Family car dilemma

AlanD

I need to replace our 2nd car with something more family oriented so that we can shuttle our Son to and from the creche while the other car is out at work with the wife/husband.

We currently have a Ford Puma as the second car, but we can't find a child seat that will fit in the back of the Puma. The bucket seats of the car are too deep for a typical child seat to fit safely.

So I'm only going to spend €8k max if possible. I want an MPV/Estate preferrably and it probably needs to be petrol, since most diesels of that money have high mileage and wouldn't be worth the hassle. The car won't even do 10k a year, so I don't need a diesel.

It's also an opportunity for me to use the car for my kayak races. I currently use the other family car for this, but I'd prefer to use something with estate type space.

My plan was to buy a Zafira. Drove one, liked it, liked the space, the seats and the price. But it's NCAP safety rating is only 3 stars. Not great.

The alternatives are cars like the Laguna which as you know is a 5 star NCAP car and very safe.

I'm not one of these guys who thinks that just because I'll only do small journeys, I don't need a super safe car. It only takes one idiot on one spin to turn your car in to a mess. So I'm big on safety.

Would I be mad to buy a Laguna with it's reliability record? It's safety is swaying me unusually to a car I wouldn't normally touch. Should I buy the Zafira and take my 3 star chances? Hard to call really......because I could buy a Laguna and it could be trouble free, it really is 50/50 with them (official figures).

Long post i know.....but do you see my plight?

BrianD3

I wouldn't get too hung up on the number of stars. A modern (<10 years old)design with a 3 star NCAP rating is still decent. And in certain crashes (eg side impacted by a 4wd) the Laguna might be less safe than the Zafira due to being lower.

As for relaibility I wouldn't get hung up on that either. There are plenty of lemon Opels out there and the Zafira is far from being the most reliable car in the world. Buying a Zafira over a Laguna because you perceive the Zafira to be reliable isn't very sensible. Anyhow I'm sure the Renault bashers will be out of the woodwork in a few minutes and this thread will quickly go the way of every thread than mentions the R word...

AlanD

That's a good point and the Zafira has a very good side impact rating.

Thing is, when you don't see cars after they have crashed the only thing you have to go on is NCAP.

A 5 star is obviously much safer than a 3 star, so it's a hard call to make still....

As for reliability, acoording to http://www.reliabilityindex.co.uk/ the Laguna doesn't fair so well. I know lots of people with trouble free Renaults and trouble free Opels. But I grew up in the motor trade and I know that we repaired more broken down Renaults than we did Opels.

hhmmm

gyppo

@ AlanD

This is where I'd be putting my €8k

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=546438

ninty9er

My friend's mom will be changing her 00 Picnic soon (not sure if he'll get it/ it'll be traded though), if that's any help cos I see you're in Limerick how soon do you need to move on it.

I could ask if you're interested. There's nothing that I can see wrong with it other than it needs a good valeting

AlanD

i reckon it'll be too dear, so thanks, but no thanks.

A

colm_mcm

I reckon Picasso or Scenic are the most likely options. Old type Corolla Verso will be more reliable but out of your price range.

bazz26

Citroen Picasso:
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=537009

Mazda Premacy:
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carid=524548

Renault Scenic:
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=413493
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=519281

Dilbert75

From personal experience I'd recommend a close look at the Picasso - the 1.6 petrol is fairly underpowered but apart from that its just about the ideal family car (the seats are protected by Scotchguard, so even puke cleans up fairly easily! ). Would suggest you look for the Plus models - the aircon/cc is a valuable extra to have, would be uncomfortable between March & September otherwise and would fog up quickly in winter. (Plus models have alloys per the following)

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=467262
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=528646

dingding

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=264265

How about this volvo S70, good price and should be safe.

AlanD

I love big volvo estates. A newer V70 would be great if one could be got for this type of money, but that's only dreaming.

The Picasso is certainly a possibility alright and that Premacy will never break down. I'll have to go look at them.

Zafira is almost certainly ruled out now on reflection. I couldn't justify spending money on a car that would not be as safe as another car for the same money with a better safety record. Safety is that important to me.

Still going to see a Laguna estate today. Won't rule it out yet.

3ps

i would say you are a conservative buyer...

in that case.

- don't get a Laguna
- don't get a Picasso
- don't get a Scenic
- Don't get a Volvo

AlanD

...interesting observation!

but you'd be wrong. If money wasn't an issue, I'd be the one in the bright orange Focus ST or canary yellow M3. I'd love to have a car that few people have. Had one of the first 206 GTi's when they came in to the country, got rid of it and bought one of the first 206 CC's 2.0 when they came in to the country and got rid of that when I got married, bought a house and had a kid.

So what drives my decision making process these days is cost, practicality, maintenance and driveability.

My other car is a Peugeot 607.....not really the height of sensibility, but I love it.