Car Recommendation

kga, Feb 1, 7:43am
Have a family member who is struggling with finding the right car. They have asked what cars we would recommend for a family with three young children where two are in car seats and one is newborn in a capsule and where they wil all fit in the back seat.

We only have two kids so no idea. Can anyone help!
aragorn2003, Feb 1, 7:45am
mazda atenza wagons are good , very spacious , loads of boot space

depends on their $$$
jono2912, Feb 1, 7:47am
Multipla.
franc123, Feb 1, 7:53am
if they don't want a people mover then obviously something with a wide back seat!Can't be that hard can it, Falcon, Commodore, Maxima, Diamante, widebody Camry.Like Kaz says small to midsize cars suddenly become inadequate when three carseats need to be accomodated, although some of the later model Mondeo/Mazda6 style vehicles are a bit better in this area. Whats the budget here!
kga, Feb 1, 7:54am
They come from a small town so dealers not that helpful, we are wanting to give them ideas
xs1100, Feb 1, 8:18am
nissan x trail is a real good size and a reasonable height so as no bending and that sort of thing with a decent size boot also, only thing is get the 2.5 mtr also cam chain so no belt and nissan reliability
noodle34, Feb 1, 9:11am
Holden commodore will do it, however the falcon has the widest back seat
gunhand, Feb 1, 9:33am
Any late 50s early 60s yank tank would fit the bill. IE Impala, Galaxy, and so fourth. last count about 20 car seats across the back seats and 12 adults in the front. Why people over look these cars when searching for room is quite beyound me.
Oh and not to mention just how safe they are.
And the boot space, I lay a double bed mattres in one and closed bootlid no probs.
Fuel economy might be a issue if on a budget but some come out with a 6cyl so that would help.
mcscottwgtn, Feb 2, 12:45am
Maybe something with a bench seat up front so one child seat can be placed between the driver and front passenger eg yank or ozzie tank or ute. Something with column change (ute, old falchoon, honda cvr!) and place the child seat in the same place! Or the Multipla.
pauloc, Feb 2, 1:49am
Toyota Allion or 2001 onwards Camry maybe!
fordcrzy, Feb 2, 7:28am
2002+ mondeo wagons can get 3 car seats accross the back.
welshdude, Feb 2, 10:13am
Mondeo sedans too are roomy and have three diagonal belts in the rear.
carkitter, Feb 2, 10:32am
Not in my experience. My ex and I got a 2002 Civic because it had the same width in the back as the Mondeo. The Mondeo has rather intrusive rear wheel arches limiting hip room but rear shoulder room is good. I wanted the extra kW's and style of the Mondeo but her argument of reliability and economy won out.
321mat, Feb 2, 11:13am
Do NOT buy a Subaru.
Reason:While the Legacy is a great car, the dealers are as crooked as hell, and will rip you off like you just will not believe when it's time to get your car serviced.

And don't get a Hyundai either - they have no resale value, and the quality is only cosmetic.
1grasshopper, Feb 2, 8:56pm
My mitsi libero fits 3 carseats across the back but doing up the seatbelts on booster seats is a mission.We tried a Mazda Attenza and while they fitted it was a tighter fit than our current car.
peter148, Feb 3, 2:59am
an X-trail or SUV may not have good rear visibility.With 3 young kids, there's a danger of backing over one of them by accident.

Look for something that is easy to see the ground behind you when reversing.
fordcrzy, Feb 3, 3:17am
my wife did home based childcare and the THREE car seats she had fitted perfectly in the mondeo wagon (2002+ model)
mottly, Feb 3, 3:19am
camry - excellent cars, and three kid's seats fit across the back, as they're quite wide.
thejazzpianoma, Feb 3, 4:27am
Actually. YES!
The Multipla is cheap to run, reliable and ideal for three abreast in the back.

The really neat thing is all three seats in the back row are the same size and individually adjustable.So you can do things like stagger the row for easier access for doing up car seats etc.

The other key advantage is the Multipla is VERY wide, much wider than any similar sized car. So plenty of room for the car seats.

Don't worry about there being no local Fiat dealer for service. They are simple and straight foward to work on and parts are easy to get and available overnight anywhere in the country.

The only exception would be the 5 yearly cambelt change which would be best done in a bigger centre if you are in a small town.

Hit me up if you want to know more, they look odd but are a fantastic car.
craig04, Feb 3, 5:51am
If you go with a Multipla, you won't need to worry about upsizing when the kids get bigger. As they get older, they wouldn't be caught dead in one.
morrisman1, Feb 3, 6:04am
Dont put your kids in a Multipla, you will have CYFS knocking on your door within a week with accusations of neglect.
trouser, Feb 3, 6:18am
Edited for truth.