Which 7-seater?

Manuel

Hi,
I'm in the market for a Used 7-seater. I'd be interested in hearing any advice from people who know, or better still someone who owns one.

The best one I've driven so far was a '02 Galaxy 1.9 TDi 130 ps Ghia. Bit too expensive though.

I'm also considering Alhambra/Zafira/Espace/Trajet/C8/807/etc.
Probably between '01 and maybe '03.

Any opinions appreciated!

My main requirements are:
Air-con, reliable, comfortable, quiet (if diesel).

Thanks!

garthv

Mistubishi SpaceWagon is what you are looking for. Thay can be picked up pretty cheap and the new models are brilliant. Nice and roomy with everything you expect from a 7-seater

okidoki987

Trajet is the best equiped car out of them all for the money.
Had a couple of very minor problems with one but it did the job very well,
so well I bought another one!
Couldn't find anything to touch it in terms of price, equipment, etc.
7 seperate seats, air/con, all electric, etc all standard.
Word of warning though, 7 seaters are very expensive 2nd hand as they are in short supply.

Zafira don't touch it.
Had one and HATED it.
Middle row of seats are one unit and you can't take a single one of this row out. Found it very awarked to get kids in/out of the 3rd row of seats.
Only advantage was the 3rd row folded into the floor.
It's smaller then the others but that depends on exactly what you are looking for.

Espace is a BIG bus, the original, does the job well but has been around a while and it is also expensive (like the Galaxy).

Citroen/Peugeot come from the same factory just different badges as does the Alhambra/Galaxy/Sharan.
So if you're going for one of these get the cheapest one as the all do the same (near enough).

i'd go for the Trajet but that's a personal experience.
You should test drive them all to see but you should be able to get a loan of one for a weekend from a garage.

prospect

I have heard that the Espace is the Rolls Royce of people carriers.

I drove a 1.9Tdi Alahambra and was surprised at its comfort and power.
(alhambra and galaxy are same car, i think)

alias no.9

I had a zafira on loan for a week recently and I have to say there was nothing I liked about it.

prospect

The Fiat Ulysesse (spellin!) is the same car as the Peugeot and Citroen.

wideband

Hi
when picking a 7-seater 'functionality' should be your first preference imo,

If its a car with space for young children zafira is your best bet....it has the best seating arrangement and diversity when compaired to all mention vehicals above......

alias no.9

Do you really need 7 or will 6 do? If 6 will do, have you considered a fiat multipla? Once you get over the styling, any reviews I've ever read or seen about it have said it was the dogs bollix. You could probably pick up a jtd for handy money.

Vexorg

The KIA Sedona is a full 7 Seater 2.9 Turbo Diesel, well speced, worth a test drive.

V.

echomadman

The Seat ALhambra, Ford galaxy and VW Sharan are the same car essentially. The stepfather has a 1.9tdi sharan, its a decent car, drives well, good fuel economy and all the rear seats are independantly removable.
Its good for ~100Mph (110 indicated is the fastest i've seen) and he drove it from ennis - south morocco and back and said it was very comfortable all the way.

With all the seats out it makes a decent little van too.

bazz26

Also look at the Toyota Avensis Verso, they are a 7 seater but you will still pay the bones of €25k for a 2002 model. The new Corolla Verso is a 7 seater also and start at around €26k but are much smaller than an Espace or Galaxy.

Forget about the old Zafira as there is a new model out next month.

TE0N

We were in a similar situation to your self, and considered many options.

1) Renualt grand scenic 1.6 and 1.9 dci - 7 seater.
Was very comfortable in the fornt and middle, but the rear seats were very limited in space, that said it was practical and quite good looking.

I know this sounds daft when considering a seven seater, but we were looking for something that wasnt too slow and handled decently, and the renualt was medicore.

2) Toyota Avensis Verso and corolla verso, 2.0 td

Werent impressed at all by the Avensis, although it had the most space of the cars we looked at. It wasnt much to drive, didnt like roundabouts, felt slow...

The corolla was a different story, it had an impressive interior, was comfortable, looked great, but the two rear seats must have been designed with children in mind. Too small.

3) VW touran
We didnt even consider this car, came across a vw dealership and dicided to chack it out. One thisg that was putting off was the dull design, quite boring.
But this car made up for it in practicality, it had loads of space, even the two rear most seats could seat a person almost 6ft in relative comfort, plus they fold flat into the floor whe not needed. the middle row of seats can slide forward to give more leg room, without compromising the middle rows leg room. The car is deceptively larger than it looks. Downsides, is that it was the most expensive of the group, nosie levels were quite high (PD diesel).

After much deliberation, we choose a second-hand Touran 2.0 TDi Sport.
Must say that it was good choice, no mechanical or build quality problems to report and the car's 236lbft of torque is always a joy to use. It also handles pretty well, being based on the lastest Golf chassis, but the ride can be rough over these bumpy Donegal roads. And finally, economy is 40mpg plus.

Personally, if the majority of our family where small, then id go for the Corolla Verso. Honda have bought out 6 seater, te FR-V, and ive heard good reviews of it, but will probably be expensive.

Was watching Right car-Worng car over the weekend, were the woman was considering a MPV, she choose a second hand Seat Alhambra over the Fiat Multipla. The Seat is good value, the exact same as your favourite, (the ford Galaxy) but cheaper.

The Kia Sedona with a 2.9 diesel will cost you a fortune to run...

Hope this helps,

CJhaughey

Whatever else, don't even look at a Chrysler Voyager of any kind.
Expensive and very unreliable

Manuel

Thanks all! Some great advice there (some of it conflicting, but you'll have that!). I had hoped to buy before our domestic hols next week, but I just can't decide, so we'll have to lumber around in our saloon and the kids will have to swelter with no A/C. Will make a considered purchase when we come back ... it's an expensive piece of machinery no matter what.

I drove:
'02 Galaxy 1.9 TDi Ghia 130 PS:
Very nice, parking sensors handy for the missus! Bit too luxurious (and pricey) for our needs I think

'02 Galaxy 1.9 TDi LX 90 PS:
Not very impressive after the Ghia.

'01 Galaxy 1.9 TDi Zetec 130 PS:
Should have been as nice as the Ghia, but was in a dreadful state. Couldn't buy it.

'03 Alhambra 1.9 TDi 90 BHP:
Very nice drive, as good as the Ghia without *all* the extras. Might buy a '02.

'02 Trajet 2.0 CRDi:
Didn't like it much. A bit ugly too I thought. It would do though. Nice spec.

'00 Alhambra 20 Valve 1.8 Petrol Auto:
Top of the range spec, leather seats, all the electrics including Climate Control. Import. Cheap, but a bit risky I feel ...

'02 Multipla 1.9 JTD:
Didn't drive yet. Nice price.

'02 Espace 2.0 Petrol:
Didn't drive yet. Not sure about the Petrol though. Expensive to run I'd think.

'02 Zafira 2.0 Diesel:
Didn't drive yet. Not a big fan of the 2nd row of seats, or the tiny back ones.
Lots of cheap 1.6 Petrols around. Anybody drive one of those??


Thanks again for help.