7 seater car for under £6k

[Muhziak]

Hi all,

Looking for a replacement 7 seater for my sister. They had a avensis verso but got hit whilst parked and they have 3 soon to be 4 kids (all under 10).

I'm not really akin to family 7 seaters but I know they have been looking at the Qashqai and Zafira but was hoping if there are any other suggestions to look at.

Requirements are:
£6000 budget but the smaller the better.
ULEZ compliant (ideally a petrol)
More compact (the big suv 7 seaters aren't really practical for London driving)
Occasional motorway driving to see family.

I know they've driven manual but i was going to suggest to look at automatics. From a little bit of research i think the 2011+ touran may be suitable but was wondering if there are any cars that I haven't considered yet that may be worth it (especially considering how prices are right now)

[Peanut130]

Honda Stepwagon Toyota Noah or Voxy

[DKL]

Depends how new you want but Merc R350 might fit the bill.

[Muhziak]

Peanut130 said:

Honda Stepwagon Toyota Noah or Voxy

I think they're a bit too big for their requirements.

[Muhziak]

DKL said:

Depends how new you want but Merc R350 might fit the bill.

As a car it looks really good but i think the fuel economy is pretty poor. I think they're looking for something much more economical (save with running costs).

[ZX10R NIN]

Muhziak said:

Hi all,

Looking for a replacement 7 seater for my sister. They had a avensis verso but got hit whilst parked and they have 3 soon to be 4 kids (all under 10).

I'm not really akin to family 7 seaters but I know they have been looking at the Qashqai and Zafira but was hoping if there are any other suggestions to look at.

Requirements are:
£6000 budget but the smaller the better.
ULEZ compliant (ideally a petrol)
More compact (the big suv 7 seaters aren't really practical for London driving)
Occasional motorway driving to see family.

I know they've driven manual but i was going to suggest to look at automatics. From a little bit of research i think the 2011+ touran may be suitable but was wondering if there are any cars that I haven't considered yet that may be worth it (especially considering how prices are right now)

I'd say tell your sister to look at the Mazda5:

Sport Venture:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202304015...

Sport:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202302104...

Venture:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303044...

Or the 1.4T Zafira SRI:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303225...

[krisdelta]

We ran a VW Touran for 7 years to 90k miles, compact body, very flexible seating, easy to drive and park - would recommend as it cost us buttons to run in that time.

[Muhziak]

krisdelta said:

We ran a VW Touran for 7 years to 90k miles, compact body, very flexible seating, easy to drive and park - would recommend as it cost us buttons to run in that time.

I've been looking at a touran as a replacement - most of the 2011-2013 models have 80k+ miles on them so wondering what reliability issues to consider when factoring costs.

[Muhziak]

ZX10R NIN said:

I'd say tell your sister to look at the Mazda5:

Sport Venture:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202304015...

Sport:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202302104...

Venture:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303044...

Or the 1.4T Zafira SRI:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303225...

I'll have a look at them - do you know if there are any specific models to avoid in terms of reliability/driving issues etc..

Will check them out properly this evening

[edc]

If 3 or more child seats are needed then get one with individual rear seats like a Touran or C4 Grand Picasso.

[Andeh1]

Ford S Max?

[Muhziak]

Yes they will need at least 3 car seats.

So i spoke to them last night and I see they're looking for something slightly bigger. Not a fan of SUVs but also want it to be economical.

So thoughts so far are:

Ford Grand C Max
Ford S Max
Mazda 5 but that's more a 6 seater over a 7 seater as the middle seat is pretty much a faff.
The Zafira Tourer maybe?
I've seen the Seat Alhambra but i think that stretches over budget.
The tourer is a good car.
Renault grand scenic I've heard has a string of reliability issues.
Any other suggestions/specific engine models to consider that i may have missed? Thank you



They may be able to push their budget to 7.5k but that is as high as it'll go.

[edc]

Do look at the manual of whatever is being bought. Look it up online if needed as you often find many 7 seat cars won't allow a child seat in the middle seat.

[ZX10R NIN]

Muhziak said:

I'll have a look at them - do you know if there are any specific models to avoid in terms of reliability/driving issues etc..

Will check them out properly this evening

Both are good options, I'd take the Mazda as they're easier to find, the models to look for are the ones I've listed.

[Hugo Stiglitz]

Stepwagon is small!

[edc]

Looking at the Mazda5 I think you'd struggle to get 3 car seats in a row. Best take the car seats and try them.

[edc]

The Zafira is also not the best for having 3 car seats in a row. The middle seat is narrower and doesn't have isofix. I'd 3 car seats in a row are really important to you you have to look at these things as not all 7 seaters are made equal.

[ZX10R NIN]

3 seats in a row, I'd say the C4 Picasso is the pick:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303215...

[krisdelta]

Muhziak said:

krisdelta said:

We ran a VW Touran for 7 years to 90k miles, compact body, very flexible seating, easy to drive and park - would recommend as it cost us buttons to run in that time.

I've been looking at a touran as a replacement - most of the 2011-2013 models have 80k+ miles on them so wondering what reliability issues to consider when factoring costs.

If serviced regularly, then not much to talk about. You’ll be looking at a petrol one thanks to ULEZ, so really age related suspension bit, perhaps the odd sensor, but there are plenty out there with big miles, ours was a 2013 and still felt very tight at 90k, no rattles or things falling off. Biggest bill was an EGR valve.

[drmike37]

You have basically described a 1.4 Touran.
Other options could be c4 grand picasso, or a Dacia Jogger?