My old and up to then faithful SEAT Alhambra has finally bitten the dust (£200 for scrap). It did us proud and lasted through 8 years of family abuse. We bought it 2 years old so it didn't owe us anything.
Now I need a replacement - I have to have:
7 seats
I want:
Not to break down on the hard shoulder of the motorway
Not to spend a fortune on running costs - petrol/repairs
I have up to 9 grand to spend but I am open to creative suggestions and would like to spend less if I could reasonably get away with it. It's hard to get excited about this kind of purchase but it would be nice. It can be diesel or petrol and I reckon I would be against anything older than 02 plate and 60K miles.
What do you all think you experts!?
Edited by Pugugly on 17/04/2008 at 19:37
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The experts will be along in a minute, but in the meantime, permit me to suggest a Toyota Previa 2.0 D-4D.
You can get a 2003 or 2004 one for your budget. They will have high miles, but they'll be mostly motorway miles so you don't need to worry, and anyway, these Toyota diesel engines are apparently good for at least half a million miles.
Being Toyota, it should be reliable, being diesel, should be reasonably economical.
Edited by tyro on 17/04/2008 at 19:20
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Had a Hyundai Trajet for 4 years and in hindsight I wish I had kept it. Big, versatile (though the seats were a bit weighty), comfortable, reliable and most at home on long motorway trips.
On the downside, no image and not too wonderful on fuel around town in petrol form.
I'd still recommend one though.
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Will all 7 seats regularly be in use together? Would you then need luggage space behind them?
If not then a 3 year old Zafira comes in well under budget. Not exactly thrilling but worth a look. The 1.8 16V engine pulls well and should be reasonably economical (I have that engine in my Astra). Prices for petrols much lower than diesels.
Not the most imaginative suggestion - sorry :-(
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Had a Hyundai Trajet for 4 years and in hindsight ....
snipquote
We also have had a Trajet (Diesel) from new (53 plate) having done 40,000 miles, had one tiny problem -the water trap in the fuel sytem broke, was fixed under warranty...didn't even get off the back of the recovery vehicle before the local dealers mechanics had it running again.
Consistantly get 38mpg and it pulls very well for a heavy car with only a 2.0 engine!
Probably only worth iro £5000 now but that makes it an excellent buy used. I would definatly have another. Only downside is that main dealer servicing is pretty dear.
Doyle
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 17/04/2008 at 20:13
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My FiL has an 04 Trajet 2.0 diesel with nearly 70k. I'm not sure he'd sing its praises quite so readily - he constantly describes it as woefully underpowered (wouldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding). He'd previously had 2 alhambras and a Galaxy, but those were company cars - the Trajet was bought himself primarily due to the 5 year warranty.
He just had a major gearbox rebuild under warranty - syncro went on 1st and 2nd. They did do it without qualms - since found out that this is a less than unusual problem.
I'd have to say though, that it is big (although less middle row leg room than the shalhambra clan), cheap second hand and reasonably robust interior wise.
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Have a look at a KIA Carens. I liked it when we test drove one. Has a five year, unlimited mileage warranty so they must be confident about reliability. Added advantage is that you can fold down rather than remove any rear seats if you want to take a load.
I have to say I was not keen on the Trajet - very noisy, didn't like interior much and not a lot happened when foot to the floor in the one I drove.
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I have a 52 Espace the Race 2.2tdi, nice to drive, with 88k on the clock, on its 3rd engine, ,I'd gladly accept 8k for it !!!
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Previously has a Pug 806, liked the sliding doors, great for getting kids in and out, and retractable wing mirrors, did me 166k before new gear box and engine made it uneconomical.
With your budget, it would be prob be a Zafira, Kia, or an old Toyota- I think I'd avoid the Ren, and Voyager -not great impact resitant -I enjoyed the 806 thou, with few probsl
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Our C8 has been fine, and we would gladly buy another if/when the time comes for renewal.
Failing that, why not another Alhambra/Galaxy/Sharan?
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Planned to go and look at a 54 plate Zafira and I got a call from the woman saying "was I definitely coming cos someone else is interested and if he doesn't find what he's looking for at auction, he'll come over"
That got me thinking that maybe I should go over and see what was in the auction. I had had my fingers burnt last time I bought this way but once I was able to see the list on line and there were tons of Zafiras. I reckoned if there was a nice example with some manufacturer's warranty still left on it, it might be better value and the 54 plate would not have any comeback bought privately.
I ended up going round to see her car but coming back to the auction and paying 6K for a 55 plate Zafira 1.6 life with aircon that's done 17k miles. Still has over 6 months warranty on it and for only a grand more than she was asking for a car that's a year newer and half the miles and the new model, it was a no-brainer.
Needs a good clean but it's just superficial and there is only one minor pin-sized ding on the bonnet.
Well pleased. The 7 seat thing is great although I will have to get used to the reduction in size compared to the Alhambra.
Thanks for the help everyone
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We've got a Mistubishi Grandis 2.0 DID Elegance. It has seven seats, a bit of a boot with all seven seats up, the rear seats fold into the floor, it does 36-40mpg and has apparently the VW / Audi 2.0 turbo diesel engine. 130 or 150 bhp, i can't remember.
Likes
Really easy to use, nice to drive (shame it's not auto), high in-dash gear lever, six speeds, climate, two sunroofs, 10CD stacker and a decent stereo, leather throughout and stands up to kids and the wife's mobility buggy thingy ok. Has cruise, but i never use it. Fairly nippy for a big car. Big LED lights at the back
Dislikes
Some of the leather on the door cards is peeling off, and the driver's arm rest keeps falling. Takes ages to warm up (it is diesel). Er, that's it. No breakdowns at all.
We drove the Warrior at the same time, it's a bit nicer ride, but spec isn't as good - you lose the sunroofs for a DVD player, when you can get a DVD player for £60 in Argos. No satnav, but i have a TomTom that's portable.
Recommended.
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