With the recent arrival of baby no.3, I am reluctantly having to face up to the fact that our current motor can’t fit us all in.  Or rather: it can fit us all in, if you’re willing to accept “one kid in the front seat, baby in the middle, and wife in the back with about half a seat to sit in” as a working definition of “fit”.

So!  It is time once more to ceaselessly trawl the depths of Autotrader looking for the one true bargain used car.  The trouble is, I’m not totally sure what I’m looking for.  Current motor is a mk2 Octavia estate, which has been a brilliant car and we’d keep if it were a little bigger!

We need something which can accommodate three car seats and has ISOFix (kids are five, three, and newborn; elder two have ISOFix seats).  We don’t do a lot of mileage (maybe 6-8k a year), and there are plenty of short local trips, which I think rules diesel out.  We need something with a decent sized boot for family trips, and ideally roof rails for bikes, etc.  We’d prefer something with a bit more grunt than our current motor (it has a 1.6 petrol engine), but obviously as a family wagon raw performance isn’t the main concern.  Finally, the budget is not huge: I reckon we might get 1k for our Octavia if we’re lucky, and we could probably supplement that up to 2k, 2.5k at a push.

Running favorites are the Honda FR/V (1.8 or 2.0 petrol); or Citroen C4 Picasso (probably 1.8 petrol to avoid EGS gearbox).  Picasso has the benefit of four seats with ISOFix, but the 1.8 petrol engine looks a bit puny on paper.

What would STW do?

Smax, Alhambra, Galaxy.

We’re in the same boat (#3 due next saturday) the only other option was from https://multimac.co.uk/home that sits on top of the rear bench.

The downside of that is that we couldn’t use our existing MaxiCosi that fits on the pram brackets which was a dealbreaker for the wife.

Standard reply to this question is Ford S-Max but your budget is quite a challenge, you could gt one but it will have super high mileage and probably be 8-10 years old

Very last generation multipla and some peril-sensing sunglasses in case you glance at yourself in a reflection?

We’re in exactly the same boat, except we also need to cart around two recently car-less grandparents. Looked at a shalhambraxy, determined it was designed for people who have no possessions at all – my 500 has more boot space with all the seats up.

<span style=”font-size: 0.8rem;”>We went through this a few years ago, had to sell my MG ZS V6 and got a renault scenic. This did the job and was a good car, got lucky to find a low mileage fsh one. Then had to sell that when number 4 was due and we got a renault espace. Tons of room in an espace and all individual seats, not a bench rear. Don’t forget newborns have to be rear facing until they are 15 months now so need to have  plenty of room behind the front seats.</span>

A lot also depends on the car seats. The narrowest width ones (when we bought them) were Recaro. Might be worth looking if changing car seats instead is an option?

Good suggestions.

I had looked at the SMax, although for the budget it’s a bit tough unless you’re happy with “part-ex to clear, no warranty given or implied, car has slight mis-fire”.  Fords do seem to have decent (on paper) petrol engines though, so I will keep looking.

In my searches so far pretty much all VAG stuff in the kid-hauling category seems to be diesel; which sort of rules out the Alhambra or Sharan (or indeed Touran).

Multimac is a good call, but crikey, they’re expensive.

Switching out carseats is a good call too.  We did have a bit of a look a while ago: the limitation as I recall was my 3-year-old’s seat which is rear-facing (I’d like to keep her rear-facing until 4 ideally).  We struggled to find something rear-facing that will take a three year old but isn’t too big.  However, if we could do this it would be the most economical option, so it’s probably worth looking into some more.

The forum has just dumped the long post I just typed and I can’t be arsed doing it again.

I had 3 kids in car seats for several years and after trying out lots of different ones i’ll say this.

Get a Galaxy ( or a  Sharan / Alhambra). It’s just the most practical option.

When they’re out of car seats, get an S-Max.

Something to bear in mind which has caught us out with our 7 seat kodiaq: many MPVs/SUVs appear to have 7 individual seats. When you dig deeper though you often find that the back seats are not approved for any sort of child seat – even a belt-fixed one (our kodiaq).

If they do take a child seat you then have to plan carefully how you access that row as you don’t want to be constantly removing a child seat from the middle row to slide the seat forward.

Yeah, I’d much prefer having all the kids in row 2, even if we do end up with a seven seater.  I think it’ll be easier to get them in and out, and I’ve read of some safety concerns around the row 3 seats in e.g. the Zafira.

Multimac is expensive but its cheaper than buying a new car. I wish I’d bought one for our Focus estate rather than downgrading to a Grand Scenic. where the boot is all taken up with seats 6 and 7 that can’t be used by a child because they won’t fit a car seat and are too small for the kids once they are allowed to sit without a booster cushion.

For the 3rd row seats to be useful you’d need To go up to a Sharan/galaxy class of car. The Multimac + a good larger Petrol estate sounds like the best combination + I bet the residuals on the Multimac are stronger than most cars…..

A lot also depends on the car seats.

This: our kids’ car seats are massively wide (Cybex), and I can’t physically get my shoulders between them in the middle seat of our c-max. As car seats are much cheaper than a new motor, I’d head down to Mothercare with a tape measure.

My touran takes 6 isofix seats.

Thats right. Six.

No kids though.

Would a Britax prince seat help? its designed to go in the middle. We were able to get a baby seat a brittax prince and a child seat in the back of our zafira.

https://www.mothercare.com/forward-facing-car-seats-group-1/britax-prince-car-seat/LA0918.html

That multimac is brilliant, not seen that before, not cheap though!

We have an E class estate with a 3rd row of seats in the boot. Earlier models might be vaguely in budget, might be old though! Volvo’s also have a similar thing I think

Multipla?
Old People?

You’ll be needing the “James”

VW T5 / T6 Kombi or equivalent will fit all 3 seats in the back.

Bench seat in front even more handy.

Also room for buggies, toys, bikes, dogs, surfboards in the boot.

Win.

A former colleague had 3 kids in child seats in a B6 Passat estate, I don’t know what make the seats were though.

That Multipla video makes it look like you get a fair bit of space inside.  Two armchairs in the back!  So long as I can get car seats for the kids which are 2/3 of an armchair apiece, we’re golden!

I knew STW would come through.

More seriously, the mention of Renault Scenic is interesting.  I wasn’t sure on these as there are quite a lot of horror stories about build quality and reliability floating about.  But they do have three decent-sized seats in the back, and there’s one of the Conquest-flavour ones not far away for about 2k with FSH and a 2.0 petrol engine.  Perhaps I should go and have a look.

We are similarly blessed but have two “normal” cars (current shape octavia and old primera).

I can fit between the rear seats when fitted with belts not isofix (which holds the seats too close in) and I’m not exactly narrow. It’s bloody tight though and I’d consider a Superb next time. The wife can’t as her bum won’t fit.

She also found this and now on long journeys we put the eldest between the other two in the back.

https://www.rospa.com/road-safety/resources/free/parents/carrying-other-peoples-children-safely/child-seat-seat-belt-laws/

http://www.highwaycodeuk.co.uk/rules-for-drivers-and-motorcyclists-seat-belts-and-child-restraints.html

Mate has one preschooler and baby twins and an Octavia. They bought a multimac, works well.

stop having sex….

Been there…

Toyota Verso does it, & did it really well for us. Should be plenty in budget now. Any engine, they are all ok. The 1.6 isnt going to take the chequered flag but they are all reliable.

Galaxy definiteley does it. But for your money your looking at a mk2. TDi’s will have been to the moon & back but its older VAG TDi tech so stop/start town use is no bother if you find a MANUAL one. 2.3 petrol drinks & for gods sake DONT BUY AN AUTO, unless you’ve £1.6k to re-build the auto-box every 50k miles.

Honest advice…buy a petrol Mondeo Estate. They will take 3 seats, we had the hatch version. It’s low tech that any garage can fix.

Plemty of manual box, petrol Scenics around. My freind has had one for past 6yrs with no bother. Go for low tech models, manual boxes & petrol engines though.

Sorry to hi-jack the thread. Looking for an MPV to replace my Audi A6 thats getting a bit up on the miles. Anyone got a Honda FRV? Was wondering what the 2.2 diesel is like? Ideally looking for something without a DPF.

In terms of getting within budget, it could be worth a Citroen Xsara picasso. We had one, I died a little inside every time I drove it, but it did the job and was very spacious for 2 adults and 3 car seats. It’s not got any 3rd row boot seats, but we didn’t need them. I think it was also 3x ISOfix, but ours were all seatbelt based car seats. If you look on autotrader /gumtree/ebay, they are everywhere. A lot of them have been owned by older people who want something easy to get in and out of so don’t have huge mileage on them and have been looked after.

We now have a Peugeot 5008, paid £5.5K last year for a 60-reg one. Much nicer in every way than the Picasso but above your budget.

Alpin for the win.

The multimac thing will be a good bet, as said a bit like Isla bikes you’ll get most of your money back.  Most new car seats have to have loads of side protection which is making them really hard to squeeze into MPV’s now.  The missus wants a 3rd child i said no cos i’d have to change the car.  (that and get my balls tampered with again)..

More food for thought, thanks all.

@alpin: you make a good point: as my window cleaner sagely observed: “you’ll ‘ave ter tie a knot in it”.  Which is all good for the future, but unless I’m mistaken (and I’m by no means an expert) no matter how chaste we are from this point forward, the existing kids will continue to, well, exist, and will continue to want to be driven to/from Aldi in comfort and safety.  So at best any new no-sex rule can only stop things from getting any worse.

Regarding the multimac, it turns out multimac read forums too and have got in touch to let me know about prices.  Suffice to say, if I could part ex the car for one, I could about afford a multimac.  We could use it as some kind of avant-garde sofa perhaps.

The Xara Picasso is a good (sorry, I mean depressing) suggestion.  They do indeed seem plentiful, and probably would do the job in budget.  Probably one to add to the shortlist!

@takisawa2: interesting suggestions re: Ford TDI.  I think we could get something 2007/2008 vintage with fairly high mileage, but I had assumed cars of that vintage would have a DPF and short trips would probably kill it.  If that’s not the case, TDI would extend the search possibilities greatly.  Any suggestions on which engine to go for?  I know VAG 1.9 PD had a reputation for going on forever, but most of the Ford TDIs seem to be either 1.8 or 2.0.  Petrol Mondeo worth a look too — I wasn’t sure whether it’d fit the car seats in, being a bench seat, but if it did an estate one could be bang on.

I know VAG 1.9 PD had a reputation for going on forever, but most of the Ford TDIs seem to be either 1.8 or 2.0.

Mark 2 Galaxy had VAG diesels. They are essentially the same car as a Sharan  / Alhambra. Built in the same factory with the same engines / running gear. Only differences are cosmetic / interior.

Anyone got a Honda FRV? Was wondering what the 2.2 diesel is like? Ideally looking for something without a DPF.

Brother has one (in NZ)- he really likes it. Uber reliable, comfy, works well for them as family of 4. Boot is small. Cheap to fix there (as all Asian cars are there).

I am another change the seats on that budget. What age are the kids? They will be in booster/back seats shortly.

Some thoughts:

Depending on age, you can get some Volvo V70’s with two built in boosters and space for baby seat in middle.

I have run the monster that is a Galaxy – superb space, comfort, room and ours was reliable. That said the heap of worn out, abused, sh*te that was our car is valued at £3k in good condition! Ours had a few scratches, but more importantly had suspension needing bushings and springs, forthcoming timing belt needed, iffy central locking, original clutch (on 160k+…), all four glow plugs gone and making more smoke as I think an injector was starting to go…. £3k buys you a heap of trouble IMO, especially a big car that is big on parts. Stick with what you know…

We have three, our planned second child turned out to be twins…

Smax is the easy answer and most likely to fit your budget. Mondeo might work, it depends on the seats but people have done it. We got an Alhambra and it is awesome as a family car, but probably wouldn’t fit within your budget.

Don’t put a child in the middle without their car seat – it might be legal but is a lot less safe.

Thanks matt_outandabout. Sounds like it could be a good bet, then. No children, just want something that I can put bikes in.

In which case it would be good. IIRC, the seats do not go totally flat / have a step or something, so may be worth checking out. I like it.

@matt_outandabout: kids are five, three, and newborn.  The five year old has a high-back booster type seat which is ISOFix or seat belt secured.  The three year old has a rear-facing ISOFix only seat: I’d like her to stay rear-facing until she’s four ideally.  The baby has a baby carrier, which is rear-facing and seat belt secured.

I wouldn’t want any of them to be in the car without a car seat at this stage.

It probably would be worth a trip to mothercare or something to see whether a different suite of car seats might work.  The current set really don’t in the space available.

“VW T5 / T6 Kombi or equivalent will fit all 3 seats in the back.

Bench seat in front even more handy.

Also room for buggies, toys, bikes, dogs, surfboards in the boot.

Win.”

On a budget of 2 to 2.5K?