Gutted

[admiral]

Just went out to play with car seat configurations in preparation for the arrival of the twins at the end of Januay 2012.
I had believed all along that our immaculate w210 would be able to fit 3 child seats across tha back, but am gutted to find out that there is no way to make this work and so will be forced to sell the car. It has three belts across the back, but the width is the issue.
It only has 22,000 miles on the clock, but there is no point in us keeping her as we really only need one car, so we will be selling asap and buying a people carrier.
Its really dissapointing as I had intended to keep the car for a long time as it had been a bit of a barn find, but really no choice.

I will be advertising in the usual places, but if anyone would be intersted in a y2000 E320 w210 with 22k miles + leather + parking etc, please let me know - especially if you have a swop for a people carrier!

 

[Developer]

Can't you make this work?

http://www.multimac.co.uk/quick_checker_results/36/467

 

[admiral]

Hi John,
Thanks for the link but it looks like that is for when they are a bit older rather than the two newborns we will have.
Thanks for the suggestion though

 

[Naraic]

Hi John,
Thanks for the link but it looks like that is for when they are a bit older rather than the two newborns we will have.
Thanks for the suggestion though

The link shows the three seat arrangement, but also with rear facing attachments for the very young.
I would think this thing would be very saleable when your kids are up a bit.

 

[daveyjp]

Never seen anyone usng a multimac. Child seats are so wide to offer head protection in side impacts, multimac is lacking in this area.

 

[coleyjf]

Just went out to play with car seat configurations in preparation for the arrival of the twins at the end of Januay 2012.
I had believed all along that our immaculate w210 would be able to fit 3 child seats across tha back, but am gutted to find out that there is no way to make this work and so will be forced to sell the car. It has three belts across the back, but the width is the issue.
It only has 22,000 miles on the clock, but there is no point in us keeping her as we really only need one car, so we will be selling asap and buying a people carrier.
Its really dissapointing as I had intended to keep the car for a long time as it had been a bit of a barn find, but really no choice.

I will be advertising in the usual places, but if anyone would be intersted in a y2000 E320 w210 with 22k miles + leather + parking etc, please let me know - especially if you have a swop for a people carrier!

Have you thought about putting seats two facing backwards and one in the middle facing forwards (or vice-versa)?

Just a thought

Cheers

Jim

 

[JonWill]

Don't do it! I got rid of an e-class and boutght a Renault Espace for just this reason - and had the worst automotive experience of my life... the quality is just not there.

You can fit three seats accross the back of an E-class - it is amongst the widest out there - it may require a bit of jiggling, but they will be installed safely. And depending on the children's ages there are various orders and configurations that you can ply with... work with it and don't imediately plum for the dark side ...

 

[admiral]

Hi Jon and Jim,
Renaults are just what I have been looking at! I went to Mothercare to play with different seats and we need two maxi cosi rear facing seats with bases for the twins and a stage 2 or 3 forward facing seat for my son.
We can only put the forward facing seat in the middle because of the two bases and so we tried a number of alternative forward facing seats to try and make them fit but there is just nothing that was slim enough. All of the seats have lots of padding etc to keep the little ones safe and that padding adds up to no more e class!
The staff at Mothercare were very helpful but said that there is no car that can fit 3 seats across and so customers are forced to get an MPV.

We even discussed putting our son in the front but its not as safe and but the remaining space in the middle back seat is tight and difficult to access because of the bases.

We have therefore concluded that we need a 7 seater and dont want to spend much because a house move is planned for early next year so a renault or similar is on the cards. I like the look fo the espace, is it really that bad? Whats the boot space like with the 7 seats?

 

[shaggy]

i have had 3 renault espace's and i have to say i rate them for what they are and what they do
make sure all the history is with the one you buy and that everything electrical works as they can get expensive when the central locking and windows fail.
that is of course if you are not buying new
first one i had was a petrol and then 2 diesels
the best thing is you can remove any seat you are not using giving more boot space
the seats are seperate so each will fit a child seat
do remember though that it is in no way a Mercedes!
the cornering leaves a lot to be desired as does the acceleration on the non V6 models but if you drive steady and want the comfort then its ok
the V6 is just too thirsty in my opinion
they are of course very different cars from your E class and as long as you know that you won't be dissapointed.

 

[JonWill]

I am never going near Renault again - I had it for three years, it was off the road for six months and spent most of the last couple of years in limp home mode:
http://www.renaultforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=94444
http://www.renaultforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=50885

All of the people I know who have owned one have had major problems - from engine fires to gearbox failures. Be warned!

Do you need infant seats with bases? We've always used the seats and strapped them in with the seatbelts ... plenty of room for two of those - and adults can sit in them if the children aren't with you ... and when you shift to the big seats in six months they should fit.

And if you must change look for something else ... after our southern european venture we considered the Volvo XC90, Lardrover Disco, Merc R and Merc ML - all have seven seats and all have much superior build quality. Chose the ML as we are unfortunately on a tight budget at the moment ...

You do not have to squeeze the joy from you life and chose a people carrier! (BTW we've got four kids, and had three under four until recently ...)

J

 

[shaggy]

i never had any grief with any of mine
i'm sure it will depend on the age/mileage of the car as well as the history
there are at the moment some cracking deals to be had on used ML's at some dealers
as said history is very important imo

 

[admiral]

Thanks guys, I guess trying it without bases may work but doesnt feel like a real solution.
We too are on a tight budget and so looking at near the bottom end of the market. There appear to be hundreds of Renaults around and c£3k will get a 2005 car with okay mileage. The ML's are older and look like they cost more to run and maintain.
We are probably looking at Chrysler Voyagers or Renault Espace or Grand Scenic I am afraid.

I will probably wait until after Christmas to sell on our W210 E320 with only 22k miles as few people are looking at this time of year. - unless someone here is interested?

 

[JonWill]

Fair enough (although fitting the seats without a base is fine) - but be careful with an Espace. The dealer I bought my ML from refused to take the Espace in part exchange ("I just don't want it") - I hadn't even started going through any issues with it...

Really, really carefully check the electrics - too much is 'lectrified and none of it very well - for example - self-levelling headlights may be a good idea, but if they fail the point at the ground (£400). The automatic tyre pressure sensors are good, but the control unit can fail (£300) and the valves snap off (£100 each). The keys are a daft shape which means that you keep them in your pocket, and thye break (£100 each). Check all the doors lock - central locking is another £300. Check that heat comes out of both sides (and that the AC works). There is no on dash control for the stereo, so don't lose the remote control... and carefully read any error messages that come up when you start it. [and yes I've paid for all of those, and this does not include the major mechanical issues].

The only think I miss is the panoramic sun roof ...

 

[Peter De La Mare]

Can't you make this work?

http://www.multimac.co.uk/quick_checker_results/36/467

What's wrong with this solution? Looks fine to me. Covers all ages from newborn up to 12yo.

 

[Joseph Brown]

No room for mum in the back in the middle of the two new borns and your older child up front? Then when your eldest is old enough for a booster seat they could join the youngsters in the back.

Perhaps the concerns about safety of front seat child seats would be balanced against the safety of a child in the back of a seven seater with less crumple space in case of a rear ender?

 

[Myros]

dare I suggest the best of both worlds

S210 7-seater estate.

You can put senior junior in the back.

 

[MERC210]

Re e 320

HI I MIGHT BE INTRESTED IN YOUR 320 CAN YOU E MAIL ME PLEASE colin1417@yahoo.co.uk cheers

 

[stumpy]

Voyagers performed badly in NCAP tests.

 

[hairyg]

I don't know if it still true but the Fiat Multipla used to be the ONLY MPV that was designed from scratch as an MPV with full passenger safety built in for ALL the seats including the rearmost. Shame it is such an ugly car.

 

[MERCSPORT]

Why dont you get a 7 seater E-class estate instead?