Whats the best family car?

[Grotty]

Hello EDF,

I'm sure there has been a thread about this before but I can't find it.

Our car has died.

We have had 2 old Golf's in a row, but now with a family of 2 kids and 2 adults, we are realistic that we need

a) a newer car that is less expensive in up-keep and less likely to break down

b) a bigger car as family grow bigger and potentially increases in number!

c) that we do unfortunately definitely need a car - looked into streetcar but it just wouldn't work for us

In my head I like the standard BMW/audi estates. Financially this is not possible, but I have no idea where to go from here.

Another estate? volvo, skoda, VW?

Do we make the jump to MPV, which I have to admit I'm not up for, honestly only because of cosmetics, but I have to get over that right?

How did you make the decision to buy the family car you have? Any regrets? Any reasons why it was a choice well made

Any advice gratefully received thank you!

[rebeccaben]

We have a Nissan Qashqai which we love and fits comfortably our family of 4. However, we just went on holiday and the rental car was a Skoda Estate and I have to say that it was much more practical. We had 5 in the car and I could fit comfortably sitting between the two car seats in the back (I had to squeeze sideways to do this in the Qashqai). Plus the boot space was like a dream come true...so big! Looks-wise it isn't terrible and I'm sure alot better value than a BMW or Audi (and cheaper to maintain).

[Saila]

i second the nissan qashqai - about to buy one!

My criteria were:

Can withstand london bumps (i commute to work over 60 bumps each day and it's breaking the bank with maintenance costs)

Doesn't have a petrol chewing engine - ie cheap to run and wont kill the environment

Space

Cheap

Reliable

[snowboarder]

We have a skoda Octavia estate - kind of all the space of the audi's but much cheaper! We got the vrs (I think!) model so it's pretty speedy too. Huge boot for buggies/scooters/bikes and has been good for us since baby 2 arrived...

[canela]

we just got a second-hand car and in the end went for an estate. really glad we did as the extra room for camping gear is wonderful!

[Anna27]

We have a VW touran I have always driven VW's really happy with it, we have two children and might possibly have a third so needed the extra space/possibly getting three cars seats in! Love the extra boot space, also the kids can see out of the window better, tinted rear windows that apparently reduce car sickness. Took me about a month to get used to parking etc recommend parking sensors. Also went for an automatic something I wasn't too sure about my husband thinks their better for city driving, initially missed changing gears but now really pleased with our decision. Also handy having the extra seats in the back as they get older and have friends round etc..got a good second hand deal at a VW dealership, it was a year old.

[dollydaydream]

Hello Grotty

We have a Nissan Quashqai + 2 it's a really nice car to drive, we have the 2 extra seats in the boot which is handy for children.

[Townleygreen]

Which's recommendations/best buys for estates in the used car sector are:

1 BMW 5 series touring from 25000 (prob. too expesnive from what you say)

2 Ford Mondeo from 7095

3 Toyota Avensis Tourer from 3350

4 Audi A4 Avant from 14,450

5 VW Passat from 14, 465

6 Audi A6 Avant from 8475

7 Skoda Superb from 13,250

8 Mercedes C class from 15 150

9 Skoda Octavia from 4 275

10 Hyundai i30 from 6 595

I have excluded smaller estates like the Ford Focus as your first post emphasised larger estates.

Plenty of range and prices at this level.

[slh2009]

We have a Mitsubishi ASX, similar to the Qashqai but may be slightly cheaper. We only have one child but lots of stuff and there is plenty of room!It is nice to drive.

[Grotty]

WOW thank you everyone. I don't have Which subscription TownleyGreen so thank you very much for your list! I've spent a couple of days leaning towards skoda but husband not so keen. He mentioned VW Touran so going to look into that now, so still searching...

[keane]

We just got a citreon c4 grand Picasso with 3 seats in back & huge boot with 2 pull down seats. Got it second hand for ?8,000 & it's 2 years old with 19,000 miles on it. Really happy with it so far. We needed to change as had 3rd baby & our ancient corolla couldn't fit 3 seats in the back. We went for the diesel automatic.

[Townleygreen]

Don't get a diesel unless your annual mileage is going to be pretty big. A diesel is also no good if mainly used for short journeys. (The particulate filter gets blocked and costs a lot to replace. They also have something called a dual mass flywheel which, again, costs loads).

Petrol may well be your cheapest bet.

[KateW]

VW Passat estate, diesel. Love it.

[treehugger]

Don't get Ana Audu A4 for family use, it is surprisingly small.

[Dodo1]

Qashqai+2

[ebodad]

We have a Peugeot 307SW. It's not got the bulk of some of the mpv's but I have 2 extra seats in the garage and they can be put in and rearranged. Most of the time it's just a 'normal' car but if you want it to be six or seven seats you can change it in minutes. You can even remove all the back seats to give a large rear area. It's not too high and not too long.

For cars which don't obviously look like people carriers the Honda FRV is a six seater, the Toyota Corolla verso is a 7 seater, Fiat Multipla is a 6 seater.

We've got 2 kids and having the option of extra seats for grandparents/friends is great.

[radhabee]

Hi Grotty,

Another vote for Skoda. We have a Superb estate, diesel. Gigantic boot, keep double buggy in there at all times and masses of space for bags, travel cot etc when we go away. Octavia also v good. VW engine, can really motor, a lot of car for your money! Oh and the headlight beams follow the turn of the steering wheel (kinda fun). My mum has had a skoda for 12 years and it's never let her down.

R

[Townleygreen]

the Mondeo is massively roomy and very reliable - or so I hear

[Caesi01]

We drive a Honda CRV which is a good compromise between a SUV and MPV as it has a raised driving position but without the constant 4WD. My wife absolutely loves it. Opted for Honda because it is known for reliability without the German price tag.

More than welcome to have a look at it over the weekend to get an idea. Just PM me.

[RoLo1]

Hi caesio - we considered that car too, my brother has it (lives in middle east, I haven't seen it but heard great things). Can't understand why Honda stopped making it with the 3 seats at the front, just wondering if you've found any disadvantages with that in terms of looking for spare parts? Thanks, r

[Caesi01]

Hi

I wasn't aware there was a model with 3 seats at the front.

Honda only launched their latest version I think less than a year ago.

Never had to look for spare parts, but would imagine that they are easy to come by given it's a Honda and this model is quite popular in the UK

[johnhinton]

Caesi01 and RoLo1,

The CRV is the semi-offroader, the FRV is the six-seater (with three seats in the front). We have a CRV (over 10 years old - absolutely no problems, but two-and-a-half seats in the back with car seats). We also had a fiat multipla (three and three), which was good fun to drive, but not over long distances

john

[Caesi01]

@ Grotti

what car came on top in the end?

[j-mo]

We have a Kia sportage and love it to bits. Highly recommended from a family of 4

[Grotty]

Caesi01 we ended up paying ?400+ to get the golf fixed, not necessarily the best option but the cheapest for us at the time. We are still debating what car to get. My current favourite is a volvo v70 which has the potential of 2 further seats in the back...