And the next car question....which people carrier?

[roundthebend]

I think this has been covered before, but fresh views are welcome.

Don't tell me not to bother with a people carrier, it's pretty much essential for my wife's business to flourish. She's a childminder and we have 2 kids of our own. To get a good income she needs to have 2 full time kids, but currently has 1 full time and 1 part time. Taking on an extra kid inevitably means an overlap in timings which means not having enough seats in the car.

So, something which works as a family car for camping holidays and having shopping in the boot, as well as something with usable 7 seats. I think we're looking at Ford Galaxy/Seat Alhambra/VW Sharan rather than Zafira which is cramped in the rear. Also thinking of Toyota Previa but they tend to be less common and more expensive.

I've suggested a camper van but she isn't agreeing!

Oh, and Fiat Multipla is a no-no.

[IanCorps]

The Renault Grand Scenic is worth looking at , mine has been very re
I able and very versatile

[Fretwired]

Some reviews:

http://www.carbuyer.co.uk/reviews/re...riers-and-mpvs

[Lexie1]

Don't overlook the Mazda 5. 6/7 Seater, very similar in design and size to the Zafira, but it has one huge bonus, Sliding Rear Doors. This makes getting children etc in and out so much easier, especially where space can get tight, Supermarket Car Parks etc. These can be picked up secondhand for a very good price. I am changing mine in May having had it 3 years and it will be returned in pristine condition with a meager 20.000 on the clock, it will then be auctioned off and will make between 6 and 8K. Full dealership history etc.

Worth keeping an eye on the Moto Auctions as this is where Motability dispose of all their ex Contract Hire vehicles and there are some very real bargains to be had.

[FBF]

I bought a Kia Sedona from new when I needed a people carrier. It was loaded with all the toys you'd need, was very comfortable and reliable and was the cheapest of all the people carriers by quite some margin (I paid around 9k new for the 2.9 petrol manual). The only thing with Kias is that they are very plasticky inside, no class or style. But money was the issue for me- I needed it cheap and cheerful and that's what I got... But even cheap they are loaded with toys... Worth a look.

[bertie]

budget ? used/new ? we looked at the 5 last COV time............. it was a possible, but theyve now changed the spec and only offer one level of trim and thats pretty basic

We are (were) people carrier converts, even tho we have no kids, the sliding back seat makes it uber versatile and spot on for dogs and PA (not at the same time of course !!) BUT - and for me a COV driver, ALL people carriers (due to bad aerodynamics) are high on CO2 emissions (relatively to what else is around........like bigger estates.....new mazda 6 for instance, superb car)

[Lexie1]

Hopefully, the new Mazda6 estate will be the next wagon around here.

[ICBM]

The Renault Grand Scenic is worth looking at , mine has been very re
I able and very versatile

+1 - despite the fairly poor reputation Renault have, mine has been great. It has had only two faults (failed dashboard display and seized electric handbrake) in the nearly five years I've owned it, neither of which were massively expensive to fix really. The handbrake was a bit, but not compared to the overall time and mileage I've had out of it. It's definitely been one of the cheapest cars to run I've had. They're nice and cheap to buy second-hand too - traditional French depreciation, which is an advantage if you're on the buying end of it!

It's also fantastically versatile, it can go from a full seven-seater (just about, although you don't want big adults in the two rear seats) to something not much smaller than a combi van in about two minutes. Despite originally being sceptical (always drove estate cars before) I love people-carriers and would never now want to be without a vehicle like this. So much more practical and useful than anything else I can think of. And if you think they aren't cool, watch Get Shorty .

[bertie]

Hopefully, the new Mazda6 estate will be the next wagon around here.

went to look at one on saturday (sport 2.2 D)

very impressed, especially with the sub 120 CO2............mrs bert still wants a Yeti tho

[roundthebend]

Thanks for the suggestions.
In terms of budget, we'd like it to be less than what we sell our current car for. So, I reckon £4k is absolute max.