car - enough space for baby stuff

jood22

Hi all,
Need to get a car asap as going bananas without one. Jst wondering if people can give feedback on bootsizes etc, as live in Dublin but from Cork so we go home quite often. We hav one baby and a dog (like another child by the time you pack her bed, food nd toys!) For our daughter we'll be packing buggy (Phil an Teds - takes u huge amount of space) travel cot, steriliser, bags for us etc.
Don't have a fortune to spend either, andon't fancy getting a loan these days....
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!:)

caprilicious

I had the same problem recently, baby is 5 weeks old I had a little 3 door hatchback and getting car seat in/out was a nightmare, as for fitting the buggy in, it just didn't happen!

I got myself a '01 Nissan Almera, there's a nice big boot in it, plenty of room for the pram & still room to but her nappy change bag/shopping in.
I picked it up for €1700 with a one year NCT on it. It wouldn't be the flashest of motors but it does the job

If you check out www.parkers.co.uk, go to the reviews section and it gives info on boot space/capacity of whatever car you select.

Moonbeam

I have a Primera and although it is a great car,I find it hard trying to fit baby stuff and dog in it for long journeys.
I would definitely recommend getting a hatch back and not a saloon.

ocokev

VW Passat pre 05.

Travel alot with our baby and this has hugh boot and leg room in back for the person sitting minding the bab. Dont have a dog, but we bought a small buggy for shopping and travel and handier than packing up the bigger buggy.

CJhaughey

Estates are king when it comes to kids and stuff.
We bought a Corolla 00 1.4 estate and it has been great, troublefree motoring and as big as we need for kids and stuff, We had a Phil and teds and it fitted fine.
Economical averages 48Mpg and 1.4 tax won't kill you.
Its not a flash motor but it does the job and does it without fuss.
Primera Estates are around and are good sized as are Avensis estates.
I personally would stay Japanese but not the Almera they give problems with Camchains and crank position sensors.
I have friends with Renault Megane scenics and they like them, but I don't.
Any car with kids and a dog is not going to be worth much afterwards so think of it as a disposable car:)
If you are only occasionally carrying very large amounts a roof box can make a big difference to your capacity. We have a 450 litre one for trips to France and it makes life a lot easier, all the bulky light stuff goes up top and the heavier stuff in the boot.

angeldaisy

we use an octavia, loads of room in boot and cheaper than estate version. also have roof box for top for long journeys

Grawns

We bought a 2nd hand volkswagon passat estate and got a dog guard rail and a roof box as between my husbands cycling and all the baby stuff (14 mth old) and the mutt, we hardly had room in our pre baby Lexus ( no mutt allowed).

Off to Clare for a week this weekend and we need to bring
Travel cot and mattress
High chair
Racing or mountain bike TBC
Bike paraphenalia ( Lots :rolleyes:)
Dog
and clothes and stuff

It's a great car though.

cbyrd

i have a skoda fabia estate and i can fit 3 kids ourselves the dog and all the camping gear!!! we're going camping in july so had a trial fit in just to make sure i wouldn't have to get a van for the trip!!:eek::D youngest is 13 weeks so i have all the baby travel gear too. its the bset of both world cos i've a small car just with a massive boot...

jood22

Thank you for all the feedback, have lots to go on now - cheers!:pac:

Voltex

when my wife became pregnant, we decided her old car wasnt suitable...so went looking for a new one. Nearly every car in the small/super mini segment couldnt accomodate a normal size pram...untill we came across the Honda Jazz.

Super amount of space...rear seats that split and fold UP!! and down...just a really well thought out well built and designed car!!!
I drive a Saab 93...but when we go out as a family we use my wife's car...simply because of the great amount of space it has!!

bogtotty

+1 on the Skoda Fabia estate - got mine recently and driving with baby, dog and random other family members has become a pleasure. Huge amount of space for such a tidy car.