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Buying a Car for a preggo missus

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DrSnoosnoo
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PostPosted: 09:59 - 02 Feb 2018    Post subject: Buying a Car for a preggo missus Reply with quote

I'll keep as brief as possible.

We have a 2003 Toyota Celica now that she soon won't be able to get into or out of, it's very low, she's very tall and is only going to get larger so we want a taller seat height car, anything not a low to the floor coupe really.

She's a tart who doesn't see that anything older than 10 years / 100 k miles could possibly provide us with years of service.

Needs to have 4 doors and Petrol fuelled - £6k budget.

First, I looked at Golfs. found the TSI engines of the times have some stretchy timing chains so can grenade the engine, I don't trust her to hear for any tapping so let us know it needs looking at. She managed to drive the Celica with about 500 mL of oil in it, sounding like a tractor. Still taps but the engine hasn't died, two years later.

She doesn't (nor do I) quite fancy the interiors of the Focuseses (Foci?).

Looked at a 2011 Mazda 3 takuya wanna look like a sporty car thing. Seemed OK on the surface but a bit small in the back.

We do get a bit of snow/ice in the winter up in't Norf and heard BMWs are terrible in the snow. Confirm?

Then spied a few Mercs in budget. can get the 2011 B150 (160?) but seen a rough looking one and the rear discs rust a lot? A 2008 C180 Kompressor which unleashes my inner Bradfordian.



Any recommendations from the Massif?
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arry
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PostPosted: 10:13 - 02 Feb 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lexus Is250 should do the trick nicely. You'd get one with loads of kit and they're a fairly bulletproof half decent steer. She's used to Toyota so it'll probably sit well with her.
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The Shaggy D.A.
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PostPosted: 10:14 - 02 Feb 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you want tall, then the Galaxy/Alhambra/Sharan is worth a punt. Same footprint as a Mondeo estate, and you can take the seats out and get a bike in the back.
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Ste
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PostPosted: 10:26 - 02 Feb 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Volvo. Of course. Thumbs Up

V70.
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DrSnoosnoo
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PostPosted: 10:43 - 02 Feb 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Oh! must add the requirement of Petrol.

She hates the idea of Diseasel. Leeds are planning a clean emissions zone so that could affect her commute into the city centre if they decide to eventually put diesels in the bin.
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rpsmith79
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PostPosted: 11:11 - 02 Feb 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Honda Jazz might be worth a look

Reasonably small on the outside, but loads of room and clever seating on the inside provides ample room

My parents have had 3 of them, so far (MKI, II & III), they got their first one when my Mum had a bad hip and couldn't bend easily, it's like sitting in an armchair

And at least you'll be keeping a similar build quality to your Celica, although arguably the Gen 7 Celica was the least well build of the bunch (i had a Gen 5 for 4 years that had 175,000 miles on it)

Won't be anywhere near as sporty though
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stinkwheel
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PostPosted: 11:17 - 02 Feb 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

What colour does she like?

If she doesn't like the colour, it wont be looked after and will land up wrecked.

Sprogs incoming? Get something with a sliding side door.
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Pjay
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PostPosted: 11:20 - 02 Feb 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Preggers means hard to get in/out, so something high like a Qashqai would work.
They are reliable, plenty of room for a growing family and available in the engine type of your choice.

Dont just rule them out, go and test drive one, they are surprisingly good.
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RhynoCZ
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PostPosted: 11:25 - 02 Feb 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Any VW concern petrol car will do. Cheap maintenance (man hours), every mechanic can work on these and the parts are affordable and widely available.

Mercedes-Benz is an interesting choice, I must say. But beware, unless you want to do all the maintenence and minor repairs yourself, keeping a Mercedes-Benz may burn a hole in your pocket. The parts and consumables are very affordable and avalible, even cheaper than for the VW concern cars, but it is the man hours that cost a lot on these.

*Rear discs rust = the brakes are not working properly. The discs are generic = not special, cheap. The same goes for the pads and you'd be surprised how cheap the calipers are, which may be rebuilt for next to nothing. Use it as a bargaining chip rather than walking away because of that.

** FWD Mercedes-Benz? Just don't. Thumbs Up

***BMWs on snow are as good as the driver is. Proper winter tyres help a lot. You just have to adjust your driving style in winter. For instance, never stop the car on a snowy slope if you intend to continue your journey uphills afterwards. The same goes for any RWD car.

**** Skoda? 6k should get you a nice one. Yeti (tall), Roomster (practical), Octavia (classic family saloon), Fabia/Rapid (alright for what it is), Superb (doable at 6K)..., I'm not sure how much the new SUVs from Skoda depreciated since the launch, but would be worth a look. It looks fancy, yet it is not = affordable to get and maintan.
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Paris2
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PostPosted: 11:26 - 02 Feb 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Another vote for a crosser style. Qashqai, Sportage, Kuga.
Drove a newer Qashqai around for a month ('15) and was very surprised how much I liked it.

I'd also suggest Skoda. I have an Octavia, it's huge and already geared up for sprogs that'll appear in the next few years.

And yes BMW's are generally terrible in snow. Almost all of them are rear wheel drive. I had to abandon my old 3 series many times in the snow, and I live down south Laughing
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RhynoCZ
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PostPosted: 11:27 - 02 Feb 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Paris2 wrote:
And yes BMW's are generally terrible in snow. Almost all of them are rear wheel drive. I had to abandon my old 3 series many times in the snow, and I live down south Laughing


That's because you can't drive one. Razz
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Paris2
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PostPosted: 11:28 - 02 Feb 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

RhynoCZ wrote:
Paris2 wrote:
And yes BMW's are generally terrible in snow. Almost all of them are rear wheel drive. I had to abandon my old 3 series many times in the snow, and I live down south Laughing


That's because you can't drive one. Razz


Possibly Thinking

I couldn't get it out of a parking space in Portsmouth for 3 days. I tried most mornings, and gave up and walked to work Laughing
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DrSnoosnoo
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PostPosted: 11:30 - 02 Feb 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

@rpsmith

Jazz - I've had a look at those, I learnt to drive in one too.
Celica - Our Gen 7 has been fine, the only issues have been what she's done, scraped a wall and ran it with no oil, but we've done 15 k miles on the engine after I refilled it, still gets 45 mpg on the motorway!
Sporty - Told her a mummy bus won't be anywhere near as good to drive, for a hairdresser's car the Celica drives like it's on rails.

@Stinkwheel - it'll have to be me looking after it anyway she's terrible. I drove it and heard an awful crunch of the brakes, one of the pads was no more, it ate the brake disc. "It only started making that noise this morning"

@Pjay - We had a look at the cumquat and I can't believe how small they actually are. There's as much room in the back as the Celica and the rear door doesn't open very wide. That lead me onto Golfs as the rear passenger space was fantastic with a wide opening door for car seats etc and the boot was huge too.
Also when looking for quashes she decided she wanted the all singing model that we can't afford unless the odd private seller pops up.
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rpsmith79
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PostPosted: 11:31 - 02 Feb 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

RhynoCZ wrote:
Any VW concern petrol car will do. Cheap maintenance (man hours), every mechanic can work on these and the parts are affordable and widely available.


10 years ago maybe, but modern VW's are pretty shocking

I owned a Scriocco 2.0 TSI that was nothing but trouble, fuel injectors went, and you need to replace them as a set, £200 each plus fitting, then the throttle body (£250) and the throttle pedal (£150), got rid of it after a year as it was so unreliable, i spent nearly 2 grand in repairs in just under a year

And my other half is having no end of problems with her VW Beetle Convertible, Throttle body, electric window packing up, that was a £600 repair, and now the passenger door deadlock is permanently engaged so the door wont open (currently in the garage for that one)

VW really have gone downhill in the last 5 years or so, and are still trading on their 10-15 year old reputation

I am also a member of a local VW car club, and these problems i have had are certainly not 1 offs
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RhynoCZ
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PostPosted: 11:37 - 02 Feb 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

rpsmith79 wrote:
RhynoCZ wrote:
Any VW concern petrol car will do. Cheap maintenance (man hours), every mechanic can work on these and the parts are affordable and widely available.


10 years ago maybe, but modern VW's are pretty shocking


So, why not to get a 10 years old VW concern car? Thinking

I do not recommend a Seat though. Nice cars, but also use a lot of proprietary parts, that are just not avalible and/or very expensive to get. My father's Toledo is one of those cars, not sure if it applies to all the models.
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'95 Mercedes-Benz w202 C200 CGI; MZ 150 ETZ, '98 Mercedes-Benz w210 E200 Kompressor


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Paris2
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PostPosted: 11:38 - 02 Feb 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you like the VW's, consider the rest of the VAG cars.
Audi
Seat
Skoda

All essentially the same car.
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Pjay
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PostPosted: 11:40 - 02 Feb 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Paris2 wrote:
If you like the VW's, consider the rest of the VAG cars.
Audi
Seat
Skoda

All essentially the same car.


Agreed, the Skoda Yeti are great.
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Fizzoid
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PostPosted: 11:44 - 02 Feb 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Is this going to ferry the little one around?

I would find out just what 'travel system' she is planning on buying for the little one, and buy something with enough boot space

Unfortunately, a mate of mine's missus nagged him for a Juke, then for another kid, then for some 'travel system' (used to be called a pram in my day)

Unfortunately the 'pram' and associated bits don't actually fit in the back of the Juke...
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Polarbear
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PostPosted: 12:23 - 02 Feb 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Fizzoid wrote:
Is this going to ferry the little one around?

I would find out just what 'travel system' she is planning on buying for the little one, and buy something with enough boot space

Unfortunately, a mate of mine's missus nagged him for a Juke, then for another kid, then for some 'travel system' (used to be called a pram in my day)

Unfortunately the 'pram' and associated bits don't actually fit in the back of the Juke...


God yes. My eldest daughter has some hi tech three wheeled thingy that turns into a chair, a bed, a pram and probably an aeroplane.

When she goes out she has more supplies in it than Scott did when going to the south pole.

She needs a bloody Luton truck when the whole family go anywhere!!!
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Wonko The Sane
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PostPosted: 13:33 - 02 Feb 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Firstly, congrats

secondly, the wife coped with our ibiza (estate) when pregnant using it daily as community nurse until she went on maternity leave although I will admit the front passenger seat didn't go quite back far enough for me once we'd got child seat in the back.

Depending on budget, could you get something on the threshold of the age she considers will give enough life and get a cheap 'personal plate' to hide the exact age of the vehicle from her? Very Happy

My method of buying cars for the mrs is to find out what she thinks she wants then draw up a shortlist of cars that meet that need and let her pick from that short list, this way she's had some input in the decision.
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dodsi
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PostPosted: 13:39 - 02 Feb 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm in a similar position to yourself, Pregnant wife but already have the cars.

We have a Toyota Avensis 1.8vvti from 2001 as our 'Bangernomics' motor for short trips/my commute/supermarket shopping/parking at roadsides in town etc etc etc.

and a Leased Skoda superb for her commute (much further than mine) and Sunday best/trips away driving. This is up for renewal in September so I will be looking to order another car in April ready for September delivery. My budget will be total 7K(ish) over a 2 year period for 12K miles.

The deals at the moment are not great on the Superb compared to the current one which is edging me towards /something else/ that would best fit our requirements... bootspace etc.

In short, any saloon/Estate is going to fit requirements - in your position i would be looking at Avensis, Octavia, Mondeo, Passat etc etc

We have already bought a 'travel system' just the Buggie/Carry cot was already more expensive than the Avensis! if you have not started looking at this stuff i would begin to find something that suits you both.
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Polarbear
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PostPosted: 13:48 - 02 Feb 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

For bot before and after the birth, I would be looking at the smaller MPV's.

Seeing my Mrs trying to strap my grandsons seat in our various cars, and then him into the seat, I wouldn't go for anything smaller than a C-Max or the like.

As said earlier, anything with a sliding rear door will make life so much easier for when the kid arrives.
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Tracey Suntan-King
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PostPosted: 13:57 - 02 Feb 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ignore all of the above.

I may be biased but the best car I've ever had is my Subaru Forester in terms of cost and practicality.

Definitely not sexy but........

It's 4wd perfect for your northern winters. Estate, built like a tank. Quite spritely, mines a diesel boxer engine thingy, does around 45 mpg (kills 1 polar bear every 1000 miles). Obviously there are petrol variant too and differing level of trim/gadgets.

Finally, and most importantly, you can get absolutely loads of stuff in it and your little snoosling will, mark my (and everyone else's) words, have loads of stuff. As he/she gets older you'll still have to move their stuff around and you'll be able to fit bikes and everything into a Forester.

You'll get one about 6 years old for your budget. They never breakdown, they go forever.
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stinkwheel
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PostPosted: 13:57 - 02 Feb 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

DrSnoosnoo wrote:

@Stinkwheel - it'll have to be me looking after it anyway she's terrible. I drove it and heard an awful crunch of the brakes, one of the pads was no more, it ate the brake disc. "It only started making that noise this morning"


I mean more generally looked after like not banging the doors off walls, not crashing shopping trolleys into it, driving it into the garage door etc.

I was being totally serious about the sliding door thing by the way. If you're trying to put a starfishing child into a baby seat in the back of a car in a supermarket carpark, not having to try to hold the back door 1/3 of the way open with your bum and one heel while preventing the puschair rolling away with your foot AND strapping the monster down at the same time is 100% win.

My Mum has pretty bad spine arthritis and rates her Nissan Juke in terms of easiness to get in and out of.
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stinkwheel
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PostPosted: 14:00 - 02 Feb 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Oddball suggestion:

Nissan Cube.
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