7 seater car

gabyjane

Ok just a thought in my head at the mo as it's the only option i have! I must be getting old considering this!

I am a childminder and have had lots of recent enquiries..the option that keeps springing back enabling me to take everyone on is a bigger car..thing is i dont like many of them!

We currently have (and you will laugh being a CM) an MG ZR 3 door..very nice looking, what i would call a boy racer car in a way as has some of the sports fittings and is shiny black!..I am not a girl racer btw!) and had plenty of offers of friends wanting to buy it but i do love it, find it cheapish to run, easy to drive/park and keep etc.

But as i said 7 seats would solve all my probs so looking into them and how much they cost etc..running/fuel etc..
Ours is a 95 plate and was bought for £5k..not sure what its worth now.

The only one i know of is another CM at school who has i think a Zafira..is that 7 seats? will ask her later on how she finds it..it's nice too..shiny black like mine and not too..bus like, like some!

Ideas? thanks

jaydeeuk1

Zafiras can come in 7 seat versions. Have a looksie here for some diff choices.

http://www.autoquake.com/used-7-seater-cars

I've only driven the toyota verso out of that group, and seemed a pretty decent car, plenty of room (upfront at least)

blue_monkey_2

We have a Kia Carens in a 7 seater option, I love it. The kids are easy to get in and out, you can do seat belts from the boot if the kids cannot do them themselves. And because the seats pull up and down with a thing on the back of the seat from the boot you can revert it back to a 5 seater in around 5 seconds. Loads of room in the car and you sit quite high up. You can get them for around 12k unless you want lots of extras on it and it has a 7 year warranty now (we have a 5 year on ours which we can pay £200 and extend by another 2 years).

gabyjane

Hi thanks guys..
Should have said the smaller the better! thats why i like the zafiras as look like cars still imo! Another Cm has a Kia sedona and its huge, they dont use it much as says it drinks fuel so not really wanting something like that!
Thanks for link ill check it out x

Hintza

If you are driving around other people's children as a child minder then you might want to look into the insurance implications first.

blue_monkey_2

gabyjane wrote: »

Hi thanks guys..
Should have said the smaller the better! thats why i like the zafiras as look like cars still imo! Another Cm has a Kia sedona and its huge, they dont use it much as says it drinks fuel so not really wanting something like that!
Thanks for link ill check it out x

The Carens is the same size as a normal car but higher - around 5ft 3 in height. I'd say it was the same length though - maybe small because of it's shape, as the Zafira because the 'boot' turns into a seating area rather than it having huge seats. This is what put us off the Sedona. We have the 2.0 Deisel and I get about 35-40 MPG but you can buy a smaller engine and you can get a petrol engine.

I'd have to say I recommend Kia to anyone. My FIL has a Nissan and his serving costs are HUGE (£600 ish) ours are around £200 and I've never been told work needed doing when it didn't - the most I paid on a service was £250. Our Rio hardly had any work done to it other than routine stuff. I do think a lot of people see them as old peoples cars as it used to be oldies that bought them but they are making them more sleek. The Soul is hideous though!!

http://www.kia.co.uk/New-Cars/Range/MPVs/Carens.aspx

gabyjane

Hintza wrote: »

If you are driving around other people's children as a child minder then you might want to look into the insurance implications first.

Lol that's the easy bit..no different to insuring any other car is it?!

gabyjane

thanks blue monkey will take a look. x

plane_boy2000

gabyjane wrote: »

Lol that's the easy bit..no different to insuring any other car is it?!

Errr yes. If you are being paid to look after these children then you fall under "hire and reward" which standard insurance will exclude

flea72

if you take children in your care in your vehicle, you need to have cover for business use

you arent using the car on a hire and reward basis, so that doesnt factor - you are being paid to care for the children, they arent paying extra for transportation

F

gabyjane

Thanks for the insurance questions but i am well aware i have to get it done..i have been doing this for almost 5 years so not something i had thought of as it is the first thing i would do? no different to any other cars/vans etc they all need insuring at the end of the day.
Thanks anyway x