Second Car

The_Honeybadger

Missus is learning to drive at the moment, and I plan to get a second car in the next month or so, this will be used for the school run and shopping trips, as well as the odd 300km round trip to visit parents. I have a fairly specific set of criteria, needs to be

• Petrol (will be doing less than 10k p.a., school run etc)
• Needs to be able to take one child seat and 2 x booster seats across the back)
• Less than € 5,000 (could go higher if needs be)

Through my own research I reckon a 04-05 Focus C-Max or Megane Scenic would tick all the boxes above, as well as a Picasso but I hate the look of those. Does anybody know if the Focus or Megane have any major faults I need to look out for, also I am open to other suggestions on the model of car, it's just there seems to be alot of those Fords and Renaults about. Reliability and practicality are my main concerns, power for overtaking etc is not a necessity as it will be mainly urban driving. All thoughts appreciated.

Nissan doctor

mickeyk wrote: »

Missus is learning to drive at the moment, and I plan to get a second car in the next month or so, this will be used for the school run and shopping trips, as well as the odd 300km round trip to visit parents. I have a fairly specific set of criteria, needs to be

• Petrol (will be doing less than 10k p.a., school run etc)
• Needs to be able to take one child seat and 2 x booster seats across the back)
• Less than € 5,000 (could go higher if needs be)

Through my own research I reckon a 04-05 Focus C-Max or Megane Scenic would tick all the boxes above, as well as a Picasso but I hate the look of those. Does anybody know if the Focus or Megane have any major faults I need to look out for, also I am open to other suggestions on the model of car, it's just there seems to be alot of those Fords and Renaults about. Reliability and practicality are my main concerns, power for overtaking etc is not a necessity as it will be mainly urban driving. All thoughts appreciated.

Do a quick search for megane problems and get the popcorn out.

The focus can have alternator/charging problems and power steering pipes can fail and thats about the bulk of the major issues.

The_Honeybadger

Nissan doctor wrote: »

Do a quick search for megane problems and get the popcorn out.

LMFAO!!

You'd recommend the C-Max then? I'm lucky to have a fantastic Indie mechanic so unless there are major issues with the car I'm buying I'm not too worried. Cheers.

colm_mcm

honda FR-V would do the trick too whilst being very reliable.

Nissan doctor

mickeyk wrote: »

LMFAO!!

You'd recommend the C-Max then? I'm lucky to have a fantastic Indie mechanic so unless there are major issues with the car I'm buying I'm not too worried. Cheers.

Reliability wise, out of those two, then yes, it'd be the c-max without hesitation.

However, looking at your criteria, I don't see why you'd need either.

They are both a bit taller then the standard versions they are based on....and thats it. You don't need head room for small children so I see no reason not to be looking at a standard megane or focus....or many of the other alternatives.

If you do like that type of vehicle,then I think the Honda stream is one of the best looking and will be very reliable.
Like this....loads of extras,
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2837177

The_Honeybadger

colm_mcm wrote: »

honda FR-V would do the trick too whilst being very reliable.

Quick search on the interweb shows none in my pricerange but a definate consideration, looks like a lovely car. Don't see many of them on the roads tbh, would definately be interested if I could get one at around 5k, thanks.

colm_mcm

Wow, they're really holding their money :-(

The_Honeybadger

Nissan doctor wrote: »

Reliability wise, out of those two, then yes, it'd be the c-max without hesitation.

However, looking at your criteria, I don't see why you'd need either.

They are both a bit taller then the standard versions they are based on....and thats it. You don't need head room for small children so I see no reason not to be looking at a standard megane or focus....or many of the other alternatives.

Need to get three child seats in the back, you can't do this in a standard Focus, the C-Max has three individual seats in the back rather than the two in the standard Focus. Obviously I will need to measure things up first agains the seats I have. If we only had two kids I would be looking ar a standard car.

Nissan doctor

mickeyk wrote: »

Need to get three child seats in the back, you can't do this in a standard Focus, the C-Max has three individual seats in the back rather than the two in the standard Focus. Obviously I will need to measure things up first agains the seats I have. If we only had two kids I would be looking ar a standard car.

Fair enough, I though it was 1 child seat and two boosters.

Dilbert75

C-max only has 2 1/2 seats across the back (as does Scenic I believe) - the middle one's very narrow. There are relatively few cars in that range which have 3 full back seats.

I once shared your opinion on the Xsara Picasso's appearance but its amazing how you get used to it. We've had ours for just 7 years now and its been great - easy to drive, cheap to run. My problem will be replacing it when the time comes - my Mrs loves driving it (she learned in a Fiesta before that). The headroom in these tall cars is great if you have to lift kids in and out too - saves your back no end. Bear that in mind when you're considering "standard" cars.

ninty9er

Ugly as a millennium is long, but fits the bill
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Fiat/Multipla/1.6-ELX-/200909191940460/advert?channel=CARS

The_Honeybadger

Nissan doctor wrote: »

Fair enough, I though it was 1 child seat and two boosters.

Sorry it is one child seat and two fullback boosters, they won't go into my current car (Lancer) as its not wide enough, so I assumed they won't go into a standard Focus comfortably either. Thank you for your help btw.

The_Honeybadger

Double Post

The_Honeybadger

Dilbert75 wrote: »

C-max only has 2 1/2 seats across the back (as does Scenic I believe) - the middle one's very narrow. There are relatively few cars in that range which have 3 full back seats.

I once shared your opinion on the Xsara Picasso's appearance but its amazing how you get used to it. We've had ours for just 7 years now and its been great - easy to drive, cheap to run. My problem will be replacing it when the time comes - my Mrs loves driving it (she learned in a Fiesta before that). The headroom in these tall cars is great if you have to lift kids in and out too - saves your back no end. Bear that in mind when you're considering "standard" cars.

Will try the C-Max and if it doesn't fit I will have to consider the Picasso, it ain't that bad, and it is my wife who will be driving it, she's not that worried about how it looks, nor am I really. Is it the 1.6 petrol version you have?

ninty9er wrote: »

Ugly as a millennium is long, but fits the bill
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Fiat/Multipla/1.6-ELX-/200909191940460/advert?channel=CARS

Practical is definately the word! My god that is one ugly car.

Dilbert75

ninty9er wrote: »

Ugly as a millennium is long, but fits the bill
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Fiat/Multipla/1.6-ELX-/200909191940460/advert?channel=CARS

That's what I wanted (in JTD) before I got my Picasso...

mickeyk wrote: »

Is it the 1.6 petrol version you have?

It is - not a car you buy for power but its adequate for us to drive around town and on long journies fully loaded. Averages around 35mpg roughly.

bazz26

Mazda 5:
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=201149205941966

The_Honeybadger

bazz26 wrote: »

Mazda 5:
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=201149205941966

Being a new L driver my wife might struggle to maneuvre such a big machine around in terms of parking etc, she will be driving this new car 99% of the time. My hope was that I could find a smaller car for her to learn in and move to something like the above at a later date. Nice car though for sure, I actually love the mazda 6 and will probably get one when I decide to change the main car.

bazz26

mickeyk wrote: »

Being a new L driver my wife might struggle to maneuvre such a big machine around in terms of parking etc, she will be driving this new car 99% of the time. My hope was that I could find a smaller car for her to learn in and move to something like the above at a later date. Nice car though for sure, I actually love the mazda 6 and will probably get one when I decide to change the main car.

A Mazda 5 is not that much bigger than a C-Max, Scenic or Picasso. You could always get aftermarket parking sensors fitted if needed.

commited

Have a look at the Honda Jazz. We've had one in the family for years and it's been superb, incredibly cheap to run and reliable. The 1.4 is the engine to go for, it's more powerful and economical (in real world) than the 1.2. I've got 60+MPG on a run out of each engine though. I'm not sure about the child seat + 2 booster seats that you've specified, I'd be quietly confident that it's possible though!