Dilemma

[k langdon]

Hi Guys,

I've been running a M reg W124 E300 diesel 7 seat estate and have been really impressed with the vehicle - a bit better than my old 300TD estate and much better and more reliable compared to my old 300TE.

My partner has just given me the news that we're going to be expecting another child next March.

That'll mean two children in baby seats and another sitting in a normal seat.

My dilemma is with two baby seats in the rear it's a bit tight for the eldest, plus it's only a lap belt in the middle, so not so safe. The other option is to put the eldest in the seats in the boot which have 3 point belts, but this will mean a lot less space for prams and other baby stuff.

I've just come back from Florida where we drove around in a Chrysler Voyager. The other half was impressed with the space and says we should look at something similar to accomodate everybody. Though the space was very good, I wasn't impressed with the driving experience, etc and it was no where near as solid as my W124.

I would consider a W210 7 seat estate (probably couldn't afford a diesel though), as I presume that it has 3 three point belts in the rear (?), but I've been put off by all the stories of rust, etc on the forum.

The problem of carrying everybody around together only really occurs at weekends, so not sure whether it would be better to try to squeeze everything in or consider something bigger.

Just wondered what your opinions would be as I can't seem to make up my mind, though I still have a bit of time to decide.

 

[paulcallender]

My dilemma is with two baby seats in the rear it's a bit tight

I'm no expert, but I thought babies were really small? I'd keep the W124, with another baby you have enough to worry about. Better the devil you know.

 

[kit820]

Can't you have one baby seat on the front passenger seat, the other two with the mother at the back?

You have till March next year to come up with an idea and calling this a dilemma right now is perhaps a little unnecessary. If you really need to get a bigger car, you will months to figure out what you want and try them out but then, I really think you ought to be okay with your current car. It isn't a small car whilst for the W210 estate, it wouldn't be that much bigger than yours. Bigger than that, then you'd need to look into MPV.

Congrats on your news anyway.

 

[MRAP]

4 up and 2 adults

First of all congratulations on the new addition.

I've got 4 children, 11-9-6-4, and have run a 7 seat 300TE estate since 2000. I've been so impressed with the cars flexibility that I've just bought another 300TE as my first had reached 244k with only one breakdown and a new radiator!

Stick with the W124, a gracious car with huge performance, flexibility and great value at this time.

Whatever you decide, hope everything goes well with the new baby.

MRAP

 

[Copiertech]

the build quality on the voyagers i`ve seen havent been up to scratch. i recently sorted out a poorly done lpg conversion done by someone else on a 3 year old one and the oil leaks from the engine were quite impressive and the feel of all the components was dirt cheap. just my opinion though.
what about a V class? or one of those jap import toyota people carrier things?

 

[k langdon]

Thanks for the replies.

Yes, I do have time on my side, but I'm just looking ahead as I know the next few months will fly by.

 

[njpumphrey]

How strange. I am in the same situation. My other half is also expecting our third in March. The other two will be 2½ and nearly 4. When we found out she was expecting I went through the same process, and came to the decision that there was no point changing our car since it took so long to find the right one and there are several ways round the problem. We can have the eldest two together in the boot seats and the baby on the back seat. For the times when the boot is full of luggage - the middle and youngest can go on the back seat with my wife inbetween and then the eldest can sit in the front seat.

I also saw you can get those small booster seats (that just look like a square plastic cushion) that could in theory be used for the eldest in the middle of the back seat with just a lap belt. It says in their small print that they are designed to be used with a 3-point seatbelt, but I think it would probably do the job with a lap belt.

Thinking back to my own childhood, my mum held my baby brother on her lap in the front and there was myself and my elder brother and sister on the back seat of a rusty old Austin Maxi with no seatbelts at all. We used to think it was great fun sliding on the vinyl, squashing each other as we went round corners!

Good luck and drive safely!

 

[k langdon]

In the end I sold the E300 diesel estate to the first person who looked at it.

I was sad to see it go, but I sold it on for a very good profit compared to what I paid for it, so I have no complaints.

One of the biggest problems I had was if either my eldest (11) or my partner sat in the middle seat they just weren't comfortable on anything but a very short journey. The problem was compounded because I'm tall and have my seat a long way back. Plus, there was the dilemma of the centre lap belt which I wasn't happy about as well.

In the end I used the money from the E300 to go towards a nearly new Renault Scenic. I bought a 54 plate from a dealer with 13k on the clock and fully serviced and also managed to get rubber mats, a boot liner and 6 months tax included as well. I also got their paint guy to visit me at work because they hadn't done the odd mark I found on the bodywork. Whilst he was there he went over the car with a fine toothcomb and touched up everything. I thought he did a top notch job because the car looked like it had never been driven. In the end I paid approx £7000 less than the original list price for a 9 month old car with 2 years 3 months warranty and AA membership left as well. So, I thought all in all it was a pretty good deal.

I was worried about Renault's reliability before I took the plunge but asked a couple of colleague's who have Megane's what they thought. Both said there cars had been very reliable.

So far I've covered 2000+ miles without a hitch and I've been impressed that I've been averaging between 40-42mpg from the petrol engine. The car's quiet and very comfortable, has 3 individual seats in the rear with their own belts, more space in the rear than the Merc and lots of cubby holes. The boot's smaller, but plenty big enough for the pram and all the other bits, etc. Plus, it has some nice toys which the Merc didn't have like: air con, rain sensing wipers, on board computer, etc. It doesn't have the W124 built from granite like solidness, but it's well screwed together and there are no rattles or squeeks. And the clincher for me was the 5 star Ncap safety rating.

I still love the W124 estates and keep an eye out for them when I'm driving, but the E300 car didn't meet all my family's requirements at the moment.

 

[jberks]

Good to hear you found the right car for your needs. A friend has a Megane scenic and the mother in law has a hatchback. I've been pretty impressed. Admittedly, not a Merc, but considering the cost, very comfortable, economical and quite luxurious. Fantastic value overall.
Just go easy on the clutch - they are a major (3 figure) job on those!

 

[DAD190E1990]

We used to think it was great fun sliding on the vinyl, squashing each other as we went round corners!

Oh Happy days !

 

[angus falconer]

I was worried about Renault's reliability before I took the plunge but asked a couple of colleague's who have Megane's what they thought. Both said there cars had been very reliable.

My wife has had a MY2000 Renault Clio for 2 years. Last year it needed a couple of coil packs and now it needs a replacement pollen filter. No rattles or squeaks. Not bad for a 6 year old car.