What sort of mileage are you planning on doing? Are you buying privately or through a dealer (i.e. with a warranty)?

The Renault and Kia options you've given are diesels - and given your budget could easily wipe you out if they turn out to be problem cars. Unless you're covering high a mileage, I would consider petrols like the Zafira you've quoted.

I can't help on UK prices or reliability of the models quoted, other than to point out that a friend of ours in the UK has a 2005 Scenic and is facing a £1,500 repair bill for engine troubles at the moment.

On another note, I think you'll actually find that most cars will happily take 2 car seats + 1 in the back - and it's the boot space which is probably the killer. This is because some buggies don't fold, or are the wrong shape when they do.

How about looking at different buggies as an alternative - might open up your choice of car a bit Finding the right size/shape buggy for our eldest before she was born meant that the wife could keep and enjoy her two-seater car for two more years, despite its tiny boot. Mothercare 'own-brand' range to the rescue...

You might get a trouble-free Scenic but it's more of a gamble. French cars aren't rubbish (a Citroen Picasso is worth putting on your list as well), but they're more vulnerable to abuse / unsympathetic driving. Japanese and, I believe, Korean cars are better able to cope with it because more money has been put into making durable components.

Are you sure a Toyota Verso won't fit your family? Worth a serious look if it could.

Unless you do a very high annual mileage, I agree with those above who say go for a petrol (too many horror stories on here of major failure with older diesels). Also buying from a dealer is more expensive but you get more protection from the Sale of Goods Act and you may also get, or be able to buy or extend, a warranty.

Edited by Avant on 16/04/2010 at 23:02

We bought a 2 yr old Grand Scenic 1.9 dCi Dynamique on a 54 plate when we were in similar circumstances to yourself. You will not find a better family car at anything like the money. Practical, good looking (in my opinion), loads of space, comfortable, smooth, quiet, lots of toys to play with etc etc.

But they are not built to last, and on ours, 60,000 miles was where it all started going wrong. They are unbelievably (unneccesarily) complex cars both mechanically and electronically, and when things do go wrong, the bills are eye watering. You will also find that many mechanics simply don't want to work on them.

After a list of niggly (but live-with-able??) problems, ours sprung a clutch slave cylinder failure on us which dumped us at the side of a busy dual carriageway, and cost us a grand to fix. On top of that it was starting to have problems with its power steering and dash panel, which would have come to another £1500 or so to sort. We outed it while it was still worth something.

It would be a fantastic car to own new and under warranty, but trust me this is not a car you want to own as it gets older, and without warranty cover.

I'm intrigued that some people are so sharp-eyed that they can tell, while driving along a motorway, what sort of engine is powering (or failing to) the car broekn doewn on the hard shoulder.

My Octavia has no badge on it saying whether it's a diesel (it is) and you'd have to take our eyes off the road to spot the badge on most cars. VW and Audi are probably the most conspicuous with TDI.

Generally the less stressed an engine is, and the fewer electronic complications it has, the longer it will last. Long may - for example - VAG con tinue to build cars with the old 1.9 PD engine - but they'll do so only if new buyers choose it. I'm as guilty as anyone in choosing a 2.0 CR TDI because it offers better performance and less noise.

Have you cosidered a small estate? something like an Astra or Focus or maybe Skoda. At your mileage a petrol would be better suited and personally I would avoid the Scenic as I know one or two folks with largiish bills recently..

I have had a 2006 (56) Kia Carens for just over a year, it is worth considering the latest model, post November 2006 as you will have the remainder of the manufacturers 5 year warranty (extended to 7 years for 2010 registered vehicles). I have found that Kia service from my local dealer is second to none. I have had 3 problems, a broken catch on the central storage box (replaced under warranty), screen washers stopped working (filter cleaned and replaced under warranty even though it was now over 3 years old, how many other manufacturers would regard this as a warranty job and not a service item) and recently a faulty EGR valve (again replaced under warranty along with a diesel particulate and throttle response upgrade carried out). I do around 12,000 miles p.a. and tow a caravan and the automatic Carens is a real dream to drive, the foot operated parking brake is not an issue with the auto box. It is also very economical for a large vehicle and is very well equipped (I have the LS version). If you can afford it a carens with some warranty remaining could be a star buy.