It's twins.................

[KrazyIvan]

bls1 said:

Your wife has a year off work and you don't. So unless she's going to spend the entire year cocooned in the house, she's going to be driving this new car whether she likes it or not. She won't be able to leave the house without double buggy, at least 1 changing bag, and she'll be returning with food shopping etc.

Gotta agree with this, she needs to get it out of her head now, that her car is going to be big enough. Your commute to work will still only be you in the car, where as pretty much every where she is going to go, its going to be her plus 2 baby's plus a st load of stuff you didn't even know existed let a lone needed.

Rule out the BMW 5, I have one, and a 6month old little girl and a 6 year old boy (no dog). we went away for a week to Centre Parcs, and I had to go out the day before a buy a roof box to get all our stuff in.

For 8k I'd probably be looking at a V70 or E class as their boots are huge. Cant comment on MPV's as the only one I have drive was a 2000 Ford Galaxy and it was like driving a van.

Dont know if 4x4's have been mentioned, but don't kid yourself into thinking they are bigger then the equivalent estate, as there not.

Congrats by the way, I wanted twins for our 1st.

[sam303]

Silver940 said:

Bought a Discovery [....] 2nd Child arrived and because the rear belts are of odd design in the Disco and it cost a fortune to run, got robbed and bought a Passat Estate.

Can you tell me what the issue with the seat belts in the back is, when you have 2 kids/kids seats?

[Silver940]

TheCanonBall said:

She gets a generous maternity leave so she'll be off work for about a year but intends to go back full time eventually.



I need to find something that I can pretty much do a straight swap for it (maximum budget £8,000).

Just re-read the First post, I doubt the first will happen, we said the same, kids change you! missus went back 2 days a week and eventually packed in and started her own business that worked around school hours.

My Choice for 8k would be a Passat PD140 Sport Estate, and a big 540l roof box for the trips to the grandparents. This will be her car not yours, she will get used to the size and in time wonder how she used to drive a small car like a Fiesta.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2011...

[Silver940]

sam303 said:

Silver940 said:

Bought a Discovery [....] 2nd Child arrived and because the rear belts are of odd design in the Disco and it cost a fortune to run, got robbed and bought a Passat Estate.

Can you tell me what the issue with the seat belts in the back is, when you have 2 kids/kids seats?

It was a 1996, the belt buckles have webbing not a metal bracket. When the child seat was strapped in the webbing which goes through to the back allowed lateral movement, this combined with the other mount point quite forward on the wheel arch meant after pulling the seat in tight you could just pull it across and it fell out of the belt.

It was OK with only one child as the webbing for the belt buckle could be fed through the split seat one side effectively stopping the lateral movement, other side didn't work. I dare say you can get seats that fit but we were already fed up with the awful fuel bills.

If you look at the pics in this ad you can see the webbing attached buckles and very forward mounted side mounts.
http://www.4x4salesofsurrey.co.uk/used_car_land_ro...

Edited by Silver940 on Thursday 9th February 14:57

[Bill]

The D2 (from 98ish I think) has isofix, although the righthand side is set in due to the seat hinge so we can't use isofix both sides with a booster seat in the centre.

[TheCanonBall]

SWoll said:

Congratulations OP, you're in for some fun my friend

I'd probably go for the A6 avant with the 2.0T engine and autobox. No more expensive than a comparable A4, a lot cheaper to buy than the 2.0TDi, loads of room in the back/boot and still a reasonable drive. From the sound of it I reckon your Mrs might fall in love with the autobox like mine did. She wont have anything else now even though she is a good driver who enjoys pushing on.

I hope it all goes well for you and both, and welcome to PH.


edit: Like this one (although it is a manual) http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...

I'd avoid the S-line models also as the ride quality is dreadful, not good with sleeping babies full of milk in the back.

Edited by SWoll on Thursday 9th February 11:44

Looks brilliant. I assumed it was on a V plate with the mileage. Can't imagine there are many with that mileage/ age/ price.

[BIST0]

My wife drives a Legacy estate which we are about to swap for something bigger, and we only have the one baby. Our dog is considerably bigger than a cocker though. We can barely get everything in when we do the trip to the inlaws (coincidentally also a drive from the toon to yorkshire (or to Essex)) and the amount of crap we have to take seems to be growing by the day.

With the occasional need for 7 seats when with the grandparents we (I) have decided on an xc90. The boot in one of them is significantly bigger than the boot of a FFRR/X5 etc. I know the running costs will be more than a big estate but given the Legacy is a 3.0 Spec B the XC90 will have to go some to be worse in fuel!

The Disco is something else with a massive boot but there are 2 of them in my immediate family already..

Totally agree with Twincam about Dad's car being something worthwhile, hence the XC will be my wife's car and my cars will continue to be bought in haste and repented at leisure.

Pretty much every MPV i've ever driven makes me want to hurt myself after 5 minutes behind the wheel so we (I) discounted them. Have never tried an Smax though tbf.

[vit4]

Mondeo ST220 estate? Well under-budget too and they're meant to be a damn good steer for the size

[Silver940]

TheCanonBall said:

SWoll said:

Congratulations OP, you're in for some fun my friend

I'd probably go for the A6 avant with the 2.0T engine and autobox. No more expensive than a comparable A4, a lot cheaper to buy than the 2.0TDi, loads of room in the back/boot and still a reasonable drive. From the sound of it I reckon your Mrs might fall in love with the autobox like mine did. She wont have anything else now even though she is a good driver who enjoys pushing on.

I hope it all goes well for you and both, and welcome to PH.


edit: Like this one (although it is a manual) http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...

I'd avoid the S-line models also as the ride quality is dreadful, not good with sleeping babies full of milk in the back.

Edited by SWoll on Thursday 9th February 11:44

Looks brilliant. I assumed it was on a V plate with the mileage. Can't imagine there are many with that mileage/ age/ price.

Chap here has an S-Line 2.0TFSI one of them, ride is alright to be honest and with a Re-map it goes pretty well too! Huge inside and out though.

[NotDave]

vit4 said:

Mondeo ST220 estate? Well under-budget too and they're meant to be a damn good steer for the size

I'd agree.


Guy at work has a 2004 model, 3,0V6 with stainless system sounds epically beautiful. Plush car inside.

And carries him/mrs/18month old plus all clobber with ease. And has room for when granny etc come along

[agxster]

S-Class

Read this article:

http://www.europeancarweb.com/features/epcp_1110_2...

Edit: Article is U.S. based, so you might want a CDi rather then petrol.

[TheCanonBall]

One idea I had was to sell both cars, get something like a Mazda 5 for her, and a Saab 9-3 2.0T for me.
It would mean we had 2 cars capable of taking a double buggie and 2 isofix car seats. We'd have the flexibility of the Mazda for lugging the dog/ kids/ buggys other kit. The Saab would be more family friendly but still has plenty of poke.
Both are pretty dirt cheap. Any comments/ recommendations welcome.

[1878]

Yet somehow my parents managed to get me, my sister and assorted stuff into a Triumph Toledo. Them were the days, etc.

[LuS1fer]

1878 said:

Yet somehow my parents managed to get me, my sister and assorted stuff into a Triumph Toledo. Them were the days, etc.

Pfft, we had mum, dad, grandparent and 4 kids in the back of various cars in the 60s, sometimes even two grannies with kids on knees.

[NotDave]

LuS1fer said:

1878 said:

Yet somehow my parents managed to get me, my sister and assorted stuff into a Triumph Toledo. Them were the days, etc.

Pfft, we had mum, dad, grandparent and 4 kids in the back of various cars in the 60s, sometimes even two grannies with kids on knees.

Upon rocking up at the MILs last summer in the newly purchased Austin 1300, our lasses father pops out with:

"Me dad had one of these when I wa' a kid.......... We all used to go on holiday to Wales or Newquay in it a couple of times a year"

Nothing unusual there, until I remember that "all of them" meant:

> his father
> his mother
> him
> his brother
> his other brother
> his sister
> the dog
> the other dog


He then pops out with "Me sister used to bring her best mate most of the time too"




7 people and 2 dogs in an Austin 1300, all the way to Wales/Newquay/Scotland

[therealpigdog]

VidalBaboon said:

edward1 said:

Firstly congratulations.

As for a car choice, not much hep but if the amount of clobber I found we had to take for a weekend at the grandparents with only one nipper is anything to go by then a VW transporter should suit you fine!

Don't laugh, but that's not a bad shout. My neighbor bought one with a rear seat conversion (can't think what it's called, think it's a Kombi or something) at the same time we bought our Passat. His van is still worth roughly what he paid for it whereas my Passat is worth pence in comparison.

I dare say he'd have no problems shifting it on.

I'm in a slightly different boat as have two dogs and the first child is on the way. Very tempted to trade in my A6 Estate for one of these so that the dogs can still have plenty of room and we can fit a pushchair in. It's going to be that or a pick-up (Fortunately my wife has no fear of big cars).

[LuS1fer]

We had a Mercedes Vito minibus on holiday and it was easier to park and see out of than our Mondeo - only the dumb footbrake spoilt it.

Not really a sports car though....

[NotDave]

LuS1fer said:

We had a Mercedes Vito minibus on holiday and it was easier to park and see out of than our Mondeo - only the dumb footbrake spoilt it.

Not really a sports car though....

Couple of families my parents know have gone down a simillar route.

1x couple, have a Golf GTI (newish) and a £4k Vauxhall Vivaro Crew-Cab for family duties.

2 of them in front. 3 little accidents in the rear. And a space behind the bulkhead that'll take bikes, tents, the dogs, anything they want.

[ChrisRS]

Bill said:

The D2 (from 98ish I think) has isofix, although the righthand side is set in due to the seat hinge so we can't use isofix both sides with a booster seat in the centre.

Mines 99 and doesn't have isofix, although i belive the later D2's had isofix.

[AlexiusG55]

NotDave said:

Upon rocking up at the MILs last summer in the newly purchased Austin 1300, our lasses father pops out with:

"Me dad had one of these when I wa' a kid.......... We all used to go on holiday to Wales or Newquay in it a couple of times a year"

Nothing unusual there, until I remember that "all of them" meant:

> his father
> his mother
> him
> his brother
> his other brother
> his sister
> the dog
> the other dog


He then pops out with "Me sister used to bring her best mate most of the time too"




7 people and 2 dogs in an Austin 1300, all the way to Wales/Newquay/Scotland

My mum has a 1971 FIAT 500 which I sometimes borrow- I occasionally run into Italians who say that their dad had one and would take the family on holiday to the Alps in it. And remember Italy is a Catholic country, so said family was probably quite big!