HIYA Had an accident with our Toyota Estima which looks like it will get written off.
I quite liked it and we might get another. Before we do , does anyone have any sensible suggestions for a replacement!
We liked the 8 seats in the Toyota, The middle ones swivelled and the rear ones folded up to the sides to make a big cargo space. With all the seats down we still had a lot of room behind the rear most seats to get gear into. We are keen to keep this functionality. So what other options are there. Any suggestions! Not looking at new, we have about 10K to spend. Thanks
hapukanz,
Apr 11, 4:24am
anybody!
howie69,
Apr 11, 5:38am
What about a Fiat Fiat Multipla! They are a wee ugly but appear robust
extrayda,
Apr 11, 5:48am
Do you need the 8 seats! If you need 8 seats (or even 7 on a regular basis), then I didn't find any options other than an Estima when I looked.I assume your written off one is the 1st generation. We have a 2nd generation (2001), which we are happy with so far. If you look at these, be aware that some of them have a one piece middle row of seats which is limiting, so we avoided those ones. Also the rear seats no longer fold up to the sides, they just fold down, so rear space probably isn't as good.Everything else we looked at was too small for anyone taller than a child, so of no use to us (Odyssey / MPV / Ipsum etc). We did look at a couple of vans that would have fitted 6-8 in fine, but found them much noiser etc than the Estima.If you really only need more than 4 seats occassionally, then there are a whole lot of other options out there though (waiting for Jazz to appear ;-)
shorebee,
Apr 11, 8:05am
stavic. 9 seater.
fordcrzy,
Apr 11, 8:09am
if you liked the seat arrngement of the estima then have a good look at a '02+ Nissan presage.or if you want a bit smaller a 2001+ toyota ipsum
hapukanz,
Apr 12, 11:09pm
Thanks extrayda. very infomative and kind of confirms our thinking. We do need 8 seats as I am a Scout leader and move the Scouts around a lot. We have spotted the difference in the seating arrangements so we are keeping an eye out on that. We do prefer the split seat arrangement for both sets of rears, so it looks like the newer models are not going to suit! So we will prob look for a good clean version with the split seats we need
elvis58,
Apr 12, 11:29pm
We have a Estima like you had and a Granvia. The Granvia is unreal as far as space goes and although the rear seats don't fold up they can be slid so far forward that i can carry my whole family, gear needed for a decent break and a dirtbike and kids quad in the back. They don't tick all your box's but are certainly worth a look.
hapukanz,
Apr 13, 12:35am
Actually looked at one last night. Very smart but you are right the petrol consumption is worse than our old Estima, but thanks for the suggestion
thejazzpianoma,
Apr 13, 12:39am
hapukanz, it will be hard to find one but if you happen accross a 2001 or newer Renault Grand Espace that would likely be perfect for you. The big advantage is running costs which with the common rail Diesel Espace is going to be a fraction of what the Asian People movers will cost. Then you have safety, versatility and comfort all of which are really unbeatable with the Renault.
There havn't been many on Trademe of late, those that we have in NZ tend to be held on to. But worth mentioning just in case one comes up.
hapukanz,
Apr 13, 12:39am
Thanks Elvis, not may around ( granvia's) from an on-line search. The ones I have found are quite expensive Thanks for your suggestion
hapukanz,
Apr 13, 12:45am
Thanks thejazzpianomayes you are right can't find the Espace in NZ. but they do look good. Will persist or go back to the Estima
thejazzpianoma,
Apr 13, 12:48am
They are great, funny thing is a few months ago there was a regular stream of them on TM for very good money. I wouldn't put life on hold waiting for one but if it was me I would be ready to pounce if one came up.
Good luck with it all. Its just a shame we don't have a decent supply of Euro Diesel People movers in this bracket. They are just so much better in terms of economy and practicality.
The system of using completely removable and independently adjustable individual seats on rails is miles better than fixed seats.
Best of luck with it all!
ianalice1,
Apr 13, 1:09am
We have a Honda Odyssey. 7 seater and rear seat folds into floor and middle seas fold against fronts so. So plenty of room. Very nice to drive and good on fuel. Check em out
vtecintegra,
Apr 13, 1:19am
The back row of the Grand Espace is horrible (at least on the current shape).
Also it comes with the same 3.5l Nissan V6 as the newer Elgrand (as well as some comparatively underpowered diesels)
thejazzpianoma,
Apr 13, 2:48am
The Kiwi ones are generally diesels that go very well. The 3.5 Petrol is just one of quite a few engine options. There are several common rail diesels with a variety of power outputs and also a surprisingly capable small petrol Turbo which is also good on gas. Make no mistake they are a big heavy vehicle and that impacts on performance but they are not necessarily thirsty or a slug.
To put it into perspective the mid size diesel (the 2.2 which is about the most popular in NZ) does 0-100 in about the same time as the 2.4 Estima.
Its not a perfect vehicle but the competitors are generally further from perfect. For this use the running costs and versatility make it very hard to beat.
ianalice1,
Apr 13, 11:36pm
"To put it into perspective the mid size diesel (the 2.2 which is about the most popular in NZ) does 0-100 in about the same time as the 2.4 Estima. " Whats that, about 10 minutes. Odyssey would be quicker. Well with just a driver in it and a better car!
carkitter,
Apr 13, 11:48pm
Odyssey is a better drivers car and far better for style, servicing and reliability but can't hold 8 -12 passengers like some vehicles and doesn't have a diesel option which would be handy in todays petrol market. It comes down to priorities - driver or passengers!
thejazzpianoma,
Apr 14, 4:48am
Actually, the 2.2 Odyssey is not reallyany better. All three vehicles do 0-100 in just over 11 seconds, considering these are people movers and the kind of use they get that sort of performance is usually quite adequate. Also, there is no point in having a faster 0-100 time with just a driver in a People mover.
I would also like to know just what is "better" about an Odyssey. I suspect you have never driven or been in the Renault. They walk all over the Odyssey in terms of features, luxury, safety, ride quality etc.
The Odyssey can be a good car if you can keep the transmission together and if I could fit what I needed in one I would rather drive one around town than the Toyota. But you need to keep things in perspective.
vtecintegra,
Apr 14, 5:00am
They handle in a much more car-like fashion.This is largely because they are a much smaller and lighter vehicle.
carkitter,
Oct 29, 7:10pm
An Odyssey is hardly small or light. The first and second generation were based on the platform and drivetrain of the multi-award winning 1994 Accord. The Odyssey itself won awards upon its 1995 introduction. The current model was redesigned from the ground up to be more or a drivers car with a lower centre of gravity yet retaining the same interior space.
The transmissions are not inherently bad, they just don't cope well with neglect which comes from the budget-conscious owners who buy them when they get old. I dare-say Euro cars don't suffer neglect well either. All an Odyssey trans needs is a fluid change every 2yrs/40,000km and a kickdown cable adjustment at each 10,000km service which takes about 30s. Hardly difficult or excessive yet seemingly too hard for some owners.
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