Dilemma

[k langdon]

Hi Guys,

I've been running a M reg W124 E300 diesel 7 seat estate and have been really impressed with the vehicle - a bit better than my old 300TD estate and much better and more reliable compared to my old 300TE.

My partner has just given me the news that we're going to be expecting another child next March.

That'll mean two children in baby seats and another sitting in a normal seat.

My dilemma is with two baby seats in the rear it's a bit tight for the eldest, plus it's only a lap belt in the middle, so not so safe. The other option is to put the eldest in the seats in the boot which have 3 point belts, but this will mean a lot less space for prams and other baby stuff.

I've just come back from Florida where we drove around in a Chrysler Voyager. The other half was impressed with the space and says we should look at something similar to accomodate everybody. Though the space was very good, I wasn't impressed with the driving experience, etc and it was no where near as solid as my W124.

I would consider a W210 7 seat estate (probably couldn't afford a diesel though), as I presume that it has 3 three point belts in the rear (?), but I've been put off by all the stories of rust, etc on the forum.

The problem of carrying everybody around together only really occurs at weekends, so not sure whether it would be better to try to squeeze everything in or consider something bigger.

Just wondered what your opinions would be as I can't seem to make up my mind, though I still have a bit of time to decide.

All thoughts considered.

Cheers,

Kevin

 

[andy_k]

fold down prams, and a roof box for the weekends

Andy

 

[BenzComander]

fold down prams, and a roof box for the weekends

Andy

Spot on Andy!

We have four kids, all under seven and find getting everything in is no problem. (Two are still in baby seats) My eldest sits comfortably in the middle between the two baby seats, and we pack everything else in the boot (Including buggy etc!) around my son.

We will be buying a roof box as the kids get bigger

Also, on the rust issue of W210's, I think if you go armed knowing the areas to look (search on this forum for pics) you will be ok. It seems to me, that there is a great deal of difference in the ammount of rust these cars suffer from. Some are really bad, others I have seen have none??

Mine has the standard issue with rust around the tailgate handle, but it is not bad and in no way detracts from the look or pleasure of driving the car. At the end of the day, mine is nearly ten years old, and I will get it sorted when it really annoys me

HTH

 

[Alfie]

First of all congratulations on the news.

We have three children (two of which hate the CLK ) and we had much the same dilema when they were all smaller. We bought a Volvo V70 (stupid stupid stupid mistake I know) with seven seats so we could separate them up a bit on longer journeys. Volvo = big mistake.

With hindsight and having a friend with a really nice V class, I wish I'd gone for that instead. They might feel a bit like a van but they are hugely practical for small children as you can reverse the middle seats to face the rear most ones, erect the table and entertain/monitor the children easily. They also provide ample room for five plus loads of luggage. Great when visiting in-laws etc as you can then all go out in the one car.

My mate loves his and is on his second. I believe Renault/Peugeot/Fiat/Ford etc make something similar but doubt any of these have the seating flexibility of the V class.

Good luck with your choice.

P.S The real pain having three children is that holiday companies think everyone has just two kids and cant cope very well with more at prices that are reasonable!

 

[MangoMan]

Perfect solution......

......and it is;

1) Get your Wife a cheap C190 (or simular) and she takes the kids (plenty of space).

2) You follow in the E300 (in lovely peace & serenity)

Easy.

........................ ......................lol....................... .......................

 

[k langdon]

Mangoman, Your idea sounds fantastic, especially on some of the more hectic days out!!! Unfortunately, I doubt the wife would agree!!

Andy, a roof box is OK for long trips, but I know I'd find it a pain having to keep go in and out of the box if we're out on a stop/start sort of day visiting different places, etc.

Benzcommander, is a W210 significantly bigger inside than a W124 to accomodate all your family (our eldest is 11)?

Alfie, thanks for the info on the V class. The only problem is I don't know whether I'm ready to swap to a van style vehicle - it just goes against the senses - if you know what I mean. I know it's totally practical, but it doesn't have the style or presence of a W124 estate.

Cheers,

Kevin

 

[BenzComander]

Benzcommander, is a W210 significantly bigger inside than a W124 to accomodate all your family (our eldest is 11)?

I think, and I am willing to be poven wrong that the W210 is bigger than the W124, but probably not by much

We also considered a V class, but were put off by reliability horror stories and after driving some, they really do drive like a van

Will take a Viano for a test drive though when they come down in price a bit, as they are supposed to be a real improvement.

 

[Benzowner]

Kevin,
Is it possible to mount the two child seats side bi side on the wider seat, this would leave the single seat for the eldest with a proper seat belt, or is it possible to fix a harness type seat belt on the middle seat?

With regards the W124 versus the W210, when Mercedes introduced the C and new E class, the C was made bigger than the 190, not quite as big as the W124 and the new E was made bigger, not quite as big as the S. I have sat three adults on the rear seat of my car with plenty of room. Si I would think the W210 is significantly bigger than the W124.

 

[scottishc280]

you can get a front seat baby seat

The Recaro start range of front seats are designed to go in the front of the car wo you could have 1 seat up front, 1 fixed to the centre in the rear with isofix (so the lap belt can be ignored) leaving you 2 human sized seats free at each side in the rear.

link to the seat

These seats are designed to fit in the front od a car safely partly because they are such a slim frame. The car seat must be as far back as possible.

 

[grober]

Safety rating of Voyager not very good, but maybe a model change since this test?? http://www.euroncap.com/content/safety_ratings/details.php?id1=5&id2=56

 

[k langdon]

Thanks for the replies.

I looked into converting the lap belt in the middle into a 3 point one, but I was told that as mine's a 7 seater it wasn't possible. Not sure about a harness belt - I'll have to look into this.

Geoff, interesting what you say about the size of a W210, but I'd still be wary about all the rust problems and obviously the prices are much higher than W124's, even multi-valve diesel estates.

 

[jimmy]

I drove a Voyager to Scotland and back a couple of years ago, very comfortable, nice to drive and practical. It was the 3.3L and felt a bit sluggish and was very thirsty. Lots of room and one of the few MPV's with decent boot space.

The Galaxy/Alhambra/Sharan is OK, especially the trusty TDi. Would not recommend the V-class (used to have a Vito, which was great as a van). We have a Scenic at work and hate to admit it but it is really rather good. Its the 2.0 16v and is very lively, plenty of room and very practical with loads of storage space everywhere and some nice features. And they are cheap.

 

[SimonsMerc]

The biggest advantage the W210 has over the W124 estate is that the middle seat at the rear has a full three point seat belt. I have two 9 month old twins and a 3 year old toddler. We have two seating configurations which work well:

- For shorter journeys: all three kids in the rear, the toddler in the middle facing forward and the twins on either side facing backwards. This works well - the toddler is "in charge" and loves it, and tells us if anything happens to the twins ("daddy, Christopher vomited" for instance;-).

- For longer journeys: the twins sit in the rear, on the left and in the middle, leaving space behind the driver for an adult (usually the wife ;-), and the toddler sits up the front on the passenger seat. Works well when the twins need to be fed on the move, and Andrew (our eldest) gets to be the big boy sitting up front.

When we go on *really* long trips and need more luggage space, we use a Thule roof box, which is great. It's rare though - you can pack an awful lot into that rear luggage compartment! The other times we've used the roof box is when we've wanted to take folk with us - then two more passengers get into the back, and all the luggage goes on the roof.

I think the W210 estate is a superb car for a small family. If I have any more kids I'm going for the Chrysler Grand Voyager ;-)

-simon

 

[Dieselman]

The biggest advantage the W210 has over the W124 estate is that the middle seat at the rear has a full three point seat belt.

Without wanting to sound contraversial or antaganistic.
Early W210 saloons, to early '98, don't have 3 full belts, I don't know if this applies to estates or not, but worth checking.

 

[k langdon]

Dieselman, interesting point - definitely worth checking out.

Jimmy, I had a Voyager 3.3 in Florida and can agree with you about its thirst. I also felt it was very sluggish, but I didn't find it that good to drive, especially round corners - but space wise it was excellent and they do come with lots of toys.

Simon, that's probably the sort of configuration we would use, so it's good to know the car is more than capable of that. What's space like behind the driver? I'm 6' 2" and adults never seem to have that much room behind me as I need the seat a fair way back.

We've got a couple of V70 estate as crew cars, but the room is the rear is poor; I don't enjoy driving it that much; the interior is very plasticky and the tailgate is fine if your under 5' 9", but I always have to watch myself from cracking my head!

One other alternative, but it doesn't have the 7 seat option is a Saab 9-5 estate. I've been in one and was impressed by the room in the rear and the boot is fairly similar. The seats are good and it felt very comfy and they're a good price second hand, but I do know you have to be careful about the turbos and what oil's been used and how often it's been changed, etc

A W210 without rust will no doubt be a lot more expensive than a Saab, but I have read with the Swede you're better off buying the facelifted 2001 model onwards - but obviously prices are higher.

So, the dilemma goes on....

 

[jeremytaylor]

K Langdon,

The problem with the Voyager is that they only have 2 seats in the middle, so with 3 kids you'll need the rear bench, which means not much boot. I think maybe the latest models with the seats that fold into the floor might have a different seat layout.

We've got a Citroen C8 which has 3 individual middle row seats, all with 3-point belts which easily accommodate 3 child seats, and leave a massive boot behind (or 2 more seats). Ours is a diesel auto - very easy to drive, and quick enough now its been chipped up to circa 140 bhp. Drives better than the Previa D and Sharan Ds I've driven before and the sliding rear doors are great for getting kids in and out of the back.

Yes, it's a van and won't ultimately handle like a E-class, but you can't have everything...

 

[Murt]

I have the exact same problem. I hoped changing from a W124 saloon to W124 7 seater estate would avoid going the MPV route.
But on looking into it I have yet to come across an estate with three full 3 point belts across the rear seat. These cars are scarce enough in Ireland so maybe this was an option and I just haven't come across it.
The '7 seater' is effectively a 6 seater to me without these. I would definitely prefer the 124 to the 210 and both to an MPV but at the end of the day I need 7 belts.
Does anyone know if 3 point belts were ever fitted to W124 estates?
Would they have to be retrofitted and is this possible?

 

[Dave Lewis]

Does anyone know if 3 point belts were ever fitted to W124 estates?
Would they have to be retrofitted and is this possible?

http://www.w124.co.uk/optionalequipment.html

 

[gina2201]

We've had 2 voyagers and they are the best cars for carrying people and "stuff." We drove to Spain and back twice in them, and with the variety of seat combinations, they are geat cars.

 

[pammy]

This thread is two years old! I think the issue will have been well and truly resolved by now

Murt - for an answer to your question, you might be better posting a new thred