people carriers?
 

anyone got a people carrier/7 seater that they would recommend? baby number 3 will be here in a matter of weeks and we need a bigger car than a saxo lol

has to be a diesel apparently :s

Re: people carriers?
 

be wary of the "it must be diesel" mentality, unless you do a lot of miles >20K a year its often not worth buying diesels.

They usually cost more to buy, the fuel is dearer and they now have some VERY expensive parts that can go wrong ( injectors for modern diesels are hugely expensive, Dual Mass Flywheels ditto )

Re: people carriers?
 

Ford Galaxy, newer models have 2 rear seats (making 7) which are folded flat into the floor in the boot giving you a standard of 5 seats & plenty of boot room. The older models have individual seats which you can lift out & reconfigure to suit your needs. I believe the VW Sharan & the Seat Alhambra are all along the same chassis & design just different company spec.

Dependent on mileage I think you'll be looking at service intervals roughly every 10,000 mile & round about 40,000 mile a major service (replacing timing belt) which gets pricey.(all these are estimates as over here it's all in Kms, we have a 2002 model Galaxy & it's still running well enough) I believe they may well have increased the mileage between services in newer models, but speak to the salesmen/mechanics for a better insight.

Ours is a Diesel 1.9 & with a 60 ltr tank we're getting about 900-1000 km per filling approx 560-620 mile, again speak to the reps/mechanics for a better idea & take into account the servicing into your overall price when you think about outlay. hope this helps you Ema, like I say I can only give you info about the Ford as we've had it for the last 6 years.

Re: people carriers?
 

I got rid of the galaxy because with all the seats up, there is very little room behind the rear seats, and the middle seats are triple across, so you have to go behind them to get into the back 2 seats, I have the chrysler grand voyager, triple seat at the back, with room between the middle seats to get to the back, loads of room behind the rear seats, for the record, I have had the discovery, the mitsubishi and the standard voyager, none come close to the grand voyager all round.

Re: people carriers?
 

Incidentally are you looking for new or used ?

Re: people carriers?
 

Hi Emamum.

I too am in the market for a seven seater - am a childminder and mum to 3. Been scouring the second hand market and showrooms for at least six months - even got a post on here.

At present I LOVE my Fiat Multipla 2002 (which is a six seater, and for sale ;)). But needs must.

As said above, think practically. I have had to reject most of the uptodate seven seaters, including the Fiat Doblo Family which I wanted) because of BOOT SPACE. If you can't fit a double pram, a nappy bag and a picnic in, let alone a week's worth of shopping, then it's not gonna suit a large family.

Also, we had a Renault Espace for three years and you could not pay me to have another one. Yes, the seats came out and was very practical but the engine was useless. The amounts of faults and difficulties that cost a lot to repair (being as how we too thought diesel was cheaper) were not worth the hassel. The highlight of it being tempremental in the rain!!! In bad weather, car refused to start! Funny now but not when you have it loaded with six kids and one stressed out mummy at the seaside!

If you find anything out, please share it here. Loving Derekgas recommendation for the Chrysler. Will definitely look into that one. x

Re: people carriers?
 

Guy I work with has a 7 seater Seat Alhambara TDi150, no idea what they are like but he's always raving about it....

;)

Re: people carriers?
 

we have a zafira not a huge car but can have a big inside lol all the seats either fold down an push forward to give a van like look (plenty of room for trips to the skip) or you can just have the 3 seat set behind you and the rear 2 folded down boot space or you can have 6 seats up and one seat down extra passenger and a bit of boot or all 7 up and a compact boot space (but i still fit my loola behind the rear seats!).

We had the mg before which is a family car big boot (omg i love that car and wish i didnt have to get rid!) and the tax and insurance were both a little more on the 7 seater than on the mg.

Hope this helps.xx

Re: people carriers?
 

my sister has a Zafira as her second car, brilliant cars with loads of space, so much space in them that she once moved a set of bunk beds (single at the top and double at the bottom) in it....with mattresses, i'd definately recommend them for space

Re: people carriers?
 

Before you buy, it might be worth a look at this.
Search results | Euro NCAP - For safer cars crash test safety rating

Have you considered a 7 seat Volvo V70? unbelievably safe and comfy.5 star on Ncap.:mosher:

I have no idea how much you want to spend, but try to avoid anything that gets less than 3 stars. Best of luck

Re: people carriers?
 

Are the back seats only for kids though? The rear face as well