Car Quandry

[Tealady]

We are currently a two car family.

Hubby had a N reg Vauxhall Astra which is now off to the Big Scrap Yard in the Sky. I have a Honda Jazz, Roomy but a small car.

Hubby needs his car for commuting to his depot. I use the Jazz for school runs (round trip of 9miles) so therefore we need another car. This is where we are struggling.

We have two children of our own so two smallish cars would suit our needs as a family. I am registered for 4 mindees. I can only currently take on two due to space in the car for the school run. I have one full timer and one before schooler who therefore blocks a space until 9.30am.

We have considered an MPV before but felt that we don't need it as a family and although I could expand my business the extra income would just be paying off the car for a while.

However now hubby's car has died we are thinking about the MPV again especially as my Mum has said she will give us £2k to help out. The extra income would be great plus the seven seats would be handy from time to time outside of CM. But I quite like my numbers and the children as they stand at the moment and don't necessarily want to expand (especially as I have DS who is nearly three and Mindee boy who is 10mths younger to keep me on my toes)

So really can't decide what to do. Any input would be greatly appriciated.

[samb]

Well here's my experience...

We are a 2 car family and sometimes oh needs his car for work and really loves his car and wouldn't let go. I had an Audi A4 estate. I could only fit 2 car seats either side of the back and 1 in front so had to put dd in middle on no booster (couldn't find 1 to fit between the seats). She was just 6 at the time and although legally ok it wasn't ideal. I was lucky it was an estate so at least had the big boot. We have pretty good transport links here - a bus less than 5 minute walk away which is evry 30 mins and train is near the school and has 2 lines - 3 an hour toward London, 2 an hour down 1 line and 1 an hour down the other line. For the first 18 months of childminding I just used car or public transport.

When it was looking like my car might cost us a bit more to sort out we looked at getting a 7 seater. Within 2 weeks of the idea we had bought one!!! It is so much easier for me and I feel safer using car seats for all children too. I miss my big boot but you can't have it all! I bought a VW Sharan. We got a loan which doesn't have penalties for paying off early and got the loan over 3 years. The payments were quite low but we decided that we wanted to pay off as much as we could each month so that if I did lose work then we could go back to paying monthly and as we would have paid some off we would have shortened the term and the interest due would be less too. I have been paying off chunks and it feels so good. We bought it in Feb this year and by Xmas we should have paid it off!

I have been able to have siblings for ad hoc care in the holidays and still been able to go out and meet up with other childminders etc. But then I knew that by having the bigger car I would be more inclined to take on extra work too. If you are sure you only want what you have at the moment I am not sure I would bother. I mean, why would you be thinking of the bigger car without bottoms on seats? Maybe a smaller big car where you can put the smaller seats down to give bigger boot space but you could use as a people carrier if needed may suit you? I am thinking maybe the Ford S Max, VW Touran or the Vauxhall Zafira?

[mushpea]

we we are a 1 car family at the moment as I dont really need the car for work, we walk places and using my car for a trip out is just a nice bonus, somtimes OH uses the car other times he gets a lift with a mate just depends where hes working.
however i am thinking of taking on children who go to a school far enough to need a car so he will need to get another car.
I have had my zafira for 4 years now and I love it, it is a 51 plate and cost £1400 , its £160 a year tax and cheaper on insurance than my old astra, its great because at the weekend we can just fold the seats in to the boot and its a family car again. It was cheaper to buy because it had done quite a few miles for its age but being a deisel this was fine. i wouldnt pay a fortune for a car for work because it will never stay looking nice with lots of children in the car plus we take the dog out in it to woods and forests , my only regret is it has a lap belt for the middle belt and altough I have a carseat which will go on the lap belt it only goes up to 4yrs of age so slightly restricted by this.
you can get some nice zafiras 2nd hand for not a great deal of money

[rickysmiths]

We are the same as you. " children of our own, dh needed a car to get himself to and from school.

12 years ago our dear car was on the way out and our children moved school so we needed new car. We were recommended Skoda. I ended up getting an Octavia and have had one ever since. I love them, I prefer Diesel and get up to 60mpg out of my current one, a 08 reg and 45-50 on local runs. They are reasonably priced, if you buy one a year old you can extend the warranty reasonably, you can get deals on servicing and on my car I have it serviced once a year, I have had it for 31/2 years and I have only paid for one of the services.

I can get three seats along the back seat of the car, two Britax First Class Seats with a Narnia slim High backed Booster in the middle. I can then isolate the air bag in the front and put a seat there as well.

It works really well and gives us a good sized family car to use, I didn't want to go the expensive people carrier route, more tax, more insurance and more petrol when we didn't need it as a family.

Dh now has an older smaller Skoda since our old car died at 14yrs.

http://www.skoda.co.uk/GBR/newcars/octavia/Pages/default.aspx

[Cammie Doodle]

We are currently a two car family.

Hubby had a N reg Vauxhall Astra which is now off to the Big Scrap Yard in the Sky. I have a Honda Jazz, Roomy but a small car.

Hubby needs his car for commuting to his depot. I use the Jazz for school runs (round trip of 9miles) so therefore we need another car. This is where we are struggling.

We have two children of our own so two smallish cars would suit our needs as a family. I am registered for 4 mindees. I can only currently take on two due to space in the car for the school run. I have one full timer and one before schooler who therefore blocks a space until 9.30am.

We have considered an MPV before but felt that we don't need it as a family and although I could expand my business the extra income would just be paying off the car for a while.

However now hubby's car has died we are thinking about the MPV again especially as my Mum has said she will give us £2k to help out. The extra income would be great plus the seven seats would be handy from time to time outside of CM. But I quite like my numbers and the children as they stand at the moment and don't necessarily want to expand (especially as I have DS who is nearly three and Mindee boy who is 10mths younger to keep me on my toes)

So really can't decide what to do. Any input would be greatly appriciated.

Hubby has a Zafira, which is our only car as I dont drive,it is our 2nd one as it covers all bases for us. Roomy 5 seater family car with big boot :D or 7 seater for school run when / if required . Being your Hubby had an Astra he should like the Zafira.

[Tazmin68]

Hi
I have a zaf and hubby drives a pug 207. I use zag for minding and holidays and the Pug is used by hubby to/from work and weekends. We have two boys. Multi car ins saves us 40 a month. I can fit two mothercare jives in the back when all 7 seats are in use and just clip them together if I need to use as a double which is not often as I usually use one and wrist straps. My zaf is an 07 plate and have had it for 2 years now. Like someone else I had installments but just paid extra when had a good month so paid it off quicker.

[loocyloo]

i have a toyota verso.

its usually a 5 seater, but with 2 pop up seats in the boot, making it useful for school runs!

i love it, as it doesn't look or feel like a big car. its difficult to fit a double buggy in boot with all seats up, but i can get the umbrella single in. i very rarely need a double with all the seats and if i do, i put it along the floor behind the front seats!

[amanda1309]

We are a family of 3 and I drive a vw sharan and dh has an audi A4

Dh needs his for work and I like having 7 seats for work we could walk to school if needed but it's quite a distance and with 3 or 4 two year olds the car is my saviour.
I like having the freedom of the car especially in the holidays and when the weather is bad.

[rickysmiths]

I forgot to say the Octavia has a huge boot. I'm not talking about the Estate but the Five door.

I can fit a large double buggy, a single buggy, a car seat and a months grocery shopping in with space to spare.

I have always bought mine through Skoda Finance and you can put the % of cm use of the interest on the loan through your accounts as an expense.

[silvermist]

I have a Zafira and I really regret buying it now. It seemed perfect to start with, huge boot big enough for a large double buggy plus shopping, 3seats in back. Then I got 2 schoolies and we had a problem. The rear seat moves forward as a whole and if I needed to get schoolies in back it meant having to undo the car seats in the middle row as you cant move just the one seat! The only way round it is putting the 2 baby seats in the back which Im unhappy about plus then theres no room for anything larger than an umbrella type buggy and thats it. Ive only had the car about three months but I'm already looking for a replacement. Probably a Galaxy. Hth

[hectors house]

I have a Zafira and I really regret buying it now. It seemed perfect to start with, huge boot big enough for a large double buggy plus shopping, 3seats in back. Then I got 2 schoolies and we had a problem. The rear seat moves forward as a whole and if I needed to get schoolies in back it meant having to undo the car seats in the middle row as you cant move just the one seat! The only way round it is putting the 2 baby seats in the back which Im unhappy about plus then theres no room for anything larger than an umbrella type buggy and thats it. Ive only had the car about three months but I'm already looking for a replacement. Probably a Galaxy. Hth

A childminding friend has a Zafira and ends up posting her older mindees or own children over the back seat, rather than keep taking out car seats in middle - thats what put me off, also they don't have hardly any leg room in the back row. I have a renault megane scenic X reg and I LOVE it, I can get 3 seats across the back, I use the ones with intergral straps until mindees are about 5 as it is difficult to hand between seats to do up seatbelt for booster type seats. Any one older than that, goes in the front on booster seat with back on it.

We have been looking at new (second hand) cars this weekend as considering getting a caravan and my old girl won't pull one - but I don't want to get rid of my car, it drives like a dream, doesn't cost much normally to get through MOT, I don't care if I put dirty dogs in boot or kids get mud on the back of the seats - I haven't got time to look after something new!

[silvermist]

A childminding friend has a Zafira and ends up posting her older mindees or own children over the back seat, rather than keep taking out car seats in middle - thats what put me off, also they don't have hardly any leg room in the back row. I have a renault megane scenic X reg and I LOVE it, I can get 3 seats across the back, I use the ones with intergral straps until mindees are about 5 as it is difficult to hand between seats to do up seatbelt for booster type seats. Any one older than that, goes in the front on booster seat with back on it.

We have been looking at new (second hand) cars this weekend as considering getting a caravan and my old girl won't pull one - but I don't want to get rid of my car, it drives like a dream, doesn't cost much normally to get through MOT, I don't care if I put dirty dogs in boot or kids get mud on the back of the seats - I haven't got time to look after something new!

Crikey, Im not planning on doing that lol! Cant look very professional plus back ache concerns! lol

[nipper]

Our Zafira doesn't have air-bag deactivation:( if i knew that I wouldn't have bought it - if only to put my eldest son in the front, not mindees)
Having said that we got ours from Motability 1.9cdti 08 plate with only 7,000 miles on the clock for less than £10,000. It belonged to an old girl and was absolutely immaculate inside! My own kids climb between the middle row of seats to go in the back (no mindees there).

[hectors house]

Our Zafira doesn't have air-bag deactivation:( if i knew that I wouldn't have bought it - if only to put my eldest son in the front, not mindees)
Having said that we got ours from Motability 1.9cdti 08 plate with only 7,000 miles on the clock for less than £10,000. It belonged to an old girl and was absolutely immaculate inside! My own kids climb between the middle row of seats to go in the back (no mindees there).

You must not use rear facing baby seat in front with air bag, but can use for other children as long as they are on a booster seat, you can move the seat back as far as it will go too. I always think you are dammed if you do put children in front though incase they get injured by air bag - nasty things really even for adults - my friend got detached retina in eye, but dammed if you turned off air bag and child was not protected by it in an accident.

[Tealady]

Thanks for all your input guys. It's been helpful.