Have I hit my mid life crisis? Want 7 seater with some cred.
Discussion
Usual story...kids growing up...dogs...bikes...friends...
We have a spangly new Fiesta Ecoboost for our shared commute which is great to drive, even if I never know what gear it's in as the engine likes a good seeing to, however the urge to get something bigger than my DS3 to transport the above mentioned baggage instead of taking two cars out is descending on me, now the lease of it is nearing the end.
From what I can see, it looks like a Citroen C4 Grand Picasso or a Ford S-Max are quite popular...but I don't want to totally give up on life, so is there such a thing as a 7 seater, stylish, bit of poke and handle ok. Manual gearbox and 5k max.
Any experiences of the above two, like are they a good choice or problematic or other suggestions most welcome. Perhaps like a top 5 with a simple for and against.
I want to try a few, but the last dealer, a car supermarket in Rushden we visited to try a Fiesta wouldn't let us have a test drive in case we weren't buying (like how do you know if you're going to like a car?)so am not sure on what the protocol is on used cars that you like the look of, but have never driven.
We have a spangly new Fiesta Ecoboost for our shared commute which is great to drive, even if I never know what gear it's in as the engine likes a good seeing to, however the urge to get something bigger than my DS3 to transport the above mentioned baggage instead of taking two cars out is descending on me, now the lease of it is nearing the end.
From what I can see, it looks like a Citroen C4 Grand Picasso or a Ford S-Max are quite popular...but I don't want to totally give up on life, so is there such a thing as a 7 seater, stylish, bit of poke and handle ok. Manual gearbox and 5k max.
Any experiences of the above two, like are they a good choice or problematic or other suggestions most welcome. Perhaps like a top 5 with a simple for and against.
I want to try a few, but the last dealer, a car supermarket in Rushden we visited to try a Fiesta wouldn't let us have a test drive in case we weren't buying (like how do you know if you're going to like a car?)so am not sure on what the protocol is on used cars that you like the look of, but have never driven.
My fleet (!) consists of presently:
Mazda 5 2.0i Sport (sliding doors). Not massive inside and more of a 6+1 seater. But it's very sprightly. My wife's choice when we first needed a bigger car. The sliding doors are a revelation for car parks.
and Ford Galaxy MK3. 2.0i Zetec. It's considerably bigger than the Mazda, 7 full size adult seats, just took 5 of us to France and back with 3 bikes in the boot and a roof box in perfect comfort. Arguably a better drive than the Mazda, though it's a lot heavier.
Not such thing as a 'sporty' 7 seater really - ignore thoughts above the Zafira GSI / Turbo - it's still a 7 seater. Get the one that fits your lifestyle best.
Mazda 5 2.0i Sport (sliding doors). Not massive inside and more of a 6+1 seater. But it's very sprightly. My wife's choice when we first needed a bigger car. The sliding doors are a revelation for car parks.
and Ford Galaxy MK3. 2.0i Zetec. It's considerably bigger than the Mazda, 7 full size adult seats, just took 5 of us to France and back with 3 bikes in the boot and a roof box in perfect comfort. Arguably a better drive than the Mazda, though it's a lot heavier.
Not such thing as a 'sporty' 7 seater really - ignore thoughts above the Zafira GSI / Turbo - it's still a 7 seater. Get the one that fits your lifestyle best.
PhilHDS3 said:
From what I can see, it looks like a Citroen C4 Grand Picasso or a Ford S-Max are quite popular...but I don't want to totally give up on life,
Stop quoting crap from Clarkson, it makes you look like you don't own your own brain.You need a big vehicle - so what? Clarkson drives a Volvo XC90 and, trust me, that's a worse drive than some MPVs. You also need to be realistic about how much hooning you will do with kids in the back - very little, I suspect.
I don't think that £5k will get you a lot, TBH, as MPVs at that price are either very leggy or have had a hard life. Ford S-Max are the more sporty drive and the old-shape Ford Galaxy/VW Sharan/Seat Alhambra also drive pretty well.
I would avoid old Citroens personally.
There is only one rational answer to this question - http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Perhaps look at the Honda FR-V - only six seats, but quite an interesting layout. It is pretty short, not much longer than a hatchback, and has the possibility for three passengers up front and all the back seats folded down. Which leaves quite a lot of carrying space.
It drives reasonably well, though the steering is light (good for driving around town/parking). I don't know about the diesel, but the petrol 2.0 engine is acceptable, if a bit inefficient.
Definitely possible to get a FR-V for your budget. The S-Max is bigger and probably better in many ways, but a good one will be more than £5K surely?
It drives reasonably well, though the steering is light (good for driving around town/parking). I don't know about the diesel, but the petrol 2.0 engine is acceptable, if a bit inefficient.
Definitely possible to get a FR-V for your budget. The S-Max is bigger and probably better in many ways, but a good one will be more than £5K surely?
vrsmxtb said:
I always think pussy-whipped angry dad when I see these S-Maxes on large alloys or similar tearing about. But to be fair they probably have the last laugh, as in my experience most Fords are great to drive and they must be practical for a family.
We have a Galaxy, it doesnt make me any angrier than normal, to be honest I dont go any faster, most of the time in my 350Z, the Galaxy/S-Max is a class act for an MPV, does the job very nicely, it just isnt all premium and SUV-ish, it has a whiff of airport taxi, so you dont see more of them, but in most objective ways it does things better than the usual crop of SUV's, apart from looking posh and having a posh interior, better economy, rides well, less to go wrong, better passenger space, better load space.Can we stop with the "Given up on life" quote, it was old five years ago and is usually delivered by someone in a diesel repomobile or shagged out MX5.
PhilHDS3 said:
From what I can see, it looks like a Citroen C4 Grand Picasso or a Ford S-Max are quite popular...but I don't want to totally give up on life, so is there such a thing as a 7 seater, stylish, bit of poke and handle ok. Manual gearbox and 5k max.
No.But something like an S-Max is as close as you'll get.
Ford Galaxy 2.2 Tdci. I wanted a lightly used one when we bought my wife hers a couple of years ago, but the dealer did v good deal on an ordinary 140ish bhp 2 litre that we went for it. Still regret it sometimes. The S Max handles a bit better but loses out on space. With the third row up the Galaxy has a quite small boot so we ruled the s max out on practicality. Go see your local Ford dealer and see what you think.
Of course, being PH, look at the Mercedes R500 and R63...
Of course, being PH, look at the Mercedes R500 and R63...
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/v...
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/b...
or a Zafira GSi
Never noticed the manual stipulation, Zafira GSi I'd say then
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/b...
or a Zafira GSi
Never noticed the manual stipulation, Zafira GSi I'd say then
Edited by f
k1_6 on Tuesday 14th October 12:51
k1_6 on Tuesday 14th October 12:51Just chopped in a C4GP for a new shape VW Sharan. The Citroen wasn't a bad car, drove fairly well, obviously not a patch on my M3 but pretty comparable to say my old mans A4 TDI. Having said that it was a more relaxed/comfortable car to cover distances in than the M3.
However at 8 years old it started throwing up niggles and we needed something bigger again. If you get one avoid the EGS auto and stick with a manual, less to go wrong. Likewise the Exclusive model with air suspension, the rear air bags are a known week point. Other than those 2 issues though it's a step above the normal French offerings.
However at 8 years old it started throwing up niggles and we needed something bigger again. If you get one avoid the EGS auto and stick with a manual, less to go wrong. Likewise the Exclusive model with air suspension, the rear air bags are a known week point. Other than those 2 issues though it's a step above the normal French offerings.
Right now the only car I'd replace our S-Max with is another S-Max, so I think we're going to hang on to ours until the new one is released. Having tried a number of big estates and 4x4’s my wife and I (despite both having Ford and MPV prejudices) very quickly came to the conclusion that the S-Max was the best of the bunch. We bought the 2.0t Ecoboost version, which still seem to be around the £10K mark, but if it were me I’d be looking at the 2.5t version. I’ve noticed a few hovering around £5-6k.
J4CKO said:
vrsmxtb said:
I always think pussy-whipped angry dad when I see these S-Maxes on large alloys or similar tearing about. But to be fair they probably have the last laugh, as in my experience most Fords are great to drive and they must be practical for a family.
We have a Galaxy, it doesnt make me any angrier than normal, to be honest I dont go any faster, most of the time in my 350Z, the Galaxy/S-Max is a class act for an MPV, does the job very nicely, it just isnt all premium and SUV-ish, it has a whiff of airport taxi, so you dont see more of them, but in most objective ways it does things better than the usual crop of SUV's, apart from looking posh and having a posh interior, better economy, rides well, less to go wrong, better passenger space, better load space.Can we stop with the "Given up on life" quote, it was old five years ago and is usually delivered by someone in a diesel repomobile or shagged out MX5.
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