Need a people carrier - suggestions......

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andy_fozzy

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Due to the fact that we are due twin boys in June (ish!) :eek:
we now have no choice but to sell our beloved Focus and get a seven seater :crying:

Pretty much narrowed it down to two choices - Ford Galaxy or Vauxhall Zafira.
Not to keen on Renaults, Peugeot etc.......... Wouldn't mind a VW but they are generally out of our price range.

We have about 3-3.5K to spend (and our Focus in PX if need be).

One thing we have noticed is that 1.6L petrol Zafira's are as cheap as chips! We are wondering why, so if anyone could shed some light........
Maybe because a 1.6 isn't quite man enough to move a fairly large body around, so fuel consumption is higher :shrug:

Any thoughts...............
 
Can't directly answer your question as no experience of the two you are considering.

However, my Son has recently bought a Renault Scenic and is very pleased with it. He turned up the other day with the car filled with an old sectional suite for me to store in my garage (I knew I had a use). I could not believe how much was inside. All the seats remove.

Maybe worth a look.

Ken
 
We had a focus for 9 years, and now have a vw sharan.
Ours is old, has a 2.6 V6 petrol engine (automatic) so drinks fuel at around 23-26 mpg. Don't get this one. However, it is fun to drive, and despite its age (T reg) still goes well (as it ought to given the engine !)

However, it is a fantastic car, and I will never drive anything other than a people carrier as the space inside just feels good.
The sharan is the same as the fiat alhambra and the ford galaxy with just a few minor differences. The Zafira as I recall had good reviews but just didn't quite make it.
Go take a look and a drive if you can - They feel so big inside yet are not really any bigger to drive and the kids love it way more than the Focus (despite them shedding tears when we sold it !)

Good luck with the car hunt and the fun that June will bring..!
 
Good choice staying away from Renault.

Parents had a Renault scenic, and now have a Grand Scenic - nothing but problems. Mainly in the grand scenic
 
Also, with your budget it'll be the older pre 2005 model of zafira you'd have to probably go for.

You're right on the 1.6 engine, it's a little small for that size body, 1.8 would be better but the diesels are apparantly awful. also, ive heard the 1.6 is notorious for oil seal failure on the valves :(

The ford galaxy would be a better option I think, but go for the 2000-2006 model, the early ones weren't very reliable as they had a lot of problems. Oh, and go for the diesel as they are a lot cheaper to run
 
What about a Mazda 5? They're not all that expensive, have seven seats and are based on the Focus platform....
 
Do you need 7 seats all the time or just occasionally? If occasionally then maybe an S-max would be better than a Galaxy?

Mazda 5 is a decent shout, we nearly got one but went for a smaller C-Max in the end.
 
The Zafira will be smaller than the Galaxy, so will it suffice room suffice?
If you do chop in your Focus how much will you have to spend. I would say that a diesel engine would be better over petrol but for £3-3.5k you may find alot more miles on the clock than you'd like. As you like your Focus so much, have you considered a C-Max which is based on the Focus? Not as versatile as the Zafira or Galaxy as not a 7 seater (Zafiras last two seats fold flat into the boot floor), but do you need 7 seats or just the extra bit of room?
 
hglossop said:
Good choice staying away from Renault.

Parents had a Renault scenic, and now have a Grand Scenic - nothing but problems. Mainly in the grand scenic
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Strange isnt it, I had a grand scenic for 3.5 years as a company car and never had a days problem from it, I did 140k approx in that time.
 
Ours has only done 120k and already has had to have the center panel replaced and recalled to replace the software as the electronic handbrake in some cars had applied itself while driving. Although the center panel was a common issue eventually covered by Renault in a recall i believe. Think we had to have ours replaced as it was broken before Renault decided they would fix the issue.

Currently has an issue with the turbo, doesn't work so it has next to no power - glad its not my car
 
How about a fiat multipla? It has 6 seats as it is 3 across. A lot better for passenger safety as you don't have seats virtually in the boot.
 
As if to reinforce the point on the Scenics, mine's just 20 minutes ago suddenly had the engine management light come on and starting to run lumpy and the warning is worded "check emissions"!

Bloody thing.

So far it's had a dephaser pulley and cam belt done, 2 washer pumps for the windscreen wipers, the boot lock needed sorting, the front offside suspension strut bearing, one of the sparkplug coils, complete digital dashboard, rear wash wipe now doesn't work, nor does the number 2 setting on the heater.

I also read in a parkers guide that the wiring on this model is prone to failure:bang: and given how much of the car is electrically operated that's really not good :thumbsdown:
 
Donnie said:
As if to reinforce the point on the Scenics, mine's just 20 minutes ago suddenly had the engine management light come on and starting to run lumpy and the warning is worded "check emissions"!

Bloody thing.

So far it's had a dephaser pulley and cam belt done, 2 washer pumps for the windscreen wipers, the boot lock needed sorting, the front offside suspension strut bearing, one of the sparkplug coils, complete digital dashboard, rear wash wipe now doesn't work, nor does the number 2 setting on the heater.

I also read in a parkers guide that the wiring on this model is prone to failure:bang: and given how much of the car is electrically operated that's really not good :thumbsdown:
Click to expand...
Might need a new lambda sensor.
 
Possibly, of course there are 2 on the scenic, then it could be a coil again, though I've already in the dark probably eliminated that one, or it could be the mass air flow sensor, or it could be the EGR sensor or the crankshaft sensor. Any one of these could give this warning and symptoms :(

Don't you love modern cars?
 
Donnie said:
Possibly, of course there are 2 on the scenic, then it could be a coil again, though I've already in the dark probably eliminated that one, or it could be the mass air flow sensor, or it could be the EGR sensor or the crankshaft sensor. Any one of these could give this warning and symptoms :(

Don't you love modern cars?
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too right [off topic rant ahead] our bloody focus (05 plate 115 thou on the clock) has in the last 3 months had a fuel system fault that left us stranded on the motorway, a cracked fuel filter housing, four new brake discs, another engine management fault (wire vibrated lose and fell off cuting mpower to the main ECU), and most recently a collapsed shock absorber, new bushes on the Y frame, and 2 new tyres - in total its cost about £2k - if it happened all in one go i'd have scrapped the 'king thing, but because it happened piecemeal we've just kept throwing money at it (people say diesel focusses go on for ever, but they don't mention that you have to spend a bloody mint to keep them on the road in the meantime)

In the same period our other vehicle a peugot partner van (58k on the clock) has blown its head gasket - another 750 quid , and now the damn clutch has started slipping

so we've reached the decision where we've part exed the partner against a new aygo for swimbo and I'm going to drive the focus until it needs its next major repair at which point i'm going to sell it for spares and repair and buy a cheap runabout [/rant]

Back on topic I drive a VW caddy maxi kombi for work - which i belive is based on the same engine and frame as their people carrier , and i'd highly reccomend that - it takes everything we throw at it and still runs sweet as a nut (although it wasnt too happy when i drove it into the side of a skip , but thats not the cars fault) , and driving sensibly i'm still getting an average of 55mpg (although you can easily blow that down to about 45mpg with overuse of the loud pedal)
 
Donnie said:
nor does the number 2 setting on the heater.
Click to expand...

That reminds me i think the number 4 setting on my parents one doesn't work.

The 1998 Renault Scenic they have is going to be mine in a few months time as they don't need it and i'll need a car. Don't know whether thats a good decision or a bad one being a renault, but its free and the only major problem is it needs a new clutch - everything else should be good for a little while.

Just as long as its head gasket doesn't blow, its already gone 3 times i believe in 105k
 
@ Big Soft Moose

Oh I know how you feel mate, I only included my ills of the renault that were NOT wear and tear.

I can list those as:

2 front suspension springs
all 4 discs and matching pads
New exhaust
Both front Tie rods
Both front ball joints
Headlight bulb
Rear brake bulb
7.5amp fuse for something I can't remember
4 tyres and a whole wheel, to be fair that was 'cos I clipped a kerb.
 
hglossop said:
That reminds me i think the number 4 setting on my parents one doesn't work.

The 1998 Renault Scenic they have is going to be mine in a few months time as they don't need it and i'll need a car. Don't know whether thats a good decision or a bad one being a renault, but its free and the only major problem is it needs a new clutch - everything else should be good for a little while.

Just as long as its head gasket doesn't blow, its already gone 3 times i believe in 105k
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Seriously, if it was given to me free I'd sell it and buy something else :(
 
That would be the preferable option, but as a student i don't have the money to buy a car, but need a car for work placements. It wouldnt get anymore than £500 and would probably need to spend atleast £1-2k to get something better so is the cheapest option. Im just hoping it will last the 3 years till i graduate when i'll then replace it when it falls to bits.

Been owned by parents since new so we also know its history - appart from the head gasket which should be ok as only recently replaced its been quite a reliable car.
 
Don't know if Land Rover Discovery may be a good bet - my parents have a 2002 Discovery Premimum and thats pretty massive and has 7 full size seats. Its incredibly wide as well, you've got tons of space inside.
 
Donnie said:
But the head gaskets been done 3 times?:eek::eek::eek:
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there can't be much left to skim there :LOL:

personally i'd say a car where the head gaskets gone 3 times must have something else wrong with it to be causing persistent HG failure (like being a renault :LOL: )
 
I've had another look in the light this morning at mine and thought last night Id eliminated the coil packs on mine, in my defence I did use the word probably :)

So, after removing all 4 and visually checking them I refitted them and started the engine, still not right so (and this isn't recommended) I started the engine and removed each coil in turn so that the spark needs to jump across the gap 'twixt the coil and the spark plug.

If it's working right you will actually hear the sparks shooting across and through this Ive found that 2 out of the 4 have gone:bang:

That'll be £40 from the local motor factors then for the pair! Still, the quote from renault's 4 times that :cautious:
 
gman said:
You can get some good feedback on cars here: http://www.carsurvey.org/reviews-by-region/uk_and_ireland/
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Yep, but make sure you actually read each review individually as the initial view shows a summary.

For example I just looked up a similar to my car, renault scenic 2004 and the initial summary view says

"Good family car" so if you were skimming through you'd think it was positive, but you click and the detailed review states

"Problems reported in first week.Brakes not consistant too keen then hardly no brake, Air condition was noisy and the automatic gear box is noisy and vibrates through out the car at 22 mph. Air condition unit and drive belt replaced,brakes are still not consistant after six visits to dealer, new gear box fitted the results just as before dealer and independent garage both confirm it is in the gear box."

I would say a better website is actually the parkers guide one at

http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/reviews/

This one's very informative and detailed and includes owner reviews too.
 
In fact for the OP off the parkers site under reliability and safety sections.

Vauxhall Zafira 99-05 model
Car check problem points

Body - No problems reported.

Engine/Gearbox - Notchy gearboxes and engines that use a little too much oil are common.

Other - General interior wear, check operation of seat mechanisms.

Ford Galaxy 00-06 model

Body - Sloping bonnet means it picks up stone chips easily.

Engine/Gearbox - No major problems.

Other - Used as private cabs and family holdalls, so check for tears, stains and general wear.

And just for inclusion, the car I have right now :bang:

Renault Scenic 03 - 09 model

Body - No problems reported.

Engine/Gearbox - Ignition coil, auxiliary belt tensioner, timing belt, alternator, fuel filter, TDC sensor, oil leaks, idler pulley, water pump, thermostat, catalytic converter.

Other - Leaky door seals, immobiliser, leaky sunroof, non-responsive key card, battery faults, brake failure, faulty seatbelts. A recall in 2006 for a seat belt problem which affected more than 90,000 cars. A recall in 2006 for a brake failure issue and a second in the same year where the front seats may not lock into position.

I think that pretty much clarifies the stance on the scenic :shake:

Personally, if I had the budget to do it again I'd get the VW Touran, failing that I guess the Galaxy.

On saying all that, I will be selling my Renault in the next 4 - 6 months and have plans for something more classic, probably a Super Minx believe it or not.
 
The Parkers' Guide website used to have a forum with a faults section, it was populated almost entirely with posts from unhappy Renault owners....
 
big soft moose said:
there can't be much left to skim there :LOL:

personally i'd say a car where the head gaskets gone 3 times must have something else wrong with it to be causing persistent HG failure (like being a renault :LOL: )
Click to expand...

Needless to say i won't be ever buying a renault.

Insurance is somewhat interesting, the scenic being insurance group 11 is significantly cheaper for me to insure than a small insurance group 1 car like a fiesta or corsa (wonder what the % of those involved in crashes). Its also a few hundred less because its been in the family for 13 years
 
Hi all.
Thanks a million for a great thread :clap:

Now you can see why I don't want a Renault :D
I didn't want to offend anyone, so I didn't put it in the OP - but I've heard many times that they are bags of carp!!

When I get a chance I'll have a kite at the reviews sites suggested.

But yes, we do need all seven seats. I currently have a 4 year old girl and a 1 year old boy. So with me, the mrs and our tribe in it, we will be using six seats! And then we have to hope that we have room for a double - no TREBLE pushchair LOL!!

Thanks again, please keep the replies coming (y)
 
Seat did a varient of the Galaxy/Sharan ... Alahambra, I think.

Also VW Caravelle`s, although would have to be an older model.
 
Can't advise what to go for but another vote agains the scenic, my friend has one and when talking to her on Sunday they said they've pretty much replaced every part on it and have never spent as much on repairing a car before.

Amusingly we were going over a bridge in a local village a little later in the day and she said see those paint scrapes, I did that and her husband said "but it didn't cost us anything" I said how come and he replied "we didn't get it fixed, have to save all our money for mechanical repairs no point in wasting it on cosmetics!"
 
VW T4 or T5 (Caravelle) minibus, they did the T5 with the 1.9TDi engine and it will make 40mpg according to a friend that owns one - he paid £6k for it. Oodles of space inside.

A T4 would be cheaper to buy as they are older.
 
Flash In The Pan said:
To be fair they qualified their claim with the words "virtually" and " first three months" ;)
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lol, and I think it was the fifth or sixth month that it happens. Sods law I guess but I did warn him against Alphas!
 
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