Need a car with 3 full seatbelts in the back

Hurricane4 said:
....now we have a big problem i.e. new car which we can't really afford. ...
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I don't get how that problem makes the car unfordable? Impractical maybe.

kfk said:
How safe is it to put 3 young children into the back of a yaris or fiesta? I am not trying stir things up here but I would imagine that they would be safer in a bigger car with a good safety rating.
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If both cars have the same safety rating and hit the same object like a tree/lampost, they are probably the same in terms of safety. But if a bigger/heavier vehicle hits a smaller one, then the smaller one comes off worse, usually.
 
kfk said:
How safe is it to put 3 young children into the back of a yaris or fiesta? I am not trying stir things up here but I would imagine that they would be safer in a bigger car with a good safety rating.
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I appreciate your concern, kfk.
Smaller cars are at a disadvantage in terms of head on collisions but i cant be going around in a big car, guzzling expensive diesel for 25 to 30,000km per year, just to be only a little bit safer in the event of the remote possibility of a crash on the maybe 4 or 5 times a year i'll be carrying the kids. The odds are huge! (i know, people win the lotto against all odds etc)
Besides, and i'm not being smart when i say this, "small" cars aren't too small anymore! Smaller than, say, an avensis or what have you but well engineered nonetheless and quite heavy too; over a tonne by maybe 100 to 200kg. Bigger cars aren't that much heavier.

ollie
 
I'd say you'd be a disadvantage if hit from the rear too. But theres lots of variables, motorway/city center, time spent in car, etc. At the end of the day it comes down to budget doesn't it.
 
Absolutely. 3 kids, childcare etc. takes its toll. Treading water springs to mind!! I think used car prices have come down lately so by the time i'm ready to buy one, they could be cheaper still. At least the year of car i'm looking for anyway.

ollie
 
The only practical drawback of a small car like a yaris or micra is the dire lack of boot space for buggies, coats, scooters etc. Going away for a few days is difficult with no luggage space. I've done it, but its far easier with a bigger car.

Another problem with many cars is they have these locking seatbelts which make putting in seats a real pain.
 
Especially a double buggy...... oh dear!
I did, for a laugh, try 3 seats and a double buggy in the back of a nissan note and it just about came together! Surprising indeed and they do a diesel.....hmmmm
Anyway, i won't be hauling much in whatever it is i buy. The other car will do that.

ollie
 
I drove a note as a hire car for a while. Nippy enough. But I thought it had a tiny boot for something intended to be a family car. Lots of cubby holes and pockets which was nice. Looks like it fell down the ugly tree hitting every branch though.
 
Yup! When i say i fitted in a double buggy, i mean i had to lean on the boot lid to close it....
Very misleading advert on the telly IMO. Lots of pockets are well and good but in reality nobody uses them. The odd thing gets put in there but you cant put the shopping, buggy, changing bags for the kids etc. in there!
I've been looking at some 3 door civics of the 2002 age bracket. Nice looking car and ok on the juice too. Trouble is, getting one that hasn't been rallied is tricky. Back seat seems to fulfil the requirement though so i'll be trying that out when i get a chance.
Anyone here got one? Like this: [broken link removed]

I'm not trying to sell this BTW! It's just for an example.

ollie
 
I find pockets handy for phones, bottles, maps, notebooks, camera etc. I note in the current Astra theres hardly any pockets/cubby holes and the glove compartment is not very big. Which I find a pain.
 
Those Civics are roomy Ollie - drove one for a bit and while I didn't actually need the space and so it wasn't really 'tested' in that respect, the interior space is obvious both in the cockpit and in the rear.

Nice to drive and reliable obviously too. As you say, many are driven hard but if it hasn't been 'dolled up', and it's a 1.4, it's a bit less likely to have been thrashed. This version wasn't anywhere near as popular as the previous one for redlining anyway.
 
aircobra19 said:
I find pockets handy for phones, bottles, maps, notebooks, camera etc. I note in the current Astra theres hardly any pockets/cubby holes and the glove compartment is not very big. Which I find a pain.
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Sorry i meant the kind you see in, say, a scenic. Some of them are under the floor or under the floor of the boot. I had a scenic and hardly used those pockets.
As for the pockets you mentioned, yes, a must have. I had a 95 seat ibiza once and there was not a single pocket in it other than the glove box. Boy was that car a pain to put anything anywhere!
Caveat, thanks for the second poinion on the civic. Another added to my list. Pity it doesnt come in a small diesel engine.....

ollie
 
There's a 1.7CDTi diesel Ollie - is that too big? There aren't too many around though.
 
Caveat said:
There's a 1.7CDTi diesel Ollie - is that too big? There aren't too many around though.
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I checked them out alright. Niiiice!!! I believe it's an isuzu engine in there. Should be a reliable car. I'd be paying bigger tax though, maybe insurance? I'll have to ring my insurer with a list of cars!!. But if the price of the car was ok........like this one: [broken link removed]
And the owner says its VERY economical!! Hmmm......the 110 euro extra road tax might be worth it, once i got more than 63mpg out of it then it would be cheaper to run than my civic.... at the current difference between diesel and petrol.

ollie
 
Sorry to dig this up but i got a diesel yaris in the end and it takes the three booster seats no problem. It's actually easier to buckle the kids in than in the cee'd sw. The boot in the yaris takes our mcclaren double buggy too with one or two shopping bags under it and also does 1100km on 43 litres of diesel! All in all a great little car.

ollie
 
Theres an Opel 1.7CDTi with an isuzu engine. We had one that had a engine managment problem and Opel were unable to fix it. I'd avoid that engine in an Opel anyway.
 
Good to know. Thanks. I expected that from an opel but i expected better from isuzu.

ollie
 
Hi Ollie, I'm in a similar position to yourself, I'm looking for a run around for my husband but with the possibilty of fitting the kids in occassionally. How are you getting on with the Yaris? Do you mind me asking how much you paid for it? Can you turn off the front passenger airbag in the Yaris?
Thanks
 
Yaris is absolutely great. And no problem fitting kids in the back at all. What year are you looking at? There are really good deals out there.
 
It is an '04 and it had 94,000 miles. Paid 5000 euro and 780 vrt. It only has a driver airbag although i did test drive another one with a passenger airbag but the car was in bits. You'd find out off toyota easily enough if the passenger airbag can be turned off. Mechanically is fine although the rear wheel bearing was making some noise and i replaced it with a breakers yard one for 50 euro but this one is noisy too. I'll have to stump up the 360 euro for a new one (230 in the north!!). Thats why i tried the second hand one first. Other than that it's 100%
You should look up some yaris forums to get more info on them.

ollie
 
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