I need a very large car for up to €16,000.
I have a budget of around €13,000 to €16,000 and and need to buy a seven-seater diesel that will accommodate two adults and five children aged 7, 10, 12, 14 and 17 years. Have no interest in what the car looks like, need the most reliable engine, with the most leg room possible and will not be trading up etc so maintenance costs a factor too. Will drive the car for as long as it lasts, live in the countryside so average weekly mileage around 130km.
Would be so grateful for some advice.
Jill Co. Waterford.
Jillian Wheaton (Carrick-on-Suir)Jun 2015 Filed under: family car
Expert answer
Hi Jillian,
OK, there's a few good options out there. You could try and track down a Mitsubishi Grandis - think of it as a Japanese Ford S-Max, with space for seven and endless reliability, but I'm slightly worried that you might be caught for space as your kids get bigger. How about something van-based? A Volkswagen Caddy Maxi Life has seats for seven, lots of space and based on a commercial vehicle means it'll go forever. That 1.6 TDI engine makes it cheap to run too.
If you need more space than that, then you're into big van-with-windows territory such as a Ford Transit Tourneo or Volkswagen Caravelle, but these are really big and unwieldy and can be pretty thirsty. If you can all squeeze into the Caddy happily enough, that's the one I'd go for.
Neil Briscoe - Complete Car Adviser@neilmbriscoe