Suitable cars for 2 adults, 1 teenager, 2 newborns and dog!

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wemorgan

MB Enthusiast
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A205 C220d
A family member has asked me to find her a new car. She's soon to give birth to twins, so needs a car with rear seats wide enough for two child seats and her teenager step-daughter in the middle. Dogs are also on the horizon.

I don't know exactly what she's after so the list for the moment is quite long. The descriptions are for her benefit as I don't think she knows all the models.

She wants the car to last her 15 years. I'm not sure of budget but guessing <£30k.

Any cars I should be removing or adding?

Has anyone tried fitting twin child seats and a teenager in the back of their cars?

Audi Q5: Mid-sized 4-wheel drive, 5 seats, 2.0TDI 43mpg £27k
BMW X3: Mid-sized 4-wheel drive, 5 seats. xDrive 2.0d 50mpg £34k
Citroen Grand C4 Picasso: 2-wheel drive, 7 seats, 1.6HDi LX 51mg £18k
Ford Grand C-Max: Medium family sized vehicle, 2-wheel drive, 7 seats. 1.6 TDCi Zetec 57mpg £20k
Mercedes B-class: Medium Multi-purpose Vehicle, 2-wheel drive, 5 seats, B180CDi 50mpg £20k
Nissan Qasqai +2 ,Mid-sized 4x4 Style,, 2 and 4-wheel drive, 7 seats, 1.5dci 54mpg £18k
Peugeot 5008, Large Multi-purpose Vehicle, 2-wheel drive, 7 seats, 1.6HDi 53mpg £19k
Skoda Yeti: Medium Multi-purpose Vehicle, 2 and 4-wheel drive, 5 seats, 2.0TDi CR 52mpg £19k
Subaru Outback: Large Family car, 4-wheel drive, 5 seats, 2.0D 44mpg £27k
VW Golf Plus: Medium family sized vehicle, 2-wheel drive, 5 seats, 1.6TDi Bluemotion 65mpg £18k
VW Touran: Medium Multi-purpose Vehicle, 2 wheel drive, 7 seats, 1.6 TDi Bluemotion 61 mpg £20k
VW Tiguan: Mid-sized 4-wheel style, 2 and 4-wheel drive, 5 seats, 2.0TDi 45mpg £23k
Volvo XC60: Large Multi-purpose Vehicle, 2 and 4 wheel drive, 5 seats, 2.4D 37mpg £24k

Thanks.
 
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Has anyone tried fitting twin child seats and a teenager in the back of their cars?
In the back of my S211, I have a booster seat and a baby/toddler seat at either side and then my eldest, who is 6, sits in the middle.

One word-Snug...

That's why I bought a 7 seater, so that if need be either of the elder two can have a bit of space in the boot.

The only real options available to your friend will be those that I found myself with; buy a 7 seater. Although in her case, and judging by the motors you have lined up, she would be better of buying something with 7 full size seats as in a Discovery3/ R-Class/ XC90 etc.
 
She wants the car to last her 15 years.


That's a long time for the car to last.

I suggest that she looks at current 15 year old cars - in particular their condition and reliability. That should reduce the choice to Audi, BMW, VW and Mercedes.

However... if we ignore the requirement for the car to last 15 years, she would be far, far better off financially by buying three used cars at five year intervals.

For example, a five year old X3 can be bought for about £7K. Ten years old, it should still fetch £3K. That makes the cost of ownership £1K per year.... so about £15K for the entire 15 years -

Plus..... In 5 years, the teenagers will need cars..... the first car can be passed on.....

Plus..... she's never driving a car older than 10 years.....
 
buy a 7 seater.


That makes a lot of sense. You've a spare seat or two in case a friend wants to come along.................
 
The only real options available to your friend will be those that I found myself with; buy a 7 seater. Although in her case, and judging by the motors you have lined up, she would be better of buying something with 7 full size seats as in a Discovery3/ R-Class/ XC90 etc.

She's not really in to large 4x4 cars and I only put the mid-sized 4x4 in the list to show her what they cost relative to more sensible MPVs

However... if we ignore the requirement for the car to last 15 years, she would be far, far better off financially by buying three used cars at five year intervals.


You're right, but I don't think the cheapest option is necessarily on her mind. It's about buying the right car and making it last. I don't think buying and selling cars isn't enjoyable to her, so the fewer times the better.
 
R-Class. Cheap to buy and massive inside.
 
I don't think any of the cars on the list will cut the mustard. It's a seven seater only I would think. On most of those cars there would be virtually no space after adding two child seats.

I'd suggest looking at an Espace as a very competant, and fairly car like experience, but the 15 year criteria would concern me.
 
Sounds like you need 3 seats across the front!

There was a Honda that did this which should last donkeys. Or the Fiat Multipla (Yes I know they looked like sh!te) but are cheap as chips now. OK price is way below what you state but teenage and twins abuse would soon destroy any new car. With the Multipla the teenager probably would not get in it anyway.
 
Thinking about this, the perfect car for her would be the R-Class.

c£25k will buy an 18 month old one, they have seven good size seats, will easily last 15 years, 4 wheel drive for when it's needed...... It ticks just about every box that you need..
 
Our Galaxy is easily wide enough to do two car seats and an adult, as the three middleseats are individual.
 
:ban:Ford Grand C Max would be what I would recommend.

John

Would that last 15 years?

Just a thought, teenage daughter will soon fly the coop and then it will be 4 + 2 dogs.

Whilst a W124 7 seat would do for 15 years (probably) I think for the next 5 years such as a 7 seat MPV and then something slightly smaller C class estate?

BWDIK

Paul
 
Thanks everyone, some useful suggestions there.

If she's to go for a 5 seater then the car width is important. Some cars are as narrow as 1.8m others as much as 2.1m.

The R-class does seem to offer her everything she's looking for. Soft 4x4 capability without the 4x4 stigma. Space, refinement and longevity. I wonder if she could stomach the price.

Her husband was wondering about a French MPV. But I just find it hard to get excited about them. The C4 Picasso looks OK, but I suspect its useful life would be measured in 5-10 years rather than 15.

The Ford range of MPV cars seems to offer that sweet spot of quality and price. They also offer a 'Powershift' gearbox which I think is similar to the VAG range of DSG gearboxes which she current has. But would a Powershift last 15 years?

Time to make a table of pros & cons and see what she makes of the options.

My personal preference is either a conventional estate car, as Grober mentioned, the Skoda Superb looks decent or a MPV. The 4x4 range of cars just look like too much car IMHO.
 

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