Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Paid childcare

Discuss everything related to paid childcare here, including childminders, nannies, nurseries and au pairs.

Flip

Original poster

what car to buy

21 replies

mumtoall · 26/08/2006 17:19

i spoke yesterday, still can't find a 7 seater car in our price range. what cars do other childminders drive?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

bonkerz · 26/08/2006 17:46

fiat ulysees

Original poster

mumtoall · 26/08/2006 17:52

they have stoped making them and can't find many second hand one's. do you find that you can get everyone in and pushchairs and bags.

OP posts:

bonkerz · 26/08/2006 17:55

MIne is 8 seater and i regulaly have 7 children in it especially over the holidays. I have 3 under 3s all in car seats and 3 boosters as well and can also fit a double pushchair in the boot. All bags tend to go by childrens feet so no problems really with space. You also have the option of removing 3 of the seats which we tend to do when just we as a family go away and therefore have more than enough room! Recent trip to ikea we were abale to fit us, 3 kids and bunk beds, cat and HUGE amount of shopping in with ease!!

Original poster

mumtoall · 26/08/2006 18:01

we have been looking at 7 seaters but if we could find a second hand 8 seater we would snap it up. do you find that it drinks lots of fule.

OP posts:

bonkerz · 26/08/2006 18:05

no its very good on fuel consumption. I go out every day minimum journey is about 30 miles and tend to put in about £20 per fortnight on average (mines diesel)

bonkerz · 26/08/2006 18:06

not sure where you are but.....

Original poster

mumtoall · 26/08/2006 18:10

Thanks for that. will look in detail for a car. My partner wants a newish car as my verso is a 54 plate and he does not want to go much older than that. (Men) thanks for that will go and have a look whats near to us in hampshire

OP posts:

bonkerz · 26/08/2006 18:13

Just to say really that ours is a 51 plate but does have over 150000 miles on clock but these things were made to last and when we did our background checls we were told by Fiat that as long as they are serviced regularly and have all relevants changed every 12000 miles (cam belts etc) then they have been known to go over 300000 miles in a lifetime! HTH, absolutely love mine and couldnt do my job without it! Dont forget you can offset the cost through you childminding buisness.

Original poster

mumtoall · 26/08/2006 18:15

Thanks it has been fab chatting will get details up and show him when he gets in from work

OP posts:

FeelingOld · 26/08/2006 23:18

I have a fiat Ulysees too (7 seats though).
I get in 3 under 4's in car seats, ds aged 6 in a car seat, dd aged 11 on a booster and an after schooler on a booster and me + all school bags, a double buggy, a single buggy, 2 raincovers, changing bag, brollies, 2 sun parasols for buggies and a potty.
Now I think thats pretty good
Mine is diesel too and I use about £10 per week doing trips of about 25 miles per day.

Original poster

mumtoall · 27/08/2006 09:00

thats fantastic that you can get all of that in. will keep looking on the net for one and do a test drive.

OP posts:

Carly2 · 27/08/2006 09:35

Have any of you tried Vauxhall Zafira? Im thinking of getting one and just wondered what they are like?

maggi · 27/08/2006 13:09

I have just bought a Zafira. Bad news is that the central seat in second row only has a lap belt. My boys (3 and 6) seem to struggle to get in through the doors sometimes. With all seats up the boot space is quite tight for buggys. The last bad thing is that it has all sorts of cubby holes and secret compartments which my boys loooove to play with producing those annoying Click click noises as we are driving along.
Good stuff is that it is soooo adaptable to make 2,5,6 or 7 seats to suit your needs. It has cubby holes and secret compartments everywhere to increase the storage space. I must admit we haven't had a car full of children yet, but we have had 4 adults and 2 children on a discovery journey of the SouthWest for the last 3 weeks camping (we took a roof box). It proved to be a go anywhere and do anything vehicle. I very quickly adapted to it from driving my little Corsa even though I am quite a nervous driver.
Petrol is £50 to fill the tank. On 3 tanks it did 1,235 miles (this included lots of motorway journeys and plenty of gear changing, winding devon lanes).

Glassofwine · 27/08/2006 13:15

Don't be tempted to buy a Galaxy I budget for £80 pm in petrol and I really don't do many long journeys. I'm tempted to sell it just because of the petrol costs, but I suspect I couldn't get enough for it to change to something decent.

Ineedaholiday · 27/08/2006 16:53

Ive got Diesel Seat Alhambra which is great on fuel, It costs about £10 a week to do about 120miles running about with mindees. I can get the double buggy, schoolbags lots of junk in it and it fits all the child car seats in easily.

ThePrisoner · 27/08/2006 18:10

Well, I'm just completely mad and I drive a 12 seater LDV Pilot diesel minibus - you can seat all your minded children and most of their relatives!! However, it's not used as the family vehicle, but is good for fuel consumption. It's smaller than a transit van so still parks in normal width car park spaces (but not if it has a height barrier!) and currently is home to a single, a double and a triple buggy. It's a P registration and cost £5000. The children love it.

kidsrus · 27/08/2006 21:30

question for prisioner do you have to have a seperate licence for a 12 seater?
And thanks glassofwine i was looking at galaxy's or the diahatsu frisbee was the other anyone got one.

Katymac · 27/08/2006 21:36

Kidsrus - if you are buying one now you need to apply for an operators license - it's lots of hassel - we looked at hiring a 12 seater for just the school holiday and it was a nightmare

Original poster

mumtoall · 28/08/2006 12:44

at the moment i drive a toyota carrola verso it has 7 seats like the Vauxhall Zafira the back 2 seat pop up in the boot. i strugge with all the children for getting them in and out of the car. with 3 car seats in the middle the older children have to climb in boot and over the seats to sit down. i can not get a pushchair in the car with 7 people in the car.
the biggest complaints that i get from the children are
-no air con in the back or the car
hope this hels carly2 take everyone and everything on a test drive
-the side windows in the boot are very small and make it hard to look out of which makes the children feel sick
-dvd player has 2 head phones so only older children will keep headphones on and not every one can hear

OP posts:

ThePrisoner · 28/08/2006 19:47

You do not need to have a PCV licence to drive a minibus so long as you are not using it for hire and reward.

I have full business rate insurance, and my insurance certificate clearly states that I work as a childminder. I must only charge for my time (my hourly rate for minding), and I must not charge any kind of mileage to the parents - this would then make it hire and reward.

I had to hunt around quite a bit to sort out the insurance, as many companies don't seem to understand that there is a difference between taxi drivers and childminders!

Katymac · 28/08/2006 19:50

TP, Ofsted, NCMA & Vosa all say we do

It's not retrospective but to buy or hire a (more than 9 seater) to need an operators license

I tried for months last summer to get them to change their mind - if you are affiliated with a charity it's slightly different - but I had it in writing from VOSA that even to have it parked in my drive I needed the operators license

Flip