Cars that are like a tardis.

Rob8980

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As some may know my wife and I are expecting twins, to go along with our 5 year old.

We will be using my Skoda superb as the main car, but we will probably need to change the wife's current car a fiat 500. So we need something that can occasionally take 3 children and associated stuff. The trouble is the better half only likes smaller cars and would not feel confident driving a big car. So looking for something that is small on the outside and massive on the inside.

Some other criteria that would be nice to.

Max 3 years old.

Petrol as she only does a about 7k a year. Even less next year when she will be on maternity leave.

Budget around £8k

5 doors.

Thanks in advance.
 
All together now.... Honda Civic!

only other suggestion is to try all your car seats in any prospective car you go to view...
 
Roomster? Fabia?
 
Fiat 500L on the numerous mega cheap pch deals, keep your 8k in the bank and chip away to pay your rental.
 
I would say you can't beat the Nissan Note for tardis-ness. Has rear legroom not far from your Superb! Good size boot can be made bigger with the sliding rear seat as well.

<£8k would easily get you a 63 plate mid/high spec version. Very dull and boring, though.
 
Would 2nd the above, huge inside and very practical. Dull as dishwater.
 
The stable mate to the Nissan Note is the Renault modus.
Very small on the outside, very big on the inside.
Ideal small family car with several quite clever tricks depending on the spec level.
Eg: some have a 'boot chute', both a full hatch and a smaller drop down shelf like the original mini.
The back seats slide fore and aft allowing a big boot if you have children in the back or a smaller boot if you have rugby players in the back. That sort of thing.
If you want petrol then the 1.2 tce is the one to go for. Plenty of go when on turbo but quiet and economical when not.
Not a luxury environment though.
 
All together now.... Honda Civic!

Sorry, but I found the Civic to be the exact opposite of a tardis, in that it looks like it should be roomier than it is.
I found interior space pretty poor and claustrophobic.
Rear access is a pain too where kids are involved, IMO.
The shape of the door etc.
Some of the other suggestions qualify for Tardis status though.
Renault invented the MPV.
 
Developments This morning!

The wife's car was parked outside the house, thankfully no one was inside. It has been hit by another car and this is the result.

ImageUploadedByAVForums1426245908.348295.jpg

ImageUploadedByAVForums1426245943.492517.jpg

The second picture is the other car.

Police think the lady driver was going to fast. She says she was reaching down for something.

I didn't put much thought in the whole Friday the 13th thing but I might be changing my mind.

Driver of the other car was taken to hospital.

Does anyone think the 500 will be a write of? Rac guy says the back axel is snapped in half.
 
Given where the damage is, I'll guess yes.
Too much cutting/welding to be done on the bodywork alone, never mind the axle repairs.
 
Ouch, does look like a write off as I bet the unseen damage is quite substantial with suspension mounts bent and snapped.
 
Polyfilla, touch up stick and a lump hammer. It'll be fine.








It does depend on how extensive the damage to that axle and the chassis is. Doesn't look too hopeful to me from what we can see.
 
Sorry, but I found the Civic to be the exact opposite of a tardis, in that it looks like it should be roomier than it is.
I found interior space pretty poor and claustrophobic.
Rear access is a pain too where kids are involved, IMO.
The shape of the door etc.
Some of the other suggestions qualify for Tardis status though.
Renault invented the MPV.
I guess many are referring to the EP3 version of the Civic, the newer versions I'd agree with you.
Dodge invented the minivan with their Caravan, not Renault.
 
Looks a write off to me too. Based on my extensive knowledge of the internet. :)

Glad there was no one in your car!
 
Dodge invented the minivan with their Caravan, not Renault.

Ford Invented the minivan with the Transit back in the 60s. But having looked up alternate definitions I guess you're talking about the US use of the word as synonymous with MPV.

The Dodge Caravan was a joke next to the Renault Espace. Three doors and only the driver and front passenger get proper seatbelts. An MPV is all about refinement. Car-sized vans with seats and windows had been around for years, at least twenty years before the MPV and probably many decades more.

Of course, Renault's claims about inventing the MPV are rather dubious but more recent hits like the Vauxhall Zafira definitely owe their existence to the popularity of the Espace in the 80s and 90s.

Anyway, back on topic.

Unless you need two cars have you considered looking around for courses on driving large cars so she came become confident in doing it in a safe environment? That would save you a fair amount of money.

Car-wise, it depends on what sort of sizes are at issue. For carrying bulky objects you can't beat van-based MPVs. The new Ford Tourneo Connect for example is the same length as a Focus but much more spacious inside That's a new model though and the cheapest I could see on Autotrader was 11k so it might be worth looking at other popular models like the Citroen Berlingo instead.
 
Thanks for the replys. We do need two cars so goin down to one isn't an option. The biggest car she has previously driven is a golf so up to that size would be ok. Anything bigger and she wouldn't be confident. Just got to wait and see what happens now with the crashed car now.
 
I imagine that the requirements for any small car will be pushed when it comes down to car seats for newborn twins and a 5 year old. Boot space for double pushchair can also be considerable as well as all the other paraphernalia that is needed.
 
Yeah It's going to be a struggle getting it all in but hopefully it won't be to often. The wife has said she like the focus, so have been looking at the 1.0 examples on autotrader. Anyone got any opinions on them?

I saw a Citroen cactus today and I thought it looked ok in a strange kind of way, so might see what lease deals on them are like to. The other option is to just buy a cheap car just to get us by for the next 2 years.

The curtesy car she collected today was a new Toyota aygo. This is definitely not big enough despite being 5 doors, the boot was tiny, I also wasn't impressed with the quality of it, the doors where really thin sounding when you shut them. The wife said it drove ok though,
 
What about the estate version of a Focus or Golf. Plenty of boot space.
 
I suggested an estate, but for some reason only known to her, she classes all estate cars as to big!

I have tried to explain that there just the same length as there hatchback brothers and sisters but she's having non of it. A focus hatchback is ok but a focus estate is a stupid idea because it's to big. I know it's a fight I can't win, all I have on my side is facts and truth, it is no match for her pig headedness and woman's logic.
 
I have tried to explain that there just the same length as there hatchback brothers and sisters but she's having non of it. A focus hatchback is ok but a focus estate is a stupid idea because it's to big. I know it's a fight I can't win, all I have on my side is facts and truth, it is no match for her pig headedness and woman's logic.

Actually in this case she has the facts and truth. Except for saloon-style hatchbacks like the Octavia or Mondeo an estate will generally be longer than a hatchback. The 2011- Focus hatchback is 4.36m while the estate is 4.56m.

There are a few small estates around like the Peugeot 208 estate, Renault Clio Estate and Seat Ibiza Estate. Generally the distinction to a hatchback is that they've got a flat boot with no lip to make loading easier.

I also wasn't impressed with the quality of it, the doors where really thin sounding when you shut them.

It's nice to have a car that feels solid but with many manufacturers these days specifically working on perceived quality I wouldn't assume the way the door closes has anything to do with mechanical or electrical reliability.
 
I see your point but I think I used a bad example. I. Know that generally estate cars are slightly longer but in her eyes something like a fabia estate would be to big but a focus hatchback would be ok (I haven't checked but I assume a focus hatchback is longer)
 

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