down grading from a 7 seater

[dusky777]

Hi i currently have a vauxhall zafira 7 seater....its knackered!!

We have been looking around at cars and hubby wants to down grade back to a 5 seater.

I currently have 2 children on the school run plus another mindee and 2 of my own but most days we do walk. We only go in the car when it raining bad! Mindee's mums is ok about walking to school in the rain and i lose both schooles from july.

Do you think this will put off prospective customers, if we only have a 5 seater car.

[Mouse]

I don't drive at all and it's never put anyone off :thumbsup:

No parents have every queried it, but if they did, I would tell them that a bit of rain never hurt anyone!

[peach]

I only passed my test in Jan so never had the use of a car till then and it never put anyone off.
We still walk most places or get on a bus ad dh uses the car for work x

[AliceK]

I don't think it would put parents off. I know of quite a few childminders who have 5 seater cars. If you are sure it wouldn't limit you and what you can do and where you can go then I'm sure no-one else need concern themselves with your business. It's rare that I use the car we can go most places by walking and rare that I actually need all 7 seats but it does happen occasionally (usually in school hols when we go out for the day) and for that reason I wouldn't dare downgrade to a 5 seater.
Do what's best for you

xxxx

[dusky777]

I don't think it would put parents off. I know of quite a few childminders who have 5 seater cars. If you are sure it wouldn't limit you and what you can do and where you can go then I'm sure no-one else need concern themselves with your business. It's rare that I use the car we can go most places by walking and rare that I actually need all 7 seats but it does happen occasionally (usually in school hols when we go out for the day) and for that reason I wouldn't dare downgrade to a 5 seater.
Do what's best for you

xxxx

The only reason im reluctant is the school holidays but some holidays i do have more than 7 so couldnt use the car anyway.

[Happy Bunny]

I have a 5 seater car.
I use to have a 7 seater but never used it during term-time as we walk to school and during the holidays I had too many children to use it.
Having a 5 seater has been more economical for me, cheaper car insurance, lower petrol costs.
It has never put any potential parents off that i walk everywhere.

[alwaysright]

believe it or not a parent once came to see me and didnt use because i DID drive :rolleyes: :rolleyes: his last childminder didnt and mum didnt want child to go out in a car with anyone except her, told her sorry cant do that!

[buildingblocks]

i don't drive and used to have a 30 minute walk to school one way. My parents were made aware of this on visiting the setting so they had the choice not to send.

[Ripeberry]

[QUOTE=Mouse;919955]I don't drive at all and it's never put anyone off :thumbsup:

No parents have every queried it, but if they did, I would tell them that a bit of rain never hurt anyone![/QUOTE

You are lucky to be able to walk around. Out in the countryside we have to have a car to get anywhere due to lack of pavements and long distances.

[karen m]

I just changed my Zafira to Picasso yesterday,ai very rarely had to use 7 seats,before the Zafira i had a Espace

[funemnx]

I had an 8 seater and a Peugot 106 until my 8 seater died last August. I thought I'd wait and see how things went before I bought another big car. I haven't missed the big car so far but fear I might come the summer holidays as I do like to get out for days in the summer, but will have 5 - 6 children most days.

I'm hoping to rent from a friend or borrow a 7/8 seater for August as the rental/lease price is astronomical!!! :eek:

[mrs robbie williams]

Ive got a 7 seater and must admit although i do love it, it is costing me a small fortune in petrol :panic: ive got a chrysler grand voyager so she is a big old girl :laughing: :laughing: but it means half terms and school holidays we can all go out xx

[TheBTeam]

We have just down sized one of our grand voyagers to a ford cmax, much cheaper on car tax £30 for year and only a little cheaper on insurance, but we will save on the diesel used on the 25 miles we do a day all done in a 5 mile radius of our house!

We are keeping our bigger car cos of camping hols with two dogs, but the other was too big, if hubby and i have too many children in the hols (like the busy old days!), we will walk somewhere and adjust what we do!

I think parents dont want to pay anymore whether you drive or not, and so the more cheaply you can do it the better!