Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Shopping

From everyday essentials to big purchases, swap tips and recommendations. For the best deals without the hassle, sign up for Mumsnet Moneysaver emails.

Original poster

Promised DH I'd ask this, has anyone got a VAUXHALL ZAFIRA with two carseats and a booster in the middle row?

26 replies

NatalieJaneIsPregnant · 05/06/2008 10:07

Please someone give me the answer before he drives (no pun intended) me in sane.

OP posts:
popsycal · 05/06/2008 10:08

my firend has

popsycal · 05/06/2008 10:08

i think it depends on which car seats though as hers are a pretty tight fit

Original poster
NatalieJaneIsPregnant · 05/06/2008 10:13

Well we already have a Britax First Class, would probably be the same or very similar for DC3, and just a normal booster.

OP posts:
morethanmum · 05/06/2008 10:22

No. We have a baby carrier, a large toddler seat and ds (5) sits in the middle with no seat, as allowed by rules.

hannahsaunt · 05/06/2008 10:26

We have a mothercare high back booster, a britax rockatot and a britax booster (from a high back booster) in the back of our Zafira. It's fine. Haven't tried swapping the rockatot for a stage 2 seat though.

MamaG · 05/06/2008 10:27
MilaMae · 05/06/2008 11:08

We had 2 carseats and a babyseat in middle row. Now got 2 high back booster seats and a carseat in middle row.

Original poster
NatalieJaneIsPregnant · 05/06/2008 11:11

Mila, when you had the 2 car seats and a baby seat in the middle row, was it tight?

Have nightmares of trapped fingers/hands down in between the seats. Oh and it taking 24 hours to strap them all in....

OP posts:
MilaMae · 05/06/2008 11:35

Actually the babyseat must have been by the window as we only have a lapbelt in middle. Also only 15 months between dd and twins so thought only one to poke baby as I seem to rem.

They couldn't reach her so it was fine,never trapped fingers,not particularly tight. We had the Britax Eclipses so could recline the seats,still masses of room. Have done loads of looooong trips down to the South of France with 3 under 5 in that arrangement and worked brilliantly. The straps are in the seat so didn't take longer than it would if they were split up.

I always check the carseat now as they undo their own booster seats as I worry they could undo the carseat but it has only happened once and after my hysteria neither twin has done it again

ZoeC · 05/06/2008 11:40

I have a Britax First Class forward facing Stage 1/2 car seat on one side and a Maxi Cosi Rodi high backed booster on the other and I wouldn't get anything between them. It's more that the First Class takes up so much room than the high-backed booster though, so really I imagine it depends on what stage car seats you are talking about.

Original poster
NatalieJaneIsPregnant · 05/06/2008 11:52

So many mixed responses...

DH is really getting on my nerves with all of this talk of cars, I have told him if he hasn't found one by the end of this weekend, then we aren't getting one (as if he'll listen to me!!) So what do we do? Go for the Zafira and hope? I wonder if we could take it to Mothercare on the test drive?!!

OP posts:
MamaG · 05/06/2008 11:56

Its a PITA isn't it. I've got an Astra at the moment, with DD in a high backed booster, DS in a big car seat (stage 2?) he's 4 but so skinny he's not heavy enough yet for a high backed booster (gah) and I'll need to squeeeeeze in a baby seat come October.

We need to change car .

I'm 99% the baby seat will fit in, but really wanted DS in the high backed booster so give us a bit more room.

Original poster
NatalieJaneIsPregnant · 05/06/2008 12:08

We've got a Vectra at the moment, checked last night and we can just about get two of the forward facing seats in and DS1's booster, but they would all be touching, and to get your hand down to do the belt's up would be a nightmare.

DH has taken a stalkerish liking to the Zafira (going down the M62 "there's one, there's another, oh that colour looks better, see if you can see how many kids they've got in there" ) I wouldn't mind but by the time the baby is in the bigger seat, it will be at the very least about 15 months away, why the hell do we need to change now? And, we were talking about putting the two boys in their new room last night, DH says "are we not better waiting until you've had the next scan, just to be absolutely sure?" So it is OK to go and blow best part of £20,000 on a car, but not OK to put some bunk beds in a room and paint it blue?

I am going to go and do some yoga or zen thingymegum or eat chocolate before my head explodes

OP posts:
pigsinmud · 05/06/2008 12:21

We have a Zafira and can fit dd2's Britax isofix Renaissance(I'm guessing here! It's a 9 months - 4 car seat) a booster in the middle and dd1's isofix Britax 4 - 11 seat on the other side. It is a squash, but can be done. Usually ds1 is in the middle (10 and doesn't need booster). Ds2 (almost 8) goes in the back in his high back booster - can not fit that in the middle of the other 2 seats .... and he gets car sick, so would be better in the middle row ... it's a right royal pita.

I hate the zafira - really wanted a picasso wotsit when we had no.4 - we already had a picasso for 5 people. It was a good deal for the zafira though and much cheaper and as I don't drive seemed a waste of money for something that's only used at the weekend.

Blimey - that was a witter.

SparklyGothKat · 05/06/2008 12:22

Nataliejane!!!!!!! congratulations!!!!!!!

SparklyGothKat · 05/06/2008 12:24

I have a zafira BTW, I have 2 booster seats and Callum's babyseat in the middle row, and 1 booster seat in the back row. Before callum we had 3 booster seats in the middle row

lubyluby · 05/06/2008 12:26

NO it doesn;t. we had a vauxhall vectra which is the same back seat width as the zafira (we measured them as wanted to aovid a zafira or touran) and when dd was still in a baby car seat we used t have her maxi cosi ona base (so we didn;t ahve to keep doing the buckle) ds1 sat in the middle with no booster (8at the time) and ds 2 on a graco junior hig backed booster on the other side and we could jsut about squeeze them in.

when dd went up tot eh next size car seat we had a maxi cosi priori in the middle and the graco junior on one side and then ds1 could just about get the smallest booster we could find (a really cheap one from a supermarket) on the otherside.

we were never really happy with ti so we've just traded up and got a ford s-max and three car seats (full oens if you wanted to) all fit in the back without having to put the third ro of seats up, but the s-ma is much bigger than the zafira.

Original poster
NatalieJaneIsPregnant · 05/06/2008 12:29

See I quite like the 7 seater (is it C4 Grand Picasso or something?) DH says no, not unless the Zafira is deffo out of the running. He likes the Renault Grand Scenic as well, but I have heard a few of them driving and they rattle like something out of the stone age. I am in the same position, I don't drive so it sits on the drive all week, and is ultimately up to DH, since he will be driving it, oh and paying for it!!

If we could get DS1 to sit on the back row we wouldn't have this problem, but he doesn't want to be on his own.... plus once the back seats are up you can kiss goodbye to all the boot space.

Gah, how hard can it be to find a car to fit 3 bloody seats in, with a big enough boot?

OP posts:
Original poster
NatalieJaneIsPregnant · 05/06/2008 12:36

Sorry x posted a few then!

Thanks Sparkly

Luby, DH doesn't like the size of the S-Max, he has a van for work and likes to feel the difference between his van and his car, or something as stupid as that...!

The seat in the middle of the Zafira does look about the same size, but the seat cushions are a different shape, the Vectra's sort of push the two outer seats towards the middle, whereas the Zafira is flatter IYKWIM? And the buckles are a bit more forgiving being higher than than the seats, rather than the Vectra's being sunk into the seats.... am I making any sense? I think the Priory seat is wider than the Britax one we have as well.

I think we are just going to have take the plunge, get the Zafira, and hope they fit, if not, DS1 will just have to go on the back row.

What's the noise like in the Zafira's? Are we all going to be shouting to be heard?

OP posts:
SparklyGothKat · 05/06/2008 21:23

my zafira is very quiet, sometimes I forget that the engine is running and try to turn it over.

Original poster
NatalieJaneIsPregnant · 09/06/2008 10:19

We have gone for the Zafira, hopefully picking it up tomorrow, depending on how quickly they push the finance through.

OP posts:
Twiglett · 09/06/2008 10:32

We've got a Zafira .. the road tax is due to go up a feck of a lot .. please be careful on your CO2 emissions .. we've a 1.8 .. currently £210 per year road tax .. due to become £300

Twiglett · 09/06/2008 10:33

Zafira is on an Astra chassis .. don't expect to have more car seats than an astra .. we have 2 Maxi Cosi Rodis .. certainly can't fit a booster between them .. but we can in the boot if we take someone else out .. but the boot seats aren't the safest place to sit

Twiglett · 09/06/2008 10:33

am I too late?

Original poster
NatalieJaneIsPregnant · 09/06/2008 10:38

Yep, too late!

We tried DS2's forward facing seat and DS1's booster (in the middle) it looks like there will be enough room to get another seat in, at a push.

DH looked at the tax, can't remember exactly what he said it goes up to, but he is aware it's hiking, it's a 1.9 (I think!) diesel if that makes any odds? We were going to go for the Auto, but the Tax really does hike up in that.

See I should have gone for my DB9 afterall!!

OP posts:
Swipe left for the next trending thread