Family + dog car

[Jimmy Recard]

Mr Roper said:

Thing is with dogs is that they often stink and leave hair everywhere.

My Bulldog stinks after a dip in the lake, sea or mud. Slobbers and sometimes rewards me with stinking of fox piss.

Do I want that in my nice car? Do I ste.

I spent a grand and bought a Skoda Octavia estate...Costs peanuts to run (90bhp) and I really don't care that it has a constant whiff of soggy dog. it also doubles as a tip run car and general daily banger.

i've just returned from a few days at the coast with the kids and mutt and now the car is airing out.

Just something to consider if you take your dog out with you regularly.

Your Skoda isn't a shonky old stbox. It's just a pretty decent car that was a good price because it's 14 years old

[ryry3]

a311 said:

Got the latest generation Octavia VRs hatch and recently had a kid and also have a Lab. The boot is cavernous, we recently went on a 6 hour each way trip up to Scotland to visit family with baby and all the paraphernalia and dog in the boot. Few bungee cords to keep the load secure and the dog had plenty of room.

The Hatchbacks I looked at were below, I added your Octavia size also as a guide

Insigna - 530 L

Civic - 487 L

Octavia - 590 L

[Mr Roper]

Jimmy Recard said:

Mr Roper said:

Thing is with dogs is that they often stink and leave hair everywhere.

My Bulldog stinks after a dip in the lake, sea or mud. Slobbers and sometimes rewards me with stinking of fox piss.

Do I want that in my nice car? Do I ste.

I spent a grand and bought a Skoda Octavia estate...Costs peanuts to run (90bhp) and I really don't care that it has a constant whiff of soggy dog. it also doubles as a tip run car and general daily banger.

i've just returned from a few days at the coast with the kids and mutt and now the car is airing out.

Just something to consider if you take your dog out with you regularly.

Your Skoda isn't a shonky old stbox. It's just a pretty decent car that was a good price because it's 14 years old

I never said it was...It's a decent car that I would trust to take me and my clan anywhere with the added bonus of not caring too much cosmetically. The low load height makes it easy (with a little help) to get my brick...ahem, dog in the back.


Once your pride and joy with it's nappa leather and B&O speakers look like a scene from Turner and Hooch then all that really matters is if it's reliable and cheap.

[carparkno1]

We've got a new Ford Focus estate, complete with me (6ft4), the wife, the 15yr old lanky teenager, the 35kg labrador and the impending baby on its way.

Here's what you do:

Ford pet pack for sub £300 - gives you a divider, a boot floor protector, boot scuff protection and a metal mesh - keeps pooch safe, keeps hair off the fabric, keeps the right hand side for shopping/buggy etc

Get a roof box, use it for everything else.

Enjoy Titanium spec Focus with trimmings and fun ecoboost with great steering - all in the whole thing is about 19k after you get 6k in discount through broker.

Job jobbed.

[Adenauer]

Mr Roper said:

Adenauer said:

Mr Roper said:

Thing is with dogs is that they often stink and leave hair everywhere.

My Bulldog stinks after a dip in the lake, sea or mud. Slobbers and sometimes rewards me with stinking of fox piss.

Do I want that in my nice car? Do I ste.

I spent a grand and bought a Skoda Octavia estate...Costs peanuts to run (90bhp) and I really don't care that it has a constant whiff of soggy dog. it also doubles as a tip run car and general daily banger.

i've just returned from a few days at the coast with the kids and mutt and now the car is airing out.

Just something to consider if you take your dog out with you regularly.

You have just stopped me from getting an estate as my next company car. I shall buy a DDC (dedicated dog car), and not drive to work stinking of wet dogs.

I shall buy you one small beer for your efforts when you come over in September.

September? Try a week on Friday.

Did you book my apartment for September?

Ahhh...

[Mr Roper]

And never open the window while you're driving to avoid the plumes of hair floating around.




You can make anything work just depends on what you can live with and warrant.

[S10GTA]

Or you just vacuum the boot out every now and then. Mines immaculate mostly.

[spookly]

My dog is almost 60Kg and refuses to ride anywhere but the passenger seats.
She sat on the middle rear seat of an E Class saloon with her chops on the centre console all the way from Tournais to Bristol. I bought a dog guard for my Jeep GC and she pulled it off and jumped over the seats... I now cannot be bothered policing her. She can sit where she likes and the car gets valeted every other week. Luckily she doesn't like getting wet or dirty so never smells and is rarely muddy.

[SturdyHSV]

spookly said:

My dog is almost 60Kg

That's a large dog

[Mr Roper]

S10GTA said:

Or you just vacuum the boot out every now and then. Mines immaculate mostly.

My bulldog doesn't malt too bad considering. Although a while back I did have an 83 kilo St Bernard and a Cayenne...Keeping it clean was a second job.

[carparkno1]

SturdyHSV said:

spookly said:

My dog is almost 60Kg

That's a large dog

Christ I thought my lab was big.

Saying that, we have friends with an 80k+ Great Dane - it should be reclassified as a horse. Wonderful thing tho.

[Jasandjules]

We use a Passat Estate. Has lots of toys and bits and bobs and is a comfy place to spend a few hours.

55kg dog in the boot is tight with the pram but you can fold down one back seat, and use the car seat on the other....A lab should be no worries.

[FiF]

A dedicated dog / tip run car is all very well, especially for ours who is always, without question, the filthiest dog in the forest, but that's not what I want to drive up to Scotland/ South West/ North Yorkshire starting out in Worcestershire. Suspect rest of family don't want to travel in a dog 'van' either.

[a311]

ryry3 said:

The Hatchbacks I looked at were below, I added your Octavia size also as a guide

Insigna - 530 L

Civic - 487 L

Octavia - 590 L

Impressive that it tops the Insignia given it's a class below. We also have a Seat Leon, essentially the same car but the boot is tiny.

ETA I believe the estate is the same length etc so not huge to manoeuvre.

[FiF]

a311 said:

ryry3 said:

The Hatchbacks I looked at were below, I added your Octavia size also as a guide

Insigna - 530 L

Civic - 487 L

Octavia - 590 L

Impressive that it tops the Insignia given it's a class below. We also have a Seat Leon, essentially the same car but the boot is tiny.

ETA I believe the estate is the same length etc so not huge to manoeuvre.

Nope, the Leon ST is 307mm longer, boot capacity 587 L seats up, 1470 L seats down. Plus extra storage below variable boot floor. The Hatchback's boot capacity is 380L / 1210L 5door, 3 door slightly less.

[fooby]

If you can get a car with this full height boot protector option, they're incredible. I have one on my Subaru Outback. Just take it out and pressure wash it every now and then, and remove when it needs to be presentable.

[Jasandjules]

We use a dog bed sponge and then vet bed/blankets over for when the dogs go in the car.....

[ryry3]

I have relooked at the seat leon and the boot is good at 587L

Updated list, I have acutally looked more into the new astra estate, as its pretty impressive compareed to the insigna, youd expect the insigna to be bigger

Estate -

VW Passat - 650 L

Honda civic - 624 L

Seat Leon - 587 L

Hyundai i40 - 553 L

Vauxhall Astra NEW - 540 L

Vauxhall Insigna - 540 L

Toyota Auris - 530 L

Hyundai i30 - 528 L

Ford Mondeo - 525 L

Vauxhall Astra - 500 L



SUV -


Hyundai ix35 - 591 L

VW Tiguan - 520-615 L (back seats slide)



MPV -

VW Toura - 743 L

Ford Smax - 700 L (to parcel shelf only)



Hatchback -

Insigna - 530 L

Civic - 487 L

Edited by ryry3 on Tuesday 26th July 14:05

[anonymous-user]

Any Passat estate that suits your budget.

[ryry3]

bulldong said:

Any Passat estate that suits your budget.

I think I may be priced on the passat looking further into it, really looking for no more than 3 years old and no more than 30k, just a couple Ks over my budget. Looking a bit more into it Im prob looking about £13k, needing £15-16k for passat. I couple prob look for 4 year old but would like to keep the car for 4 years