Car recommendations please?

HeartOfTheCity

Hey all. Looking to buy a 'future proofed' car (read as : kids imminent) with a bit of extra space (SUV/estate, possibly), in the region of about €16/17k. So looking for suggestions of something that is spacious, decent safety record but still also not a pain in the arse to drive.

The Hyundai ix35 keeps cropping up - does anyone have any feedback?

Shefwedfan

Need to be careful with space and crossover. I bought Qashqai the year before we had our first, kept for 4 years and we had 2 kids. it was a squeeze with 2 kids in it. Putting a Double pram into boot and it was full. Majority of times this was ok but if going away etc then it was a struggle.

Now it done everything we wanted and bar the dodgy Nissan battery syndrome we never had a days problem. SO can't complain.The ix35 was in the list of alternatives and it was nice.

The main question if you are trying to future proof would be more about your driving style, do you need a diesel or not? what type of driving are you doing? most of these vehicles is loads of short trips.

colm_mcm

With your budget I’d say the Tucson which has replaced the ix35 would probably be in budget. Kia Sportage is the same basic think and also worth a look.

These will easily accommodate 2 kids. As above SUVs don’t have the practicality of an MPV but give a high loading height for kids in child seats which is handy.

Dia_Anseo

Have you considered the underrated Renault Scenic?
More practical than an "SUV" and the scenic is a very good looking car. I don't understand why theres so few on the road.

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/renault-scenic-dynamique-nav-1-5-dci-110bhp-price/19982585

Shefwedfan

colm_mcm wrote: »

With your budget I’d say the Tucson which has replaced the ix35 would probably be in budget. Kia Sportage is the same basic think and also worth a look.

These will easily accommodate 2 kids. As above SUVs don’t have the practicality of an MPV but give a high loading height for kids in child seats which is handy.

I agree. The crossover are great for getting the kids in and out of, especially the smaller ones. I miss it now I have moved back to a car.

jethrothe2nd

Unless you have a dodgy back and need the height of a crossover for ease of getting kids in and out, I'd personally go for an estate all day long. Purely from a space perspective. In a lot of crossovers once you have the buggy in, you'd be hard pushed to get a couple of bags of shopping in. Once the kids are a bit older, it's also handy for bring bikes down to the playground etc.

James Bond Junior

My sister in law has an ix35 and one child. It suits her fine but if she had a second it would be a way too small. They are little more than a hatchback on stilts.

An estate car would suit your needs much better such as a mondeo, Volvo V60, Hyundai i40 and so on.

Shefwedfan

James Bond Junior wrote: »

My sister in law has an ix35 and one child. It suits her fine but if she had a second it would be a way too small. They are little more than a hatchback on stilts.

An estate car would suit your needs much better such as a mondeo, Volvo V60, Hyundai i40 and so on.

Bit of an exaggeration now. Even with my Qashqai if I puchased a roof box then I would of had no problems with those family weekend away.



Rest of the time it was perfect, that was with Out n About in boot for kids, yes you lift the boot cover off itbut that is hardly a huge issue....


The problem with any car, estate or not is putting kids in & out. I hate it compared to that bit of height. I do agree the estate is great for space, but depends on OP requirements, they could have a lovely estate and 99% of the time never use the boot space

James Bond Junior

Shefwedfan wrote: »

Bit of an exaggeration now. Even with my Qashqai if I puchased a roof box then I would of had no problems with those family weekend away.



Rest of the time it was perfect, that was with Out n About in boot for kids, yes you lift the boot cover off itbut that is hardly a huge issue....


The problem with any car, estate or not is putting kids in & out. I hate it compared to that bit of height. I do agree the estate is great for space, but depends on OP requirements, they could have a lovely estate and 99% of the time never use the boot space

It's not an exaggeration, an ix35 is tight on space when buggies et al are in the boot. I speak from experience not opinion. It is fine with one child and you would manage with two children assuming you had a buggy and a stroller maybe but only as a runabout car. The qashqai may be roomier but you said yourself a roofbox is required for family trips. Does that not say that the car is too small when you have 2 kids or more?

Lantus

Shefwedfan wrote: »

Bit of an exaggeration now. Even with my Qashqai if I puchased a roof box then I would of had no problems with those family weekend away.

Or a trailer.....

Which is fine for trips when you have masses of kit like camping etc but shouldn't be needed for a typical weekend away.

Knowingly buying a small car that can't accommodate your weekend needs with the approach that a trailer or roof box solves them seems an odd compromise.

grogi

colm_mcm wrote: »

With your budget I’d say the Tucson which has replaced the ix35 would probably be in budget. Kia Sportage is the same basic think and also worth a look.

These will easily accommodate 2 kids. As above SUVs don’t have the practicality of an MPV but give a high loading height for kids in child seats which is handy.

I love my MPV: I don't need to fold the buggy chassis at all...

Shefwedfan

Lantus wrote: »

Or a trailer.....

Which is fine for trips when you have masses of kit like camping etc but shouldn't be needed for a typical weekend away.

Knowingly buying a small car that can't accommodate your weekend needs with the approach that a trailer or roof box solves them seems an odd compromise.

????????????


A family trip could be 1-2 weekends away a year. Buying a big car for 1-2 weekend a year is stupid, especially when paying additional fuel for a "just in case" situation

James Bond Junior

Shefwedfan wrote: »

????????????


A family trip could be 1-2 weekends away a year. Buying a big car for 1-2 weekend a year is stupid, especially when paying additional fuel for a "just in case" situation

As is buying a car that only almost suits your needs. Qashqai, ix35, tucson etc etc are hatchbacks on stilts in effect. A skoda octavia combi would be priced similarly but would offer far more practicality.

Shefwedfan

James Bond Junior wrote: »

As is buying a car that only almost suits your needs. Qashqai, ix35, tucson etc etc are hatchbacks on stilts in effect. A skoda octavia combi would be priced similarly but would offer far more practicality.

At the moment they OP has 0 kids.....


I was the one that mentioned after 2 kids it can be a little small....nothing that stopped us driving it around for 2 years, it was only swapped out as lease was up

As I mentioned it is pointless buying an estate if the OP only uses the boot 1-2 per year but has to put the kids in and out of it every day of the year.

Also fuel would be a bigger concern if they are looking to future proof. A double buggy will fit no problem into a ix35/Tucson etc.....I have had multiple double buggies and all have fitted into Qashqai and current Golf.

Lantus

Shefwedfan wrote: »

????????????


A family trip could be 1-2 weekends away a year. Buying a big car for 1-2 weekend a year is stupid, especially when paying additional fuel for a "just in case" situation

Could be 34 times a year so context is really important.

Shefwedfan

Lantus wrote: »

Could be 34 times a year so context is really important.

Hence why I posted

The problem with any car, estate or not is putting kids in & out. I hate it compared to that bit of height. I do agree the estate is great for space, but depends on OP requirements, they could have a lovely estate and 99% of the time never use the boot space

HeartOfTheCity

Cheers all. Yeah, family trips won't be all that frequent. The boot space and back seat space are the things that are concerning me the most.

Shefwedfan

HeartOfTheCity wrote: »

Cheers all. Yeah, family trips won't be all that frequent. The boot space and back seat space are the things that are concerning me the most.

Back seats in ix35/Qashqai etc will be the same as an estate.....


The boot space will be bigger in estate but you lose the height for putting kids in and out.


Alternative of course if go for Outlander which has a large boot and is SUV, it would depend on fuel as it is PHEV so lots of short distances would be perfect as you can run on battery. Need a house to install a home charger as well