Cars for 3 kids - tell me about yours

[blooblies]

I know this has been done in recent threads with regards to specific models, but I'm interested in knowing what you love/hate about your car which fits 3 car seats across the back.

We are in the beginning stages of looking (very reluctantly) for a new car to replace our beloved Octavia in preparation for the arrival of dc3. We'll need a car which can accommodate a baby, toddler and booster seat, preferably with 3 full seats, a decent boot (we are used to the octy's cavern for long trips), economical, but not too much of a bus. We will only have the trade-in/sale value of our car to play with, perhaps in the region of 7-8k. It seems there are compromises to be made regardless. Is cheap always nasty? Or is it better to invest in bigger is best for the future?

Hate car shopping. It always feels like gambling. All nuggests of experienced wisdom gratefully received.

Another vote for the xsara picasso. My CM also has one, and fits 3 car seats in the back. Nice bit of legroom in the back too, and good size boot.

Landrover discovery fits 3 across the back - but doesn't tick the MPG box!!

We have a diesel Kia sedona

Yes it is quite big but we bought with an eye to the future. It has 3 separate seats and key fob operated sliding doors which are my favorite thing for getting 3 small ones in. Had it for 3 years now and still happy. 2 extra seats in the rear are great for sharing the ballet run.

We also camp and the rear seats come out completely and we have an enormous space. I can fit a single mattress in the back with the seats down. We had a cmax with the 2dd but went for bigger seats with the thrird dd, due to the risk of buckle crunch from the cmax's half seat in the middle (rubbish idea whoever though of that in a family car! (53 plate)).

If I was looking again now I'd cetainly look hard at the touran as the new model also has sliding doors (didn't when we were looking).

We've got the 5 seater Picasso too - 3 good sized seats in the back, we used to have a Zafira but it was too small when the older kids got bigger and we decided we didn't need a 7 seater. Good sized boot and fairly economical, one downside is the turning circle - it's not the most manoeverable car.

With three children - twins and single - 19 months apart, we had a Vectra. Various seats fitted comfortably across the back. Great boot fitted double buggy, 2 travel cots and loads of 'stuff' for weekends away. We kept it for 4 years and I'd really recommend it. We now have a very Fiat Multipla with 3 seats in both the front and back and I love that too - it has the advantage of being able fit in an extra person when you need it but still feels like everyone is near me and I'm not having to drive/ park a tank.

We're shopping for one now and our list is Smax, Grand Scenic, Touran (and DH would like a VW caravelle!).
I'm thinking about a volvo so off to look at those soon, thanks for the V70 photos thisisyesterday.

the caravelle is lovely!

we're looking at trading our volvo in now for a 7 seater as the children are bigger and won't stop fighting

i would love a caravelle. or one of the new sharans.

I think we'll end up with a caravelle,we need 7good sized seats and if I have to drive such a big car I may as well have a bus!

has to be the scenic - most practical car for 3 car seats.......now ours are older we have an Octy estate - we are you in reverse!!

We had a Picasso and bought new zafira. Had it over 3 months and love it! The dc are 12, 4 and 8m. Boot space bigger that picasso, and still reasonable when 7 seated. We opted 7 as want freedom of transporting extra people. Fuel consumption great, insurance low and car tax low. Got brand new for just under 12k. Is a 1.9 tdi ecoflex. Also with it new it has lifetime/100k mile warranty and 2 years free servicing.

Just upgraded from a 55 plate VW touran to a 07 galaxy. Twins are now 3.5 and eldest is 7.

The extra width is remarkable and I am so pleased with it!! Dd1 can now do her own seatbelt up without trapping her fingers between car seats!
So happy!

Hey can I play? Dc3 due in dec and am also being quite geeky making notes about boot capacity etc! Really like the look of the Honda frv but am concerned that boot will be too small and seems quite pricey compared to alternatives. Also looking at citroen c4 Picasso - any reviews? Or Peugeot 307 sw which my friend assures me fits 3 car seats in the back.
We currently have a c max which I have loved but am really surprised to see people saying they can fit 3 in the back, theres no way our seats were safe and mothercare told me no seats would work with the middle half seat. One of the safety issues is whether you could reach between the seats to undo buckles if you had an accident - scary.

We have a Diesel Grand scenic, and fit 1 booster, 1 HBB, and 1 Recaro 1-2-3 car seat easily across the back. It does 40-60mpg (travelled to and from Italy in it recently!) and has acres of space and plenty of cubbys for storing random bits for camping. The turning circle isn't fantastic, but the short bonnet makes you feel like you're driving a much smaller car.

the cubbys in the scenic are great. We used to have one of the floor ones filled with:

Disposable sterilised bottles
Cartons of baby milk
jars of baby food suitable to be eaten cold
plastic spoons
disposable bibs
wipes
nappies
cream
a muslin cloth and a tea towel
spare clothes
bottled water

Just in case we ever got stuck in a long traffic jam or whatever

The other back floor cubby had a spare set of clothes for my OH as he did a lot of mountain walking and it was good to know there was always something dry there - and a couple of bottles of water and some chocolate.

We just checked and updated it every couple of months but it was great just knowing that you had stuff there without it taking any room in the car at all.

I've got an s -max, and really can't fault it. Much wider than a lot of the other seven sweaters, but feels more car like than a galaxy/ sharan. Our old Sharan was incredibly reliable though, until it got to 85000 miles when everything started going wrong with it.

Anybody tried the seat Alhambra? We're looking too and thought this looked good. Supposed to be essentially the same as the vw sharan but more accessories for less money. New one looks very nice but think our budget won't stretch to that so it might be the older model!

I've got a Volvo XC90 and it's marvellous. Was not a fan of big cars before but totally converted now. Loads of room for the 3 kids, extra 2 seats at back for their friends and it drives like a dream. Not sure about the mpg though, especially if like me you drive a lot in town.....

Anyone have an A4? Booked one for holiday and have never seen the boot!

zipzap ,try a ford galaxy ,they are the same as the alhambra and the sharan but cheaper to insure

We currently have a Toyota Previa, sadly not made any more so we are running ours into the ground until DCs start to learn to drive themselves.

It is the size of the QE2 but nobody gets in the way

Alternatively there is the Toyota Avensis Verso, not many came into the UK but there were a few. We found this pretty good when we had one a few years ago.