motability question

[elliejjtiny]

DS2 (aged nearly 5) has been awarded MRC HRM to be reviewed again in 2018. We've decided we want to get a car rather than the cash for the mobility part. With 4 children under 8, an action 3 wheelchair and a phil and teds sport buggy I'm assuming a vauxhall zafira is going to be our best option unless we want to pay extra. Is that right? I have to send DH on his own to look at cars as our current car can only fit 2 carseats in the back and ideally I'd want to look myself to see how much boot space we'd have left once we'd got all the children and the wheelchair and buggy in etc. I've looked at the motability website and searched for MPV's but most of them seem to be 5 seaters, the only 7 seater car I've seen is the zafira.

Is there any way that you can all go and look? Car and Taxi??

I think I would want to be trying all of the family, the wheelchair and buggy in the car to see how they actually fit. Maybe send DH to have an initial look and then once you have shortlisted something see if the garage will drive it round to your house for you to all to try?

We have a Zafira through Motability and you wouldn't be able to have all 7 seats up if you need space for a buggy and a wheelchair. Six seats up would give you space for all the wheeled things but not much more than that. I've not done three seats across the middle row but as long as you don't have massive seats for all of them it should work.

We also have a zafira, we can have 6 seats & have space for ds2 wheelchair but have to secure the whchair with the seat belt otherwise the person in the boot seat gets baded by wchair.
Tbh next time I really would try to find the extra money for something with a bigger boot & all seats up. Seem tonspend half my life sliding seats back & forth.

We've just looked at 7 seaters on motability and opted for the Citroen grande Picasso as the seating in the back seemed better and the 3 seats across the back were full size seats. I didn't pay too much attention to the boot space though, I'm afraid, but I don't recall it being any less than the other 7 seaters. There is a £400 deposit for it.

Thanks everyone. My dad reminded me that his zafira is an ex motability car and we have fitted 3 car seats across the back and got the wheelchair and buggy in the boot with one of the back seats up. DH has gone to the vauxhall garage to have a look and hopefully he'll be able to do a test drive past our house so I can have a good look at the boot. Our current car is a toyota aygo which can only just squeeze the buggy in the boot so we're used to putting stuff in the footwells etc. Hopefully by the time the childrens legs are too long for that we won't need the buggy anymore.

I have a Motability Ford Galaxy. Two mums at my son's special school also have Motability vehicles. Both of them have children using wheelchairs. It wasn't a problem to carry a child and put then in the car, but now they're both much bigger for their mums to carry into a carseat that they've both applied for WAVs. Peugeot Tepee as you can literally roll the child into the back of the van.
I have four kids too, and the boot space on the Galaxy is rubbish and I don't use a wheelchair or pushchair anymore. Spend the extra money.

Sally, the Galaxy has far more room inside than the Zafira. I hated the Zafira we got as a hire car when our Galaxy was being repaired.

Galena I used to own a Peugeot 807 which was much bigger than the new Galaxy. I missed it..... I've gotten used to the Galaxy but the 807 was roomier and it had fab remote sliding doors

:) Fair enough...

The zafira is really the smallest 7 seater going. The boot space with 7 seats up is tiny and the back two seats are only suitable for children. Given you have 4 DC and need space for a wheelchair I'd go for something bigger, galaxy upwards. I have a zafira, (now too big for me) but I only have 3 DC. The back to seats are really only for occasional use.

Two seats, arrghh.

I have a zafira and last year someone drove into the back whilst stationary at a roundabout. They were only creeping forward however the damage was frightening. It crumpled the boot and drivers rear wing i dread to think about the impact damage had they been going faster. I also had sons folded mac major in the back which embedded into middle seats. Now back seats are last resort and i use the boot cover when possible. If i could afford to replace i would.