, & that’s not far off the truth.hatterFull MemberPosted 8 years agoShe needs it for business so ‘not technically legal ain’t gonna work OK’m afraid.
Hmmm, how about a Ford grand c-max. Seem to hold thoer value a bit better than the scenic but better made.
hammyukFree MemberPosted 8 years agoAs Matt said – Caddy Maxi Life.
Been faultless, carries anything you throw at it, all seven seats are full size – even the rear bench.Boot space is still as good as a large estate with the bench in place and has a large parcel shelf to cover buggies, bags, etc.
Only reason mine is going is its just me now with two teenagers every other weekend so a 135i is more than big enough for my needs.
The residuals are high too on them. Mattbee has a T5 and he’s said if he was buying again he wouldn’t buy a T5. He’d get a Maxi Life.mmannerrFull MemberPosted 8 years agoRegarding Grand Scenics – it is impossible for sliding door to break as it does not have any. Do you have other good rumours? 😀
The third generation Scenic is actually fairly good car compared to the previous models (I have had one of each generation). Only serious problem on mine after 5 years is that servicing is the expensive, minor problems were loose lock on one door and rattly door brake on another.
II gen was bit actually bit more comfy in some ways but it has quite a few weak spots, namely LCD dash (dealer cost xxxx, though specialists can fix them for a hundred or so), electronic handbrake, brittle plastic in window mechamism and couple of engine sensor issues.
edit. Problem with these type of cars in general is that they are more like 5+2 vehicles. If you have 3rd row seats up there is very little room for anything else and access to rear seats is not very handy.
hatterFull MemberPosted 8 years agoThe cunning plan is that her stock in trade will be dropping off and picking up the nippers from the very nice primary school that we can see from our house, filling the gap at each end of the day when their mummy and daddy are at work, as a result she shouldn’t need to actually drive with all 4 nippers (2 ours, 2 clients’) very often but she needs to have that capacity for days out or in case of a medical emergency etc.
We also have my T5 should we want to lug anything big so boot space isn’t a huge issue.
Hence why we’ve started looking towards a ‘5 + 2’ rather than a full-on 7 seater.
Any more first hand experiences with these as they seem to be what she’s gravitating towards:
Renault Grand Scenic
Ford Grand C-max
Citreon C4 Grand PicassoTroutWrestlerFree MemberPosted 8 years agoI just bought a 7 seat Doblo for around 10k. 13 plate with 13000 on the clock. The rear seats remove completely when not required. Bikes? Tick. Kids + kids pals? Tick.
matt_outandaboutFull MemberPosted 8 years agoThe cunning plan is that her stock in trade will be dropping off and picking up the nippers from the very nice primary school that we can see from our house, filling the gap at each end of the day when their mummy and daddy are at work, as a result she shouldn’t need to actually drive with all 4 nippers (2 ours, 2 clients’) very often but she needs to have that capacity for days out or in case of a medical emergency etc.
If you can see the school, WHY THE HELL IS SHE DRIVING?
BimblerFree MemberPosted 8 years agoVery pleased with our (Grand) Scenic Mk III (please don’t let this be a jinx), nothing wrong with it in 4 years of ownership. They’re probably one of the most popular cars I see on French motorways and I notice there are quite a few of them popping up as taxis.
brassneckFull MemberPosted 8 years agoWhich is why we’re getting dedicated a brat-lugger, I’m not letting the little darlings anywhere near my beloved T5.
You’ll find a T5 a hell of a lot easier to keep clean than a MPV. Cover the seats, sweep / hoover. One of the reasons I’m looking at SWB T5s to replace the S Max (mainly because they are all that bit bigger now and some are on 26″ wheels I’m running short of space!)
Or put it through her business and get an even nicer van?
perchypantherFree MemberPosted 8 years agoWhichever you choose, make sure it’s beige.
Nothing winds up a white Audi driver more than a beige mama-wagon. 😈For what it’s worth my 7 seater experiences are
Current – S-max – Loads of space – Well built, Inexplicably expensive compared to a similarly specced Mondeo, Drives better than any other 7 seater I’ve owned. No spare wheel(Grrrrrr!) Beige
Current – Grand Scenic – Perfectly adequate – Cheap to buy and run. Insanely well equipped for the money. Gadgetry galore. THis is our sceond one and we’ve had zero problems with them. Feels like a flimsy childs toy to drive compared to the smax. Also beige.Previous – Nissan Pathfinder. Agricultural to drive (but in a good way) Bullet proof reliability .Mahoosive boot. Insanely expensive to insure / tax/ buy tires. Makes chest hair grow spontaneously by just sitting in it. The most favouritist car I’ve ever owned. Shed actual tears when I let it go after 7 years for reasons of practicality. Not Beige in the slightest.
Also had a MkII Galaxy. Similar experience to the smax.
In conclusion…. Get an smax / galaxy. A beige one.
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