New car advice, a non driver asks !

dUnKle

Im one of those rare ones, never had an interest in cars and never had an interest in learning to drive, had a couple of lessons, they left me cold, so at 42 im one of lifes pedestrians

However that does not stop the wife expecting me to be able to help choose a new car

When our daughter was born 4 years ago we purchased a Honda Jazz
Its been a brilliant little car and served us well

It has a full service history with Honda and had no issues at all, however as our little one grows up and as my parents are getting older we feel a bigger car is needed

So what is needed

The main thing is something with room in the back for 3 adults, 3 real world adults at that
My Dad has mobility problems, most cars he finds uncomfortable to drive, he has for years drove a Quashqai.  So we need a car that could fit my mum and dad (with potential for one other) in back with comfort being a priority

Probably an estate car or certainly something that could get a kids bike (ideally an adults one) in boot

We dont really want a 7 seater as it seems what you gain in seats you loose in boot space and from experience it often seems that the rear seats are cramped

Im guessing we would be best with a petrol car.  On an average month she does not drive a huge amount.  Id say certainly no more than 80 miles a week really.  Only uses car for work in winter or when I need her home so I can go to work, so the work journey is only a couple of miles.  The longest is probably when visits her parents and thats probably 20 mile round trip once a week.  However that said, as our daughter grows we will want to get away more, day trips, holidays etc, so would want something comfortable and safe .

She does not seem to be a fan of french cars (like some it seems she knows someone who knows someone who has had issues)

Want something reliable, like how the Jazz has been and that will continue to be so for 10 years or so.  Think ideally she would want something 4 to 5 years old but think would be willing go a year or so older if it resulted in a better car / more features, however she not overly concerned about having all the bells and whistles.  A radio, Air Conditioning and (ideally) a reversing camera would be all she would want

Budget wise, well 6 to 8 thousand I suppose (including whatever we would get for the Jazz which I doubt would be much)


So any ideas / suggestions ?

The Mondeo was suggested, but she does not like the initial look (however happy to test drive)

A Honda Civic has also been suggested but she does not like the rear of those and again I think Dad would not be suited to getting into the back and being comfy

djbsom

Hi, I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum to you. Very old, very experienced at buying cars and driving them.
I would suggest it doesn't really matter what others think. Your experience is of a car that you were impressed with and happy owning.
Why not just buy a bigger 'Jazz' ?
In other words a bigger car from the same company.
If you're happy with Honda then buy a bigger Honda.
There's nothing wrong with the CRV. Easy access, room for five adults and Honda reliability.
Can I make it easier -
CRV 2.0i EX petrol automatic
Perfect family car for the non car enthusiast.
BTW I'm a fan of French cars so don't listen too much to individual prejudices.

Bl4ckGryph0n

Your requirements do not in my experience correspond to a car that is available. Take the first one;

3 full adult seats in the back of an estate vehicle; I love my cars and never found one in an estate or saloon that can do that. If it isn't the transmission tunnel moving your legs wide apart, then it is the bolstered seats moving the left/right passengers in. Also the seat in the middle is an emergency seat, I wouldn't like to sit there for prolonged periods of time.

I can't stand MPV's, find them horrible to drive in the models where they do have the space. But something like the Chrysler Voyager would have given nice individual comfortable seats if you buy the right version.

In all honesty, and without moving to a VAN derived vehicle with benches I'd say that only the Tesla X, Mercedes GLS and Land Rover Discovery provide that level of seating for real world adults. Possibly the Volvo XC90, we discounted it as the rear seats weren't comfortable to get in but as you don't need to use them it may be ok. And also don't discount the Porsche Cayenne, that is actually a surprise about how much room there is on the second row.

You don't have to use the 7 seats, but I can vouch for the Mercedes GLS and Land Rover Discovery that even then it has plenty of space left.

Im guessing we would be best with a petrol car. Considering the first requirement that could get very expensive, fun but expensive and you may not appreciate it. I'd suggest you'll leave this choice for last until the important ones are covered and narrowed down the field.

She does not seem to be a fan of French cars. In my experience always good to listen, but don't discount it fully unless you've taken a test drive. Concerns regarding issues could be overcome with decent warranty packages. And lets face it, all cars can get problems.

Want something reliable. Unfortunately there are no such guarantees, I wouldn't focus my search about that as the most reliable car can be a lemon. Focus instead on after sales support and warranty.

Budget wise, well 6 to 8 thousand I suppose (including whatever we would get for the Jazz which I doubt would be much). Well that rules out the first requirement Although you may get an older Chrysler Voyager for that. How that works together with reliable, petrol etc I don't know.

dUnKle

Cheers.  

I suppose some compromise could be given to the back seat thing. As long as a good amount of room in front then dad could sit there and my mum, myself and daughter could sit in back (and I guess her next child seat will not be as big and bulky as existing one)

Suppose it’s my inexperience that suggested an estate just due to the extra boot space.  I just have this idea of being able bung my bike and daughters in back and getting wife take us out into country for bike ride (but guess I could get a bike carrier for the adult bike).  

Also regards boot space it would be nice to have a boot then you could just throw things in and not have to play a game of Tetris to get the case in when going on holiday

I just assumed that petrol would be good as was under impression that limited and short journeys can damage a diesel car.  

Budget, that’s the problem, I’m trying get sorted now as redundancy looms toward end of year.  Maybe 8 grand plus whatever we could get for the jazz.  57 plated (so 10 year old I think) and has 63967 miles on clock.

dUnKle

Oh, and she likes your CRV suggestion by the looks (I think the sticking with a Honda sits as a good idea with her just due to how much she likes the Jazz)

She is on auto trader lol

Just checking our local dealer from whom we purchased the Jazz and within her paremeters we get Honda CR-V,

garryboy

I have a CRv it's a fantastic family car. Plenty of room. Typical Honda reliability never missed a beat.

Newish model comes in 2wd or 4wd options as well so don't assume your getting 4wd buying the CRv

Zincubus

Can't go wrong with Japanese cars in my experience. I started with s Toyota  Corolla and we've had Toyota Rav4's for the last two decades.

Never ever failed to start which is paramount to a non mechanical person like me ..

dUnKle

Cheers

I certainly think she would prefer to stick with Honda (to be honest if it wasnt for the extra space needed she would glady stick with the Jazz) so currently looking at 4 year old (or so) CRVs for around 9 grand and see what the dealer would give for the Jazz

djbsom

The ex spec gives you the glass roof and electric leather seats both of which seem like pointless luxuries until you've had a car with them.  
But the biggest benefit of the CRV style car over the Jazz is ease of entry/exit.

dUnKle

Cheers.