Question for all dads out there - car buying
Discussion
ZX10R NIN said:
The thing with Rav4's/CRV's in this price bracket is that they can suffer with serious rust issues.
If you want a good family car at this price point then here's when a few worth a look:
2.5T Mondeo Titanium X:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202305067...
2.3 Titanium X:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202304256...
2.5 Mazda6 Sport:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202305127...
1.8 Insignia SRI:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202305197...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303155...
Mazda5 Furano:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202304076...
Thank you for the links. I didnt consider rust issues with the honda nor the rav4 ( was aware with the landcruiser however)If you want a good family car at this price point then here's when a few worth a look:
2.5T Mondeo Titanium X:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202305067...
2.3 Titanium X:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202304256...
2.5 Mazda6 Sport:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202305127...
1.8 Insignia SRI:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202305197...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303155...
Mazda5 Furano:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202304076...
blearyeyedboy said:
Even for bulkier car seats, the Golf ought be fine unless you & your partner are over 6'2".
Lots of VW group vehicles on the MQB platform are generous with rear legroom. Yes, my Octavia was even more generous but my other half's Golf was fine.
Where an estate is helpful- and you'll be laughing here with a Golf Plus- is a usefully big load opening.
SUVs are often cramped and compromised compared to similarly priced estate cars. The only advantage might be to face bending over with your child when strapping them in but it wasn't worth all the other downsides to me.
Must admit the golf plus swallows up luggage so from that point it is great. Lots of VW group vehicles on the MQB platform are generous with rear legroom. Yes, my Octavia was even more generous but my other half's Golf was fine.
Where an estate is helpful- and you'll be laughing here with a Golf Plus- is a usefully big load opening.
SUVs are often cramped and compromised compared to similarly priced estate cars. The only advantage might be to face bending over with your child when strapping them in but it wasn't worth all the other downsides to me.
DKL said:
We had an Impreza wagon when our first came along and that was just fine. Once two arrived it was a bit small to carry everything for weeks/weekends away so I compromised and bought an E55 estate. Which was just brilliant.
I did keep the sports cars mind.
We did the NCT group thing (I was told it was a good idea - 2 airline pilots, 2 lawyers and us..hmm not quite similar outlooks) yet they all had ditched their fun cars at the first sight of a blue line...
If you travel sensibly a "normal " hatch is plenty but the other half will want to pack everything including the kitchen sink (and 8 pairs of shoes for a weekend) so use the opportunity and look at e63s and rs6s because you can make a great case for "needing" one.
Similar(ish) to what a previous poster said.I did keep the sports cars mind.
We did the NCT group thing (I was told it was a good idea - 2 airline pilots, 2 lawyers and us..hmm not quite similar outlooks) yet they all had ditched their fun cars at the first sight of a blue line...
If you travel sensibly a "normal " hatch is plenty but the other half will want to pack everything including the kitchen sink (and 8 pairs of shoes for a weekend) so use the opportunity and look at e63s and rs6s because you can make a great case for "needing" one.
A number of reasons i can go for the fast estates
1. Im looking for something slow ish
2. Semi lost my petrolheadedness a few years ago
3. Need to look after finances more so now
4. Price of cars now for them models are just way to crazy
5. Apart from when i had my M5, iv always kept a budget of under 5k on second hand vehicles as access to a cheap but very good mechanic who charges all in price instead of hourly ( ie timing belt and waterpump change with labour £180 on a volvo s80)
[quote=Ian Geary]Not read the previous posts, but will share my experience fwiw.
I had an MR2, which had to go. Replaced with an Avensis estate (back in 2010) which was fine, but for two kids the boot got filled up reasonably quickly with a double pushchair and travel cots etc.
The wife had a hyundai coupe, which stayed whilst we had one kid, but the large doors and poor rear seat access made a baby seat a complete pita, and a no no when child two approached.
Swapped for a 4 door car (alfa 156) which had pathetic rear boot access and lack of fold down rear seats offsetting it's lovely road manners and looks (imo anyway)
The focus that replaced that was fine, so any 4/5 door hatchback should be fine for normal use, and for big weekends away perhaps consider a larger family car or small estate (focus, Mégane, astra etc)
Unless you want something big of course - it is a free country after all
Hth
Ian [/quot
Hi Ian, thanks for the reply, very detailed. You make some great points. I think il need to weigh up how often we expect to be away at a rough guess probably only a few times a year a d even at that during the nicer months only.
I had an MR2, which had to go. Replaced with an Avensis estate (back in 2010) which was fine, but for two kids the boot got filled up reasonably quickly with a double pushchair and travel cots etc.
The wife had a hyundai coupe, which stayed whilst we had one kid, but the large doors and poor rear seat access made a baby seat a complete pita, and a no no when child two approached.
Swapped for a 4 door car (alfa 156) which had pathetic rear boot access and lack of fold down rear seats offsetting it's lovely road manners and looks (imo anyway)
The focus that replaced that was fine, so any 4/5 door hatchback should be fine for normal use, and for big weekends away perhaps consider a larger family car or small estate (focus, Mégane, astra etc)
Unless you want something big of course - it is a free country after all
Hth
Ian [/quot
Hi Ian, thanks for the reply, very detailed. You make some great points. I think il need to weigh up how often we expect to be away at a rough guess probably only a few times a year a d even at that during the nicer months only.
fat80b said:
I bought an E46M3 to go with the TVR Tuscan I already had.
Still have both 9 years on and both have gone up in value. Hope this helps
(Beats a qashqai or whatever everyone else does…..)
To be fair, we also got a cheap 330 estate which was alright and now have an E60 545 with the big V8 for the mrs and the kids.
You just have to think a bit differently. I’d go petrol guzzling big merc or BM rather than a family wagon personally- it’s way more fun.
Sadly finances wont extend that far. Although a nice dream for sure Still have both 9 years on and both have gone up in value. Hope this helps
(Beats a qashqai or whatever everyone else does…..)
To be fair, we also got a cheap 330 estate which was alright and now have an E60 545 with the big V8 for the mrs and the kids.
You just have to think a bit differently. I’d go petrol guzzling big merc or BM rather than a family wagon personally- it’s way more fun.
Edible Roadkill said:
Go make sure the pram your good lady wants will fit in the boot & leave enough space for everything else.
That's pretty much the way to go. Just be wary that some of the newborn bugaboo type pushchairs are quite big even when folded. FWIW I think you can go one size up in terms of car class, babies come with huge amounts of crap to lug around and you'd want some extra space for your shopping, bags for trips away etc. PS estates are better than SUVs 
I had an mr2 roadster and a Celica t sport when we were expecting our little boy. Both were sold and I bought a 5dr Civic hatch to use as a family car. I hated that car and I mean really hated it. I'm sure it was mainly because I resented having to sell the Toyotas, both of which I loved. But as a family car the Honda was pretty rubbish. The ride was poor, the rear doors were oddly shaped so I would often bang my head getting baby in and out. Performance was dreadful and all the hype about Honda reliability turned out to be completely false.
When our son was about 18 month old and able to travel in a forward facing child seat I swapped the Civic for a BMW 325i coupe. We also changed the wife's Hyundai i10 (which coped with baby stuff remarkably well) for an ix20 MPV. Although the 3 series was fine to use, we just started to use the ix20 as the main family car. It has been great to be honest. Bought it for 11k as an ex demonstrator and 7 years later its still going strong so we will probably just keep it. The upside of her having the family motor is that I can run something a little less practical which suits me fine.
If you're happy with the Golf plus then it'll do everything you need it to do. Buggies, travel systems and car seats come in all shapes and sizes so just buy stuff that fits your car. Certainly cheaper than changing the car!
When our son was about 18 month old and able to travel in a forward facing child seat I swapped the Civic for a BMW 325i coupe. We also changed the wife's Hyundai i10 (which coped with baby stuff remarkably well) for an ix20 MPV. Although the 3 series was fine to use, we just started to use the ix20 as the main family car. It has been great to be honest. Bought it for 11k as an ex demonstrator and 7 years later its still going strong so we will probably just keep it. The upside of her having the family motor is that I can run something a little less practical which suits me fine.
If you're happy with the Golf plus then it'll do everything you need it to do. Buggies, travel systems and car seats come in all shapes and sizes so just buy stuff that fits your car. Certainly cheaper than changing the car!
We had twins 9 years ago. Current cars at the time were a Fiesta Titanium and a mk3 Focus ST hatchback. Already had the roof rack for the Focus and when the time came to do a big trip, bought a Thule roof box. Bought a B Max to replace the Fiesta when they were 6 months old as getting the seats in and out was hurting backs and the sliding doors make life so much easier. Still have it now as it’s perfect for the school run and no danger of clumsy boys opening doors onto other cars! The Focus was replaced briefly with a Clio 200 then I got a facelift Mk3.5 Focus ST hatch. Still have that now after 7 years. It’s a fallacy needing a bigger car. As they get older you take less stuff. I managed a weeks holiday to Ireland in the ST when they were 5 months old. Car and roof box were full but we managed. Double buggy, cot, bouncy chairs, toys, luggage and milk steriliser. I’m currently looking at Focus ST mk4 estates but the plus £40k with options is a bit steep! Bit of man maths needed.
When we first learned that my wife was pregnant with our son, I had an Audi A4 and she had a 318ti. I went out and bought a brand new 2016 Audi S3 Saloon, and she bought a VW Polo.
Both a downsize and neither were a problem for at least the first 3 years of my Son’s life, though the wife did swap for a Yeti during that time.
Adding a 2nd child whilst the first was 4 ultimately ended up requiring more space, so we now have a Passat GTE Advance Estate for family duties like domestic holidays and suchlike.
Just don’t fall into the trap of assuming you need to take literally everything with you and you’ll soon realise that even a modest sized car is fine for a single child.
Both a downsize and neither were a problem for at least the first 3 years of my Son’s life, though the wife did swap for a Yeti during that time.
Adding a 2nd child whilst the first was 4 ultimately ended up requiring more space, so we now have a Passat GTE Advance Estate for family duties like domestic holidays and suchlike.
Just don’t fall into the trap of assuming you need to take literally everything with you and you’ll soon realise that even a modest sized car is fine for a single child.
I persisted with my Z4 until my first-born was 9 - 12 months old, and nursery runs would commence and missus re-starting after maternity leave so need for 2 x fam cars.
Swapped for a BMW 4GC which has been a joy and whilst not a SUV, has more than enough space. Also fine for (now) 2 x child seats in the back although now they’re 4 and 6 and are in higher backed seats.
Recommend the 4GC as good looking and massive boot although I have in previous gen F36 model.
The irony is that I regularly see a Z4 at nursery drop off albeit with a car seat in the passenger seat.
Maybe I should have sticked!!
Swapped for a BMW 4GC which has been a joy and whilst not a SUV, has more than enough space. Also fine for (now) 2 x child seats in the back although now they’re 4 and 6 and are in higher backed seats.
Recommend the 4GC as good looking and massive boot although I have in previous gen F36 model.
The irony is that I regularly see a Z4 at nursery drop off albeit with a car seat in the passenger seat.
Maybe I should have sticked!!
Brownie_B said:
ZX10R NIN said:
The thing with Rav4's/CRV's in this price bracket is that they can suffer with serious rust issues.
If you want a good family car at this price point then here's when a few worth a look:
2.5T Mondeo Titanium X:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202305067...
2.3 Titanium X:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202304256...
2.5 Mazda6 Sport:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202305127...
1.8 Insignia SRI:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202305197...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303155...
Mazda5 Furano:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202304076...
Thank you for the links. I didnt consider rust issues with the honda nor the rav4 ( was aware with the landcruiser however)If you want a good family car at this price point then here's when a few worth a look:
2.5T Mondeo Titanium X:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202305067...
2.3 Titanium X:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202304256...
2.5 Mazda6 Sport:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202305127...
1.8 Insignia SRI:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202305197...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303155...
Mazda5 Furano:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202304076...
A car renowned for rust much more than a CRV.
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