What seven-seater to go for with €10,000?

Guys, my brother is looking to buy a seven-seater to lug his (many) kids about. Could you advise on the best out there? Budget is only €10k though. If it could deliver on boot space too that'd be a plus, but seven seats may eat into that. Reliability a big thing too (no unexpected bills in a recession if possible!).

Thanks in advance.

Barry Delaney (Dublin)

Apr 2013 Filed under: choosing used car

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Expert answer

Hi Barry,

Right, the problem here is trying to balance the budget for buying (and running) against the need for seats plus luggage space. It's a tough equation to work out, especially as the bulk of MPVs on the market are the compact seven-seat type (think Opel Zafira) and in those, once you're using all seven seats, you effectively have no boot.

Now, there are a couple of ways around this. We did find a Chrysler Grand Voyager within the €10k budget, but with a 2.7-litre diesel engine the running costs may put it out of reach. If six seats is enough we did find a Honda FR-V within the same price range, and in that you still have a big boot even when every seat is full thanks to its three-across seating layout. It's reliable too so there shouldn't be any unexpected bills.

Otherwise it's go for a conventional compact MPV, and of the ones we found on sale, you'd be hard pressed to do better than a Toyota Corolla Verso - not the most exciting, but rigorously well built and your brother could always invest in a roof box if the boot's not big enough...

Shane O' Donoghue - Complete Car Adviser
@Shane_O_D