I want to buy a seven-seater and sell my 98 Passat 20v estate auto, which isn't really the best car for the kind of driving (mostly in town) that I do.
I looked at a used Toyota Avensis Verso yesterday - really nice and much better than the Honda Stream, which I'd seen before, and not too MPVey.
Now, my dad's got one of these and he's very happy with it - however he seems to have the only one in London - I never see them on the road. Is there some reason why they're such a poor seller?
Alternatively, if I were to tighten my budget and go for an old Merc or Volvo seven-seater, which would be the one to go for?
thanks,
Henry B (new to this forum)
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Do you need all 7 seats for adults? If so, you may find Avensis Verso is too small. Don't know why they do not sell in greater numbers - lack of marketing, image problem, not a full 7-seater but priced as if it were.
If you really need 7 adult seats, go for a Previa if you can afford one!
I bought a used Galaxy earlier in the year; over 2 years old and the facelifted models still suffer from airconditioning problems (see user's site www.fordgalaxy.org.uk).
If image is not a problem, but budget is, try Hyundai Trajet or Kia Sedona. New Trajets could be bought with about £2000 off on drivethedeal's web site earlier in the year.
Incidentally, the Galaxy comes with front and rear parking sensors which are a real boon when parking. Wouldn't now buy an MPV without them.
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Honda Shuttle - still the best MPV ever made. I have one and love it.
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Just keep your fingers crossed that you never need any spares. My experience of Hondas is that, if they make the sort of car you are looking for, they are great. I found most spares prices exhorbitant.
Shuttle may be great but for me (1) no diesel option and (2) cannot run with only 6 seats - rear seats are a bench and cannot be used individually.
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Avensis Verso = Very expensive. List prices (£17,600 upwards)puts it into Alhambra, Galaxy, C8/806 territory.
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I own a 17 year old Volvo 740 estate 7 seater and it's great: cheap, reliable, durable and safe. What else do you want?
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...but not all seats face forward, and the rearmost are for children only. You also have absolutely no luggage space with all seats in use.
A Volvo estate is also longer than most MPV's belive it or not - even the latest Mondeo saloon/hatch is longer than a Galaxy!
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i would need to know why you need a 7 seater?
What is it going to be used for? personnally having looked at or driven most of them I wouldnt touch them. they are a compromise and consequently dont do anything very well. Used to have a Montego 7 seater, cheap and cheerful until the children got bigger, their knees were inches from the tailgate.
806, good vehicle, punchy diesel, sliding doors(excellent in car parks) seats come out individually, spares expensive, not nailed together too well.
kia sedona. at launch was great value, merc diesel engine and auto box was great, all the toys. early version had sliding rear seats and centre row turned 180*, very versatile.
galaxy, read threads about reliability re. VW/ford engines, seats lift out, huge hinged doors - car park nightmare!
VX sintra bit out dated now and awful crash resistance figures (was this why it was dropped?) otherwise quite versatile and cheap to maintain.
VW caravelle 7/8 seater. my wife's favourite. a proper vehicle. awesome maintainance bills and not very reliable.
have now got a transit tourneo. 01 model. stunning. all the toys air/con, all elec. fold and tip rear seats, both centre and rear row removable in minutes. twin sliding sld. still has ford warranty left. terrific 100 bhp diesel engine. wonderful driving position, and so on, OK need to be careful in some multi storey car parks.
Have a good look before you take the plunge! good luck
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Thanks for all your responses.
I test drove the Avensis Verso and thought it was very nice - roomy, very clever, not too van-like and pretty nimble. However, I'm now starting to think that as I've probably already taken the big depreciation hit on my '98 Passat Estate (bought in 2000 for £13k - probably sellable for £5k-6k now) I might as well run it for a bit longer and get seven seats (which I only need for the school run) with an aftermarket kit like the Motorhoods one: www.motorhoods.co.uk/option7shop.html
So, does anyone have any experience of the Motorhoods kits? I'd only be using the seats for small children on short journeys - but are they safe if someone drives into the back of me?
HB
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