7 seater advice

eoin.d

im looking for a 7 seater as i need something to put 3 childrens seats into. only problem is dont have much to spend only about 4000. any recommendations on make and model and more importantly as it will be down in the years what should i stay away from. also it has to be diesel. thanks in advance

Kevin McCloud

Seat Albrahama is well worth a consideration.

_Brian

eoin.d wrote: »

im looking for a 7 seater as i need something to put 3 childrens seats into. only problem is dont have much to spend only about 4000. any recommendations on make and model and more importantly as it will be down in the years what should i stay away from. also it has to be diesel. thanks in advance

There are a few cars in te market that will take three kids seats in the back. Perhaps you should investigate these first. 7 seaters all carry a premium so you might save a bit not getting one.
Renault scenic is one that I heard takes the three seats across the back.

It's worth investigating.

Kevin McCloud

_Brian wrote: »

Renault scenic is one that I heard takes the three seats across the back.

One to avoid.

Grab All Association

Did you ever hear of the crumple zone? It absorbs the energy from an impact. Most people carriers have no crumple zone. Sitting in the back of most people carriers your head is just inches away from the rear windscreen. Now imagine a car (or even worse a truck) smashing into you from behind whilst your child is back there. As mentioned above there are many cars on the market that can accommodate three child seats in the back. Unless you need the two extra seats I would look for a cheap reliable saloon.

As you will be carrying children in the back I advise you whatever cars you look at to check out the cars Euro NCAP safety rating on www.euroncap.com

eoin.d

thanks for all replies. i would much prefer a ordinary car and not a people carrier, but i didnt think any would fit 3 child seats. i have a vw passat and that wont anyway. anyone know what would

AMKC

A Skoda Superb maybe worth a look. You could also look maybe at a Merc E-Class Estate or a Volvo V70 Estate they both used to offer seven seats. Peugeot is another who used to do it with the 307 Estate.

eoin.d

i dont need the seven seats i just need the room to put the 3 child seats beside one another.

shedweller

eoin.d wrote: »

i dont need the seven seats i just need the room to put the 3 child seats beside one another.

Mondeo is wide. Should easily take three boosters. My 04 yaris took three boosters. And the skin off my knuckles...but it took the boosters all the same!

mhackett102

Ive a Ford Mondeo and I cant imagine 3 seats fitting into the back of it, especially with all these new regulations that the seat "must be a certain size" etc.
We had a Ford Galaxy previous to the Mondeo and I cannot recommend it enough. As your price range is up to €4k, then you would be aiming for a 2005 model one, which we had. Loads of room in the back and there was as much then with the back 2 seats. If the back 2 arent needed, they could be taken out completely which meant you would have a massive boot.

shedweller

Some light reading from others in the same situation:

https://forums.finalgear.com/general-automotive/what-non-boring-car-could-take-3-child-seats-in-the-back-55123/

ZV Yoda

We were in this situation a few years back when the kids were younger (at one point we had 3 kids under 4). My advice here is simple. Before you start researching cars, spend some time researching car seats. You'd be surprised at the differences in seat base sizes (i.e. width). Ultimately, that's what dictates how wide your car needs to be. You will have no problems fitting 3 seats in a mid sized saloon.

E.g. this type of booster seat tapers in at the back - meaning you can easily secure the seat belt underneath. We used one of these in the middle seat for the older kid.


We then had something like this for the baby (on the passenger side - easy access to door):


We then had one of these on the other side (for the middle kid):


We managed the above in a Grand Scenic (without using the 2 rear jump seats) and later in a C5.

Moral of the story - it's a lot more cost effective to get a seat combination that fits in a 5 seater than it is to go out & buy a full 7 seater. Of course, if you want an SUV / 7 seater, then that's fair enough... but if you'd prefer a saloon / hatch / estate, then a bit of research on seat sizes will give you more options on car choice.

eoin.d

great help there. my 3 kids are all under 3 years so i cant use a booster seat yet. i have tryed a couple of diffrent make carseats and cant get any to fit all together in back seat. i was looking at a ford galaxy over weekend, does anyone have any experience with them. thanks again

ZV Yoda

eoin.d wrote: »

great help there. my 3 kids are all under 3 years so i cant use a booster seat yet. i have tryed a couple of diffrent make carseats and cant get any to fit all together in back seat. i was looking at a ford galaxy over weekend, does anyone have any experience with them. thanks again

3 under 3 is tricky alright. By the time our 3rd child came along, our first was big enough for the booster.

R.O.R

I know the VW Touran has 3 sliding seats in the 2nd row, so will fit 3 child seats - checked that myself.

Slide the middle seat forward and the 2 outer seats backwards, so the sides don't foul each other on the child seats. Still an MPV, but one of the more compact ones, and means you don't have to have anyone in the back row, so you've still got a huge boot for everything that goes along with 3 kids.

Other MPV's may have the sliding arrangements, but the Touran is the only one I've checked it on.

Will struggle with any standard saloon or estate to easily fit 3 full size child seats in the back.

mhackett102

eoin.d wrote: »

great help there. my 3 kids are all under 3 years so i cant use a booster seat yet. i have tryed a couple of diffrent make carseats and cant get any to fit all together in back seat. i was looking at a ford galaxy over weekend, does anyone have any experience with them. thanks again

We had a Ford Galaxy for 10 years in the family. My aunt also got one in 2004 and still has it to this day. Great cars and never gave any major problems.
Both Volkswagen & Seat have the same car as the Galaxy, just under a different name.

bazz26

What about the multimac?

http://www.murphygunn.com/web/Multimac/

mhackett102

bazz26 wrote: »

What about the multimac?

http://www.murphygunn.com/web/Multimac/

Does look very impressive.
Only trouble I can think of is that if you got stopped by the guards. They might get very confused with the idea that you are having 4 children in a space which is for 3.
Other then that, it would probably be the most realistic one to go for.

bazz26

mhackett102 wrote: »

Does look very impressive.
Only trouble I can think of is that if you got stopped by the guards. They might get very confused with the idea that you are having 4 children in a space which is for 3.
Other then that, it would probably be the most realistic one to go for.

Confused? It would hardly be allowed to be sold here if it were illegal and there is also a 3 seat version.

mhackett102

bazz26 wrote: »

Confused? It would hardly be allowed to be sold here if it were illegal and there is also a 3 seat version.

You know what guards are like these days. They'd pull you up over any slight issue they see, and they can take it as far as they want.