3 Car Sears in Back of Car???

smileyeyes

Hi Everyone:)

This topic has no doubt come up before so I apologise if this is the case!!

Baby Number 3 due in March and we already have a 6 year old and our youngest will be 27 months old when 3rd baby arrives!

Our 6 year old sits in a Maxi Cosi Booster and our now 22 mth old sits in Maxi Cosi Car Seat. We will probably purchase a Maxi Cosi rear/forward facing baby seat for new arrival!

This is the problem.... We have an Audi A4 which won't fit a 3rd car seat across back seat . We will have to change car and wonders if anyone knows if a Volvo v50 (estate) or BMW Touring (estate) will fit the required car seats?????

Any information or advice would be sooooo greatly appreciated!!!!!

Thank you.....;)

cdb

First of all congratulations on the upcoming arrival. We were in the same boat last year and after looking at lots of options including a Volvo V50 we opted for the Ford S-Max. The fact that it has three independent rear seats, two of which have ISO-fix fittings and all are fully adjustable swung it for us. The boot space is generous and becomes enormous with the rear seats pushed forward. There are two further seats in the boot floor so it can become a 7-seater on the odd occasion, very very handy. We opted for the 1.8tdci and while it may not be in the same class as the Audi in terms of the interior you will find the practically far outweighs any shortcomings overall. Plus being a Diesel it is very economical to run and pretty good to drive. A decent option to consider anyway. Good luck!!

smileyeyes

CDB Thank you so much for your reply and advice!!!;)

"Class" does not bother me whatsoever...our Audi is only a "02" and was only purchased because it is so economical to run...€40 diesel a week Our car is worth about €3,500 to €4k and will have about €4k to put towards upgrading!

We did actually look at the S-Max as my husband loves them but we cannot seem to find one in our price range . We were very pleasantly surprised at the prices of the V50's and BMW estate car's and that is the reason behind looking at them. When you looked at the V50's did you think you could fit 3 car seats in the back of it??

cdb

You didn't mention a budget so my suggestion wasn't much help, I should have asked, sorry! The S-Max came out in late 2006 so if its not an option now it might be later on.

The V50 we looked at a lovely car and was very reasonably priced, we were very tempted to go for it until we tried fitting the three child seats - 2 maxi-cosi xp priory's and a cabrio. We could just about close the doors but then couldn't reach the belt buckles! It was a pity because I thought it was a fantastic motor.

We didn't try BMW but the 5-series is wider than a V50 so it could be perfect. The others we considered that I remember were the Honda FRV which has 3+3 seats and the Toyota Avensis Verso, Renault Scenic & Espace but each had their pro's and con's. Others here might help you with suggestions too.

Either way you have plenty of time to look around and remember you'll get much better value for money in January, just be sure to try buckling in the three baby seats you'll use now and think of the seats you'll use in a few years time. Hope this helps.

Moonbeam

A citroen xsara picasso is worth a look too.
It has 3 full seats.

Robertd_07

Previous post on 3 carseat car models

ash23

A Renault Scenic also has 3 full size individual rear seats and a high safety rating for passengers.
I had one for years and loved it. Mine was a 00.

smileyeyes

cdb wrote: »

You didn't mention a budget so my suggestion wasn't much help, I should have asked, sorry! The S-Max came out in late 2006 so if its not an option now it might be later on.

The V50 we looked at a lovely car and was very reasonably priced, we were very tempted to go for it until we tried fitting the three child seats - 2 maxi-cosi xp priory's and a cabrio. We could just about close the doors but then couldn't reach the belt buckles! It was a pity because I thought it was a fantastic motor.

We didn't try BMW but the 5-series is wider than a V50 so it could be perfect. The others we considered that I remember were the Honda FRV which has 3+3 seats and the Toyota Avensis Verso, Renault Scenic & Espace but each had their pro's and con's. Others here might help you with suggestions too.

Either way you have plenty of time to look around and remember you'll get much better value for money in January, just be sure to try buckling in the three baby seats you'll use now and think of the seats you'll use in a few years time. Hope this helps.

I so appreciate you taking the time to reply;)! I should have said my budget limit at the outset...I will learn:D

My hubby loves the Verso's also! I must have a look at the Honda FRV's!!

Thanks a mill....

smileyeyes

Thanks a million Robertd...I never thought of Mondeo's!!

Thanks also to everyone else for their replies so far...keep them coming...

xx

Tabnabs

smileyeyes wrote: »

I so appreciate you taking the time to reply;)! I should have said my budget limit at the outset...I will learn:D

My hubby loves the Verso's also! I must have a look at the Honda FRV's!!

Thanks a mill....

The Corolla Verso has just been announced as the most reliable second hand car in Germany, so it's probably a good bet. I have the saloon version of the V50 and will be looking for something bigger soon, They are relatively small in the cabin. A lovely car, but not enough space for three kids IMHO.

smileyeyes

Tabnabs...thank you so much!!

I am disappointed about the V50 as they are a lovely looking car and reaonably priced for what you get:(! But there is no point wasting anymore time drooling over them now .

I will have a look at Toyota Verso's so thanks a million!!!

yoda2001

I would say you definitely have to look at a 7 seater (verso, smax etc...). Your 6 year old may want to bring a school friend home. You may want to give someone a lift to a match or school activity (so that the other parent can do you a return favour!). I'm not a fan of people carriers but had to give in when we had no 3. It's great to have the option of the 2 rear seats. I've given up on my 'image' though...

parsi

The Peugeot 307SW is a 7-seater but really looks like an estate and handles better than the Scenic. The middle row of seats can move a bit independently so you can fit three car seats a little bit easier (though it's still a bit of jiggery-pokery picking the right combos).

One thing - with a 6 year old s/he will soon be able to move to a "slice" style booster which is narrower and ideal for the middle seat.

cynder

I have a verso, it's ok.... Petrol is expensive, drinks it, it's a 05 have had it for 5 years. Last 2 years the wheel bearings went and this year starter motor went then the gearbox. Our friends starter motor gave up a month after ours and hers was a 06' down to the cold winter. I don't mind the car but will look for something more economical due to high running costs, we had a booster seat britax and 2 9months to 11 years evolva car seats and the fitted fine.

smileyeyes

Thank you everybody so much for your help on this.....;)

It is so hard to come to a decision though...my head is fried and I have my DH's head fried also.....:D

My brother has suggested taking a day, without the children (note: he didn't offer to babysit though ), and driving around the car dealerships with 3 car seats and try them in any cars that we like/can afford!!

stimpson

smileyeyes wrote: »

Thank you everybody so much for your help on this.....;)

It is so hard to come to a decision though...my head is fried and I have my DH's head fried also.....:D

My brother has suggested taking a day, without the children (note: he didn't offer to babysit though ), and driving around the car dealerships with 3 car seats and try them in any cars that we like/can afford!!

That's good advice. We were looking at baby friendly cars a few months ago and I was smitten with the A4 estate. The missus picked holes in my argument in minutes - the lack of legroom in the center seat and the killer was when we tried the buggy in the boot - it would only fit diagonally despite the fact that it looked huge.

We settled on a Verso. They're not the most exciting car in the world but they are fantastically practical - they were designed to do families. The extra headroom in the rear makes it much easier to strap the little ones in. I know a friend with the 1.6 petrol and it's very thirsty. I have the 2.0 diesel and it's not bad - about 35 - 40 mpg in town. What I love most is the fact that it's got 7 seats yet is still shorter than the Avensis it replaced. In fairness there's not much space with all 7 seats in use but plenty with just 5.

There is one or two within your budget on carzone - http://m.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=201140204790785

Ddad

Hi, I have a 307sw and the S-max in the family. We originally got the 307sw and as its getting old (03) we got an S-max as the second family car. The 307 and 308sw's have a good engine choice in petrol and diesel and pull well. I have the 307 set up with six seats in a 2-2-2 formation with one folded down most of the time. the kids get in to the rear seats through the gap in the middle row. When they were smaller I had the all in the middle row in two child seats and one full back booster. The car still does 400 miles to a tank of petrol (1.6) of mixed driving. tax and insurance is fine and it's cheap to maintain and it drives well. The full glass roof is great for the kids as they are never car sick. Drawbacks are I'd prefer the S-max for long drives (cruise control and powerful engine)and you don't need to use the third row most of the time as it's so easy to get the three kids in and out of the three seats in the middle row.

Hand on heart I'd buy a 307sw again in the morning as they are great value. I'm going to drive mine until it dies. The S-max is a 2 litre tdci and is really comfortable but has had bits and pieces going on it since we got it new 3.5 years ago. Nothing major, no breakdowns but we're not getting another one when the car is up for renewal in six months.

By the bye, we had a v50 before it got totalled by a red light jumper and it was a lovely car but we were secretly delighted because we couldn't fit into it anymore with three children. Poor car planning on our part. Lovely car though but it's just a focus chasis and hence no space.

Voltex

We were in the same situation..ended up getting the Ford Galaxy.
But have you looked at the Mazda 5? Sliding door is really handy.

poolboy

OP i did a lot of research on this last year when we found out our now 2 month old was on the way firstly you are very limited in choice of cars that can genuinely accomadate 3 car seats in one row some look like they will, car salesmen will tell you they sold x car to a woman last week who drove out with 3 seats in it etc. As our oldest is only 3 and a half we wanted all 3 to fit across the back row (not one in the boot) Our choices came down to peugeot 5008 citroen xsara picasso and renault scenic/grand scenic. In the end we got a grand scenic for the extra boot space all 3 kids are in 3 different stages of maxi cosi seats all secured by isofix. The only difficulty is getting the seatbelt clicked in on eldest booster seat is little awkward but not really a problem. By the way someone suggested a mondeo i traded an 08mondeo it will not accomadate 3 seats safely imo and not a chance if you use isofix .

newwifey

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Ford/S-Max/1.8-TDCI/201135204206539/advert?channel=CARS

if u could squeez a few quid more into the budget you may just find one.
Have an smax ourselves which i wouldn't change for any other....well maybe a volvo XC90

cynder

stimpson wrote: »

We settled on a Verso. They're not the most exciting car in the world but they are fantastically practical - they were designed to do families. The extra headroom in the rear makes it much easier to strap the little ones in. I know a friend with the 1.6 petrol and it's very thirsty. I have the 2.0 diesel and it's not bad - about 35 - 40 mpg in town. What I love most is the fact that it's got 7 seats yet is still shorter than the Avensis it replaced. In fairness there's not much space with all 7 seats in use but plenty with just 5.

There is one or two within your budget on carzone - http://m.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=201140204790785

If we ever upgrade we will get the vw passat diesel.

Ours is a 1.6 and drinks the petrol.... Approx 27 miles to the gallon around town at best 40 on long distances.

smokingman

Have three under 2 years old ourselves and just recently got an FRV.
Smashing machine but just make sure you get the 1.8 petrol as opposed to the older 1.7. Big difference in performance even though you wouldn't imagine it being so. I was hoping to get the 2.2 diesel but it's a bit too expensive.

The three isofix seats are proving to be pretty damn handy and the eldest fella has an amazing view sitting in the middle.

LegacyUser

Hi,

Can anyone help me? we have a mazda 6 and have a 2 yr old and 11mt old and baby 3 due in sept. Already my 2 little girls are in stage 1 seats and when the baby comes along we will need to fit the maxicosi cabriofix. We are prepared to change our car seats (preferred option) rather than changing the car. Anyone know if this is possible

Thanks

carolinespring

Ok, guys before you change car (unless yoou want to) would you not look at changing car seats? I run a pre school service and this has come up a number of times nd the parends have found slimmer seats that are a perfect fit for the car. I know it did take a little while and trail and error.

If you are not in a major rush I can find out what combi's of seats work. We had the RSA do a seat check last year and where very happy with the seats.

marley123

I drive one of these ( not as new But find the CRV Great, very comfortable, have 2 kids but with playdates always have extra car set in car so 3 car seats in the back. huge boot & nice to drive.

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Honda/CR-V/MDX-3.5-/713245503536850/advert?channel=CARS&featuredListingClickThru=true

Moonbeam

How many Iso fix points does it have?
I need to be able to fit 4 rear fitting isofix seats in my new car.

ocy

http://www.multimac.co.uk/home

Don't have one myself, but a lot cheaper than changing car

cbyrd

Moonbeam wrote: »

A citroen xsara picasso is worth a look too.
It has 3 full seats.

I can highly recommend this car.. loads of boot space 3 full seats in the back and if you manage to flip your car twice into a field it holds together very well..

stimpson

cbyrd wrote: »

I can highly recommend this car.. loads of boot space 3 full seats in the back and if you manage to flip your car twice into a field it holds together very well..

Once could be put down as sn accident, but twice? That's just careless

January

stimpson wrote: »

Once could be put down as sn accident, but twice? That's just careless

Nooo... the car flipped twice when it crashed, she didn't manage to flip it twice on separate occasions.

cbyrd

stimpson wrote: »

Once could be put down as sn accident, but twice? That's just careless

I wasn't being careless as it happened.. the car rolled twice and didn't do much damage to the inside of the car. 2 babies in the back were not injured i had head injuries from things inside the car hitting me on the head. It's not something i'm ready to joke about just yet.