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MOT runs out on the V70 on 1st November and i think it may be it's last 🙁 3rd child due on 17th november meaning 3 seats across the back essential.
Moving house means little cash!
Need a car that doubles up as a van soon, with capaiy to carry 2 adults and 3 kids in seats but can also use for business work picking up and delivering bikes.
Used berlingo is choice but not many with seats still - mostly modded for wheel chairs 🙁
£5k budget - anything better - will need to keep it for 3-4 years doing 15k a year ish
We’ve got a Zafira tourer 2014. Can fit a 150mm 29er upright with middle seat down and front wheel off/dropper down.
Also decent sized bike box in same space. Roof clearance the main limiting factor. Just about to drop bike box with courier myself. 80mm height is about the limit IIRC.
80cm even!
how high is a berlingo in comparison
I wasn't able to fit 3 child seats in the back of a Zafira, B-max, C-max, Tourneo or Grand Tourneo, the centre seat in all of these was too narrow. I wouldn't have discoverd this until after I bought the car unless I had taken the car seats I wanted to fit to the dealer to they fitted before buying.
The following were the only cars I could find wide enough in the back to take 3 car seats that were smaller than A Shalhambraxy
Renault Grand-Scenic
Citroen Grand-Picasso
Ford S-max
After more than a decade of trying to fit 3 kids into car seats i'll offer this advice.
If it's just for people, get an S-Max. Roof isn't high enough for regular bike duties.
If it's for people and stuff, get a Galaxy / Sharan / Alhambra.
If it's for mostly stuff, get a van
They're not exciting but they are the right tools for the job.
Zafira / Touran / C-max / Grand Scenic just aren't big enough.
My actual favourite was my Nissan Pathfinder but that comes with it's own set of issues.
good call tafkastr
seat wise one is baby seat, others is booster with back, and third is booster
Specifically designed for proper 3 wide seating.... in the front too!
Miles nicer to own/run than a Zafira one would assume.
nice but £2k to expensive
I would go with Perchy's suggestions. Having had 4 kids, the only real option was a Galaxy or equivalent, and they are excellent for longer trips with bikes. Three kids seats across the back seat of most cars is hard, and it only gets worse when your eldest is out of a booster as they then can't see out the windows as the view is blocked by the seats either side!
Love my Zafira...it's a 53 plate, we've had for about 12 years. Cost me £3000 back then and honestly hasn't missed a beat since. Doesn't get used all that much TBF but it gets an absolute hammering when it does, part time works van, dump run vehicle, used for the bikes, the dogs, many camping holidays to Cornwall and of late to ferry about a ton of fishing gear.
That car owes me nothing and I'll keep it going till it dies.
Had a zafira when the kids were smaller, now have an Smax
Smax is a lot bigger and will take child/booster seats easily, the Zafira will not.
Also, kids get bigger quickly!, then have friends and all come with stuff, 2 of my 3 kids are now adult size and still need to get taxied around, the Smax does this well.
My Zafira owes me nothing by the time it went, but you couldn’t get 3 boosters across the back.
Replaced it with a Verso, three equal sized seats across the back. Can’t tell you if it’ll take three child seats - one of ours was out of them by that time - but I got the Verso to avoid her having to sit on a not a proper middle seat.
It’s not as big as a Galaxy etc. though.
seat wise one is baby seat, others is booster with back, and third is booster
I have 2014 zafira this works, just
But this still didn't help as we have 2 older kids and 2 twins in baby seats, so we always had to use the the back 2 seats
Now the twins are big enough for boosters, we have 3 up front and one in the back
This gives us half the boot, which is really useful
Folding all the seats down take minutes and the it becomes a van
In a similar situation a few years ago we ended up with a C4 Picasso which despite being very French it still refuses to actually die and thereby justify my campaign to go back to an estate.
The newer ones look to be similar in their size, capacity, seating and being Citroens aren't viewed as particularly desirable by the majority.
I'd maybe have another, But I'd sooner have a V70 or E-class estate these days...
The advantage of a Zafira is similar to the C4 Pic though, not a desirable brand, cheap to buy, common enough that servicing and parts won't cost the earth and big enough to be used for child/bike/stuff/tip transport without ever getting too precious about the state of the interior...
You're after a practical "skip car" not an aspirational lifestyle vehicle... Just buy a Zafira, it's the practical choice (for now at least)...
It's the 3 seats that are key at the minute
I had a Cmax, you can fit a bike in the back with one wheel off but its not always easy. I loved it, great to drive despite its size and its reliability was bulletproof.
Just picked up a bargain (hopefully) berlingo with (nearly) no MOT, its cavernous in comparison. With the seats folded I got my commuter bike in the back, upright on its kickstand!
And the back seats themselves are massive, and you can almost walk through there's so much room.
Downside is the handling, you dont drive it, more like piloting a boat. It makes the full size transit at work feel nimble. I'll be doing a lot of motorway miles so dont really care but if I had a B road commute it would get tiring very quickly, you really cant feel what anything in the chassis is doing.
We'll see in about 40 minutes when the MOT is done how much of a bargain it was.
Just my thoughts on the Zafira I used to own...
It was a 2014 Zafira Tourer ‘new shape’ 2.0 CDTI 165 SE.
Economy was ok-ish, usually around the mid 40’s, straight line speed was incredible and it flew however put a corner in the mix and it was hideous, handled like a fishing boat in a force 10 storm.
I personally found the seats uncomfortable; too hard and quite a short seat base (in the front at least).
Multiple issues with the dreaded DPF and the 3 sensors fitted to it despite it being regularly used for longer drives, it was never properly diagnosed (Vauxhall main dealer & independent) and was the final straw.
As an aside I had a Ford S-Max for a week as a courtesy car and it was leagues apart in terms of space and build quality.
I have a tourer, you can get a mix of booster and baby seats across the back (just). The seats move back and forth independently so you can move the middle one forward which create more space. Worked for me anyway. I like mine, loads of room, seats are comfy, build quality seems ok (no rattles and squeaks on mine @ 6 year old/50K miles). Mine's the 1.4T petrol, nippy enough when there's only a couple of us in it, bit underpowered with a full load but I'm not interested in breaking any speed records!
I don't think it would be suitable as a van (for bikes anyway), the load area is good but it's not tall enough IMO. If you want a car that doubles up as a van, then a van derived car is what you want 🙂
Why don't you get a trailer for the bikes? Cheap enough & I can fit 3 bikes on top of my little Erde thing. You'd never get any more than 3 bikes in the back of any MPV type car, and that would be with wheels off etc. Someone has no doubt done it, but it'd become a pain having to squeeze bikes in all the time.
If it’s just for people, get an S-Max. Roof isn’t high enough for regular bike duties.
If it’s for people and stuff, get a Galaxy / Sharan / Alhambra.
100% this.
As an ex Galaxy owner, I do miss the space. They're pretty well screwed together and ok on comfort. Very little gets close for seat and boot space.
Ours did us 4 years and 85k of miles - and we bought it with 80k on the clock... Relatively problem free with a couple of minor things like a broken spring and near the end an electrical gremlin.
Still want a Berlingo
Had a Zafira 2003-2009 then an Smax 2009-2017. (Same as that one up there)
Smax was a much much nicer car. Bigger boot. Better to drive. Only had 2 kids so never had your conundrum but of those 2 I’d get the Ford.
Our friends who had 3 kids close together had a Fiat multipla. Would that work? When did they stop making them?
Edit 2010 apparently
Or a doblo
Or a doblo
A much more comfortable vehicle, unless you enjoy sitting with your knees up near your chin. Or at least, it feels like it. Also, the Citroen auto-box is bloody awful. Nodding donkey effect on acceleration, which can be measured with a calendar.
I do find the Doblo a nicer drive, and much more comfortable, but again, I don’t have a family that would require owning one, I can only compare the actual driving experience, which for me, in Berlingos and Partners, is one of utter misery.
I do like Zaffies, driven many of them over the last few years, but, and this is important, I don’t have any family to require one. Although I have a lurking desire for a Zafira VXR...
...a 350 bhp (remapped) family hauler. Actually, the standard 1.4 Turbo is quite quick enough.
I believe the manual states you can't use the middle seat in the middle row for a child seat on zafiras. Bit of an oversight by vauxhall that one. Worth checking that out on child seat websites etc before you buy.
We went with an SMax when no3 came along. Hoping to go back to a normal car once eldest is out of a seat all together.
I think teh Zafira does the "people carrier that feels like a car" thing really well but for the same reason, it's not vanlike really. Good long "boot" when the seats are sorted which does work well for bikes, but it doesn't have the volume.
(I really wanted to like the VXR but it was pretty obvious straight away that though I liked the whole "people carrier for maniacs" thing, I wasn't happy to make the compromises of the people carrier thing, without getting more size benefits)
I have Doblo, previously I had a 2005 Berlingo. The 2013 Doblo is notably bigger. Mine has 7 seats. The rear two in the massive boot are removable.
My ideal vehicle would be the same but on the lwb platform.
I can get 3 seats across the back. Does 50ish mpg on Motorway (70mph max) and just under 50mpg on a 20 mile rural commute.
Being a Volvo V70 owner and having previously suffered Vauxhall 'engineering' I'd do anything to keep the Volvo
Nissan Elgrand?
Had a Zafira when the kids were little, for what it was, it was alright but it was no use for carrying bikes or as a van substitute. The middle row seats always seemed to be in the way whether you fold them down or up&forward - it was never quite big enough.
If you are set on one tho - go for the 150bhp diesel in one of the top trims. Much nicer to be in than the poverty spec ones that make up the bulk of the market. The petrol engines base models really are hateful things
A galaxy would be my choice if I were you
Our C8 is far superior to a zaffy. Even if it is a shitty French piece of shit. Ours has sailed through 3 MOTs and will probably pass its next. If you really are hard up its difficult not to recommend, just go for a face-lift model as they have all the usual bullshit engineered out. Anything with orange clocks is your friend (C8/807). Of you actually consider one of these the 120hp 2.0 is the one to go for as it has a proper DPF and no stupid Eolys system to bugger about with. It also shares a lot of engine parts with similar Volvos and Ford's.
If you can live without sliding doors and completely removable seats then a Galaxy or derivative would be better if only for quick clear and a lack of abundant stupid computers. But obviously more expensive.
If one of the kids is over 3, and you don't have space for a 3rd car seat, you can legally have that child sitting on the back seat.
https://www.gov.uk/child-car-seats-the-rules/when-a-child-can-travel-without-a-car-seat
Up to you whether you'd want to, but pretty much no one on this forum would've sat in a booster! 😃
Had a Zafira, now have a Galaxy. My sister had a Zafira, now has an S-Max. Which kinda says it all really.
However, to elaborate a bit, the Fords are better cars. They are bigger, more comfortable, drive better, better laid out and more reliable.
My Galaxy was purchased for £4k 2.5 yes ago with 99k on the clock. 35k further down the line hasn't missed a beat and has sailed through MOTs.
The Galaxy is a van that drives like a car. With the seats down you can fit a fleet of bikes in it. Seats up and my three kids fit comfortably in it.
Fords are way more reliable than Vauxhall and the French marques.
This website is useful to understand reliability better - https://www.reliabilityindex.com/top-100
Fords are way more reliable than Vauxhall and the French marques.
This website is useful to understand reliability better – https://www.reliabilityindex.com/top-100
Hilarious - in at number 2....Vauxhall Agila. Not a Ford to be seen in the top 10 🙂
Zafira in at 35, C-Max at 57.
Hilarious – in at number 2….Vauxhall Agila.
Even more hilarious, the angina is a rebadged Suzuki (Wagon R/Splash).
At 12 it's the KA, 14 Focus, 23 Fusion, 29 Fiesta and then finally at 33 the Poxhall Tigra.
Your point was?