Car to suit carrying 3 small kids...

JoeA3

Hi guys,

sorry, a rather boring question, my sister is trying to replace her "ball of crap" Citroen Picasso with something fresher and hopefully a lot less troublesome.

She has 3 kids all under the age of 5. I'm not as familiar with this end of the market as others, so what options are out there that can comfortably seat 3 children / 3 child seats in the back? She's coming to me for advice and I don't know much about these wagons! I believe there aren't actually that many options, are we limited to...

Picasso (she doesn't want another!)
Ford Grand C-Max / S-Max
VW Touran?
Kia Carens?

Anything else worth considering? Her budget, as is often the case, is not big.

cheers.

Zubeneschamali

JoeA3 wrote: »

Ford Grand C-Max / S-Max

C-Max does not have 3 proper seats in the 2nd row. With 3 kids and a dog, we ran an S-Max for 10 years, they are the business.


(Downsized to an Octavia last year not the eldest is in college).

NIMAN

Tell her to look out a Honda FRV. She won't regret it.

KaneToad

NIMAN wrote: »

Tell her to look out a Honda FRV. She won't regret it.

Although a great car they haven't been manufactured since around 2008. Hard to find, in good nick...

NIMAN

KaneToad wrote: »

Although a great car they haven't been manufactured since around 2008. Hard to find, in good nick...

2010 was last ones made. I sold a 2008 one last year in great nick.

And OP said budget was limited. So assuming they are looking something cheap.

JoeA3

NIMAN wrote: »

2010 was last ones made. I sold a 2008 one last year in great nick.

And OP said budget was limited. So assuming they are looking something cheap.

Not that cheap. Her current Picasso is a 131! But it looks and feels a lot older. Those Citroen's do not wear miles well.

Anyway, she did a bit of looking around yesterday, and other than in the main Citroen dealers, the other dealers weren't too keen on taking her car - or were offering miserable money for it.

A lot of the Citroen dealers have Kia and Peugeot too though, so at least that broadens her options.

The current Renault Grand Scenic looks decent too.... I was suggesting that maybe PCP on a new one is a possibility. What kills her with the current car is the endless expensive servicing and repairs. A new car with a long warranty would give her a lot of comfort. The tricky part is coming up with a reasonable deposit to put into a new one...

kerten

JoeA3 wrote: »

Not that cheap. Her current Picasso is a 131! But it looks and feels a lot older. Those Citroen's do not wear miles well.

Anyway, she did a bit of looking around yesterday, and other than in the main Citroen dealers, the other dealers weren't too keen on taking her car - or were offering miserable money for it.

A lot of the Citroen dealers have Kia and Peugeot too though, so at least that broadens her options.

The current Renault Grand Scenic looks decent too.... I was suggesting that maybe PCP on a new one is a possibility. What kills her with the current car is the endless expensive servicing and repairs. A new car with a long warranty would give her a lot of comfort. The tricky part is coming up with a reasonable deposit to put into a new one...

A used prius+ could be an option if he is after reliability.

MAJJ

Assume she is driving a diesel - is it being used mainly for frequent / short runs? I ask as you mention endless expensive servicing and repairs.

JoeA3

Yeah she lives in the countryside and is doing 20-25k a year so diesel is probably her best bet.

Pkiernan

S Max 2.0 Auto Titanium.

JoeA3

Anyone know anything about the last generation Pug 5008? She was enquiring specifically about this one earlier today. First thing I noticed was the auto box, which may be a good thing or a very bad thing? No idea what these autos are like...

https://m.carzone.ie/used-cars/Peugeot/5008-BlueHDI-120-EAT6-Stop---Start--Active/201811262758582

bazz26

Mechanically the 5008 is identical to the Citroen Grand Picasso. The automatic box on the smaller engined versions is pants, best avoided.

I'd have the Renault Grand Scenic over the Picasso/5008:
https://www.carsireland.ie/detail.php?ad_id=2159064&r=s.php%3Fm%3D72%26o%3D1133%26r%3D2016%26pp%3D50%26g%3D0

If she wants something painless to own then maybe have a look at something like this Toyota Verso:
https://www.carsireland.ie/detail.php?ad_id=2086319&r=s.php%3Fm%3D88%26o%3D2142%26pp%3D50%26g%3D0

digzy

Just on this.
I’ve 3 kids under 6. Was thinking of a 172 xtrail
Am I better off with the crossover or is the smax a better option?

Can you fit an isofix supported seat, a regular child seat and a booster across the ford?

Zubeneschamali

digzy wrote: »

Can you fit an isofix supported seat, a regular child seat and a booster across the ford?

Yes. You can fit any 3 seats you like. The 3 separate full size seats all slide independently which means you can stagger them to make getting at the seatbelt buckles easier.