Used 7 seater

positron

Looking to replace the petrol Honda FRV with a seven seater that's equally practical and a lot of newer. Budget is flexible 10-15k (a bit more if required), and we have been trawling the web about C4 Grand Picasso, 5008, S-Max etc, and the other-half seems to like Peugeot 5008 best of the lot (actually we would love to buy electric, but no BEV 7 seaters in the market yet).

The problem however, apart from the 5 minute school runs etc, the car will only get a long-ish trip of around 40km + 40km once every other week or so. This will be the only car in the household (I am on a motorbike). Based on all the discussions here, I am under the impression that I am better off with a petrol engine for that type of mileage, but used petrol seven seaters seems to be rarer than hens teeth! Just wondering what would happen if we were to run the most common 5008 (1.6 HDi), would the DPF clog up and the car die on us? Or is it just a case of getting poor mpg, more regular servicing?

Thanks!

bazz26

You are really going to do yourself no favours buying a diesel for that sort of usage or lack of. Have a look at the Toyota Prius+ 7 seater hybrid, should work out a lot better and more reliable than a diesel with that sort of usage. You might have to look to the UK on your budget though.

positron

I was afraid of that alright. While I liked the Hybrid part of the Prius Plus, it looks expensive for what it is, and yet not as practical as the other 7 seaters out there. Found this very review of Prius Plus focus on practical aspect of the car with child seats and it wasn't very good:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwv5q7FubHg

Thanks for the suggestion though, I have seen two or three 1.2l petrol C4 Grand Picassos / 5008s on Autotrader, but they are still super rare compared to diesel versions.

bazz26

Maybe have a look at the Mazda 5 petrol or Ford S-Max from the UK. The S-Max was available with the Ecoboost engines over there.

ectoraige

Prepare to wait if you want a petrol seven seater, the effects of 2008 tax changes are really pronounced in that market. If you're in a rush, you're probably better off importing from the UK, very little choice here.

Mooooo

Outlander hybrid from the uk

positron

Thanks for the suggestions. For a 7 seater to be really practical, it should have three proper seats in the middle row, IMO. A lot of cars seems to compromise in that regard, for example the Outlander, Prius Plus, Quashquai +2 and even the Mazda 5. Mazda 5 has other plus points like sliding doors and the middle row middle sear acting as a access way to third row etc.

I am happy to wait a number of weeks/months for the right car, but would a 1.2 turbo petrol be powerful enough to move a large 7 seated like 5008 or Grand Picasso?

colm_mcm

positron wrote: »

I was afraid of that alright. While I liked the Hybrid part of the Prius Plus, it looks expensive for what it is, and yet not as practical as the other 7 seaters out there. Found this very review of Prius Plus focus on practical aspect of the car with child seats and it wasn't very good:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwv5q7FubHg

Thanks for the suggestion though, I have seen two or three 1.2l petrol C4 Grand Picassos / 5008s on Autotrader, but they are still super rare compared to diesel versions.

What it is is a car with a cutting edge drivetrain that has an impeccable reliability record that is perfectly suited to what you need.
A few years ago an FR-V would been expensive for what it was too

cros13

positron wrote: »

actually we would love to buy electric, but no BEV 7 seaters in the market yet

The BEV eNV200 Evalia comes in a seven seater in the UK (can be harder to find as the first ones were all five seaters). It's a van conversion in the end though... drives very well.. but still a van. One or two of the Irish dealers might be able to get them new, if you PM me I can point you in the right direction.

The Outlander PHEV is great and in your price range from the UK due to a bunch coming off lease but the PHEV is only a 5 seater AFAIR.

There are more expensive plugins available with 7 seats...much more expensive... starting with the XC90. :rolleyes:

positron

Cheers colm_mcm, I can totally understand the reliability part and Prius have been around for a while and are very well built indeed. It's just the seats / space inside that's the main problem to the other half, who is going to be the main user of the car anyway - and she remains unconvinced. I will do bit more reading into Prius Plus.

EV200 - if Nissan had turned that into a bit more MPV like (a bit less commercial van like) that certaintly would have been a contender. It's also hard to live with that battery pack / range when that's the only car.

Expensive alternatives - XC90, Tesla S.. well may be in about 5 years time when they depreciate to my price range...

bazz26

What about a Zafira Tourer from the UK:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201703263698986?model=ZAFIRA%20TOURER&sort=price-asc&postcode=e95ab&onesearchad=Used&maximum-badge-engine-size=1.4&radius=1501&fuel-type=Petrol&advertising-location=at_cars&make=VAUXHALL&page=2

SmithySeller

Just an FYI. The Zafira Tourer according to the manufacturer manual and I double checked this with Opel Customer Care, quite amazingly cannot take a child seat in the middle seat of the second row for safety reasons. They would not elaborate on why other than state you should not put any type of child seat or high back booster here. I was going to pull the trigger on one, but after reading that and confirming it could not buy one in good conscience. Go figure!!