Any childminders have a not enormous 7 seater car? Do they exist...?!

[Runoutofideas]

Hi,
Am newly registered and considering changing my car for some sort of 7 seater as I am turning down children because I cannot transport them. Can anyone recommend a not too enormous 7 seater car? We have a fairly narrow driveway and although I can get my Ford Focus in and out easily enough, I wouldn't be confident with anything much wider. Don't really want a gas guzzling 4X4 either. Does what I want even exist.....?

have a look at the ford s max

i had a cmax and upgraded to the smax about 1 year ago and wish i had done it sooner

it is slightly wider - but not overly if that makes sense

test drive 1 to give you a feel

friends have VW 7 seater and it feels like a tank to me but i know they are very happy with it

i think you need to get out test driving :)

I don't have an enormous 7 seater

That's because I don't drive though

My friend's got a Vauxhall Zafira, which seats 7, although the 2 seats in the back row would only suit up to about 7-8 years old.

My galaxy isn't enormous it's not heavy to drive either it's lovely (I couldn't park without sensors though!)

I have Zafira. It's fine. I have sat in the back row myself and I am 31 and not small at all. You can fit a double (umbrella type) pushchair with all the seats up. The only downside is the middle seat in the middle as it has a lap belt. However I am using a compatible baby car seat in that space so it's not an issue and I am looking at converting it into a proper seat belt.
I am now buying an even bigger second car as husband has joined me and the business suddenly expanded.

My DH is a CM and has just bought a Vauxhall Zafira for the same reasons, its great. The back 2 seats fold right down flat when not in use and gives you a giant boot.

the zafira is a great car and not too big either

We've got a touran. It's fab and I can't recommend it enough. It is quite narrow. But for a really compact 7 seater I believe the Toyota verso is very good. Also you can get various estate cars which you can opt to have two extra seats in, so they won't be any wider than your average car.

I second a Touran - I've sat in the back row of mine many times and its not at all uncomfortable. I've also had high backed booster seats (2 of) and 2 x 9 months - 4 years car seats on the back row.
With the back row of seats up you can fit 2 buggies in the boot part... my sister and I (with 4 kids) go out together a lot and its really rather roomy!

I have a Ford galaxy 59 Reg, it felt enormous for a while as I'd only been used to a small KIA but I love it. I like being sat a bit higher as I can see more and don't feel as though am sitting in a go-kart like my hubby's KIA!

Have a test drive of a few cars before you buy, I was really cheeky and took my driving licence into the car dealerships so I could test various. Am glad I didn't buy a Zafira, my friend has just had to change hers as it was too small in the very back seats for her childminded children and she needed a bigger car for her disabled foster child.

Choose a car which has sensors if you are a bit worried about reversing into things. Good luck!

Can you fit a pushchair/double buggy in a Touran when the seats are all up?

Sorry Bossoftheschool - missed the bit about buggies!

My Renault Grand Scenic is fab - rear seats are easy to put up and down. With all seats up it fits a Maclaren push chair behind the two rear seats. Narrower and shorter than my DH's Jaguar, but can fit 3 car seats in the middle seats whereas his can't!

Thanks for all the recommendations - think I need to go and have a look at some....

Would highly recommend a Touran. We have one, although I'm not a childminder. You don't get much boot space when all seven seats are up but the two seats in the boot are easy to put up and down and are proper seats when they are up. It's a very safe car, not too big to drive and we find it very economical (we have a Diesel). I remember when we bought it the salesman telling us that it had the same wheel base as a Golf in terms of size.

I don't have an enormous 7 seater but do have an enormous 9 seater [tongue in cheek emoticon] I can understand what you mean though, we don't have a drive and have to park on the road, so I just hope there is a long enough space for my VW Transporter minibus! On a more serious note though, we've had Seat Alhambra's in the past (like the galaxy but a cheaper version, well they used to be), plus also a Mazda MPV which is now replaced by the Mazda 5, so you could look at that as well, it has sliding doors so makes it easier to get in & out of in tight spaces .

s max - lovely to drive and easy to park-and even if 7 seats are up (ie 2 in boot) then can still fit in double buggy and picnic bags and buckets and spades

Badger I would love a vw transporter they are lovely, would def need sensors on one of them, way out of my price range though!

I had the same dilemma recently.

My last car was a Clio and really cheap to run. I didn't want the associated costs of having a 7 seater. Also, when I'm not CMing, it's only ds and I and I didn't want to be driving a big 7 seater for just the two of us.

I have ended up with a scenic (because it was cheap and local) and just ordered a multimac four seater carseat to go in the back. It's very £££ but, overall, it was less than getting a 7 seater.

with the smax i can get a double buggy in the back when all 7 seats in use

its also great in that you can have 1 of the very back seats down or both to give extra space when you don't need all 7 seats

Ford S-Max is a great car, I've had mine for two years and never looked back. The best thing is that you can get three full size car seats across the middle row so all of the children are strapped in very securely.

Honda FR-V. A normal looking car you can fit 3 car seats in the back and there's a 3rd mid seat that is between front & back that folds into an armrest when you don't need it leaving the boot free for buggies etcbut with 6 people packed in.

Hi, I have just bought a Mazda 5. It's a seven seater and really compact. It's amazing. Am so pleased with it. The boot space fits my umbrella twin Maclaren. The last car was a Toyota picinc, which also was very good. But this one is perfect. 2 car seats in back, 2 in the middle. Great!