What type of car is best for a family?
By rhinoboy
@rhinoboy (2129)
December 12, 2006 9:43am CST
i will be needing a new car to ferry my young family around in. My sporty hatchback doesn't cope too well with the baby-seat and the buggy as well as me 7 the wife!!!
What type of car would you recommend for the 'family bus'. I am thinking of a VW passatt or maybe a mondeo or vectra.
Please only recommend cars available in the Uk and right-hand-drive. (That usually means only european or Japanese - we don't get american cars over here - otherwise i'd have a Dodge Durango!)
What type of car do you carry the family round in and what do you like or dislike about it?
42 responses
@richelle19_80 (133)
• United States
13 Dec 06
$$$$$ CHA CHING $$$$$ I don;t think I want an expensive car to tote my tot around in.
@imranwajid (741)
• Germany
13 Dec 06
i think it is a good option but you should also check toyota Hiace. It depends on how much are you willing to pay
@rhinoboy (2129)
•
13 Dec 06
Thanks for that. I'm very well aquainted via my mother with the motability lease scheme (if you know what i mean!). My mother needs to have the next lease in march so I need to buy a car.
My friend has a VW passat and I really like those. That's top option so far!
@asteroid8 (914)
• Italy
12 Dec 06
It depends by a lot of factors, like the number of people in the family, the age of the kids, if they like or not to go on trip on sunday or on summer holidays. Maybe a station wagon car is the best for a normal family, with mother, father and two little kids. But if the family is larger, they could buy a bigger car, like a SUV. VW Passat is a good car I think, it's big and it can load a lot. But also Chrysler Voyager is good car for big families.
@rocky1011 (61)
• Australia
13 Dec 06
i have a 1985 nissan bluebird four door and it seats five adults 2 in the front and 3 in back.
it has a four cylinder 2litre engine and i run my family around in that car on 20 to 30 australian dollars a fortnight
but for a growing family i would recomend an 8 seat minivan, something like a tarago or toyota four cylinder, they can come in manual or auto trasnsmission plus the rear seats can be removed easly for carrying loads, and they are no more heavy on fuel than my bluebird,i had a tarago before i bought the bluebird and it only used 40 to 50 australian dollars a fortnight in fuel.
@rhinoboy (2129)
•
14 Dec 06
Thanks for that Rcoky!
I had thought of getting a 'people carrier' (as minivans are called in UK) but it's a bit excessive for just the 3 of us. Our families live mostly close by and we don't normally drive on holiday as my wife works for an airline so we fly mostly.
I'd love to get a twin-cab Hilux or L200 but hey're a bit beyond my poor-mans budget!
@emarie (5442)
• United States
13 Dec 06
i like the Honda Odessy...thats my choice. also Mitsubishi had a great SUV that was good, it had a lot of room. i can't remember the modle right now though. But the Odessy is a great van that can handle the basic family. i have 2 kids, a newphew and me and my husband...i think the Odessy fits about 7 people. i say check out the dealers for vans and see which ones drive nice. i would opt for something with side airbags. my husband also told me and van engines were slightly harder to maintain compared to SUV's because an SUV's engine was made to be tough, and probably drives slightly better, if you're into that thing, which i'm not. either way, both are going to be gas gulzzler unless you can find a hybrid.
@rhinoboy (2129)
•
14 Dec 06
I really like the Mitsubishi L200 (like a luxury pick-up truck) and they're becoming more popular here, but htey are real guzzlers and that's just crazy in todays fuel market!
In the UK we pay almost £1 a litre for petrol (gasoline). That works out to about US$9 per gallon!!!!!
My modest budget can't cope with that!
@hottamale (116)
• United States
13 Dec 06
a honda CVR is a very good car! I don't know if those are available in the UK, so hopefully this suggestion will be of use! And since you mentioned VW i would also recommend a VW touareg. It's a good suv and doesn't require a lot of maintenance.
@amy0214 (1513)
• United States
13 Dec 06
I have a hyundai accent it works pretty well for me but I only have one kid. If you have a large family then you will probably need a mini van. I am thinking about getting a kia spectra next b/c it has a little more trunk space and a roomier back seat.
@richelle19_80 (133)
• United States
13 Dec 06
I suggest a minivan! They are safe reliable and fit everyone!
@viralpatel (26)
• India
13 Dec 06
there many cars selling in world .but i have prefer which car is sutable for my family .5 member is in my family so five seater car is best for my family . and we prefer powerstayring car and extra supenstion and silent car ..i like small car like zen , alto , esteem , indica , santro,lancer , hondacity ,civic etc ..who cheap in price .
@any03082000 (177)
• Romania
12 Dec 06
The Toyota Camry and Honda Accord are more popular, but they are too small for a larger Family... they are Really cramped on a long trip. If you want to know what the best Family VEHICLE is... that is a MiniVan. No contest. Mazda 5 is fairly practical for a compact car, and has added utility with the 5 door configuration but I would not choose a Mazda due to perpetually poor crash test ratings.
@blanksolid (1631)
• Spain
13 Dec 06
Maybe for a family the best kind of car is better for her, its big and comfortable car, have a great day on mylot!
@tsuresh01 (821)
• India
13 Dec 06
i like to have a ford type of car because i like the style of that car.. and i would like to buy in future..
@sunflowergirl (3064)
• United Arab Emirates
13 Dec 06
i personly think japanes made jeaps are good....for a family they are spacious and good.
@GrammaFood (716)
• United States
13 Dec 06
I'm sure they have mini vans out there. There are really nice ones and their roomy,comfortable and the gas mileage is pretty good. I've had 2 vans now and i could never see me going back to a car again.
