New car or not needed?

[MissBPotter]

We are expecting dd3 at the end of August and our other two are going to be 6.5 and 4.5. My current dilemma is whether we need a new car or if we can get by with a one of those fixed three seats which can fit in most vehicles… we currently have a BMW 5 series which we love, but I am concerned that my three will be too close together in the back and won’t have enough space. Also I would only be able to fit one adult in and might sometimes like to fit more adults or kids in the car. We also have a dog and family at opposite end of the country so like to travel a bit, in normal times at least.

Does anyone else have one of those fixed three seats and can give me any pros and cons? If not what car would you recommend? We like the look of the Land Rover Discovery or maybe a Q7, but they seem very expensive. Concerned about things like fuel economy and being able to park in one of the big SUVs. However we will also be keeping a small car as a run around so that might help with the parking issue if I’m going in to town with just the baby.

If there's going to be times you need more than 5 seats then you're going to need to size up. However, I'd avoid Land Rovers/Range Rovers like the plague, they're horrifically unreliable.
As an alternative to the Q7, you could look at an X5 with 7 seats.

Thanks @pizzaobsessed I’ve looked at some X5s but they don’t seem to have isofix on the back row. I have heard mixed reviews of the Land Rover.

To be honest I don’t think I’d often have more than the five of us which is why we are considering just keeping our 5 series. Just don’t want to fork out for one of those fixed seat things and regret it! They are at least £1500!!

I have a really old Land Rover discovery and it cost less than £1500 and, because they are super easy to fix (at least the old ones are!) they will go on forever!

The bigger car for us as 5 of us, especially when going camping, has been invaluable. It’s 16 years old, you can (literally) superglue parts of it together if needed and yes, the fuel economy is rubbish, and it’s high tax, but we own it outright so it costs us nothing other than that and insurance. And those cost is nowhere near a month what leasing / buying a newer 7 seater would be.

My advice is go bigger but go older!

@MissBPotter stick with your 5 series then. I have one and they're brilliant, I'm not sure anything else would outdo it

We upgraded from a Prius to a VW Sharan when we had number three. It is nice to be able to fit extra kids in, or grandparents or just all our stuff. Lots of the SUVs just seem like bigger cars overall without actually having more seats. Honestly, I know very little about cars I just wanted to mention about the parking. I hate parking and I found our seven seater very little different when it came to parking then the Prius, it is not much longer at all. So don’t assume that it will be a monster to park if you do go for something with more seats.

When I had dc3 I put off changing the car for a long time. When we did change the car I realised I had been bonkers for holding out for so long. It made life so much easier and the only regret I had was not changing it before. We went from an Kia Sportage to a Ford S-Max. We looked at some SUVs but a lot of them don’t have full three seats in the back which would mean then having a seat up in the boot and loosing some of the boot space.

Even if you did use a multimac this solution will only last for so long. I am not sure of the safety ratings for the multimacs either.

@PotteringAlong thanks we are going to buy outright. Fed up with PCP type deals. I think I’d be too nervous to buy a really old car but it’s great that it’s worked for you. I do think we might need more space. Good to hear you like your discovery!

@Himawarigirl that’s good about the parking! Some of the car i’ve been looking at have cameras as well so that will help but length is important if you can’t physically fit in the gap!

@Circlesroundandround thanks you’ve expressed my worries totally, the multi Mac is expensive and might not be a good long term solution. Definitely want safe car seats as well so that’s something important to consider. I think really we should get a bigger car based on what you’ve said.

We’ve got a land rover discovery and its crap for 3 kids! The middle seat isn’t a full sized seat and if you have a seat up in the boot there is no boot!

I have a seat Alhambra which is fab but quite bus like! There are 7 full sized adult seats and the back 5 are all isofix. It’s basically a vw sharan with a seat badge so a god car!