7 seaters

mollysmum

Hi

were looking for a cheap second hand 7 seater and have been told to steer clear of galaxys or zafiras? any advice please?? thanks

Keeping_Positive

Why do you need to stay clear of a Zafira? I have had two, one second hand from 1999/2000 1.8 petrol and had no probs and now an 08 1.9 diesel 120bhp from new and again no problems. I would say that I only have three kids and would keep it if I had four but not if I always needed all 7 seats as storage then becomes an issue.

ukjoel

Wouldnt avoid them - they are the best sellers in this class and if you talking cheap then you will be talking original galaxy which is the same as the VW as they were made in the same factory.

Chyrsler voyager will probably be mentioned but while luxurious and comfortable they were expensive to run and never even applied for a ncap safety cert as would have got zero stars.

My bugbear with 7 seaters is go and look at the boot space when all seats are in use - there isnt any. So not ideal family cars.

I would advise having a look at a Mazda Bongo. 2.5 diesel auto.
8 seats, lots more space, old but this is reflected in price. There are similar imports from toyota and nissan as well and all worth a look.

tanith

I would also suggest a Zafira, have also had two and find them very reliable I've had no problems with either of mine... my grandkids love it as there is plenty of room for everyone... the only drawback is if you have a full car load and using all 7 seats there isn't much boot space but thats never been an issue for me... we have had 7 adults in ours numerous times for shortish journey with no complaints...they are not the most 'trendy/speedy' car on the block but as for a family car I'd say they are excellent..

10JH

Not sure why you were told to stay clear of those two!

They are some of the best used 7-seaters.

What sort of budget do you have?

mollysmum

well just bought a rover 214 6 days ago to get me too and from work for now but head gasket blew today!!!! waitin on answer from trader who sold it but looking around the £1000 mark not alot i know but need one quick

sarahg1969

It depends how often you need to use all 7 seats, and who will be using them. I personally wouldn't buy a Zafira, because the very rear seats are too close to the back window and are flimsy and small. But then, I need to use the rear seats all the time.

I've previously had a Galaxy (an old one with the large rear seats) and an Espace (which was a lemon). I currently have a Citroen C8, which isn't the most stylish thing on the road, but it's very roomy indeed - plenty of space for a big shop in the boot, even with all seats in use. And they are all proper sturdy seats.

I think it all depends on what you want out of your seven seater.

gravitytolls

We have a renault espace diesel, great for economy and comfy seats too, easy to remove of necessary, plenty of legroom as well. But.... not mych luggage space.

We also have a Toyota 8 seat import ~ fantastic, comfortable, easy to drive, boot big enough for large pushchair plus shopping etc.Highly recommend.

Nissan Serena is similar, bit vanny, but I like old v ans, so it suited me when we had one.

KillerWatt

mollysmum wrote: »

Hi

were looking for a cheap second hand 7 seater and have been told to steer clear of galaxys or zafiras? any advice please?? thanks

What do you call cheap?
Do you have a maximum age limit?
Do you want to be able to fix it yourself if it breaks down, or do you want to pay £60 per hour for the dealer to fix the electronic crap when it fails?

anewman

Sandoval wrote: »

The curse of the Rover head gasket...

To be honest if you'd done any research into the car on the internet before buying it you probably would have made a different choice.

If they're repaired properly, then they are reasonable. I suspect in this case either the car seller or the person selling it to the car seller knew the headgasket had gone, and poured in some sealant stuff - and after 6 days this has worn off. Of course you can't make such wild accusations without expert evidence stating this is the case.

Rolandtheroadie

ukjoel wrote: »

Chyrsler voyager will probably be mentioned but while luxurious and comfortable they were expensive to run and never even applied for a ncap safety cert as would have got zero stars.

My bugbear with 7 seaters is go and look at the boot space when all seats are in use - there isnt any. So not ideal family cars.

The Voyager does have a ncap rating, just a very poor one. It's the driver and pedestrians that fair badly (nil points on both counts).

The Grand Voyager also addresses your bugbear with regards to boot space. it's the only 7 seater we could find that did.

As far as Zafiras go, I'd avoid the 1.6 petrol like the plague. Gutless. I'm not talking tearing around like a boy racer either. I'm talking people with their 3 kids in their car saying how poor they are.