AIBU to ask you to recommend me your car??

[Bayleaf25]

Need to upgrade our Ford S-Max which is on its last legs. Looking for recommendations of a good size, reliable, family car.

2 older teens and dog (plus dog crate)
Roomy boot for camping and dog
We no longer need 7 seats but do want space
Not diesel (would consider hybrid)
Preferably under £15k (obviously 2nd hand not new).

What do you think we should be looking at??

Thanks

I’ve got a Seat Leon, which I love but don’t know whether that would be big enough for your needs. Boot wise anyway as spacious inside.

We have Ford Puma, love it and Peugeot 3008, dont love it as much but very spacious, also Peugot is fairly cheap for amount of car.

Definitely go for an estate if your into camping and have a dog!

I’ve got the Citroen C4 Picasso AirDream. It’s a 5 seater, but has 5 full seats in the back rather than a bench seat. Huge boot. Very roomy inside and it’s great on fuel economy.
I’ve got 3 young kids, so has more than enough space for all their car seats, a buggy, all the other crap they carry around 🤷🏻‍♀️😂

Ford Puma has the most amazing boot!

DH has a Ford Mondeo that would fit your requirements. He paid less than 6k second-hand.

Skoda Octavia estate, although a lot of them are diesel :(

Tiguan. Such a
lovely drive

For comfort and practicality I'd suggest a Skoda Octavia estate. Back seats are spacious for teens and I've fit a large dog crate for two dogs in the tardis sized boot plus lots of other kit. Remarkably easy to park as no wider than a golf and handles well for an estate. VRS petrol version if you fancy a bit of fun but avoid the 19inch alloys if you want to retain a comfy ride. If that isn't big enough try a Superb estate. Have also recently had 69 plate volvo v60 lovely safe and luxury drive but horrendous fuel economy in the T5 petrol, no where near as good in the boot and a pain to park. I missed my 16 plate Octavia.

Honda Civic Tourer - not that many around - huge book, unusual back seats that fold up and lock in place allowing you to use it as space e.g. for a dog, big boxes, etc. The diesel engine is one of the best around - 60+mpg for mixed driving, we managed over 70mpg overall driving to the Netherlands and back. Very very reliable car. Get a top spec one with leather seats - hands down the most comfortable seats we've ever had in a car. The main negative I have is that the car is very sleek and you have to duck a bit to get in the front seat - it's probably not the best choice for a tall person - say over 5' 11".

We have a Ford Kuga and it's great for 6ft DS in the back.

The Toyota Yaris CR-V model had a awesome boot.

I thought the Tiguan was quite compact. I’m not sure the boot would be big enough. It is a lovely car though

Sorry was thinking of another car

We have a Mondeo estate (or The Mundane-o as DH calls it ). Yes, it's dull and safe but it's reliable, reasonably priced to buy, cheap to fix, and fits in everything we need, including for camping trips. It has an excellent-size boot space and plenty of room for the passengers. Ours has not had an easy life (2 younger DCs with sticky hands, currently using it for work after my van finally died, and now has to tow our folding camper since we upgraded last year), but is only just starting to complain at 130k+ miles and over 10yrs old. I love the heated front windscreen in winter too: defrosted in no time with zero effort. When it eventually dies, I will be campaigning hard for another.

Another vote for Tiguan - I have 3dc and 2 big dogs abs they all fit. I have the petrol engine (think it’s a 1.6) and it is nice to drive. You will need a roof box for camping though.

Only downside - expensive to fill up at the moment.

Mercedes C220 estate. Best car I have ever owned. Luxurious and versatile.

Suzuki vitara?

Have a Vauxhall Grandland X Elite Nav and it’s gorgeous. Roomy, lots of toys and gadgets and a nice big boot 🚙

DH is 6ft 4, which might rule out the Honda Civic Tourer.

Might have a look at the petrol version of one of the larger Skoda’s.

have loved our ford but think the Puma would be too small.

Anyone got a family size hybrid?

Thanks for all suggestions and please keep them coming.

At work (children's residential care home) we've got a Citroen C4 and I would say it definitely meets your spec. They've been making them for a while, so you might find an older one for £15,000.

Toyota RAV4 might be a shout. They’re hybrid (the more recent ones anyway). They hold their value though so combined with current prices you might be looking at quite an old one.

Other shout would be some kind of Volvo estate — V70 or XC70 I would think. These aren’t hybrid though.

KIA Sportage

My parents have a hybrid Toyota Corolla estate. Pretty spacious in the back seats and the boot is pretty decent too. Might not be big enough for a crate though, depending on the size of it.

They love it.

Dacia Duster. Not everyone's favourite make but it's fantastic value for what you get as standard