Vauxhall Zafira

Arfa__

I've had a 2005 Zaffy A 1.6 on LPG for about year half now. I paid £4500, but it only had 45K on clock and was in top nick. Factory fitted LPG makes it super cheap to run.

1.6 is a little under powered and slow on acceleration. But ask yourself what are you after, a practical and versatile family car or sporty motor? If you want both, you need to find one of the 2.0 or 2.2 GSI turbo versions - cost you £7K odd though. Also how do you define under powered? Not first off the lights and at school with kids before everyone else? Was only this weekend I took mine fully loaded with big roof box around Porlock and Lynton, Exmoor, loads of 1:4 hills and nasty hairpins - no problems. Is fine holding 70 odd on motorway, averaging 29mpg (careful sawtooth acceleration pattern can even get you up to 32mpg). That's on LPG too.

Yep, with boot seats up, you'll only get a tiny buggy in. Our Phil'n'Teds stood no chance. But was OK with just one boot seat up. A single McLaren buggy should with though. Also bear in mind the rear bench isn't wide enough to fit three kids seats. and a squash in the middle for an adult if you have two kids seats. The other niggle is, to get the boot seats up, you need to slide the middle bench all the way forwards, which will entail removing seatbelts from kids seats on the bench. That said the 2003 onwards models have ISO fix on middle left/right seats, which should negate this issue. Also to get into the boot seats you really need to fold one seat down, which will mean removing a kids seat. May not be so bad with older kids on basic boosters, but a pain with young 'uns in Group 0-2 seats. If you need to use 7 seats every day, maybe look else where, however if its only now and again when your kids friends are over, its fine.

As to timing belt, some models are quoted at every 40K, some 60K. Think the post facelift ones were 60K. Had no EGR valve issues with mine. Only break down down was a dead coil pack.

Do look out for the LPG ones, often they don't cost much more than a normal petrol one. Little more expensive on annual service, but half price fuel, no congestion charge and discounted tax. Negligible difference in price.

Overall I'm very happy with mine. Its not fast and exciting, but its practical, comfortable and cheap to run.

gabyjane

Hi arfa thanks for the reply..very helpful.

Ok basically it is just a second car to do the school runs in and take the children out in the holidays, the rest of the time it will sit in the drive. We are keeping our MG which is a sports version so we will have the 2 very different cars, this is plenty fast enough for us! this is what i will use to take out people out at the lights lol (joke)..

Anyway i see what you are saying about the seats and tbh our mg is a 3 door so you can imagine taking in and out up to 4 different seats to suit different children each day rather annoying!, the fact it has 3 doors is leaving it with more wear and tear than i would like due to the older ones just throwing their things everywhere and not caring so would like something basic and big enough to put them all in and not be too worried about a packet of wotsits being dropped! If i still have to take some seats in and out it wont bother me as the damage won't annoy me as much.
The only thing to me that is a definate selling point is that it has to fit a double buggy in with 7 people in!
Anyone reccomend another one if not or an alternative..something car like , like the Zafira and not a huuuge thing like a mini bus! As i said before it will be just for the school runs and trips so don't want to go mad!

Thanks x

Rolandtheroadie

Someone mentioned a grand voyager before and thats what we've got as well. We've 4 kids (13, 5, 1 and 1) and like to go caravanning in the uk so needed something that can comfortably sit us all and take luggage associated with a fornight away.
If you go for a pre 2001, road tax will (probably but double check) be less than a post 2001 Zafira. If you get the diesel, you'll get around 35 MPG driving it right. It would also run on a mix of vegetable oil and diesel if you chose to.
Theres no timing belt or chain apparently so another thing that doesnt go wrong.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CHRYSLER-GRAND-VOYAGER-LE-2-5-TD-DIESEL-/140416425199?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item20b1789cef
Heres one at random with good pics to give you the layout.

gabyjane

scotsman4th thanks for your reply.

I have looked at the voyager BUT it is just not what i want..i want something small and to me that looks huge..trust me id'e never park it, and i dont think ide feel comfortable driving it either! It is an ok looking car and i realise the sort of money and year we want we are not going to get something fabulous which is fine but still want something a tad smaller! The inside funnily sounded fine with the odd bit missing , scratched etc as the kids will only ruin it anyway!
I was looking at my double buggies again this morning while putting one in the car (one is a parents) and one i reckon wont go in the Zafira but i think one at a push may as goes really flat and thats with the hoods on..i'm determined to get it in..if not ill get a roof box lol..
Ahh..never simple is it hey!..so we are down to the Renault grand scenic, the Zafira and there is a nice peugeot too..any others anyone knows about that are car like?!
Thanks

mikey72

The grand scenic II in 2003 was the first seven seater, earlier ones weren't I believe.

Citreon synergie
Fiat Ulysse were the same as the peugeot 806
(bigger than the zafira)

Deepmistrust

gabyjane wrote: »

scotsman4th thanks for your reply.

I have looked at the voyager BUT it is just not what i want..i want something small and to me that looks huge..trust me id'e never park it, and i dont think ide feel comfortable driving it either! It is an ok looking car and i realise the sort of money and year we want we are not going to get something fabulous which is fine but still want something a tad smaller! The inside funnily sounded fine with the odd bit missing , scratched etc as the kids will only ruin it anyway!
I was looking at my double buggies again this morning while putting one in the car (one is a parents) and one i reckon wont go in the Zafira but i think one at a push may as goes really flat and thats with the hoods on..i'm determined to get it in..if not ill get a roof box lol..
Ahh..never simple is it hey!..so we are down to the Renault grand scenic, the Zafira and there is a nice peugeot too..any others anyone knows about that are car like?!
Thanks

Could do worse than look at the Kia Sedona for size. The seats are better planned inside (the three seater bench is at the rear, which leaves a kind of walkway down the middle of the two middle seats (which should be able to fit a double buggy). Only thing to watch for is plasticky interior - prone to damage caused by lots of kids!
Engine is supposed to be sound as a pound though.
(Oh and it has sliding doors too - useful for saving your paintwork when the kids open the door in a crammed car park )

Arfa__

The only other suggestions I can give you are the Ford S-Max or Galaxy. Both a bit more spacious, but again a bit larger. That's the thing with the Zaffy's - same chassis/floor as the Astra, so a nice size for manoeuvring. The Ford's are wider mind, can get three kids seats on middle row. I'm not familiar many other MPV's.

We did get the Phil'n'Teds in once with 7 in the car. The bottom seat pops off anyway to fold and the wheels all pop off easily, then we just distributed it about the car; some in boot behind back seats, some in middle seat foot wells behind the fronts seats. With kids in seats the foot wells aren't used you see. Bit of a phaff, wouldn't want to do it all the time. Roof box is an option, but it would be hassle lifting crap on top of the car, especially a heavy buggy and if you're cramped by parked cars either side.

Errr, sling for little 'un? Single buggy with buggy board? ;-)

gabyjane

Thanks deepmistrust..again sounding picky but my friend has the Kia and tbh i think it is huge, they don't over rate it and know it costs them a lot to keep so it's a no for me on that one! thanks for the suggestions though..keep them coming!

Arfa..ford s max is nice but i imagine quite expensive, my friend at school has one and it looks pretty new? the galaxy again too big!..i have spoke to my friend today at school with the Zafira and on friday when i have the buggy with me we are going to have a play round and see if it goes..that will be it then decision time!

It does make me laugh though..my friend when childminding bought a 7 seater Land rover..she loved it when she first got it and said she never knew how i coped (we had a 3 door punto at the time and now have a 3 door MG)..she rung me after a few days saying after fitting everyone in she had no room for the buggy and bits of it had to be distributed over the floor of it making it a pain in the rear!..i on the other hand did and still do just drop the buggy in the boot and go..BUT i can only get 4 children in so?!!

We are not desperate for it though so i guess just looking around for something that takes our eye..or should i say mine as dh says i can have what i want!

thanks again for the replys..always nice to have personal ones. x

JonathanA

Can I suggest you have a close look at the Ford Galaxy / VW Sharan / Seat Alhambra? It is marginally bigger than the Zafira, but it is taller, which makes them look a lot bigger. If you are regularly going to use the very back seats, I think you'll get frustrated with the Zafira. We had one - and it is a right pain having to move the child seats off the middle row to lift the seats up to slide them forward to get access into the back 2 seats. We traded ours in for a Galaxy & to be honest, didn't really notice the extra size at all as it was such an easy car to drive.

If you're using the very back seats, the boot space will always be a bit tight, so probably worth finding a car to try at a dealer and giving it a good test, with child seats, buggy and anything else you regularly carry round with you.

Good luck in your search!

gabyjane

Thanks jonathanA..well went to my sil this afternoon and we had a play round with hers..buggy no probs as this double one i have is flat. More room than the Zafira so that's the second option! Spoke to another CM at school this morning who has a new Zafira and says she couldn't get her double in but it was one of the big bulky ones like i have..again this maclaren goes pretty flat so we will see tomorrow when i try it in the other one..she said i was very welcome to have a look and play around with it but tbh if we get one it would be the older model so didn't see much point.

Looked again at the voyager and i do like them and the seating in them BUt there seem to be a lot on Ebay with spares or repairs..does this happen after a certain ages for some reason?..obviously i dont want something that is going to pack up 6 months down the rd!

I will check out the others above and see..thanks for the replies. x