Swapping two seats for four (or five)

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Wed 23 Nov 2011 13:27
Swapping two seats for four (or five) - Man without a plan

Afternoon folks,

Found out a few weeks back that the wife and I are going to leave our mark on the world in June in the form of a little one in June next year...

Fortunately the lease on our Smart ForTwo runs out in March so obviously time to swap "fun" with practicality. So I need advice on recomended cars please.

Will need:

- 5 doors

- back seats capable of taking baby seat

- room in the boot for a buggy etc

- ecconomical (coming from the Smart Diesel giving 60 / 70 mpg)

- not look too naff / family car ish

- budget between £3k - £5k

- be capable of seeing out 5 years life with me and the family

- cheap to maintain and run

- driving is mostly A-roads with a drive through (a small) town from cold each day and back through town at night. Occasional motorway driving in the week and usually most weekends to visit family / friends.

- Mileage will be 15,000 per year.

At the moment am considering Focus but unsure to go for newer, lower mileage petrol or slightly older, higher mileage diesel.

I think the high mileage / potential of something big to go wrong / need replacing scares me a bit having had our last two cars from brand new and not having to worry about repairs.

Look forward to all of your collective wisdom.

Edited by Man without a plan on 23/11/2011 at 13:27

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Wed 23 Nov 2011 13:30
Swapping two seats for four (or five) - Man without a plan

Should just add actually, I like our current old shape Fiesta and think in 5 doors it wouldn't be too bad but the wife is insisting that she wouldn't be happy with Fiesta sized cars and so we are looking from Focus size up....

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Wed 23 Nov 2011 14:13
Swapping two seats for four (or five) - veryoldbear

Fron the experience of having had two small persons many moons ago, and more recently, another generation of small ones, words of wisdom:

* You always need more room than you think

* Baby stuff expands to fit the available space

* When you have two babbies under three you need about a zillion cubic metres of space.

* There is nothing like a big square estate car

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Wed 23 Nov 2011 15:09
Swapping two seats for four (or five) - Sam49

My suggestion - you could cut a daddy dash in a 2006-2008 (facelift) Mazda 6 petrol.

I personally can't think of a more stylish car of that size that ticks pretty much all the requirements and is well within budget. All the airbags, loads of room, reliable, fun to drive, a bit "different" to the usual, ony slight stumbler would be economy v. a SMART diesel

Don't get a diesel Mazda 6 though, apparently.

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Wed 23 Nov 2011 18:03
Swapping two seats for four (or five) - Bobbin Threadbare

My suggestion - you could cut a daddy dash in a 2006-2008 (facelift) Mazda 6 petrol.

I personally can't think of a more stylish car of that size that ticks pretty much all the requirements and is well within budget. All the airbags, loads of room, reliable, fun to drive, a bit "different" to the usual, ony slight stumbler would be economy v. a SMART diesel

Don't get a diesel Mazda 6 though, apparently.

I second all of that. I've a 2005 one. Economy isn't too bad ;-) Very reasonable prices to buy at the mo as well.

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Wed 23 Nov 2011 20:22
Swapping two seats for four (or five) - Avant

At your budget level, and given that you want to keep the car for some time, I'd advise against a diesel: modern diesels can be liable to expensive failure at high mileages.

Babies' gubbins always takes up more room than you expect, so go for a hatchback or estate. I'd agree with the Mazda 6 (petrol) and also suggest the Skoda Octavia (if you really want a diesel the Octavia 1.9 TDI is more durable than most) and Ford Focus estate: the Focus hatch may not be quite roomy enough.

An MPV is a possibility: avoid French cars which are more vulnerable to abuse by previous owners. The Vauxhall Zafira is dull to drive and not all that reliable but there are plenty to choose from. The Ford C-Max may be a bit too new for your budget. The Toyota Verso and Mazda 5 are probably the best bets for MPVs.

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Wed 23 Nov 2011 20:48
Swapping two seats for four (or five) - daveyjp
As you intend on keeping the car for many years back seat legroom is far more important than bootspace. With one child the empty back seat can be used if the boot is full, but once the legs start growing if there isn't much room for a growing child's legs the passenger will soon know about it.

If there isn't enough room for your legs, there may not be enough for a 2 year olds. Up to me getting a B class which has enough rear legroom for my 6'3" mate to sit in the back without his knees hitting the seat, the Aygo beat the A3 and X type hands down. Not suggesting an Aygo, but this demonstrates short cars can be deceptively spacious inside so get in the back seat of whatever car you consider and ensure there's enough space.


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Wed 23 Nov 2011 21:20
Swapping two seats for four (or five) - jamie745

I was going to recommend a late 90s Range Rover as they're going for bargain prices now but then i saw the economy requirement.

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Wed 23 Nov 2011 21:56
Swapping two seats for four (or five) - Bromptonaut

I know this is my answer to any 'what car' but an M59 type Berlingo/Partner would tick most of the boxes.

Sliding doors are much easier for babies and toddlers. Big boot with no lip avoids back strain with pramchairs (though they're even easier in a conventional estate where they can stow fore/aft). And when he kid's bigger and joined by a sibling there's tons of space in the back.

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Wed 23 Nov 2011 23:18
Swapping two seats for four (or five) - Avant

Good point - it's easy to forget the Berlingo. And from what one reads here and elsewhere (e.g. Steve Cropley of Autocar has had one as a family hack fore some time), they are through being simpler in design perhaps less vulnerable to abuse than some other French cars.

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Thu 24 Nov 2011 03:23
Swapping two seats for four (or five) - 1litregolfeater

No way - you must mean adopting

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Thu 24 Nov 2011 09:34
Swapping two seats for four (or five) - Man without a plan

Thanks for the ideas guys, appreciated.

I have to be honest, I certainly don't think the Berlingo/Partner will be an option. Me being a young, cool dad the last thing I want is a family van, even though I appreciate they can be hugely practical.

I'm surprised I haven't had more Astra / Focus recommendations as they are certainly what I was thinking of going for. I guess most of you would say the boot might not be big enough, but my sister in law has just got rid of her Fiesta for an Astra and seems to cope ok with her 8 month old and all associated gubbins.

Mazda 6 is a good shout and one I did look at.

What are the Honda Accord's like? Petrol or diesel? Saloon or estate?

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Thu 24 Nov 2011 11:25
Swapping two seats for four (or five) - Bobbin Threadbare

Honest John gives the Accord good reviews. They have Honda's decent reliability it would seem. They're also good-looking cars. I almost went for one when I was looking for my Mazda but a similar spec/mileage ended up being out of my price range at the time.

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Thu 24 Nov 2011 12:13
Swapping two seats for four (or five) - Falkirk Bairn

Workout exactly how much space you require.

Most would plump for an Astra/Focus sized h/back.

You then ditch the hatchback and get an estate, you ditch the focus/astra and go for a car size above that.

So Mazda 6 estate / Mondeo / Insignia it is.

When the baby is 3 months old you then find out that a SWB transit would just be about the right size!

Edited by Falkirk Bairn on 24/11/2011 at 12:13

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Choosing a child seat can be a quite baffling experience – there are so many sizes, types, brands and price points available that you might not know where to start.

How to choose the right child seat