New people mover needed - tight budget - lots of space needed.

[Chris]

Hello everyone, I've come here as lets be honest we have the greatest members for impartial advice!

 

I currently have a 2007 Ford S-Max 2.5t with 130k on it. Engine was rebuilt at 120k but more and more things are going wrong I feel like its time for a change. I have 2 small kids (8 months and 2) as well as my step daughter (8 going on 18!) as well as myself and my fiance. I need lots of space, probably more than the S-Max provides as we currently still have to use a double buggy (single size with 2 seats on top of each other so folds flat and normal width) so with with that and the seats of it the boot is full. If we go on holiday or away its tight with the 3 girls clothes and associated stuff on top of our stuff plus travel cot etc etc it soon starts to get cramped. I could also use a bigger load space as I use the car as a bit of a van for my new business. I'd been closely looking at the Ssangyong Rodius but I'm put off by the rear bench not splitting meaning although it has a bigger boot, for anything more I'd have to fill in the middle and remove a middle row seat to use space if I was getting us all in. My next thought was a Chrysler Grand Voyager..the stow n go seating is great and there is plenty of choice in budget. Few concerns over the auto gearbox and engine reliability but the put off is the insurance costs...they are crazy! To put in perspective I'm paying around £350 for the S-Max with an ST engine in it..the Voyager is around £650..even taking into account its a new to me car so insurance will be higher thats a crazy amount extra! The Rodius is around £500ish. 

 

So I'm stuck- are there any recommendations for cars I've missed? It doesn't need to be pretty or fast, just hugely practical!. My budget in all this is a very small 2.5k tops.  

[skomaz]

I have a colleague in a similar position and he looked at various thigs, including seven seat SUV's like a Kodiaq, but eventually settled on a Touran.

 

Other than that we borrowed a Peugeot 807 a few years back and found it was pretty good...

[Pagan-Image]

A good size estate car, with a trailer or roof box for when you go away as a family! I used to have one in my Army days living in Germany, Mondeo Estate with roof box and 3 children under seven (Also a lot more economical and cheaper to insure.

 

Other than that the Honda CRV is pretty good.

[@Lee]

Volvo XC-90's are pretty bullet proof, safe and reliable but on your budget you'd be looking at a 53/54/55 plate with a few miles under its belt.

[J.R.]

Its amazing the amount of room that is needed these days for a young family, my parents would take me as a child with my two older sisters on camping holidays with all the minimal luggage they had in those days in a Morris 8 Tourer, being a soft top there would not even have been a roof rack.

 

My place was the Dicky seat hanging off the rear exposed to the elements and the exhaust fumes probably with the tents and luggage strapped to me.

 

They bought a Hillman Minx when I was at infants school so we three children would have been up to 5, 12 and 15 years old while still using the Morris.

 

Even being of an age to consider an miniscule HA Viva as a normal family car I was still shocked at just how small a Morris 8 was when I first saw one.

[Chris]

Took the plunge and got a Chrysler Grand Voyager today

[john999boy]

30 minutes ago, Chris said:

Took the plunge and got a Chrysler Grand Voyager today

Did the insurance turn out to be as bad as you initially thought?

[Chris]

14 minutes ago, john999boy said:

Did the insurance turn out to be as bad as you initially thought?

It's weird...cars of the same age, spec etc but different registrations affected the price. In the end found a good one with slightly more sensible insurance.