Car for 3 young children, Honda FR-V etc
Discussion
Have kiddie number 3 on the way, will have a 2 year old, a new born, and a 4 year old by the time he or she comes along, so need options for a car that can take 3 kiddie/baby chairs.
Like the look of the FR-V, but the Citroen Picasso is rediculous value (for a reason? never owned a Citroen before), as is the Vauxhall Zafira.
Have a budget of about £6k, and only do about 5k miles a year max, so high mileage isnt a huge issue, but want something relatively cheap to run and reliable.
Let me know of other ideas, or if anyone has ownership experience of the above be good to hear how you find it.
Like the look of the FR-V, but the Citroen Picasso is rediculous value (for a reason? never owned a Citroen before), as is the Vauxhall Zafira.
Have a budget of about £6k, and only do about 5k miles a year max, so high mileage isnt a huge issue, but want something relatively cheap to run and reliable.
Let me know of other ideas, or if anyone has ownership experience of the above be good to hear how you find it.
My sister has 3 kids. One 4, 2.5, and 1.5... Trust me, you want a car that means they aren;t all sat next to each other. She went with a 7 seater minivan, (Toyota Sienna), so every child has their own space. It certainly saved on bickering, and the old (she did it first/she's on my bit" arguments!
Small kids turn into big ones, they have mates so get a seven seater, a proper one, not a estate with two in the boot, get a Galaxy or if you need a 4wd an XC90, dont pee about with Picassos, Scenics and all that stuff, just cut straight to the bus !
Dont worry about the image, your image is buggered anyway when you have three kids, usually smell of baby puke and look like you haven selpt for months, the car will be an utter bin anyway so you may as well just accept yur fate, we did and actually quite like it, not remotely trendy, looks like an aiport taxi but very versatile, drives a lot better than you would expect, expected to hate it, I mean 20 grand on a bloody people carrier, it made me almost cry but actually its a pretty good vehicle and eventually we can go back to normal cars, only a few years now !
Dont worry about the image, your image is buggered anyway when you have three kids, usually smell of baby puke and look like you haven selpt for months, the car will be an utter bin anyway so you may as well just accept yur fate, we did and actually quite like it, not remotely trendy, looks like an aiport taxi but very versatile, drives a lot better than you would expect, expected to hate it, I mean 20 grand on a bloody people carrier, it made me almost cry but actually its a pretty good vehicle and eventually we can go back to normal cars, only a few years now !
Tokoloshe said:
Have kiddie number 3 on the way, will have a 2 year old, a new born, and a 4 year old by the time he or she comes along, so need options for a car that can take 3 kiddie/baby chairs.
Like the look of the FR-V, but the Citroen Picasso is rediculous value (for a reason? never owned a Citroen before), as is the Vauxhall Zafira.
Have a budget of about £6k, and only do about 5k miles a year max, so high mileage isnt a huge issue, but want something relatively cheap to run and reliable.
Let me know of other ideas, or if anyone has ownership experience of the above be good to hear how you find it.
i have almost exactly the same, 5year, 3year and 2 weeks old.Like the look of the FR-V, but the Citroen Picasso is rediculous value (for a reason? never owned a Citroen before), as is the Vauxhall Zafira.
Have a budget of about £6k, and only do about 5k miles a year max, so high mileage isnt a huge issue, but want something relatively cheap to run and reliable.
Let me know of other ideas, or if anyone has ownership experience of the above be good to hear how you find it.
fit them into a bmw 328i touring easily. you just have to look around for a thinner booster seat for the 5year old.
more than enough room in the boot as well for a stupidly massive pram system etc, baby stuff and the weekly shopping
of the three you mention I would go for the citroen C4 grand picasso if you can. a year or so ago I rented an MPV, was given a zafira automatic at the airport, it was horrible, it lumbered about, and was generally pretty poor. Fortunately something broke in the the suspension (suddenly adopted a very negative camber on one front wheel). I was given another one the next day and whilst this wasn't broken it was pretty grim too, the ride was harsh as it was the "sporty" version. It wasnt an automatic, which we had ordered so the next day the rental folks called me up and said if I didnt mind having a C4 picasso I could have the auto. So I swapped to the citroen. It was a fab car we covered about 1200 miles in a week or so. Very comfortable, economical and big enough to get 4 adults, 2 kids and luggage in!
Efbe said:
i have almost exactly the same, 5year, 3year and 2 weeks old.
fit them into a bmw 328i touring easily. you just have to look around for a thinner booster seat for the 5year old.
more than enough room in the boot as well for a stupidly massive pram system etc, baby stuff and the weekly shopping
That sounds a little more interesting, will take a look at what's available at my price range, but Im also taking into consideration what J4cko said about getting something substantial for the long run.fit them into a bmw 328i touring easily. you just have to look around for a thinner booster seat for the 5year old.
more than enough room in the boot as well for a stupidly massive pram system etc, baby stuff and the weekly shopping
Have to determine whether it's worth just accepting we'll need a bus and getting a Galaxy or similar, the Picasso looks as big, as does the Renault Scenic I think? and the Vauxhall also has the 7 seats, need to get a perspective of the size of a Galaxy against the others really, our drive isnt massive and if the Galaxy is bigger than those then it must be a monster!!
sawman said:
of the three you mention I would go for the citroen C4 grand picasso if you can. a year or so ago I rented an MPV, was given a zafira automatic at the airport, it was horrible, it lumbered about, and was generally pretty poor. Fortunately something broke in the the suspension (suddenly adopted a very negative camber on one front wheel). I was given another one the next day and whilst this wasn't broken it was pretty grim too, the ride was harsh as it was the "sporty" version. It wasnt an automatic, which we had ordered so the next day the rental folks called me up and said if I didnt mind having a C4 picasso I could have the auto. So I swapped to the citroen. It was a fab car we covered about 1200 miles in a week or so. Very comfortable, economical and big enough to get 4 adults, 2 kids and luggage in!
Thanks, will check that out, Vauxhall was towards the bottom of the list, and it's moved furtehr down now.Tokoloshe said:
Efbe said:
i have almost exactly the same, 5year, 3year and 2 weeks old.
fit them into a bmw 328i touring easily. you just have to look around for a thinner booster seat for the 5year old.
more than enough room in the boot as well for a stupidly massive pram system etc, baby stuff and the weekly shopping
That sounds a little more interesting, will take a look at what's available at my price range, but Im also taking into consideration what J4cko said about getting something substantial for the long run.fit them into a bmw 328i touring easily. you just have to look around for a thinner booster seat for the 5year old.
more than enough room in the boot as well for a stupidly massive pram system etc, baby stuff and the weekly shopping
Have to determine whether it's worth just accepting we'll need a bus and getting a Galaxy or similar, the Picasso looks as big, as does the Renault Scenic I think? and the Vauxhall also has the 7 seats, need to get a perspective of the size of a Galaxy against the others really, our drive isnt massive and if the Galaxy is bigger than those then it must be a monster!!
It's an e36. the e46 does have the same room, but I wanted a really cheap one this time! Mine cost £950, though an e46 would set you back a bit more.
We took a 7 seater for an extended test drive. was actually quite annoying, as couldn't get to the kids in the back seats without stopping. We do have quite well behaved kids though, which does help.
really though, don't get yourself something mindnumbing and french. there are plenty of fun SUVs out there that would also fit your bill if a large german estate isn't your thing.
people carriers will cause you to lose the will to live
We went for a 7 seater when our 3rd arrived in late 2006.
Decided on a full 7 seater because we have my parents over and its nice to fit us all in the same car when going out.
Looked at the Grandis but the diesel at the time was too expensive, impressed with it though, lpenty of kit, 3dr row of seats fold flat and are a good size. Just wary of the 2.4 petrol being expensive to run especially when we tow.
Went for the Alhambra 1.9TDi 130 in the end. Drives well for a big car, strong engine, 40mpg and wife uses it mostly for short journeys and only once let us down in nearly 6 years (boost pipe £150).
Just looked at the Grandis and diesels are available within your budget, just but there aren't many around.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2011...
Decided on a full 7 seater because we have my parents over and its nice to fit us all in the same car when going out.
Looked at the Grandis but the diesel at the time was too expensive, impressed with it though, lpenty of kit, 3dr row of seats fold flat and are a good size. Just wary of the 2.4 petrol being expensive to run especially when we tow.
Went for the Alhambra 1.9TDi 130 in the end. Drives well for a big car, strong engine, 40mpg and wife uses it mostly for short journeys and only once let us down in nearly 6 years (boost pipe £150).
Just looked at the Grandis and diesels are available within your budget, just but there aren't many around.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2011...
My wife's a child minder so often has three under three's. We decided to go down the family bus route and got an old shape Fiat Ulyssee (Citroen Synergie/Peugeot 806) 8 seats with the middle row being three seperate removable ones. It means three seats can be fitted easily and moved about as necessary.
There are loads out there well within your budget, so you would get a very nice one.
There are loads out there well within your budget, so you would get a very nice one.
Efbe said:
price range?
It's an e36. the e46 does have the same room, but I wanted a really cheap one this time! Mine cost £950, though an e46 would set you back a bit more.
We took a 7 seater for an extended test drive. was actually quite annoying, as couldn't get to the kids in the back seats without stopping. We do have quite well behaved kids though, which does help.
really though, don't get yourself something mindnumbing and french. there are plenty of fun SUVs out there that would also fit your bill if a large german estate isn't your thing.
people carriers will cause you to lose the will to live
To be honest, fun factor is the least important criteria for a car now It's an e36. the e46 does have the same room, but I wanted a really cheap one this time! Mine cost £950, though an e46 would set you back a bit more.
We took a 7 seater for an extended test drive. was actually quite annoying, as couldn't get to the kids in the back seats without stopping. We do have quite well behaved kids though, which does help.
really though, don't get yourself something mindnumbing and french. there are plenty of fun SUVs out there that would also fit your bill if a large german estate isn't your thing.
people carriers will cause you to lose the will to live
(how times have changed), Ill probably use it a few times a month as I walk or cycle usually, so it's really for the wife (not a massive petrol head) and kids.Budget is up to £6k, so will take a look at the beemers as another option.
That Mitsubishi is an new one on me, dont think Ive ever seen one before, but with Grand Picasso's and the like within budget Id probably be more temopted by the more common choice, simply for ease of obtaining parts, insurance, etc.
Tokoloshe said:
Have kiddie number 3 on the way, will have a 2 year old, a new born, and a 4 year old by the time he or she comes along, so need options for a car that can take 3 kiddie/baby chairs.
Like the look of the FR-V, but the Citroen Picasso is rediculous value (for a reason? never owned a Citroen before), as is the Vauxhall Zafira.
Have a budget of about £6k, and only do about 5k miles a year max, so high mileage isnt a huge issue, but want something relatively cheap to run and reliable.
Let me know of other ideas, or if anyone has ownership experience of the above be good to hear how you find it.
We have 4 kids so needed plenty of space, we have gone through the following in the last 12 months:Like the look of the FR-V, but the Citroen Picasso is rediculous value (for a reason? never owned a Citroen before), as is the Vauxhall Zafira.
Have a budget of about £6k, and only do about 5k miles a year max, so high mileage isnt a huge issue, but want something relatively cheap to run and reliable.
Let me know of other ideas, or if anyone has ownership experience of the above be good to hear how you find it.
Pajero: I loved it, Mrs hated it, so it went.
Zefira: We both hated it, it's s
t, with the rear seats up you have no boot, and it's a st drive.Toyota Estima: (Jap import previa) we have the 7 seat flavour configured so driver and passenger captains chairs, middle row captains chairs, rear bench.
The boys go in their baby seats in the front captains chairs, the girls can then get in walk in front if them and down the "aisle" in the middle to the rear bench. My only complaint is it has no cruise control other than that it has been a god send.
We can fit the twins buggy in the back along with luggage and there is plenty of room inside for the girls (9 and 6).
3 kids in an estate will always be a squeeze, particularly since child seats these days are so massive. As they get older, you will get inevitable fights as they encroach on each other's space. I've had a couple of estates (Saab 9-5 and Volvo V70) where you could fit 3 kids, but they were always happier in an MPV with individual seats.
I would stick with the MPV idea if I were you. You could go for a full 7 seater like a Galaxy, but for £6k you would be looking at something that has been around the block a bit. I would instead aim for a mid-size MPV and upgrade to something bigger when the kids are older.
I would look at a petrol Scenic (you don't need diesel with your mileage and Renault diesels have numerous problems) and seriously consider the Fiat Multipla - cheap, 6 seats, handles well because of the wide track, and decent reliability. Avoid French automatics (or indeed any autos in this sector - they are usually matched with engines which are simply not powerful enough).
I would stick with the MPV idea if I were you. You could go for a full 7 seater like a Galaxy, but for £6k you would be looking at something that has been around the block a bit. I would instead aim for a mid-size MPV and upgrade to something bigger when the kids are older.
I would look at a petrol Scenic (you don't need diesel with your mileage and Renault diesels have numerous problems) and seriously consider the Fiat Multipla - cheap, 6 seats, handles well because of the wide track, and decent reliability. Avoid French automatics (or indeed any autos in this sector - they are usually matched with engines which are simply not powerful enough).
A friend as an FRV and its been a very typical Honda in that respect - utterly reliable. But the 6 seat thing is a bit of a con. Nice idea and its there should they need it, but they have struggled to get three kids seats in the back and the front space for the third is compromised for the driver.....short distances only....
Better off spending some time to work out which child seats work rather than the car. Sounds daft, but shop around a lot and find which ones work and are thin enough for the seat base and are wide enough for the kids to sit comfortably. Its odd, but some seats are massive on the bottom base and almost impossible to fit / refit and would never fit three across the back of your average car! A bit of planning here is worth it.
With three going to be in car seats for a good few years, its worth spending some time to get it right. Personally dont like the Scenic or Zafira things, but the idea of an occassional 7 seater does sound like an idea though - stop the squabling at least? But to be honest, the biggest and widest back seat without ANY suspension intrusion is what you need. Maybe look at bigger estates?
Better off spending some time to work out which child seats work rather than the car. Sounds daft, but shop around a lot and find which ones work and are thin enough for the seat base and are wide enough for the kids to sit comfortably. Its odd, but some seats are massive on the bottom base and almost impossible to fit / refit and would never fit three across the back of your average car! A bit of planning here is worth it.
With three going to be in car seats for a good few years, its worth spending some time to get it right. Personally dont like the Scenic or Zafira things, but the idea of an occassional 7 seater does sound like an idea though - stop the squabling at least? But to be honest, the biggest and widest back seat without ANY suspension intrusion is what you need. Maybe look at bigger estates?
Our third is due in 3 weeks and on that basis we've just bought a Ford S Max second hand. We looked at Picasso's but to be honest the wife didn't like them so we looked around and plumped for the S Max. Over the moon with it to be honest. And the kids love it too.
I'd Thoroughly recommend one.
I'd Thoroughly recommend one.
We have a Honda FRV and its a good car for an MPV. We have the 1.7 which is a bit under powered but good mpg. We rarely use all 6 seats but have done on occasions and as the middle seat in the front is on runners you can move it back so it does not obstruct the driver. As the driver you do sit quite close to the door but its easy to get used to. Its been very reliable as expected only done serviceing and brake pads in 2 years of ownership.
The boot is a good size and equipment levels even on the lower spec is quite good. It handles very well due to the wide track but it is heavy on front tyres.
Go and have a look and drive of one, they tend to hold their prices quite well as they are now out of production and didn't sell in huge numbers.
The boot is a good size and equipment levels even on the lower spec is quite good. It handles very well due to the wide track but it is heavy on front tyres.
Go and have a look and drive of one, they tend to hold their prices quite well as they are now out of production and didn't sell in huge numbers.
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