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Original poster

Those of you with three children - which car do yo drive/recommend?

31 replies

emkana · 18/02/2006 20:09

That's it really - number three due in June and we need a new car - could do with recommendations!
Does anybody have the Honda FRV by any chance?

OP posts:

lockets · 18/02/2006 20:11

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

GDG · 18/02/2006 20:21

Currently I have all 3 in car seats in the back of my Mondeo. However, we are getting a new car and so far are set on a Galaxy. Not cool but practical! Planning to get a black one with chrome roof rails etc so it has half a chance of looking 'cool'

Why I care I don't know - I hardly look cool hoiking 3 kids in and out of teh car anyway!

ambercat · 18/02/2006 20:25

Know what you mean about looking cool( or not in my case!)
i have a sharan and to add insult to injury its bright green.

Otherwise known as the big green bus by dd or the no72 by bil

TinyGang · 18/02/2006 20:26

We bought a Xsara Picasso as well with three babies to strap in - not too much bending down into the car either.

It takes three car seats no trouble and has a good sized boot as well. It was a great car - I loved it.

We recently changed it because the children are now older and we're past the car seat stage and wanted something sheaper to insure, but the Picasso ticked all the right boxes when they were very tiny.

carol3 · 20/03/2006 21:37

Hi i love my citron berlingo fits 3 childseats in the back easily and has sliding doors. Also loads of storage little lockers ect everywhere and a huge boot.

bluebear · 20/03/2006 21:50

Can I hijack a little?

Glad to see that people rate the Picasso - we are looking at getting one so we can fit 3 children in the back..but we may need to seat a fourth child on occasion - is there an airbag switch in the front?

misdee · 20/03/2006 21:52

i have a nissan tino. its good i'll be sad to see it go

muma3 · 20/03/2006 21:52

we have a vectra and i have 3 dd's. we only use 1 car seat though hth
ps i love it great for room for shopping/pram and football bag

niceglasses · 20/03/2006 21:53

Xsara Picasso here as well for my 3.....does the job.

BadHair · 20/03/2006 22:04

Not a Scenic - won't fit 3 seats across back. I'd love a Galaxy/Alhambra/Sharan - dh drives Alhambra at work with 5 teenagers and rates it.

serenity · 20/03/2006 22:06

We've always gone for hatches in the past (and we've gone through a few as we buy old ones, and in the last 5 years I've had 3 cars written off by other drivers )

cars that have worked for us - Renault Laguna, Ford Sierra (Mondeo now I suppose) VW Passat, all been great drives, reliable and spacious, although none of them would fit 3 carseats.

I've currently given up having anywhere near a nonfamily car iyswim, as we've now got an estate (3 growing kids and camping needs more space than even a hatchback can give us) I didn't want to go as far as a 7 seater van though!

Our current car is a Peugeot 406 family Estate, which is a nice compromise as it has two fold down child seats in the rear, so it looks like an ordinary car but is actually a 7 seater. If we could actually afford a 'new' new carwe'd probably look for something similar.

dolally · 20/03/2006 22:27

Fiat Stilo Hatchback with four doors, I have two booster seats in the back and theirs still the middle seat (with proper crossover seatbelt) in the middle. I'm really pleased with it, and I can park it in town without doing a 108 point turn!

miggy · 20/03/2006 22:40

Chrysler grand voyager-pro's-can seat 7 plus decent luggage space, can seperate children ie spread the 2 most likely to fight across 2 rows, fab rear parking sensor makes reversing really easy.
Cons-gas guzzler, when driving with no children, feel like mini bus driver!

joash · 20/03/2006 22:45

in my experience - a different one to the one the kids are in

ma2cra · 20/03/2006 23:03

Used to have a scenic, now got a Nissan Almera Tino.

ma2cra · 20/03/2006 23:04

Used to have a scenic, now got a Nissan Almera Tino.

ma2cra · 20/03/2006 23:04

oops

SleepyJess · 20/03/2006 23:19

Vauxhall Zafira. Except that the bloody washer jets are always empty!

wanderingstar · 21/03/2006 08:50

Volvo XC90. Pricy but we're hoping it will keep its value well. I have 4, so we need a 7 seater.
I once hired a Renault Scenic for a holiday; had just 3 kids then but all were in seats or boosters. The seats fitted fine in the back. Quite nippy to drive too.

gigglinggoblin · 21/03/2006 08:59

we started off with a 5 seat (rather battered) escort, had to have one adult in the back as it had a lapbelt which was no good for our baby seat but when we got a lap belt compatible toddler seat it fit in fine with 2 boosters. was a bit cramped for adults but ok for kids

we now have a zafira which we use as a 5 seater usually, the boot is a good size and the back seat is nice and roomy. the 2 seats in the back row fold in/out of the boot floor so we can use them when we occasionally need an extra seat for friends. almost no boot space that way however, and i have to undo the seatbelt on the baby seat if i want to move the middle row forward. we normally just fold down the seat back and make the kids climb over but if i was getting in the back it wouldnt be a terribly dignified way of getting in!

geekgrrl · 21/03/2006 09:06

dh has a Corolla verso which seats all three very well - it has 3 full seats with three point belts in the second row, and the two outer seats have built-in booster seats. It's a really nice car, very reliable, spacious inside but actually quite small on the outside and thus easy to park and cheap to drive.

I have a VW Sharan which I really hate. It's like the Galaxy and the Alhambra, and whilst it's huge not actually very good for seating three, because the center rear seat only has a lapbelt. None of the seats can take a MaxiCosi 2nd stage car seat either, so we had to buy a new Isofix seat. At the moment I've got the two outer middle row seats and one rear row seat in, which really eats into the big boot space. To top it off it's very low spec being a VW - no electric windows or remote control locking (and now I know how useful those are with children!) even though it's 'only' 5 years old.

I am looking to sell mine and get a Renault Grand Scenic, my friend has one and is happy with it.

gigglinggoblin · 21/03/2006 09:13

our zafira only has 2 proper seatbelts in middle row, centre one is a lapbelt, but both belts in the back row are proper ones

NomDePlume · 21/03/2006 09:37

I have 3 kids - almost 14, 12.5 & 3.5 (so 2 big and 1 in a car seat). I have a Ford Focus 5 door and DH has a Mercedes C-Class estate, soon to be swapped in for a new Subaru Legacy Spec B tourer. We all fit in both cars without a problem

frogs · 21/03/2006 09:40

We have an oldish Volvo V70, which is an estate car with the arrangement serenity describes, ie. two extra folding seats in the boot.

It's great, you can get three children in car seats in a row. And if you need to transport extra children, you can flip up the seats in the boot. And it doesn't look like a van, which has to be a plus.

Enid · 21/03/2006 09:40

I have number three due in a few weeks and have just bought a Fiat Multipla - 6 normal sized, separate seats so no problems with car seats (also means dd1 doesnt always get squashed in the middle). I love it although a lot of people think they are verrrrrrrrrry ugly...i prefer funky myself

dh has just ordered a BMW 5 series estate - three car seats WILL fit across the back but only just, so OK for occasional trips out but a PITA if you are getting kids in and out three times a day.

(my kids are 6, 3 and T-5 weeks )

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