Need a car with 5 "proper" seats and belts

skylight

I need a new car. Okay, not new, but one that is reliable and costs me no more than £2k.

We have 4 kids and currently have a people carrier. Due to many insurance mishaps (ALL were someone elses fault but half come off our fully comp insurance :mad: ) we have been priced out of the insurance market on the people carrier (the best quote so far was £1600 - car only worth £2k!)

The theory is that we reckon we can easily manage on 2 smaller cars, cheaper ins and petrol etc) - OH needs one for work and I need one for ferrying the kids about - hence the 5 proper seat belts. Its critical. I will not use a lap belt for any of the kids and once you have 2 car seats in the back, space is a bit tight.

The problem I am having is even thinking of cars that have 5 "proper" (over shoulder) seat belts in them, let alone ones I could possibly afford.

Any ideas????

flea72

3rd rear 3point belt is usually an optional extra on most small cars, so if looking for a used one, you cant really say whether a car will have it or not.

However if you really need a people carrier, then you might be suprised to find that if you buy a newer one, your insurance premium will be lower. i know it sounds daft, but the older the car, the more insurance companies charge you for insurance

Perhaps if you give an idea of buget, them someone can make a suggestion on suitable cars

Flea

skylight

Thnkas Flea - the budget is only £2k.

Its gonna have to be an oldish car and that "budget" is not flexible in anyway except for downwards!

jaxxy00

We had a P reg Vectra 1.8LX which had a proper seatbelt for the middle seat in the rear. Its the first time ive ever seen one and havent seen another since. Its a bit strange having a 3 point proper sliding seatbelt in the middle but reassuring for anyone sitting in it. Hope you find what youre looking for.

skylight

Thats just it jaxxy00 - it is wierd to find one, but as far as I am concerned, with 4 kids their safety is paramount and I am not prepared to stuff someone in a lapbelt.

Will take a look at Vectras and see what I can get in my price range.

Mumstheword

my corolla (R reg) has 3 proper seatbelts in the back. It cost us under £3k about two and a half years ago, so you should be able to get one a similar age or newer for your budget.

In the car surveys (eg Which?) it comes out very well. It's boring, but reliable!

Jays

I'm with you Charlotte, I don't like the lap straps, nor do I like back seats without head rests (for older children - they all grow).

I love my Renault Scenic which has 5 proper seats, all with three point straps and head rests. I've had mine from new and it's 8 years old, but not sure what they cost on the second hand market - not sure if you could get one for £2k, you would need to do the research.

Good luck
Jays

PS Another pet hate, people who suggest you put two children in one seat/strap :eek: :eek: :eek: . I have to be very 'tactful' when my children are offered lifts and the adult suggest this, it is so dangerous.

Alechjo

Somewhere (question no.22 to be precise) in FAQ on https://www.honestjohn.co.uk was a list of cars with proper 5 belts.

rdwarr

Jays wrote:

PS Another pet hate, people who suggest you put two children in one seat/strap :eek: :eek: :eek: . I have to be very 'tactful' when my children are offered lifts and the adult suggest this, it is so dangerous.

I wouldn't worry about it; it's extremely unlikely that this would ever be a factor in a serious injury.
The world's not as black a place as some of the papers would have you believe

Mookfish

If you can't find a car with 5 3 point belts it may be worth considering buying a normal 5 seater and having a 3 point belt fitted to the middle seat. I have been looking into this myself, and it costs less than £100 to have it done proffesionally. So far I have only found a company based in london and one who will reccomend local installers for their products. (can't remember the names of the companys though, doh!)

If one of your children is in a group one car seat, some of the car seats can be safely fitted with a lap belt. But I would recomend getting a 3 point belt fitted asap so as its not a rush when they grow enough to need a 3 point belt.