Now we have three children, I'm having to admit that three growing children don't fit. The car is pretty economical (averages 34.5 atm), quick enough and has a fantastic boot. The killer is three children across the rear doesn't work. So, I'm wondering what my car is worth?

As some of you know, it's an 06 plate, one of the last Mk1s to be registered. It has 57k on the clock, rear parking sensors, an RS tuning remap - 210bhp ish - a whiteline arb, Becker headunit, Polo cup holders and has just had new discs and pads. It has had the timing belt done and it's not due for another two years. It's got a full service history and I've got every receipt, MOT and tax disc from new.

If there was a way to keep the car I would, but need more cabin space. As I said it's a sad day, but I'm the one who agreed to have three children, so I have to live with the fact that I need more space.

Any opinions are welcome as I know you will all appreciate how much this hurts, but reality and growing children will have to come first.

Cheers,

Andrew.

p.s. My three year old loves to pose, sorry about that.

Zafira GSi it is then or do any of the vag group put the 20v turbo lump in a people carrier

how comes 3 dont fit in the back, i sat in an octavia with 3 adults on the way to snowdon on bank holiday friday last month, it took 9hrs due to the traffic, but we fitted, and we are not small guys either!!!

I remember as a child going in the back of my parents cavalier to italy with my twin brothers beside me!!

I also remember when we were really young driving around the veneto in italy in my grandads fiat 500 (1972 model):>

The Octavia isnt that small!!

the boot in the octy is epic too, dont get anywhere near that space in an mpv. I do like the cmax, thats quite cool and spacious inside.

I know you will all appreciate how much this hurts, but reality and growing children will have to come first.

With you here. Being 6' 7'' and child number 2 imminent, the Octy had to go. With me in it, no one could sit behind me unless I was real uncomfortable having the seat forward. That and diesel making more sense with the miles I am doing. My daughter still asks where Daddies old car is but she likes the new one more.

Oet, im guessing the real problem is getting 3 kids' Baby and booster seats into the back seats. them new ones are feckin huge, and unlike a squidgy adult, theres no squashing them in.

Even one child seat with 2 not big adults, ie me and the missus with our nephew in the booster was a tight fit in the back of her sister's vectra...

Sad day, but I can understand where your coming from Skinnyman, kids have to come first.

Could bring the kids and seats down the dealer and see if theyd fit in a Superb estate? they seem a bit bigger in the cabin?

Seems like all the long term members are selling their VRS's recently!

Who's next? Rob? Bodge? Bowders?

I'd probably say put it up for £3900

Went in a Mk1 Superb Elegance V6 TDI the other week and to say the back was spacious would be an understatement! Worth considering if you don't want to go down the people carrier route

ok, not having kids mean i have no concept of child seat sizes, however they cant be bigger than 3 17 stone blokes in the back??:>

I paid 3725 for a 55 with 65k which i thought was competitively priced

The market isnt too hot at the present time but if you wait for the right buyer i think 3999 is sensible

For a quick sale possibly 3500! Thats a lovely car you have! If it had been 3 months ago i would have snapped your arm off

go for top dollar mate, as its one of the latest ones and with fsh you should get a good price. if it was me i would approach local car dealers, they will often let you stick the car on their forecourt (for a fee obviously) and you can end up with a better price. i have done this a couple of times with great results. just sold a 2001 audi a3 with 170000 miles for 2275, gave the dealer 475 and didnt have to worry about advertising, dealing with tyre kickers, general ****ing about that usually goes with selling cars. privately i would have been more than happy with the 1800 i ended up with

Seems like all the long term members are selling their VRS's recently!

Who's next? Rob? Bodge? Bowders?

I'd probably say put it up for £3900

Went in a Mk1 Superb Elegance V6 TDI the other week and to say the back was spacious would be an understatement! Worth considering if you don't want to go down the people carrier route

It's not something I'm rushing into at all. Over six years with one car is a long time, I've had it longer than my eldest daughter! I hadn't considered a Superb. Just a quick look on Autotrader shows that some MK2 Superbs are within my price range. I've got up to £8K including the car as a trade in. Maybe keeping it in the Skoda family would give a better trade in price? I wouldn't go for the Mk1 as I like the ability to be able to take large loads to the tip, or collect stuff now and again. The boot would limit my options.

I had been considering a Honda FRV. Not the most obvious chioce, but they get good reviews and the 2.2 i-CDTi seems to be a well thought of engine. I want to steer clear of a 'normal' people carrier as when we go away for the weekend, I like to have all the stuff in the boot. If I had one of the kids in the boot, then that's pretty useless. Also, they are about 30cm from the rear door, so if there was an accident, they become the crumple zone.

I'd thought about £4k for the car, as it had been cared for over the years. It's a cliche to say I don't abuse it, but I'd intended to keep it for as long as possible so have taken great care to make sure it's kept up to. This is because I never, ever considered that we'd have three children. Seems I was a bit in the dark on this front....

Anyway, I'll mull things over, but if anyone has any bright ideas, let me know. Three children do fit in the car, just not three in legal seats.

I paid 3725 for a 55 with 65k which i thought was competitively priced

The market isnt too hot at the present time but if you wait for the right buyer i think 3999 is sensible

For a quick sale possibly 3500! Thats a lovely car you have! If it had been 3 months ago i would have snapped your arm off

Was that from a Skoda dealership? Shame you bought already, but that's three months of fun you've had I guess.

go for top dollar mate, as its one of the latest ones and with fsh you should get a good price. if it was me i would approach local car dealers, they will often let you stick the car on their forecourt (for a fee obviously) and you can end up with a better price. i have done this a couple of times with great results. just sold a 2001 audi a3 with 170000 miles for 2275, gave the dealer 475 and didnt have to worry about advertising, dealing with tyre kickers, general ****ing about that usually goes with selling cars. privately i would have been more than happy with the 1800 i ended up with

It's a good idea, I'll look into that. Mind you, Scarborough isn't full of dealerships, so choice is limited.

The Mk2 Superb is available as an estate and I think the saloons have that dual mode boot so its like a boot and a hatch combined. I had a go in the Mk2 3.6 V6 petrol when it came out and they have a ridiculous amount of room in the back, even more than the Mk1 Superb. You probably would only get 1.5 grand at most in part ex for yours from a Skoda dealer though.

how comes 3 dont fit in the back, i sat in an octavia with 3 adults on the way to snowdon on bank holiday friday last month, it took 9hrs due to the traffic, but we fitted, and we are not small guys either!!!

I remember as a child going in the back of my parents cavalier to italy with my twin brothers beside me!!

I also remember when we were really young driving around the veneto in italy in my grandads fiat 500 (1972 model):>

The Octavia isnt that small!!

Hmmm, trying to find the seatbelt receptacles in the rear around three child seats is bloody fiddly though. Easy enough for adults to shift their bums about to fit the belts, but child seats with children in, mmm, not so easy I tell ya! Some of those child seats are pretty wide too.

Seems like all the long term members are selling their VRS's recently!

Who's next? Rob? Bodge? Bowders?

i'm keeping mine longer now i'm still here lol

Well ...... Im sort of here ... Or there

You probably would only get 1.5 grand at most in part ex for yours from a Skoda dealer though.

:( Blimey, that's a bit pants however you look at it.

If I had the ability to stretch the money a bit more, things like this come into the frame,

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201216465538532/sort/priceasc/usedcars/body-type/estate/fuel-type/diesel/price-from/6000/model/superb/make/skoda/page/1/radius/1500/postcode/yo125ad?logcode=p

I'm going to have to think carefully about this one.

If it's an mpv your after I would deffinately recommend a Ford S-MAX. I've had 3 in the last 4 years (perks of tax free cars in Germany) and with 3 kids aged 3,10 & 12 there was tons of room plus 3 full size independent seats in the middle row it's a lot more practical than the zafira,touran,alhambra etc.

Sold my last 60 plate one last year as we were not traveling back and forth to Germany anymore and bought the mk1 octy vRS and a honda stream (7 seat mpv) to replace it. Still miss the comfort and space of the S-MAX but still loving the vRS, deffinately worth a look if you are happy to go Ford.

Good Luck in whatever you go for.

:( Blimey, that's a bit pants however you look at it.

If I had the ability to stretch the money a bit more, things like this come into the frame,

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201216465538532/sort/priceasc/usedcars/body-type/estate/fuel-type/diesel/price-from/6000/model/superb/make/skoda/page/1/radius/1500/postcode/yo125ad?logcode=p

I'm going to have to think carefully about this one.

Yeah, part ex prices are shocking. One of my mates part ex'd his Mk1 VRS (similar spec to yours, black, 05 plate, 55k, remap and a couple of suspension mods), he part ex'd it at the local VW dealers for a Mk5 Golf GTI and they only gave him a grand for his VRS. And that was two years ago so hate to think what prices would be like now.

I used to get 3 kids in mine (9,10,13 when I got rid) no probs.

If it were me looking for a people carrier it'd either be a zafira gsi or vxr

But saying that, our lass is looking at gettin rid of her mk4 (my bm's not goin anywhere) for another "family" car and I quite fancy an X5 but she likes the mk2 vrs so who knows.

Certainly don't wanna be asking less than £4,500 for that mate!

well im a taxi driver and i take 2 kids to school everyday both are handicapped so my escort sits between them one has a booster seat and one has a big child seat and the escort fits no bother

Edited 18 May, 201214 yr by racing boy

Zafira GSi it is then or do any of the vag group put the 20v turbo lump in a people carrier

I've looked at those, as my cousin has one, but they aren't wide enough in the rear for three small people's seats infortunately.

I used to get 3 kids in mine (9,10,13 when I got rid) no probs.

If it were me looking for a people carrier it'd either be a zafira gsi or vxr

As mentioned, they need one of the kids to be in the boot. No room for stuff then. Why do kids need so much crap?

Certainly don't wanna be asking less than £4,500 for that mate!

I had that figure in my head tbh. If someone's after a decent motor that's been loved from day one - I've had this car since it had 7 miles on the clock - then this'll be a good buy. Mind you, as chicken eyebrow points out, trade in is a killer at the moment. I guess I'd have to test the water and see what people are offering.

well im a taxi driver and i take 2 kids to school everyday both are handicapped so my escort sits between them one has a booster seat and one has a big child seat and the escort fits no bother

I'd love to see how you manage it. I have tried many different configrations with the three seats and it just doesn't work. As I've said, three chidren fit quite nicely, three child seats don't.

I have looked at all sorts and the new Superb is tantalisingly close, but still out of reach. There's tons of Alhambras and Galaxies out there, but reliability is what I'm after. My budget is £7500 max, so I am limited.

Keep the advice coming though, it's all good and ends in an hour on pistonheads/autotrader/ebay afterwards.

Some cars have a massive gulf between trade and retail, the Octavia vRS is one of them!

Yeah, I used to sell cars in a previous life. Some cars are seen as trash by trade, but those in the know cherish them and pay good money for a nice example. I did find though, that most of my fellow salesmen didn't like cars as much as me. They might as well have been selling washing machines or TVs in terms of interest in the product. Not all of them, but most.

Always wondered whether the Seat Exeo was any good (Seat version of the Mk2 Superb), might be cheaper than the Superb and is similar sized.