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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To ask what is best value car to fit 3 under fives?

55 replies

grizzabellia · 03/12/2013 11:50

Not sure if this qualifies as aibu, but I am bamboozled by the conflicting info I am getting on googling and know nothing about cars!

Expecting unexpected dc 3 so will have 5, 3 year old and a baby. I have a car reg 2011 bought earlier this year I can trade in but not sure how much I will get back (was 9000). Really don't want to spend much what with going on mat leave, and would like something that does not eat fuel as have long commute to work and it will bankrupt me - any recommendations gratefully received!

OP posts:

Original poster

grizzabellia · 03/12/2013 19:59

Thanks for all the replies. Got a few ideas - thinking might have to go back to the citroen picasso just hoping the diesel one may be more fuel efficient! It is surprising how few cars seem to accommodate 3 easily!

OP posts:

PoppySeed2014 · 03/12/2013 20:24

Have read this with interest... Next summer I'll have a newborn, toddler in a rear facing seat and 7 year old in a booster. Thing is, the 7 year old isn't always with me (step daughter) but will be for holidays when we do long drives to Cornwall. And she's prone to car sickness... So I don't want 3 seats in a row.

Help? Any ideas?

Generally, I'd rather not have all 3 children in a row anyway as my 7yo will have to clamber over one of the car seats to get in and out (and I don't want one if the small ones in the middle as I have a knackered back). And also, both the baby isofix base and my toddler seat have poles that go to the floor and I can't rely on a 7 yo not to knock them (and find car seats bloody hard to fit so am a bit precious about people not messing with them). 7 to has a high back booster that even simple me can "fit"!

Actually quite stressed about it now!

PoppySeed2014 · 03/12/2013 20:26

Sorry, long post. Anyone else choose to put 1 dc in a back seat to preserve sanity? Worried about a post above talking about it being unsafe if there was a crash from behind...

ViviDeHohohoVoir · 03/12/2013 20:34

I've just bought a 2012 Peugeot 5008.

That and the citroen c4 Picasso were the only 2 cars that would fit all three car seats for my DC (now 4, 2 and 10 months) on the middle row as I didn't want to be using the back row seats for my DC all the time as it would feel like one of them was getting a raw deal IYSWIM

I am able to fit 3 high back boosters on the middle row ( I have 3 of these so not especially slim) and was able to swap one for a maxi cosi group 0 one.

It took me an eternity to come up with the best car but the Peugeot just won it over the C4 due to reviews and the deal that Peugeot were offering.
Really happy with it - doesn't feel like a bus and has been really practical for us.

ICallHimMaxForShort · 03/12/2013 20:35

Try looking at this
Cars that fit three child seats in a row for less than £10K

GreatJoanUmber · 03/12/2013 20:46

You can't really fit three proper car seats in the back row of a regular car - it will always be a squeeze, hard to strap the seats/children in, and it impacts the safety if the seats touch. You could get extra slim car seats to avoid this, but then that would cost you a few hundred £££ too, so you might as well go for a bigger car with more room for everything.
So your options are MPVs or some of the big 4x4s. But the likes of the XC90, Q7, etc are both expensive to buy and expensive to run. The Hyundai Santa Fe is marginally cheaper and more fuel efficient, and it has 3x isofix fittings in the back, but still probably not the best choice.
I was in a similar situation - unexpectedly expecting a third - so had to swap my lovely brand new Volvo V50 for something more appropriate. (DC are 4 and 2, and #3 is due in 5 weeks).
Did lots of research, it was important to me to have a car with 3 x isofix fitting as both our current seats (1x high back booster, 1 x group 1seat) are fitted with isofix, and I want my 4yo to be in the middle when baby comes (as he will be able to climb in /buckle in by himself, whereas the younger ones will need help = be on the outsides). So I went for a Ford S-Max, which is spacious, reliable and has decent fuel economy (averaging about 45mpg in real life).

I personally discounted French makes (reliability issues) and Vauxhalls (they just feel so plasticky and cheap); would have been happy with a VW Sharan (Touran too small) or Seat Alhambra, but you get more for your money with a Ford.

I'd recommend writing down a few points that are most important to you (like for me, Isofix fittings, parking sensors, fuel economy) and then see which cars fulfil these criteria; then go out and look at them/test drive! That's the only way to gauge if you'd be happy with that particular car.

Spiderwithoneeye · 03/12/2013 21:11

Has anyone mentioned the VW Touran. Just bought an oldie with low mileage. Good build quality and 2 extra seats in the boot for the grandparents!

MammaTJ · 03/12/2013 21:12

Mondeo!

NearTheWindmill · 03/12/2013 21:18

I have been very happy with my Citroen Picassos. I have an EGS Diesel and it has been great. Not thrilling but reliable and easy and spacious. Fits three big cricket bags in the boot and is nicely spacious for four adult sized people now.

The great thing about the Picasso is that you can turn off the air bags so free up the front seat for AN Other. That is fine in London where nothing goes fast - you might think differently if you are rural/motorway bound with a car full.

softlysoftly · 03/12/2013 21:23

Great do the Q7s fit 3? I need to start thinking about this And currently have a Q7.

Also which seat is safest in the middle? Baby, toddler 5 point or 4yos high backed booster?

softlysoftly · 03/12/2013 21:25

Oh and OP don't buy a Q7, I love it but wouldn't buy it again as for the price the back row is barely usable and the boot is tiny! Plus you need to own a small Arab Nation to run the thing.

monkeysox · 03/12/2013 21:28

Mazda 5 petrol not diesel

Theenormouscrocodile · 03/12/2013 21:40

Honda FRV is the best car we've ever had. We've got rear facing seat and 2 high back boosters ( did have rear facing, toddler seat and high back booster until recently). Enough room for me to climb in and do seat belts and I'm not small, boot decent size too, I've regularly got a baby jogger buggy and Jane nomad buggy in the boot plus a week' worth of shopping.

We've also had a Toyota Verso which I found very tight in the back and not a comfy ride at all. FRV all the way .

mumofweeboys · 03/12/2013 22:25

Poppyseed - I love my zafira which would probably work well. My baby and 2 year old are in isofix seats and my 5 year old is in a high back booster in one of the boot seats. It leaves a good space for buggy and back seat easily folds flat and gives a massive boot when your not using it. Iv got a petrol one and found it very economical.

Monetbyhimself · 03/12/2013 22:29

I had a Seat Alahambra when I had three in car seats. Was a bit battered but did the job. I do think that you need a 7 seater for three child seats- the Seat cost approx 1k.

tooearlytobeup · 03/12/2013 22:39

I had a Citroen Picasso with similarly aged DC and loved it. So, so , practical. Three full seats in the back so will fit any combination of child seats and was fantastic on fuel (mine was diesel)

When we were looking the Renault Scenic, Ford C Max and S Max (not the focus) worked. Suprisingly the Vauxhall Zafira was no good for us, we couldn't fit 3 seats in a row.

We have just changed to a Citroen C4 Grand Picasso which would also work for you, but is a bit bigger.

JsOtherHalf · 03/12/2013 22:52

Would a multimac seat work for you?

www.multimac.co.uk/home

Purplehonesty · 03/12/2013 22:53

We have a galaxy which is fab. Smax is good too.
Beware of Picasso - dh has been to two crashes involving them and there wasn't much left of either of them...

PomBearWithAnOFRS · 03/12/2013 23:54

We got a Sharan when no4 son was on his way - we needed 3 car seats as well as 7 seats in total with 2 older ones then a 4yr old, 2 yr old, and newborn in car seats.
It has built in child seats in two seats and all the back seats can be removed easily, and it has become one of the family. It's 10 now and "getting on a bit" and we will probably all stand and cry when we have to let it go...

minesapackofminstrels · 04/12/2013 05:33

A friend has the Renault Scenic which is supposed to have 3 full seats in the back. Two of hers have Isofix points.
One important factor is the width of the car seats you have. One of our seats is the Britax Evolva 123 which is almost 60cm wide. Some of the other Britax are 43cm so there is a huge difference.
Depending what car you have it could be cheaper to get new narrow car seats than a new car. Also check the width of the ones you have as you don't want to find you get a new car and can't fit the seats in anyway. Not many cars are going to fit in 3 seats that are 60cm wide.

RosinaCopper · 04/12/2013 05:59

Congratulations on your surprise baby - I secretly would like one too, but it isn't going to happen!

I've got a Ford C-max Grand and it works well for us (dcs a bit older than yours, though). Twin 3 year olds in high backed boosters and an 8 year old. The seating is 6 + 1, so 2 in the front, 3 in the middle (80/20 split I think) and 2 in the very back. The boot is fine with only one of the very back seats up, but tiny if both are up.

We rarely go out as a family, so usually eldest dc is in the front with me, then the twins have their seats in the middle with a gap between. If we all go out, the very back seats are easy to put up and dc1 goes in the very back. The middle seat folds into one of the other seats, but is tiny, so would do for short trips only. I looked at a lot of cars before choosing this and although I liked the idea of the Quashqui and Kuga, the very back seats didn't have much of a drop for legs, so sitting in them felt almost like sitting on the floor. The Cmax isn't perfect in the very back, but is better than all of the others (including the Volvo 4x4, which everyone seems to rave about!)

The Cmax is based on a Focus, so drives well and is reasonably economical. It also has sliding back doors which was something I had on my wish list when I was looking and which have been a godsend. And it has a proper 3 pin plug socket in it too!

Eastpoint · 04/12/2013 06:11

We had a Renault Scenic & then a VW Sharan at this stage. The Sharan had really good space but was a bit van like to drive (I think ours was under powered). It had special built in child seats which were brilliant. I think a lot are used by mini cab drivers. There is also a big Chrysler you can get which has 3 seats in the back row & 2 in the middle with a space between them.

JanePurdy · 04/12/2013 08:43

What about ones that are around cheap second hand - say under £2k?

tookagestogethere · 04/12/2013 14:20

Piper21 and GreatJoan I always thought you couldn't have 3 carseats safely in the back of most cars but I'm having trouble finding any evidence of this fact and beginning to think it's a myth. Could you possibly link where you did your research? I think we need a new car but I need to show dh it's worth it. Many thanks.

tookagestogethere · 05/12/2013 08:22

Anyone?

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