advice on family 7 seater car please

[taytotayto]

does anyone know what is the best second hand 7 seater to buy, i want one that is as safe as possible and as cheap as possible to run. i have no idea where to start tooking. thanks x

Do you need a proper 7 seater or a 5 + 2?

oh a 5 plus 2 would do. basically i only need 7 when family come over from ireland to see us. x

Land Rover Discovery is excellent

We have a Zafira. Very compact compared to our previous bus-like 7 seaters and pretty good on petrol.

Second vote for the Zafira. There's a reason there are SO many of them on the roads!

Land Rovers are in a different class, cost wise.

we've just got a second hand Renault Scenic Grand. We weren't really looking for a 5+2 car but were offered a very good deal. It doesn't feel like a bus to drive, it's very economical on fuel as we have a diesel and it has 3 proper seats across the back so can easily fit 3 car seats in it if required. We haven't tried the very back seats yet but there is plenty boot space.

Cheap to run I'd get a Touran or Sharan. I notice my mechanic's family has one; says it all for me!

We have a Kia Sedona L (2003) and it's a nightmare, very expensive parts and terrible mileage!
Friends -- who are experts on this topic, 6 kids, have changed cars frequently (weird complicated reasons) in last 10 years) currently have a Peugeot ... 5008? They know their stuff, it must be a good runner and reasonably safe. They had a Caravelle before that (VW again).
If you need 6-7 seats on a regular basis then the Zafira isn't so great because the last row of seats usually have so little leg-room and are rather in the crumple zone. That's true of the Touran/Sharan, too, I guess.

I'd seriously consider a Galaxy, Chyrsler Gran-Voyageur, S-Max or a Toyota Lucida/Previa, too. Can't believe MN doesn't have reviews of used-7 seaters in its Reviews section, actually.