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Original poster

Parents of 3 or more. What car do you drive?

159 replies

girlsyearapart · 10/02/2010 12:34

Hi I am due in august with dc3. The dds will be 2 and 3 in September.Anyway we will struggle to fit into the car we have now so are looking to buy a new one.

I am not the world's most confident driver so I don't want a bus but would like a 7 seater so if dc4 ever makes an appearance we wouldn't have to change again.

Budget 5-7 grand.

Thanks.

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kitkatsforbreakfast · 14/02/2010 21:42

We've got progressively larger - Peugeot 106 (that was really titchy!), the Peugeot 306 (middle sized mistake car, ok for 2 dc, disasterous for 3, should have stayed with titchy car), then the Sharan. I have got 5 kids for the day on Tuesday. My 3 and 2 friends, and we will be going out for the day with a buugy, picnic, 4 x rugby kit (I'm picking them all up from training) and we will just pile in with no problems. And I won't have anyone in the front with me either!

Ponders · 14/02/2010 21:46

With 3 kids, any of the 5+2 cars would do you fine; Zafira may not be quite as clever as the S-Max, but it's half the price (or better!)

Get a diesel though - petrols tend to be under-powered or thirsty (or both)

Ponders · 14/02/2010 21:49

and, re kids sitting in the crumple zone in the Zafira etc - how many people run their kids around in the back of eg a Corsa, Fiesta or Yaris? Absolutely no difference!

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TheRooftops · 14/02/2010 21:59

Lots of people on this thread
Can anyone summarise which car meets these criteria...?

  • can seat 7 people
  • seats fold down in car - preferably flat in floor
  • can fit three booster seats across the middle row without buckle crunch
  • maybe sliding door
and how much it might cost - new and used? Ta!
kitkatsforbreakfast · 14/02/2010 22:00

ponders but with a choice - would you choose to put your dc in a crumple zone? The op is buying a new (to her) car - it's worth considering, I think.

Ponders · 14/02/2010 22:49

OP said she wants more than 5 seats, but doesn't want a bus, & has £5-7K to spend...of course in an ideal world none of us would put our children within about 6' of the tailgate.

I can't believe the manufacturers would be allowed to go on manufacturing these 5+2 cars if they were that risky.

Original poster
girlsyearapart · 15/02/2010 07:29

A bus is looking more likely now.. need to go test drive some I suppose.Bump is already getting in the way of standing at the sink to wash up so not long until it inteferes with driving comfortably!

OP posts:
mankyscotslass · 15/02/2010 08:37

Ponders, for me it was not so much the safety thing, although that is a consideration.

It was more in the zafira and the grande scenic that we were told the 2 rear seats were not suitable for car seats or high back boosters, and were only suitable for taller children or smaller teenagers or adults who did not need boosters.

Space wise it just did not work for us as we needed 3 high back boosters plus the ability to take an extra adult.....like I said before for me in the back it was very uncomfortable!

sweetkitty · 15/02/2010 08:42

Whatever you go for make sure it has 3 individual adult sized seats in the middle row.

Whislt I can fit 3 car seats in the back of the CMAX it is a nightmare to do up seatbelts and for local journeys DD1 goes in the front.

MummyTumble · 15/02/2010 09:02

Love love love my VW Touran....and you can fit 3 seats in no trouble in the middle row!

When this one eventually dies I'll be getting the same again!

We had a C8 and i hated it - like a bus, horrible to drive....the best thing was the sliding doors but i don;t miss them on the Touran....and with all seats in the boot space was crap!

VW lovely to drive and the spare seats fold down so nice big boot....especially if you;re not sure there will be a DC4....and how often do/would you all go out together as a family of 6???? In our case it's a rare event.....one of kids at school/nursery, DH at work etc...

4andnotout · 15/02/2010 09:04

We have 4 children and drive a fiat multipla which we love.

MummyTumble · 15/02/2010 09:07

A friend has a VW Sharan which she loves...and perhaps the option if you want a more bus-like version

mankyscotslass · 15/02/2010 10:38

Sweetkitty, that was our experience with the Cmax too.

MumNWLondon · 15/02/2010 11:24

re: lap belt in middle - there are some stage 1 car seats (britax, but not the isofix ones) that can attach to a lap belt, so might be cheaper to buy a new car seat than a new car?

MumNWLondon · 15/02/2010 11:36

Mankyscotslass: why are rear zafira seats not suitable for car seats/boosters? I only have 2 DC and usually just have booster cushions in rear seats for giving other people's kids lifts locally, although I have used (on occasion) massive stage 1 car seat and highback booster in the boot seats without any problem (when carting round my parents as well as the DC). I have sat in the rear seats myself and they are quite generous compared to the other smaller 5+2 cars.

I agree about the crumple zone, and thats why I'd always prefer to have 3 in middle row even if that means DD (age 6) is on a booster cushion and not in a high back booster.

Zafira's are good value for money, and less bus like than some of the other options BUT I'd probably say not ideal for OP as her kids are very close in age and hard to fit three car seats in middle row - although for someone with a child old enough for a booster cushion in the middle (5/6?) they are fine.

Its all about finding a balance between price and features required.

mankyscotslass · 15/02/2010 12:23

Mum, we found this out using the Britax website postion finder for the car seats we have, perhaps it may be different for yours?

Even the newest make of their britax high back booster did not fit in the model of Zafira my mum had.

I just checked our old model of grand scenic and britax havent tested that yet but say to check with dealer.

Our dealer told us at the time that as the seats were only classed as temporary then he would be reluctant to use child seats on them.

We did manage with the Scenic for a while, but went back to the Galaxy for space and comfort and ease of use.

Out of the three 5+2 that we have tried, the one with the best room for us was the Citoen Grande Picasso, although again Britax say not to use their high back boosters in the back 2 seats.

mankyscotslass · 15/02/2010 12:24

edit: did not fit in the 2 rear seats of the model of Zafira my mum had!

sweetkitty · 15/02/2010 13:10

Mummytumble - don't say that about the C8 we are about to buy one, but having 4 DC under 6 you are kind of limited to buses really. Maybe in about 5 years time once the older two are practically out of boosters I can get a SMAX.

Original poster
girlsyearapart · 16/02/2010 10:30

Our current car has a lap belt in the middle but is also very very narrow. I struggle to fit my 4yo niece in there without any kind of car seat. It definitely won't fit any kind of car seat.

Not sure if there will be a dc4- we'll see what dc3 brings first! But if there is a dc4 it will be before I turn 35 and I'll be 31 when dc3 arrives so still all close in age.

Definitely not getting a zafira. When my sister has the dds along with her dds she sweats and struggles for ages putting the seats in.

sweetkitty keep me posted on the c8 when you get it please.

OP posts:
Mog4 · 16/02/2010 21:09

Nissan pathfinder, have four kids from teenager to five year old . It is big but if holidaying in uk you need the space for luggage and that's with a roof rack fitted as well. Had a land rover discovery but found it hard to park anywhere other than in an empty car park. Pathfinder has a reversing camera fitted which makes parking a breeze anywhere and is plenty big enough for growing kids. These two cars are the beat seven seaters as believe me we tried all of them out. Most seven seaters are occasional seats which are great if not needed regularly but once you hit child number four occasional is no longer an option.

Yorky · 16/02/2010 22:14

I'm disturbed by the comments about the rear seats of Zafira being unsuitable for child seats - DC3 is due in May and we were planning to get a kiddy comfort plus for DS (3 and 4months when baby arrives) to go in the boot. DD (18months by then) will stay in her priorifix in the middle row with baby in rear facing seat. Can't see us getting 3 seats in a row tbh and can't afford to replace it for another 2-3yrs, we'd thought it would be big enough

Heated · 16/02/2010 22:40

Have been doing a search for a new car that will take 3 dcs comfortably.

Still in the running:

Galaxy/Alhambra/Sharan (same chassis)
Honda FRV
Volkwagon Touran
SMax

Definitely out:
Picasso
Zafira
CMax
Multipla
C8

Haven't yet seen:

Grand Scenic
Volvo V70

Original poster
girlsyearapart · 17/02/2010 07:35

heated why is the c8 out?

OP posts:
bogie · 17/02/2010 07:48

We have the vw touran and it is lovely very roomy 2 dc's in the back but we have checked and dc3's(due this month) seat fits in aswell.

Lastyearsmodel · 17/02/2010 12:26

Yorky We're in the same boat/Zafira as you - DC3 due in August. Only had 2 DCs when we bought the Zafira, and it's been fantastic for us, and we've used the back two seats to transport occasional carfuls of adults and kids (and found child seats fit fine).

However, I've gradually realised the back seats aren't suitable for my DD (3.7) to travel in permanently because of the crumple-zone thing, and because it's possible to access the rear seats, but often it's a hassle and involves too much thought for my pg/postnatal brain.

The middle row isn't 3 full seats so def. not big enough for 3 car seats (at least, not without replacing all of ours with narrower ones) and the front seat airbag isn't easily deactivated.

It's a pain, but I think we'll have to look at a Galaxy as it's got the 3 full seats across the middle and still has a huge boot for all our crap. I'm also told the diesels are very good on fuel and pretty reliable.