Family bus suggestions

iwillhtfu

Hey folks,

Time to change the family wagon 4 kids budget ideally 18-20k year 2015 upwards. Considered going new but kids are growing so not really in the mood for being tied into finance/loans etc.

Searched a bit but older threads popping up.

So far her good self has looked at the following

Nissan xtrail -would be my choice as least bus like Citreon c4 grand picasso - seems decent but no personal experience Opel zafira - moving on from one of these and while we had no issue I just don't really like Opel. VW sharan - sliding door,bit bus like Ford S-max looks nice but have heard of issues with fly wheel Ford Galaxy - An absolute unit of a thing, too big according to her lovely self. Renault scenic - Been down that road before and to be honest it wasn't too bad except for the usual electrical gremlins Peugeot 5008 -Old style would only have me wishing I went for the newer model which looks very nice.

Were I buying new it would be between the kodiaq and the Seat 7 seater.

So just thought I'd throw it out there as I really could care less which she buys. It will mostly be used in the 5 seat configuration as both cars are regularly on the go with drop offs pick ups.

Another that just popped up was the Mitsubishi outlander, I'd lke the PHEV but only a 5 seat config unfortunately.

Any thoughts or guidance appreciated.

AMKC

BMW 2 series Tourer or Grand Tourer. No idea if you would get one for that price do it would probably be a lot more but very classy stylish car and being a BMW good to drive too.

colm_mcm

From that list I’d get the Sharan/Alhambra, or the X Trail, but it hasn’t nearly as much space.

AMKC

How about a Mazda 5,

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/mazda-5-d-sport-venture-edition-7-seats/26481308

iwillhtfu

AMKC wrote: »

How about a Mazda 5,

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/mazda-5-d-sport-venture-edition-7-seats/26481308

That's pretty nice to be fair but herself has an issue with the sliding door. I've seen one in operation and have visions of digits being removed. :eek:

iwillhtfu

AMKC wrote: »

BMW 2 series Tourer or Grand Tourer. No idea if you would get one for that price do it would probably be a lot more but very classy stylish car and being a BMW good to drive too.

I actually saw one of those today and was wondering if it was a mistake with 7 seater. It must be very cosy in there. It would be great if they got rid of the middle seat from the second row and made it a good 6 seater.

iwillhtfu

colm_mcm wrote: »

From that list I’d get the Sharan/Alhambra, or the X Trail, but it hasn’t nearly as much space.

I'd be thinking the same myself and they're a nice fit and finish. Hard to get passed the sheer size of them though. Heading off tomorrow to drive a few so could be a change of heart then.

screamer

We looked at pretty much everything apart from a kodiak when we had to buy a bus, tbh most cars advertising 7 seats are not in fact 7 seaters. The rear middle seats are tiny jump seats, no better than standard cars. We went for a sharan. Yes, not a pretty car but by God is it a practical hauler to get our family of 6 around. Go for the 150bhp diesel, lovely to drive.

Green farmer

If you've 4 kids, hard to beat a citroen grand picasso for value for money or practicality. All these cross overs are more fashionable , but lack the space in the third row. Also not too many other cars have the 3 individual 3 seats in the middle row. Yes, a Alhambra, is bigger, but you'll be buying a car 2-3 years older for the same money and will be heavier on diesal, but will feel way more solid on the road. After that it's your choice. As for the x trail , lovely looking, but bring your kids with you , and ask them to climb on and out of the third row. ;-)

Edit, also depends on how old your kids are. If all teenage years, then trying to find a car that seats 6 adults is another challenge

Oafley Jones

screamer wrote: »

We looked at pretty much everything apart from a kodiak when we had to buy a bus, tbh most cars advertising 7 seats are not in fact 7 seaters. The rear middle seats are tiny jump seats, no better than standard cars. We went for a sharan. Yes, not a pretty car but by God is it a practical hauler to get our family of 6 around. Go for the 150bhp diesel, lovely to drive.

We’ll be getting rid of ours next year. HATED the idea of it. To say I was less than enthused would be an understatement. But after almost four years, I will really miss it. In terms of practicality it’s unmatched. And I’ve driven nearly every 7 seat out there, for example Our other car is a sorento. It’s ridiculously good in terms of convenience and an ability to carry big loads. It’s not the worst drive either, have 150bhp dsg and it’s far easier to drive than size suggests. As for its size, I’ve never had an issue with, you really won’t notice after a short while. Also those sliding doors are so convenient, especially if you’ve really small Kids , really missed them when I had the similarly sized galaxy for two weeks

Negatives, lots of silly small problems, which is my expectation of VW, which in fairness that were quickly put right. It’s also heavy on juice.

iwillhtfu

Green farmer wrote: »

If you've 4 kids, hard to beat a citroen grand picasso for value for money or practicality. All these cross overs are more fashionable , but lack the space in the third row. Also not too many other cars have the 3 individual 3 seats in the middle row. Yes, a Alhambra, is bigger, but you'll be buying a car 2-3 years older for the same money and will be heavier on diesal, but will feel way more solid on the road. After that it's your choice. As for the x trail , lovely looking, but bring your kids with you , and ask them to climb on and out of the third row. ;-)

Edit, also depends on how old your kids are. If all teenage years, then trying to find a car that seats 6 adults is another challenge

Thanks, She's leaning towards the citroen and I'm thinking with regards to space it's probably a compromise between full blown bus and some what stylish. We we pointed toward a 5008 older style so took a look. It's actually not a bad bus at all it had dvd in the head rests and all.

Holding out till Jan apparently a good few PCP cars will be coming back, so will see what crops up.

Pkiernan

Get an automatic Smax and don't look back.

iwillhtfu

Pkiernan wrote: »

Get an automatic Smax and don't look back.

Neighbour had nothing but heart ache with one so taking a pass on that. I do like the look of them though.

Green farmer

iwillhtfu wrote: »

Thanks, She's leaning towards the citroen and I'm thinking with regards to space it's probably a compromise between full blown bus and some what stylish. We we pointed toward a 5008 older style so took a look. It's actually not a bad bus at all it had dvd in the head rests and all.

Holding out till Jan apparently a good few PCP cars will be coming back, so will see what crops up.

Drive them and see what one you like .The older version 5008 is the same car as the last generation grand picasso, that ended in 2013, but Peugeot kept going with for the extra few years until the new crossover came out.

boombang

AMKC wrote: »

BMW 2 series Tourer or Grand Tourer. No idea if you would get one for that price do it would probably be a lot more but very classy stylish car and being a BMW good to drive too.

I know about the Grand Tourer, but the 2 Series Tourers is cramped in the back.

Green farmer

Everything's gone crossovers. I just googled it there and of european families with children, 87% have either one or 2 children. Only 13% have 3 or more children. Sort of explains why theres not much choice in mpv's and why so many of the existing models are now dated and not being replaced.

kerten

Green farmer wrote: »

Drive them and see what one you like .The older version 5008 is the same car as the last generation grand picasso, that ended in 2013, but Peugeot kept going with for the extra few years until the new crossover came out.

This. If you buy 5008, you are buying a quite an old model. And be careful with citroen/peugeot if you are aiming for an automatic one. They had pretty bad single clutch autos with 1.6 lt engines until 2016, After that, they started to use Aisin torque convertor autos called eat6/eat8 which are pretty reliable and good automatic boxes comparing to competitor's dual clutch autos.

I drove a high spec 2016 grand picasso for 2 years when kids were young. I missed it as soon as I sold it. It is designed for comfort and functionality and noise insulation was on par with premiums may be above.

iwillhtfu

Green farmer wrote: »

Everything's gone crossovers. I just googled it there and of european families with children, 87% have either one or 2 children. Only 13% have 3 or more children. Sort of explains why theres not much choice in mpv's and why so many of the existing models are now dated and not being replaced.

Yep I find I'm quite unique in having 4 kids and actually working . It seems larger families these days are generally reserved for our entitled generation that assume a right to free everything without lifting a finger.

It is a pain though when you see some nice jeeps etc in the US and we have to make do with 2 jump seats crammed into a car barely designed for 5.

Green farmer

kerten wrote: »

I drove a high spec 2016 grand picasso for 2 years when kids were young. I missed it as soon as I sold it. It is designed for comfort and functionality and noise insulation was on par with premiums may be above.

Same, I had the older version. Kept it for 6 years and loved it. The best value for money car I ever owned. Was sad to see it go. Was great for small kids.

iwillhtfu

kerten wrote: »

This. If you buy 5008, you are buying a quite an old model. And be careful with citroen/peugeot if you are aiming for an automatic one. They had pretty bad single clutch autos with 1.6 lt engines until 2016, After that, they started to use Aisin torque convertor autos called eat6/eat8 which are pretty reliable and good automatic boxes comparing to competitor's dual clutch autos.

I drove a high spec 2016 grand picasso for 2 years when kids were young. I missed it as soon as I sold it. It is designed for comfort and functionality and noise insulation was on par with premiums may be above.

Thanks for that the ones we have been looking at are from 16 up but not sure her self will go auto. I've had it in mine for years and I think it's the dogs and wonder why we bother with manuals anymore.

iwillhtfu

Green farmer wrote: »

Same, I had the older version. Kept it for 6 years and loved it. The best value for money car I ever owned. Was sad to see it go. Was great for small kids.

Seems to be a strong contender so. Thanks

iwillhtfu

So just to update this we ended up going for something off the list that I never considered but herself saw it and was delighted with it.

VW Touran in from the UK and low mileage, basically like new inside. So hopefully trouble free motoring for the next while

Ferris

We have a Citroen C4 Grand Picasso with the 2L diesel, its been a great car for us and a well kept secret in terms of reliability according to a few mechanics I know. Same engine in the fords btw. Very comfortable, loaded with kit and the missus loves it. Also extremly economical.

The 3rd row seats and boot are an issue however. We have 4 kids now however due to a recent arrival. With the 3rd row up the boot is tiny. With 1 seat up in the 3rd row a large buggy will fit but not much else. Access to the 3rd row with child seats etc. is problematic so the access to the 3rd row is through the boot which means taking out the the buggy out all the time. Also the 3rd row seatbelt angle looks wrong to me, with my eldest the seatbelt is miles off her - she didn't look secure if there was a side impact.

Upshot is that we like the car but hated the 3rd row so we fitted a multimac which is a certain solution but also has its compromises. Also I am not sure that the Sharan / Galaxy have a significantly bigger boot to make much of a difference although they might have a better access to the 3rd row.

A lot of the issue is because I have two kids under 14months so I need a big buggy and babyseats, with older kids it could be easier but its not a full time 7 seater.