7 Seater Options - leaning towards the Picasso

Dades

Bottom line is I want to spend circa 14K on a seven seater. I've looked at all the options and narrowed down my choices to the above.

Having been burned in the past by buying with relatively high mileage I'm looking to avoid that pitfall again. I also want annual tax - and sundries such as tyres to be as cost efficient as possible.

Out of the above, the Citroen seems to offer the best spec/year/mileage for the budget. You can also get it as an auto (albeit the EGS version) which I have a huge preference for. Have test drove one and found the EGS to be fine and not as bad as some reports. It's mainly for Mrs Dades and suburbia.

I guess I'm looking to know if people think I'm better off with another car with lower spec and higher mileage than the Citroen, or have any thoughts on it in general.

Thanks!

Edited to add: I need to fit three full car seats across the back, so I've ruled out options such as the C-Max, Quashqui, etc.

bazz26

The VW Touran DSG would probably be a better bet but they are less common and cost a lot more to buy.

Dades

Yeah, for my budget I'd be looking at 2008 and probably higher mileage. Would need very compelling other reasons to be a runner.

As well as that it's a somewhat soul-less looking car - and I'm trading in a VW Passat that has proven to me that VW reliability is a myth. :pac:

stimpson

Dades wrote: »

Yeah, for my budget I'd be looking at 2008 and probably higher mileage. Would need very compelling other reasons to be a runner.

As well as that it's a somewhat soul-less looking car - and I'm trading in a VW Passat that has proven to me that VW reliability is a myth. :pac:

I'd say the Citroen would be worse TBH:
http://www.reliabilityindex.com/reliability/search/70

For reliability you want to buy Japanese or Korean nowadays.

Have you considered a Verso? You should be able to pick up a new shape for your money. 3 full seats across the back and plenty of legroom front and back. You can squeeze an adult into the rear seats for short trips too. I've had one for 2 1/2 years and it's been faultless.

Dades

Unfortunately, the cheapest Verso on Carzone is circa €500 over budget. For this it's a 2009, 2-owner car with 84,000 miles.

Is it worth the extra cash for a year older Toyota with twice the mileage? I bought a VW with higher mileage and it burned my ass!

The_Pretender

Have you thought about a Ford Galaxy?

My mam has a 2007 Ghia, still going grand at 205,000km

Big C

Hi, had the c4's for years, excellent car, never had a problem, loved them

Dades

Same story with the Galaxy as the S-Max, really. Would have to go for an older car with bigger mileage. Would need to be convinced that this is a better use of 14k.

Also, tax on a 2L galaxy is €660, versus €280 for a Picasso or similar newer 1.6 diesel. I've also heard tyres are very pricey! There's a lot of factors at play, here!

stimpson

Dades wrote: »

Unfortunately, the cheapest Verso on Carzone is circa €500 over budget. For this it's a 2009, 2-owner car with 84,000 miles.

Is it worth the extra cash for a year older Toyota with twice the mileage? I bought a VW with higher mileage and it burned my ass!

84K wouldn't be mad miles for a 5 year old car - esp. diesel, but you could soon be landed with a DMF or similar at those miles and that would obviously be a problem. Looks a little pricey too tbh - mine has 45,000 km's and I was looking at €21000 for a trade in.

Hard to make a recommendation on that over a C4 with half the miles.

Dades

I do agree diesels can get big mileage out of them but you will have to foot the bills along the way to keep them running. The DMF is a good example of a common big bill. I footed it in 2012 and it's not one I hope to see again any time soon!

Another thing with familywagons is the mileage is likely to be harder mileage. Lots of short trips on a cold engine rather than motorway miles.

Thanks for all the replies.

MAJJ

Dades wrote: »

Another thing with familywagons is the mileage is likely to be harder mileage. Lots of short trips on a cold engine rather than motorway miles.

.

Hi Dades, do you need a diesel? Not sure of your annual mileage but that activity as you indicate is not good for a diesel engine. I own a 08 Touran 1.9 TDI and also test drove the same with a 1.4TSI petrol engine and was very surprised with how nippy the TSI was.

Dades

Thanks MAJJ,

It's not that I need diesel, but once I set the more important criteria in my search, e.g. price, year, body type, auto - I'm not left with anything petrol I'd be interested in.

I haven't consciously excluded them, there's just a lot more diesel cars in that corner of the market.

jcon1913

Dades wrote: »

Bottom line is I want to spend circa 14K on a seven seater. I've looked at all the options and narrowed down my choices to the above.

Having been burned in the past by buying with relatively high mileage I'm looking to avoid that pitfall again. I also want annual tax - and sundries such as tyres to be as cost efficient as possible.

Out of the above, the Citroen seems to offer the best spec/year/mileage for the budget. You can also get it as an auto (albeit the EGS version) which I have a huge preference for. Have test drove one and found the EGS to be fine and not as bad as some reports. It's mainly for Mrs Dades and suburbia.

I guess I'm looking to know if people think I'm better off with another car with lower spec and higher mileage than the Citroen, or have any thoughts on it in general.

Thanks!

Edited to add: I need to fit three full car seats across the back, so I've ruled out options such as the C-Max, Quashqui, etc.

Have you looked at the Zafira? We're on our second one now, good build quality, a bit heavy on juice by not exceptionally heavy. It's like a small van once all the seats are down ( bigger and higer that the Touran too) and loads of 1.6 petrols available. you'd have to go for the 1.9/2.0 engine to get a diesel. Not many autos on the market last time I looked.

Any picassos I have seen tend to get a bit tatty as bits start to fall off them in later years :):)

ted1

Wife has a grand Megane/ grand scenic.

Fits three car seats in the middle, 2 foldaway seats it the back fit older kids and give a huge boot that takes buggies bikes Etc.

Full of features, all in all its not a bad car.

irishgoldberg

The wife has a 5008, lovely to drive, fits 3 kids seats in the back no problem and we find it great for fuel efficiency. Would highly recommend one!

Dades

The Zafira's back seat I don't think is any bigger than my current wagon. I need a full three-seater - ideally with Isofix. Also, the main issue with both the Opel and the Renault is there are no autos. I really want an auto... I have a vintage plaything for chucking around the place - I don't feel the need to be in full control of the family barge. I find our continued loyalty to the manual shift bizarre.

Regarding the Peugeot, for my budget I'll be looking at entry level spec which I don't really want to be looking at for the next 5-10 years... and maybe higher mileage to boot. One of my mates loves his one to be fair. On the flip side I know people who would take me out and beat me if I bought a Renault.

Dades

Okay, so I just paid a deposit today on a 2010 Picasso.

Appreciate the responses.... fingers crossed. Will be sure to share any
experiences with any future potential purchasers.

Got a short-term offer this morning on my old Passat from a Cash for Cars crowd which I'm snapping up. Not much market for 2006 cars with a quarter of a million kilometers on them!

stimpson

Welcome to middle age!

How much did you get for the Passat?

bbam

Dades wrote: »

Okay, so I just paid a deposit today on a 2010 Picasso.

Appreciate the responses.... fingers crossed. Will be sure to share any
experiences with any future potential purchasers.

Got a short-term offer this morning on my old Passat from a Cash for Cars crowd which I'm snapping up. Not much market for 2006 cars with a quarter of a million kilometers on them!

well done..
We have a Grand Picasso with manual box for maybe 4 years now and its been great... Health to wear!!

Dades

stimpson wrote: »

Welcome to middle age!

How much did you get for the Passat?

Not much. It's somewhat beat up looking, tbh. Big mileage, a light on the dash amongst other things.

I had some dealers give phone quotes but the one dealer who saw it figured it would be hard to shift. Now, because I'm getting cash for it I can avail if the cash prices you see - in this case a grand less than cash+trade in. Swings and roundabouts.

And I'd rather eat my own leg than sell a car with issues privately.

stimpson

Dades wrote: »

Not much. It's somewhat beat up looking, tbh. Big mileage, a light on the dash amongst other things.

I had some dealers give phone quotes but the one dealer who saw it figured it would be hard to shift. Now, because I'm getting cash for it I can avail if the cash prices you see - in this case a grand less than cash+trade in. Swings and roundabouts.

And I'd rather eat my own leg than sell a car with issues privately.

I'm just curious about how low the cash for cars types go.

You can't beat cash when you're going to buy.

Dades

stimpson wrote: »

I'm just curious about how low the cash for cars types go.

I'll drop you a PM. I don't want a host of replies saying "Madness. I would have offered you 10 grand!"

stimpson wrote: »

You can't beat cash when you're going to buy.

So I've discovered. The dealer prices you see on carzone are mostly cash prices. In my price range they seem to add a grand to that price if they have to shift your old jammer for you. Can't say I blame them - it's a pain in the arse.

bbam wrote: »

well done..
We have a Grand Picasso with manual box for maybe 4 years now and its been great... Health to wear!!

Thanks, bbam. I'm getting a full 12 month warranty from the dealer who deal mainly in Citroens. Will be double-checking for any knocks in 11 months time...

Hello Lady!

Dades wrote: »

I'll drop you a PM. I don't want a host of replies saying "Madness. I would have offered you 10 grand!"

So I've discovered. The dealer prices you see on carzone are mostly cash prices. In my price range they seem to add a grand to that price if they have to shift your old jammer for you. Can't say I blame them - it's a pain in the arse.

Thanks, bbam. I'm getting a full 12 month warranty from the dealer who deal mainly in Citroens. Will be double-checking for any knocks in 11 months time...

Dades can you PM me the name of the dealer? We're off people carrier shopping tomorrow! With twins even our volvo estate wasn't big enough!