Hi, Since finding this site only a couple of weeks ago I have found it to be a fantastic place to come for advice and info. So I call on your judgement and advice and opinions once again...
Buying secondhand, I appreciate is always to an extent a gamble...and I appreciate that as age goes up and price goes down, perhaps individual cars and their care received is more important than a particular make/model reliability index...So here goes...
We are average. 2 adults, 2 children (well, one and one on the way). We are fed up with struggling to get a 2 year old in the back of a 3 door punto...and soon we'll have 2 kids to struggle with.
We both have poor back...so like the 'higher' ride of an MPV...
So, we could possible stretch to £1500...maybe even 2k if it would really provide optionsp. But WHAT MPV? Or should it be an estate. (Nissan Note would hit the mark...but far out of price range....)
Scenics...read everywhere how 'bad' they are for reliability/fire risk etc. But still like them.
Nissan Tino...1.8s and high tax so seem costly...also reliability issues.
Picassa...reliability issues, and probably too expensive?
Merivas? Zafiras? Mazda Premacy?
Everything I read has downsides or scare stories and I am getting confused! Any advice...? Baby arrives in April, so clock is ticking! Cheers all.
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your looking to get legged into a heap at this money
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I'd go for the Zafira. There's plenty about, Astra G underneath so pretty reliable and cheap to maintain, safe, a good package.
I've seen a few nice 1.8 examples going for the £1500 mark.
As BB says, just be careful at this level in the market.
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Mark One Honda CRV. --- www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/index.htm?md=142
Mark One Subaru Forester. --- www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/index.htm?md=376
Will do everything an MPV will for a small family, and likely to be more reliable.
At this end of the market go for a looked-after privately owned vehicle.
A fantastic alternative is a Mark Three Ford Mondeo --- www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/index.htm?md=119
Very good to drive, and acres of room with a cavernous boot.
At the 1000-2000 price range there is a lot of £500 bangers that have been bought to sell for profit, or otherwise tarted up by the unscrupulous ... sometimes better just to look for a banger that drives well with plenty of ticket and expect to get 12-24mths out of it before something fatal goes wrong!
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sometimes better just to look for a banger that drives well with plenty of ticket and expect to get 12-24mths out of it
A friend of mine did exactly this - he bought a Jap import Toyota Previa diesel, badged as a Lucida IIRC. K reg, in a horrible metallic light green. Square number plates, extra mirror hanging off the back, completely unknown provenance but 45mpg(!) and buckets of room for the kids to spread out in, get changed at the seaside in, picnic in, invite all their friends along in, and make a mess in. Ran it for a year, only needed an exhaust in that time, and he sold it for the £1200 he bought it for.
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I'd agree with doing this - when our family expanded we to buy an MPV at a budget similar to yours. After looking at some of the cars around the £1000 - £1500 mark which were almost without exception overpriced rubbish I ended up looking at the bottom end of the market and buying a Fiat Ulysse for £450 which proved to be a very good car - the sliding doors are something you might find very useful.
I made the mistake of buying a 2L petrol though, and after a few fuel bills I sold it and bought a diesel Espace for around £500 which has served us reliably since - I tried to sell it when I was laid off but since getting a new job we've decided to keep it and its replacement as we can now afford to run two cars.
The only major expense has been the second MoT - around the £450 mark which I think isn't bad in 18 months of ownership.
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You'd be struggling to get a usable Zafira for £1,000.
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Do you really need an MPV? If your backs are that bad would you qualify for mobility scheme? If not - yes 3-doors is a pain with kids, but 5 doors will go a long way, even non-MPV. When we had small kids an Escort or Orion were pefect. Equally Astra, Megane, or other simple, mass market hatches will do you well for £1-2,000 for a couple of years. You are paying extra for a true 7 seater with a Zaffy or similar that you really dont need and will pay for with extra running costs too. And if you really do need loads of space get an estate.
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Have you looked at a Honda Shuttle? Good reliability and handling. Very good 2.3 vtec engine, more basic then some MPV's, but that just means less to go wrong if you ask me!!!
Only come as an auto though. Very large boot if 3rd row of seats are stowed away, so easy to get pushchairs/prams in.
We have had one for about 5 years now and will not be getting rid of it any time soon thats for sure!!
Some here tinyurl.com/yhmfce5 within your price range.
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Fiat Doblo? Me and my misses keep looking at these and she has promised me I can have one when we next spend money on a car :-) such a useful thing and basic so reliable, vans usually are compared to those with civilian underpinnings. Perhaps get a JTD version for your budget?
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Hyundai Matrix might be worth a shout if you can find one ... Elantra based so solid and reliable, cheap enough (you can get a 2003 car which will only be 18 months or so out of warranty for about £1600, and the warranty means that most will have been properly serviced to keep the free repairs). Not that bad looking either.
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I'm going to second a Mondeo III hatch. You'll get a tidy one in your budget. They are roomy and very very easy to get kids in/out of the back seats due to their wide opening large rear doors. They are also very easy for those with bad backs to get in/out of the front too. Comfy seats and excellent driving position again helpful to backs.
Sadly MPVs in this price range are often tired and poor value for money.
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