we hired a golf last year. admittedly it had a v small engine, but I was v dissapointed at its power - comfy though. the peugeaut (no i know that's wrong, but i just can't spell it! ) 207 is much much better and has similar comfort.

Don't know about the Focus - just don't get a small-engined golf!

Oh yes, my landlady has just bought a Seat, which apparently has a VW engine, but costs nearly £2k less. Probably depreciates faster, but a bargain!

VWs hold their value really well - better than Fords on the whole.German engineering....( good, apparently !). We found consulting What Car magazine invaluable as they tell you everything about each aspect of the car. You might be better off getting a people carrier if there is going to be 5 of you though; my friend got a brand new Zafira on the internet - an import - for only 13k.

We have a Chrysler PT cruiser - great sized boots, funky styling (if its your cup of tea), solid and reliable and about the same price new as a Golf. We also looked at the Merc A class and the Audi A3 and A2. We can get our rather large pram in the PT cruiser no problem!

Katherine - I have had a Golf since it was new - and is now 2.5 years, and it is fantastic ! Reliable, spacious, and internally very attractive - good stereo/CD payer, depends what model you have for the boot room, in fact can't think of any thing bad about them !

We had a VW Golf for a few years and it was great, very reliable, ours had quite a powerful engine but it had a very hard suspension which made it bumpy and quite uncomfortable at times (maybe not good with kids if car sickness is an issue?)

We now have a Ford Focus Estate, which we do like and which is more comfortable and roomy, but somehow it doesn't feel as solid as the Golf. Engine size/power seems similar but it has had more mechanical problems in less time than the Golf. We may just have been unlucky, I know it's rated by What Car magazine.

Katherine are any of your children in a car seat - as in my golf, no one can sit in the middle seat as we have 2 9month+ car seats on each side...I'd still go for a Golf anyday!!!

Katherine, I have a Golf (2ltr) and I love it. IKWYM re seatbelts though: mine is a Cabrio - used to be Dh's car and passed on to me when he got company car and there are only 2 belts in the back. As we have 3 kids this means ds1 (almost 8)sits in the front on a booster. My dad was considering either a Focus or a Golf and test drove both. In the end he went for the Focus as he felt it held the road better but I think he tried a 1.6, so maybe this makes a difference. Personally, I prefer the look of the Golf but I think it is a bit more expensive.

Oxo - mine is a cabriolet too - that must be why we have the same thing with the seatbelts !

Also the boot is really small as the roof lowers down in to it - not very practical when I tried to buy a double buggy - but worth it now the sunny weather is here again !!!

We had a toss up between Golf, Focus and Renault Megane. The ~Golf won, I hated driving the Focus, I thought the gear box was a bit dodgy. We have had 2 other Fords in the past and they have not been very reliable. The Golf was fab, solid, nippy and good to drive. That would be my recommendation without a doubt

Katherine - a golf hatchback would fit a buggy in, and also you can put the single seat in the back down flat and put 2 car seats together on the remaining seat using the lap and side belts - this then makes quite a large area with the boot and part of the back seat for any luggage - my boot is small because it is a boot and not a hatchback - as regards the front - IME all new golfs have twin airbags - and our dealer said they could not disable mine.

Katherine
I'm interested in this thread as I had pretty much decided to get a focus estate. Our current car is a Vento - basically a Golf with a boot - looks deeply unfashionable but the boot is HUGE. Anyway it has been fairly reliable (it is quite old) but the main drawbacks are the cost of spares (and insurance) and it is a pretty heavy car - drives a bit like a tank.
I thought the focus would be cheaper to run and would satisfy my desire for a (small) estate - so I am interested in the negative comments here - does anyone like their focus??

Golf everytime. Had a Golf snce I got married. It seems to be made of india rubber.

Just sold my Golf and it was great. We got it from new 3 years ago - it was the Golf GTi 1.8 Turbo. Great car - fast and powerful, safe and reliable. It held it's value really well too, despite quite high mileage. The dealer where we got our new car had a buyer for it the very next day! You definitely won't get that with a Ford as there are much more around.

Our Golf had 3 proper seatbelts in the back, and headrests. Easily fit car seats in, and we easily got our 3 wheeler ATP in the boot, with plenty of room for other stuff like the travel cot as well. Newer Golfs also have the ISOFIX car seat fittings on too so that opens those types of car seats up to you too.

Claireandrich completely agree wiht you We all go camping in ours (5 of us). What did you get instead? We have occasionally thought about going bigger - i just think I wouldf fill it up wiht more rubbish. Wiht the golf I am becoming an extreme packer. Love the look on peoples faces when everything unfolds and we all pour out.

I have a Golf 1.6 SE which has twin airbags, but I'm pretty sure the passsenger side one can be disabled.

It has a fixed lap belt in the middle of the back seat, but it's worth checking because mine is several years old and this may have changed (and it depends on the model too - see post about the GTi).

It's a very comfortable car, boot space is plenty enough for me (can fit buggy + travel cot + bits and bobs in).

One of my reasons for choosing the Golf was that it performed better than most comparable cars in the crash tests (when I was looking, about 4 years ago now) (boring, I know).

Have you test driven any yet?

Bubbly - decided to bit a bit frivilous this time. We only have one 1 DD (11 months) so don't really need a big car. We instead got a new Audi A4 Cabriolet. Fast, powerful, looks great, leather seats, CD player, even a cool box in the glove compartment!!! We got it on the 1st March after a 7 month wait! It is absolutely fantastic and this weather has meant we have been able to have the roof down so much. DD loves it too!

We can still fit the ATP in the boot and a bag or two. It is easier if we take the back wheels off - only a 2 second job as it has quick release wheels (ATP, not car!). If the roof is up then the book can be made bigger to the size of a normal saloon.

Well, that it - as you can tell the new car is still a novelty!

Claire
Think those Audi A4 cabriolets are yummy - and the ideal compromise between family car and a bit of fun. Have to repeat what I said about the PT cruiser - they are good fun and plenty of boot space. Also very comfy to ride in the back and a bit different. Although the Golf is a great car, everyone seems to have one - at least they seem to in London!

If you can overcome the badge, Skodas are basically VW rebadged and about 30% cheaper. Can't remember which model equates to a Golf. We've got a Subaru Impreza Sport wagon which I adore, you don't have to slow down for bends!

Claireandrich - ooohh green with envy, sounds yummy. Hold on to your hats and get out the factor 30!!!

I've got a Seat Leon, which has a lot of common components to the Golf (Seat is owned by VW), but works out quite a lot cheaper, and so far (I've only had it a couple of months) have been really pleased with it. From the research we did before we bought it they seem to hold their value quite well and have a good reliability record too.

The Whatcar site has a feature where you can compare several cars side by side.

Excellent news Katherine. Hope you enjoy it!