7 seater question

Snowbie

Okay we need a 7 seater soon,herself is dead set on a Chrysler Grand Voyager defo not new as the price tag is out of my reach but a decent low 2000s with low mileage.Its the boot space id agree with herself for.Anyone ever driven one of these lads and had/heard bad reports.Is there anything that is dodgy bout this MPV that i should know about as it will be probably be a 5 or 6 year old one i be going for.

Cheers.

bazz26

Snowbie wrote:

Okay we need a 7 seater soon,herself is dead set on a Chrysler Grand Voyager defo not new as the price tag is out of my reach but a decent low 2000s with low mileage.Its the boot space id agree with herself for.Anyone ever driven one of these lads and had/heard bad reports.Is there anything that is dodgy bout this MPV that i should know about as it will be probably be a 5 or 6 year old one i be going for.

Cheers.

Haven't driven one but have heard that the petrol versions are thirsty, the rare diesel is unrefined and the build quality is pretty poor compared to European and Japanese rivals. Also check out the cost of servicing and spare parts on the Voyager. Unless you are getting one dirt cheap I would avoid.

I would opt for something like an early 2000s Ford Galaxy/VW Sharan/Seat Alhambra, Renault Espace or even Toyota Previa.

Snowbie

Very thirsty i heard,wont be a lot of long distance drivin though.
Thanks for the extra options.

ninty9er

Also I believe the pre face lift version had something like a 1 star NCAP, might be wrong, but generally someone who needs a people carrier is looking for a bit more than that, the newer post 02/03 are safer IIRC

paulmallon

a friend of mine has a grand voyager,plenty of room and comfort. also ypu can get right into them to do up th weeuns seat belts. but they are sore on the juice and expensive to service. I have a zafira ,not as roomy but a lot cheaper to run. We went on hols with the zafira this last 2 years .Bought a roof box so plenty of storage room plus myself ,my wife and 3 children.
my friend had to buy a roof box for his voyager anyway.
the 2 back seats in the zafira are a great system. They can simply fold away so you have them with you all the time. Most other 7 seaters you have to take the extra seat out completely ,which is a pain if you want to carry an extra passenger for part of the journey. I still think overall the zafira is best.

CJhaughey

BIL ran one as a Hackney and I talked to him about it.
Spares are mad money and usually no spurious stuff available, wheel bearing= €400 and it had a special housing that couldn't be removed.
Heater control switch = electronic €350
Wiper motor control = electronic can't remember the price but not cheap
I wouldn't buy one in a fit.

loyatemu

Voyager got very bad publicity a few years back over poor occupant safety
http://www.euroncap.com/content/safety_ratings/details.php?id1=5&id2=56

may have changed since then but it doesn't look like NCAP have looked at it again.

Max_Damage

Get a Jap import Toyota Estima/Lucida. They're reliable and they're everywhere these days.

Snowbie

Cheers lads for the feedback.
Ive forgot to mention i have 3 children and one on the way,that is probably why the grand voyager might suit.It be the shopping end of things she be doing with buggies and stuff.Not really worried about the juice as it be used for local drivin.
RE:Zafira,could this manage with the above, herself and 4 children,shopping and buggies and the kitchen sink thrown in.

Tryin to keep it less complicated for herself for moving seats and taken them out etc etc:rolleyes:

sk8board

Father in Law had a 2.7 diesel. Great power, but only 5 gears, so tended to be loud at motorway speed.
regarding space, theres mountains of seat space, but very little luggage space. don't think for a second that you'll fit 6 people (2 adults + 4 kids), and luggage for all (or even half) of them.
Also, access to the rear seat (for 3 people) is tight, especially if you put the baby seat there. Otherwise you can use the middle 2 seats, which are actually individual 'arm-chair' type seats. You can see why they use these in the chuffeur-drive business. VERY confortable place to be for 2 adults.

Metallic Black with tinted windows and Power doors. Looks great, and was as big as the titanic (for your 4 kids), but as mentioned, the spares and maintenance were a dog, and to be honest when he did eventually try to sell it (a 2003 model) there were no takers, even though it was a minter. its kinda like an S-class merc - no-one wants a 2nd hand one! The guys that can afford it buy a new one.
Why not try find a 2nd hand XC90? (just a thought).

andyeire

Max_Damage wrote:

Get a Jap import Toyota Estima/Lucida. They're reliable and they're everywhere these days.

I had one of these for three years i did 2 cyclinder heads in the three years .
Cooling system is unreliable check out the toyota estima owners club,google it.

The space in them is great but i would not get one again

oulu

Opel zafira 1.6-2tr have the 106 does the job

bmoregan

Hi Snowbie,

I have 4 kids; ages 12, 9, 6 and 1. Our Zafira (3rd one in a row) has always been big enough for trips to Tesco, kids activites and longer trips up and down the country with one seat up in the boot. Over the years we've dumped the 'super-transformer-buggies' and other paraphenalia so half a boot is enough for the whole family.

One aside : I've never been too happy with what would happen in a crash if the luggage fell on the kid in the boot but to be honest *none* of the mid-size MPVs (Zafira, Grand Scenic etc) solve this issue for a family with 4 kids packed for a holiday (Multipla doesn't count as you have virtually no boot with 6 seats in use).

With the 12-year old now almost a big as her Mum the next car will be a full-size MPV (Espace, Galaxy, maybe the new Kia Carnival).

I have no particular affinity for Opel or the Zafira, but it was the best designed car for a family of 4 kids for several years. If you can get a clean one it will do the job. The only competition in the price-range really is the Trajet, or as someone suggested, an import. -the Emina (i.e. Estima) worked well for a mate of mine with 4 kids.

overdriver

Do yourself a favour and don't buy one.

A user here ( upforanything) is trying to get a steering rack and is being quoted the cost of the US space programme for one.

Buy an Avensis Verso, or Emina instead.

Seth Brundle

ninty9er wrote:

Also I believe the pre face lift version had something like a 1 star NCAP, might be wrong, but generally someone who needs a people carrier is looking for a bit more than that, the newer post 02/03 are safer IIRC

http://www.euroncap.com/content/safety_ratings/ratings.php?id1=5
two stars. It stands out as being one of the worst there.
get anything but the voyager IMO!
IIRC their cars were no better!

peasant

What about a VW Caravellle ( The transporter with seats and windows) ?

A bit hard to find at a reasonable price, but good room for everything AND the kitchen sink, while still not too big dimensionwise.

Here's one with really good pictures:D
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carid=535274

here' a dearer one:
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carid=564656

and in this LWB one, there's so much room you can get two St. Bernards as well
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carid=456161

DonJose

I normally wouldn't touch a french car but the new Citroën C4 Picasso is grabbing my attention.

WhatCar.co.uk give it 4 out of 5 stars. It has a 5 star crash rating and the staring price is just €27,300.

http://www.whatcar.co.uk/car-review-summary.aspx?NEW_USED=1&MA_TYPE=1&MA=8&RT=894&Submit1=GO

colm_mcm

feel the depreciation.......

DonJose

colm_mcm wrote:

feel the depreciation.......

What 7 seater would you suggest? VW Sharans are crap, I had one abroad and had nothing but problems. Whatcar.co.uk were generous giving them 3 stars.

colm_mcm

I'd suggest Corolla Verso (for various reasons) if you're looking for a small one. the resale value on them is ridiculous.

ninty9er

Can the budget stretch to one of these. AFAIK it's the ONLY one in it's size range that isn't a vanconversion

Click Here

galwaytt

'sfunny, we were looking at a Chrysler Voyager yesterday........68k?? :eek: , and, as my wife pointed out - use the back seats and you have NO boot. And the rear seat being a bench one, you're not going to be dumping it out easy, either..........

If you can live with the fuel bill, the Previa etc is the one to go for in that class, otherwise you're looking at Zafira. And, as I only found out yesterday, the Avensis Verso is disontinued, and used ones hold their value well. Too bloody well, actually.

Hold on - how about a Mazda??

colm_mcm

Mazda5 same story as Verso, no boot if all 7 seats up.

turtle24

7 seater diesel kia sedona 03 56000 miles spotless 9,500 if interested

Guy:Incognito

Jesus thats some shovel you've got.

In before lock.

colm_mcm

The kids have left home at this stage....

Esel

Did I just see a lesser-spotted turtleneck?