What car? New mum and big dog!

sandford

I'm sure this type of question has been posted a million times, but was hoping to get some recommendations on what cars people would suggest.

Am about to have my first baby and need to purchase a new car (my own is old and can't accommodate a car seat). Ideally I would like to be able to fit both dog (large and hairy!) and buggy etc in the boot.

I do mostly back road driving to and from work and shorter motorway journeys (approx 30-45mins) so am thinking petrol would be better as I am not doing huge miles? Though am not sure if the rumours on diesels are true?

My budget is around the 10k mark

Any advice would be really appreciated as I feel like I am going around in circles!

bmwguy

You are looking at an estate or a SUV to do this. Any amount of them around really. For 10k you are looking at 07-08 or thereabouts. You won't find many petrols in what you are looking for so I think you will end up in a diesel. Your driving is ok for diesel anyway.

As for what type of car you can get, there are huge choices from so called premium choices like BMW 5 Series, Mercedes E class, Audi A6 to mainstream like Mondeo and Peugeot to SUVs like Santa Fe, Rav 4 etc. For the premiums you will have to settle for a year or 2 older for same money. Put estate and suv into the search filter along with your max budget and see what comes back.

So what's more important to you? A premium brand or a newer car? Would you prefer an estate or a Suv ? Also what type of dog do you have?

colm_mcm

I wouldn't rule out diesel.
a hyundai i30 or kia ceed estate would fit the bill. they're robust and plentiful.

Roger Mellie Man on the Telly

Audi A4 avant is a nice car

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/audi-a4-ava-1-8t-automatic-163hp/11591585

colm_mcm

multichronic though.

ba_barabus

colm_mcm wrote: »

I wouldn't rule out diesel.
a hyundai i30 or kia ceed estate would fit the bill. they're robust and plentiful.

Another plus 1 for those.

bazz26

Renault Megane or Laguna estate:

http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Renault/Megane/GRAND-MEGANE/200914532246199140/

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/2009-renault-laguna-2-0dci-privilege/11866595

Bravobabe

What car? New mum and big dog!
Congratulations Sandford - best wishes

You need to consider what type of car will suit you needs best.
Traditional saloon/estate type or SUV type.
Dog: you currently have the big dog, so you need a nice space for him/her to settle and relax in
Baby: Thinking ahead, you will need to accommodate a rear seat chair. SUV type cars tend to be higher - so less pressure on your back when securing baby in and out of the back seat.
All the cars above are good recommendations - on the SUVs boot size needs to be considered. Options include
Renault Grand Scenic
Citroen Picasso
Peugeot 3008 & 5008 and a few more
BUT YOU NEED TO SIT IN THEM to make sure your comfortable and they meet your needs (dogs & baby's also)
As advised by Colm McM - don't rule out the diesel from your search. If you find the perfect car and it's a diesel - then consider it.
(I recently have changed from petrol to my first diesel in 25 years - okay the car is a tad slower at pick-up, but got over that very quickly. Petrol costs were €50 per week and now Diesel is less than €30)
So you need to go to a local (fairly local) large used car dealer and try a few estates and a few SUVs. Think of the Dog in the back (room, comfort etc). Think of your back
See links for some advice/pointers
http://www.which.co.uk/cars/choosing-a-car/buying-a-car/family-car-buying-tips/

deandean

Volvo V60

Red Kev

VW Caddy Life.

Something like this: https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/volkswagen-caddy-life-life-1-9tdi/11428364

If you've a big dog, you want him to be able to stand up and turn around and to be able to sit up straight when you're driving. Most of the cars mentioned won't be able to do that, (believe me I know this ).

The Caddy also has the advantage that you can remove individual seats and it's big on the inside so you're not contorting yourself when trying to remove a seat with the baby in it (think of the size and weight of a sleeping baby in a seat when it's 24 months old).

Bravobabe

Red Kev wrote: »

VW Caddy Life.

Something like this: https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/volkswagen-caddy-life-life-1-9tdi/11428364

You should definitely consider these car/van type of vehicle.
They are very versatile:
Great for carrying furniture/big loads
Roomy (loads of space)
Fairly comfortable (good to drive)

However some people do not like the look of them - so its practicability over function

Several models available from Citroen, Peugeot, Fiat, Renault & others

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/citroen-berlingo-multispace-1-6hdi-multispace-vtr/11518234
https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/wheelchair-accessible-car/11945043