I would appreciate any advice or recommendations on a decent second hand 7-seater about the £4-7k bracket. Majority of time I only need 5 seats with PLENTY of storage/luggage space, occasionally 7/8 seats but luggage space not an issue then. So I was thinking that most small people carriers are out, and maybe an estate is best option. I'd prefer a diesel, but petrol would be ok if mpg was good. Inclined towards Peugeot 406 Estate or maybe even a Land Rover Discovery. Is there anything else I could or should consider??
I'd appreciate suggestions for others I should consider or views of Peugeot and Disco
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A Mitsubishi Pajero Exceed might work for you. Some (but not all) have got 7 seats.
Aircon, leather, leccy windows, Sunroof, Diessel, Japanese reliability. You can get them for 5k if you know where to look, though a dealer will take you near the top of your budget.
Unless you're concerned with image, the Disco is more of a no-no.
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Note to self. One S in diesel, one I in Cyclops.
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For this sort of money you would do well to look at the increasing number of imported Toyota Estimas. These are similar to the Previa, although slightly narrower, and nearly all have 2.2 Turbo Diesel engines.
The amount of room inside is enormous, giving 8 seats and luggage space. Running with the back seats folded it makes a useful estate car with room for bikes in the back.
£6k gets a nicely spec'd 8-9 year old vehicle. The imported cars are generally in very good condition, especially underneath. All the cars I have looked at beat similarly priced Galaxies, 806's into a cocked hat.
Spares are readily available from specialists and Toyota dealers.
Cam belts need replacing at 62k miles and that's an expensive job. Most imports are around that mileage, sold before the Japanese owner gets a big bill, so make sure the dealer has changed it before you buy.
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Toyota Picnic - without a doubt, 7 seat will not give much luggage space, 5 has loads of space.
GLS is the one you want, great engine ~(2.0), comfortable, had 2 over past 6 years no problems whatsoever, both did 70k+ miles in three years, mostly motorways, 5 or 6 people.
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Drink Lager Talk Piffle !
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Thanks "Maz, Stackman, Corblimeyguvnar" - as you might guess I'm not an expert here and wasn't even aware of two of your suggested options! I will now do some research and legwork and have a look at:
- Mitsubishi Pajero Exceed
- Toyota Estimas
- Toyota Picnic
Take the point about Disco's, wasnt a favourite option for two main reasons (1) age of car affordable with budget (2) rear luggage space not as big as I thought. Ohhhhh and running costs!
Cheers - I totally appreciate your advice. I have time to wait for right car/price (need it for early summer) so if you have any other thoughts...
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First decide whether or not you want the extra seats, and who will use them - children or adults. If children only, then a Zafira may be OK, but possibly not within your price range. Discos, Shogun/Pajeros etc are much larger than estates and MPVs, you should be able to make a judgement immediately if you want such large vehicles with their larger running costs and greater fuel thirst (check insurance and tyre prices for starters!).
Then look at your needs to decide if you want an MPV or an estate car. MPVs are indeed much more versatile if you don't want to drive at high speed round corners etc, they may suit you fine, although typically they are slightly more expensive to insure than estates. I wouldn't want to go back from an MPV to a "normal" car unless I really had to. Try several makes out, none are that bad. How many people will usually travel? Some estates and MPVs have a somewhat "bouncy" ride with just one or two people on board.
Take some test drives, narrow your potential selection down then re-visit this forum and ask for further advice against a small list of vehicles.
Good luck and happy motoring!
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Didnt the mark 1 laguna estate have pop up seats in the boot?
Plenty of good cheap diesels of those around (if you can handle the styling of a tumble dryer)
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We used to have a Montego estate with the rear facing seats similar to the Laguna. However after seing one in the scrapyard which had been rear ended I never let anyone sit with their legs there in the crumple zone.
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