Advice needed

Whataheart replied:

We have a Japanese Import Toyota Tarago.  Great car but very difficult to get insurance for. 

partyplans replied:

New or used?

Pajeros are 7 seater wagons (and have 4wd for those holidays down the track). For new, there should be some end of model Pajeros coming out within a few months.  Of course, once a new model comes out, all the 2nd hand ones drop in price too.

SaucyKath replied:

I'd recommend the Toyota Prado - it's the only 8 seater 4WD so thats why we went for this (6 kids) - so at least as your children get bigger they have more room but also room for a friend as well.

We've had ours for about 3 years (purchased second hand) and its been great.    When looking for the 4WD my only stipulations were apart from the cruise control, air-con, etc. etc. was that it HAD TO HAVE sidesteps!    Or else I'd probably need to permantely store a step ladder in it for my porky legs to get up!!   LOL   I know there's heaps of vans that you can get that fit just as many or more - but personally I refuse to do "the whole sliding door thing"   LOL

SaucyKath replied:

PS there's a great website that I think is called RedBook that shows you the market value for new and used cars etc. etc.   - it helps to know if you're getting a bargain or if the seller is ripping you off.   If I remember right it also has a section for estimating car insurance as well (wish I'd done that before buying my BMW!!!!) 

Zammy replied:

Recommendations from my car-nut partner are (he is anti-soccer mom mobiles, so won't recommend them):
Subaru Tribeca, Volvo Wagon (7 seater), Honda Odyssey, Ssang Yong Musso, Jeep Cherokee, Mazda CX-7, Suzuki Grand Vitara, Kia Sportage/Sorrento/Carnivale, Hyundai Trajet
Some to steer clear of: Rav 4, Toyota Kluger
Good luck! Let us know how you go :)

AngelEyesByDesign replied:

Pajeros are great vehicles - we are now looking at going into a Mitsubishi Delica - it has a lot more leg room etc for the bigger family - it really depends on what sort of budget and price you are looking at too as to what is the best car/vehicle for you.

Bec

lorton replied:

Thankyou all for your great advice.

The 2 that have really caught our attention is the ford territory, and the hyundai trajet.

We have found that all that we have looked they all have the same problems with storage.

Does anyone have any great suggestions on how to get around this problem

Lilygirl_wytch replied:

We went looking for a people mover that had ample space, storage and flexibility for the seats.

Not counting the 4wd, the best value for money was toyota torago(nothing under a 2002 model) Kia carnival (nothing under a 2000 model) the chrysler voyager came a very nice second but is in the torago price range.

I didn't like the way the seats were able to be moved to allow people to get in the back of :  Honda Odessy ( nightmare!) or the trajet(dissaster)

So for the best value for dollars in our budget we went for the Kia carnival.

If I was to buy a 4wd, however, I wouldn't go past a Nissan patrol- fantastic safety and 8 seats!

Lilygirl

love2party replied:

Hi Lorton

If you are looking at the Hyundai Trejat also look at the Hyundai Terracan.  It is there biggest car in the range (4WD) and a 7 seater (the 2 back seats can be taken out when not needed).  We have one, the Terracan Highlander and it is great.  We got this as my husband did a comparison on them to the Prado and the Pajero as they are a very similar car and in the 4WD magazine at the time we bought ours, it compared really really well.  It was also around $15000 - $20000 less than the other two 4WD's. 

Anyway, just another suggestion for you.  Hope you find what you are looking for.