Good old vs thread, Honda jazz vs cmax for a family of five... please proffer worldly advice.

[Flossish]

We've had a terrible run of luck, our up till now reliable car has broken down three times in as many weeks, and so far has had 400 spent on it. This time it's the clutch, effectively writing off the car. So we are trying to scrabble together funds for a new car.
So the question is would a Honda jazz be big enough for two adults and three children? Kids aged 3, 7 and 10. We usually have a self catered holiday once a year for a few days which packs our now dead mondeo saloon to the brim. I'm keen on a cmax as there is more space for the kids in the back I think and a bigger boot. Dh is desperate for a reliable car and believes Honda is the one. However the cmax I have in mind is 30 tax bracket and more fuel efficient. Our budget it pretty strict as we are already up to our neck in debt and have had just the worst month (oven and electric shower have both had to be replaced) and I'm feeling pretty emotionally broken!

Please helpwith opinions, we are both working over Christmas so need to secure the car tomorrow really to be able to get to work and back.

The Jazz is surprisingly spacious if all three children are on booster seats. My parents have a Jazz and it's been an amazing car and we've gone out in it for days out with give of us in the car. Two kids in car seats does make it a squeeze for the third person in the back. I would say the C -Max probably suit you better space wise.

I borrowed my parents' Honda Jazz and it was on the small side - and we're only two adults and two children (then 2 and 5 so probably in bigger car seats than you'll need now, to be fair). I think you'd be a bit squashed if you're going on a self-catering holiday (the boot wasn't massive).

Sorry, not sure what a cmax is.

I've got the s-max (3 DCs, one still in Group 1 seat) which I imagine is a lot like the c-max but bigger and I really like it. My SIL has the Honda Jazz, I'd be concerned it would be a wee bit small.

We have the c max and actually it is surprisingly unspacious in the back (not much legroom). Boot is quite big tho. The main issue for us though is that the fuel filter clogs really easily, which is apparently a thing on newer Diesel engines, especially if used for short journeys. We actually use our cmax for mostly quite long journeys (hundreds of miles to parents' houses)but it still does it and is really annoying. So I don't think I'd buy a cmax again.

I don't know about the Jazz, but I'd double check the car seat situation for the c max, we have one and with two car seats in it the middle seat is a squeeze for an small adult. Manageable for short journeys, but that's it. A 10 year old might be ok, depending on how big they are. I'd definitely double check the width if you've still got 3 car seats.

Having said that, the boot space is great for the size of car, and we've had no issues with reliability.

Ds is currently a tall slim creature, verdt, and doesn't need a booster seat. Ds2 (3) however has been a bit slow growth wise so will probably need to be in a stage 2 seat for a while longer. That's interesting about the cmax Christmasbooks as that is precisely the type of journeys we'd mostly be using it for. Eek. the oldest cat, the cmax is a ford which is described as a small mpv.

Thanks for all the responses, Dh now getting lured by low mileage on a kia hatchback which is wholly unsuitable which isn't helping my nervous breakdown!

Why a Jazz and not a Civic? Regardless I would be looking for a petrol engine for reliability. As for road tax it is a very small percentage of the overall cost of motoring. I appreciate that you don't want to pay £450/year but the difference between £30 and £130/year is fairly negligable in the grand scheme of things.

So we've come away with a kia rio. Not what I had in mind. But the kids fit, and it was hopefully a good buy. Next thread... Roof racks...

I'd say that was a pretty good choice? How old? Should come with the balance of the 7 year warranty for cheap motoring.