Buying a Family Car

[Rollo]

... otherwise known as: "How much hope is left for me?"

I'm in the midst of making wedding plans and through the logistics of flying people half way around the world etc. and the subject of my missus' car came up - ie. what would be the best car to give her?
(because I aint giving up my Ka on the grounds that it's still the most practical solution for me).

Considering the questions of kids and the like some time in the future, I actually heard myself saying "I'm seriously considering either a Mondeo or a 407 or a 380". Back up the tape a bit:

"I'm seriously considering either a Mondeo or a 407 or a 380" - Augh! How long do I have left? How long is it before my favourite program on telly is the news? When do I start buying beige coloured clothing and a white hat?

Can anyone find fault with the Ford Mondeo, the Peugeot 407 or the Mitsubishi 380 and dissuade me? What are the better 2-3L family cars out there?

[bowler]

get used to it. Beige will become a way of life.

[Magnus]

There must be a huge diff in pricetag somewhere. Shure, there are a lot of the cars you talk abt in Sweden, used for this purpose, but most go around and buy a Volvo or Saab, naturally, because thay are very cheap. But people also prefer, and buy, cars like BMW tourings and Audi Avants.
you must excuse me, but I would NEVER buy one of the cars you are talking abt. There are far nicer alternatives, and they do not have to be that much more expensive.
And remember: beige do NOT need to be a part of life!

[Mark]

Is she pregnant? If no then you do not have to think of kids at the moment! If kids are to come along you will recieve more than enough notice in order to change the car!

[Daniel]

I've never understood why having a child means you then have to have a "family" car or as for most people in the UK a people carrier or articulated lorry to carry around a child who is only small :mark: To me a 4 door hatch (I refuse to acknowledge that the hatch is a proper door) with a decent amount of room will be enough for most children into their early teens at least. If you want a turbo diesel I'd go for the 407, if you don't the Mondeo and if you clearly have no taste in cars a 380.

Rollo you sly dog you! ;)

[Brown, Jon Brow]

Get an Alfa 159 ;)

The newest Mondeo is a very good car but you will look like a sales rep :s

[Drew]

Get a second hand Audi 80, the kids will only be sick in the back and mess the whole thing up anyway. Spend the money saved on the honeymoon / condoms :p :

[AndyRAC]

Seeing as this is a Rallyforum, what about a Focus, or C4??

[schmenke]

I've never understood why having a child means you then have to have a "family" car ...

Try having two... :mark:

The missus and I are now seriously contemplating a minivan (people-carrier to you lot) :s








Beige ain't so bad :erm:

[TangoR34]

The car that I would suggest is a Fiat Multipla. 1.6 petrol or 1.9 diesel, a very economical car with little car engine with loads of passenger and boot space. may not be beautiful, but very practical.

[fandango]

I've never understood why having a child means you then have to have a "family" car or as for most people in the UK a people carrier or articulated lorry to carry around a child who is only small

You'll probably get it some day. It's not the kid, it's the stuff. Push chairs, bags for clothes, nappies, maybe even a travel cot. There's no end to it. And then you're trying to fit it all in the car at the same time while suffering sleep deprivation. We had an old 205 when the first one came along, now we've got a campervan...

[Daniel]

But how did my parents get on with an old Honda Civic and two teenagers and a baby me?

[Brown, Jon Brow]

Top Gear has said many times that the only advantage of an MPV over a family hatchback is if they have 7 seats.

[KILOHMUNNS]

Try having two... :mark:

The missus and I are now seriously contemplating a minivan (people-carrier to you lot) :s



Only 2 ? Try 4!!

I don't have much of a choice when I need a new car, it's a 7 seater or a 7 seater :D

Then when you want to go on holiday you have the roof box as well!

If you only have 1 on the way then you need a car with a bigger boot (preferably a hatch) to fit all the stuff in but appart from that you don't have to compromise too much.

If you aren't going to drive the car too much my advice Rollo is to let her choose the car, at least that way you won't make the wrong choice! :p :

Good luck with the wedding

[wedge]

Personally I'd go for a Skoda Octavia VRS.

Same as a Golf GTI but softer springs and good bootspace but the hard part would be to persuade the missus (and possibly your peers/neighbourhood) that Skoda are actually a VW in disguise and therefore a great car to own....

[Daniel]

I doubt Rollo will be able to get the full Skoda range in Australia :)

[janneppi]

Only 2 ? Try 4!!

I don't have much of a choice when I need a new car, it's a 7 seater or a 7 seater :D

Then when you want to go on holiday you have the roof box as well!

If you only have 1 on the way then you need a car with a bigger boot (preferably a hatch) to fit all the stuff in but appart from that you don't have to compromise too much.

There were six people in my family, at first my parents had a 83' Opel Kadett, then moved to a 84' Opel Rekord station wagon, oddly enough it would fit six people and their stuff. Mind you, that was when small kids would be strapped into the same hip seat belt. :rolleyes:
We did use a trailer at times if there was need to carry bigger stuff.

[Brown, Jon Brow]

There were six people in my family, at first my parents had a 83' Opel Kadett, then moved to a 84' Opel Rekord station wagon, oddly enough it would fit six people and their stuff. Mind you, that was when small kids would be strapped into the same hip seat belt. :rolleyes:



Thats what happened to me as I grew up in a 6 person family. We managed with a Renault 25. The two smallest had the share a seat belt. Happy days :)

[KILOHMUNNS]

Ah... the days when you didn't need a seatbelt or a childseat. Happy days looking out the back window and sticking your tongue out at the drivers behind

[Allyc85]

Get the new mondeo in dark metalic blue, it looks great!

[Brown, Jon Brow]

I've never understood why having a child means you then have to have a "family" car or as for most people in the UK a people carrier or articulated lorry to carry around a child who is only small :mark: To me a 4 door hatch (I refuse to acknowledge that the hatch is a proper door) with a decent amount of room will be enough for most children into their early teens at least.


Times are different now Daniel. You need a big car to carry all the equipment that the government health and safety people say you need. ;)

http://www.apathways.com/images/Pictures/Gear/SurvivalKits-350pix.jpg

[Daniel]

Such as?

[Brown, Jon Brow]

Can you not see the picture? :p

[Daniel]

sorry was browsing on my phone :p

[Mark]

All the time when I was growing up we had a 3 door Fiesta (they were even smaller then than now). We never needed anything more even for going to France on holiday etc.

[janneppi]

Apple hasn't fallen too far from the tree I see. :)

[Daniel]

exactly Mark. But somehow the car marketing people have convinced people that they need an ocean liner as soon as the woman pops out a sprog. The only thing I would say that is advisable would be a car with 4 doors so you're not forever reaching back through the front door to get the turd out of the car. That said a Mondeo or 407 or 380 are nowhere near as bad as buying a people carrier.

[fandango]

Actually, sometimes a two-door car is better. When the front seat is folded forward you often have lots of room to get yourself into the car in front of the chisler, so you can do up seatbelts and all that without having to do it bent over, straining the lower back.

But it's very true what you say about times past. My family all went on hols in a Vauxhall Viva, and there were six of us. However, things are different now. We went through a period of renting cars for the odd weekend away a couple of years ago, so we got to use lots of different cars. Some are impossible.

But you always need child seats, with extra bags (all those nappies take up a lot of space, and you DON'T want to be left short), a push chair or two, which may or may not fold up into a shape that can go into a car. However, I'm talking about going away, travelling. Although we have a VW van we almost never use it the city. We walk, or go for something even bigger - a bus or a train.

[Brown, Jon Brow]

All the time when I was growing up we had a 3 door Fiesta (they were even smaller then than now). We never needed anything more even for going to France on holiday etc.

My mum had a 3door Clio (Mk1) when I was growing up and it had no problem carrying two adults, a teenager, a child and lots of luggage up and down the motorway.



exactly Mark. But somehow the car marketing people have convinced people that they need an ocean liner as soon as the woman pops out a sprog.


My parents fell for that. When my older brothers and sister moved out and the old Clio was knackered they decided my mum need a bigger car so they got a Scenic :s

[Mark]

Apple hasn't fallen too far from the tree I see. :)

Hehe yes! I remember when I was probably about 5 years old or something I thought "When I grow up I want a car just like this"... as you do when you are 5 :) .

Completely forgot about that until about a year after I bought my Fiesta!

Times move on of course, but if/when I have children I would be happy to ferry them around in the back of my Fiesta. The only thing I might want to upgrade is the boot space and something like a Focus would do just fine for that.


My parents fell for that. When my older brothers and sister moved out and the old Clio was knackered they decided my mum need a bigger car so they got a Scenic

My Mum+Dad were on holiday in Spain a few years ago, they had booked a Corsa sized car and they were 'upgraded' to a Scenic. My Dad flat out refused to move until they downgraded it again, he got a Clio :)