Aibu to want a massive car?

[cultkid]

I have an Arteon at the minute. It's basically the biggest cabin and boot size I could find without having a van/ SUV which would be quite the gas guzzler / possibly a bit too big to be respectful on school run

We have 3 bikes and my youngest will have one soon too. We love the outdoors. Lease is coming up in Jan and I need to order a new car sort of in the next 12 weeks or I need to extend the lease

The car is 260£ all in pm which is a great price and I really love it but the car is too small for the boys now with their long legs/ car seats in the back

I can't even fit between the two car seats in the back and I am only 47 kg

What cars could I look at and is it bad to get a big one? I want another baby, my husband doesn't but I think we will have one anyway. It would likely be during the lease period of this next car I order so what ideas could I have?

Thinking of
Sharan
Seat Altecca (i think that's what it is)
Mercedes Vito or whatever the van one is called
Transporter (husband had one for work but has now got a crafter coming it only has 3 seats)
Xc90 (but not keen)

I want to find a good deal as wellon the car

Ideas?

What cars could I look at and is it bad to get a big one?
It's bad for the environment. Climate change deniers and people who don't care will not agree this is a factor to consider, but billions of us not considering that are why we're in the situation we're in now.

I want another baby, my husband doesn't but I think we will have one anyway.
Interesting little addition to the post, that.

Huge well done for being thin and having your husband under your thumb...

Sorry I don't know much about cars

Hi OP,
I'm a fatty but not offended that you're a healthy BMI 😂
We are outdoorsy too and do a lot of CenterParcs type activity holidays. We also needed a huge boot as regularly have pram in the back and my mother's wheelchair.

I have the Seat Ateca (£267 PM but you can get it cheaper atm). It's a fantastic car, I love it and wouldn't hesitate to get another. Room for 2 car seats plus an adult in the back, great to drive, great driving position, big boot, very economical, really zero downsides.
The other car I'm looking at next is the Hyundai Tucson - it's very chunky looking, great drive, huge boot!

It makes you wonder how before the advent of fucking huge cars, people used to manage to travel with several kids and camping gear.

OP - Please don't take any of the above mentioned cars on the school run. Everyone will hate you.

Don't get a Mitsubishi Oulander, we've got one and have got three kids and it was a mistake (the car not the kids!).

Technically it's got 7 seats but it hasn't really, two of them are in the boot. My 5 year old goes in there but you lose a lot of boot space and if we go camping or whatever then we need a roof rack as well.

Before this, we had a Kia Optima estate. I could fit in between two car seats in the back of that (and I'm 5'8" and quite a bit more than 47kg). It was a good car actually, bags of room.

We have a Vw transporter (8 seater) and a Volvo XC90. Both brilliant and roomy cars. I'd look at them both.

@Baaaahhhhh well I'm the oldest of 7 and pushing 40 and my parents always had huge cars back then so they've been around a whiles

We’ve got 3 kids. 14 year old is 6ft already and the other 2 will probably end up that tall too. We’re outdoorsy & go mountain biking & camping.

I was desperate for a Transporter but DH thought it would be too big for going to the supermarket etc.

We got a Galaxy. It is big but totally fine to drive around & do the school run in. We can fit 3 adult bikes on the roof and 2 on the back and can get all our camping stuff inside.

3 car seats would definitely fit across the middle row.

I thought the thread title said 'massive cat'

and I was going to say each to their own, my friend has a few massive cats but I doubt she'd be wishing to sell one.

Not if it’s a TESLA or other electronic vehicle - YANBU
Yes, YABVU if it is a gas guzzling, polluting monstrosity!

Tesla Model S is great for our family okus dogs, bikes, luggage, furniture etc
or a model X,
plus they are way better In all ways and make all other cars look like the clunky 80 mobile phones versus an iPhone.

Get an suv type car. Lots of room then. Like a freelander, or a tiguan, or a merc gle.

Ignore the gas guzzler comments. A lot of people on here drive suvs for little reason at all other than they just like them. I don't see the problem, planets screwed anyway. Enjoy it while you can. It will fix itself once we are gone.

We have a kuga it seems big to us

I used to have a Ssangyong Rodius. Big 7 seater and large boot. Not the most attractive of cars but a lot of car for the money.
You can always park a walk away from the school and walk the last bit of parking is an issue.

@KeepingPlain

I've noticed you are often the only voice of reason on MN!

3 seats are often a challenge; the Sharan/Galaxy/alhambra were amongst the very few which would take them when we tested a few years ago.

I'd not be worried about leg room tbh, I had a Sirona in a fiat 500 and it was fine! I was assuming you had huge teenagers.

And yes, £260 a month is a reasonably good lease deal. It's not comparible to buying a banger, but if your preference is to drive newish then perfectly decent for what OP drives. There are some very good deals coming out just now on leases though so it's probably a good time to look.

If you are possibly going to have 3 or even ever want to transport another child be careful as some cars don't allow you to put a third car seat in the passenger seat or second row. (Like the Zafira - allegedly a family car!) They expect you to put kids in the boot seats, which to me was a deal breaker.

@bashcrashfall so true, that's why I am asking about putting three, side by side.

@KeepingPlain thanks, I felt quite embarrassed by some of these comments

@StatisticallyChallenged I thought a galaxy and transporter were roughly the same size!!

@Iwalkinmyclothing interesting response you had that my husband may decide having three children is ok.

And to the lady who said I have my husband under my thumb, I don't he is actually very bossy. And I don't know how you concluded he is under my thumb when I made one comment about him here.

We have a Transporter, it's been great, a reliable workhorse. Awning is nice for parking up when camping etc. If I had my choice of cars I'd get a Landcruiser- they are very expensive but that's because they last forever. If you watch any travel documentaries featuring far-flung locations, 9/10 they are driving a Landcruiser. I figure if I got one it would last me 20+ years so probably worth the money!

@beatrixpotterspencil

I thought the thread title said 'massive cat'

and I was going to say each to their own, my friend has a few massive cats but I doubt she'd be wishing to sell one.

I thought it said massive cat too! I wouldn't mind a Maine Coon.....

I've got a VW Transporter - Kombi. It's LWB, seats 6 in proper seats, has two sliding rear doors, so no one ever needs to get out on the roadside. Platform in the load area which makes a superking width bed and takes skis, bikes and surf board & camping gear in the bottom. Listed as a diesel car on the registration so can do car national speed limits rather than van and at least 35mpg.
I would look at a 6 seater Mercedes Vito as they are a little more plush. Living where I do loads of mums have vans, either VW or Mercedes.

Why get a huge car when you can use a bike rack? You've only got two small kids.

I'm the youngest in the family so pretty sure I have the talent to fit in that between spot OP didn't. It's something you learn early in a big family. My 64 kg mass no barrier.

Josie Dew is about 5' nothing & (at age 45+, may I add) has easily transported 3 kids on a bike. You're really aren't trying, OP.

@Baaaahhhhh- my uncle had a 3 layer/7 seat Peugeot in the 1970s/80 (4 kids); other friends had an exArmy VW van, which was dead cheap because it has been in Germany and was LHD (3 kids); we had an Austin Maxi and a family railcard. We quite often had one parent + 2 children in the car and 1 parent + 2 children on the train when we went away.

We have an XC90, you can get a hybrid version and it’s in the top 10 low emission cars so that could solve the gas guzzling issue.
We love ours, have a booster seat for our 4 year old and a rear facing car seat for our 2 year old (GB vaya which is same size as a Cybex sirona) and I’m bigger than you and can fit in the middle comfortably.
The boot space with the rear seats down is huge, we get 2 dogs and a double buggy in. With the back seats up it’s enough for a balance or small bike. The rear seats give lots of space.
My DH is 6ft 5 and he can sit to drive comfortably with the rear facing seat behind him.
The hybrid xc90 would probably cost more though per month than your current payment.