...well i'm blaming the wife.

After pregnancy she had bad hips and puttin the nippers car seat in and out of the Octy was causing her pain. The bad part is she managed to pursuade me into swapping it for a people carrier of the Vaux-hell variety

One year on and after it depreciating more than Greece's financial defecit we both hate it & want our Octy back.

I promise i'll never make that mistake again and will never get another Vauxhell.

Off to look at 2 vRS' on tuesday, one white manual & one blue dsg.

So i'd like to return to the fold if i'm allowed.

If you want the people carrier ease and a VAG, then it might be worth looking at a yeti or a seat altea (XL).

Otherwise enjoy whichever car you end up with.

I did mention the yeti but she doesn't like the front end. Her hips are fine now and we're not having anymore kids. We both loved the octy so that should do us. When is the octy III due?

Ah fear not for thou hast seen the light, returneth unto the fold , just don't bloody do it again.

I think Octy III is sping next year, although I could be wrong. The rapid is supposed to be out this year.

Rapid is midway between the fabia and currenty Octy in size.

Octy III is supposed to be a bit bigger than the Octy II.

Get her to test drive a Yeti (approach the car from the rear), then she will forget she does not like the front end When she has driven one and tried fitting the child seats in the back she will want one. :sun:

If she is slow making her mind up show her another Vauxhell.

Repent, join Freedom (see your own sig ) and your sins will be forgiven.

Welcome back, buddy

.........YETI.........

Saint...Sinner...Saint (redeemable on purchase)

Assuming the kids are still young the Yeti is no good as the boot is too small. It's a great car but just not ideally suited for families (in my opinion).

We had one as a courtesy car whilst the Octavia was in for service. Once the pushchair is in then that's it - game over, and we only have one nipper!

The Octavia just can't be beaten for space - it literally is a brilliant family car. Go for an estate vRS (with it's lower boot lip).

Welcome back!

By the way I had a Zafira hire car for three weeks and did 6,000 miles in it driving round Europe for work, I actually quite liked it ( ). As a result the wife and I test drove one before buying our Octavia Scout. It was the 150bhp diesel with exterior pack. The wife wasn't keen but either way I couldn't stomach paying £15K for a Vauxhall! I'm glad we went for the Octavia, we loved it so much I bought myself a vRS!

Fear not brother S41NT some of the brisky bretheren have fallen from the path similarly also.

Repent and for your penance read the Vauxhell handbook from cover to cover three times over whilst doing a handstand.

Cheers for the replys guys. One other question, on our old octy on the split aircon you used to be able to change the temp display to read kph and different things. Can you still do this on the facelift aircon?

People carrier?

Yeti - no

Seat Altea XL - no

Touran...................now that's more like it

People carrier?

Yeti - no

Seat Altea XL - no

Touran...................now that's more like it

That's a fair point, the touran I hired was nice, although the Altea XL is pretty practical too.

Oddly we manage perfectly fine with the Yeti and a child.

But then he didn't use a pushchair after 14 months because he has legs and they work. So we encourage him to use them.

Even a weeks holiday and the three of us was no problem. No luggage in the passenger area at all.

If I needed more space and it was not all the time I'd get a roof box. Otherwise it's a bigger car just to use the extra space a few times a year.

Oddly we manage perfectly fine with the Yeti and a child.

But then he didn't use a pushchair after 14 months because he has legs and they work. So we encourage him to use them.

Even a weeks holiday and the three of us was no problem. No luggage in the passenger area at all.

If I needed more space and it was not all the time I'd get a roof box. Otherwise it's a bigger car just to use the extra space a few times a year.

From what I can recall, the Yeti boot is bigger, even though different shaped, than my Mazda boot. The only time I've struggled is when I needed to get 4 adults, a toddler in his seat, 3 largeish suitcases, 4 hand luggages and the large push chair in the car. Pushchair had to go on the roof and some hand luggage in the car.

I have 2 children now and any boot 400litres plus is adequate. You just need to plan you packing, both what you take and how you put it in the boot.

Only pram/pushchair I have is a bugaboo chameleon which is not small and will fill the boot by itself if you just throw it in.

Touran or the new Sharan/Alambra if you need bigger and MPV.

Otherwise, and if the kids are young, another Octavia.  SWMBO couldnt survive with anything with a small boot, and says she's not a farmer or a Chelsea school run mum to want a Yeti.

She also quite likes the Rapid which is not too dissimilar to the Octy in size.

It's amazing how much more space kids need these days - up until I was about 4 we had a Mini. Me and my 6 year old brother fitted in that just fine.

Children take up more room when they get older as their clothes and possesions get bigger as well. We used to go camping and I used a 5x3 trailer

(good excuse for a towbar). :sun:

If you have a spare wheel the floor level gets raised to just below the boot lip.

Perhaps you need to find a local dealer with a demo, take it home and try packing your stuff inside.

It's amazing how much more space kids need these days - up until I was about 4 we had a Mini. Me and my 6 year old brother fitted in that just fine.

Good point, we had a 205 GTI until my lad was about 3. My mates wife got pregnant and demanded a Q7! I made a comment - I am not welcome at his house anymore!

Could always threaten her with one of these -

Edited 12 June, 201214 yr by Paul007

Well we've done it, didn't think we'd get one that quick. 10 plate Octy vRS, candy white, 15k miles and a few extra bits. We pick it up once the number plates have been sorted.The previous owner left his blueteef setup in there for us. They chopped their octy & Fabia in for a Volvo.

What's peoples thoughts on black alloys, nice or a bit CHAV?

But then he didn't use a pushchair after 14 months because he has legs and they work. So we encourage him to use them.

Yeah I'm the same. Talked her out of getting another pushchair today.

It's amazing how much more space kids need these days - up until I was about 4 we had a Mini. Me and my 6 year old brother fitted in that just fine.

When Dad got rid of the ancientFord, he got an Austin A30 . That lasted for about four years.Then we needed one of the first new Vaxhaull Victors. AH, LUXURY ,& they were still reliable)

Years later ,I ( then we) had a mini van when we started out. All our worldly possessions fitted in it. Then a year after we got married ( something kids these days do after the kids come along) , we moved. Our stuff fitted inside a van, and us and kid fitted ( just ) into Renault 4( first of the kiddie carriers) .

After that , only car that could accomodate the familt was another Vauxhall - FD model, bit ancient, but reliable.

These days, we struggle to get grand son's push chair into Furby. Daughter is a confirmed Lagoona fan- she can get her mobile cleaning stuff and pushchair in ,with space ,and she loves the luxury,even of an older car .

I & missus like the newer Vauxhall range - ( I sin and say they If I won lottery ,I'd have to choose between an octavia and an Insignia( --I'll go and say 50 hail mary's right now). She's like a modern ASTRA .But not a petrol model .

Show a woman a car ,and her first instinct ( when going away ) is the challenge a boot holds. Mine has come close to filling an Insignia boot on holiday, for just the two of us + dog going away for four nights. With four kids ,these days, we'd have needed a double cab VW Transporter van. And knowing her -the rear section would need a shoe horn to get my laptop in.

Perhaps that's the answer - a double cab Transporter . Last VW Transporter I drove was a loverly bit of kit. Carlike in action. And last month on holiday, I met a cousin who'd just scrapped an ancient VW ,double cab TDI Transporter pickup. Three years ago he told me it had over 250k on the clock, but he was running it till it went bang, as cost of new cambelt exceeded value of vehicle.

Edited 12 June, 201214 yr by VWD

Fitting everything into a Yeti is one thing, being able to get to it once its wedged in is another. The beauty of the Octy estate is you don't even need to think about it, it just fits.

With a Yeti you have to think about whether it'll fit or not, with a family that is one hassle I can do without.

We walk as much as we can but it simply isn't possible for our daughter to walk as far as we do. Doing without a pushchair is all well and good if you only ever cover short distances.

The Octavia is the best 'all rounder' family car Skoda make.

Interesting comments comparing Yeti and Octavia. Obviously the Octavia estate has a bigger boot. But the best family car if you take a lot of stuff?

I'd actually get the Superb, although I understand the Octavia fits in well as a middle car in the range.

Coming back to the pushchair comments, we got our son a balance bike (two wheel bike with no pedals) and he will happily scoot along at adult walking speeds for hours on end, on the path or offroad. Short distance? no. He will go for upto three hours, which is more than acceptable for our lifestyle. Bonus is you turn the handlebars and it takes up practically no room at all, plus all the expercise seems to be good for him.

I have considered a day van though...