7 Seater under $7,500

doctor strange on 05/08/2018 - 07:53
Last edited 05/08/2018 - 08:19 by 1 other user

Hi people,

I’m looking for my first car in the market. My budget is $7,500 max. I have a 18 months baby so I decided to get a family car ( preferring 7 seats)

For the given budget, I mostly get 2007 2008 Mitsubishi Outlander with 200000+ kms on odo. Is that ok ?

https://autoexpert.com.au lists top 20 best vehicles, but it doesn’t state whether the rankings are applicable only new models or their 2007 predecessors as well.

There are no Toyota Camry or Kluger for this price with 2007 build.

Choices are driving me nuts. Please help in choosing one.

Automotive Car

Comments

  • chumlee on 05/08/2018 - 08:05

    Go the outlander.

    If my memory is correct, Ford Territory around 2007 had some issues.

    • JIMB0 on 05/08/2018 - 08:53
      +1

      Most Ford's have issues.

      • [Deactivated] on 05/08/2018 - 10:56

        The last one I had drinks by herself.

        • loropy9 on 05/08/2018 - 13:35

          Betty?

  • pegaxs on 05/08/2018 - 08:16
    +6

    How many 18month old babies do you have? A seven seat van is a pretty big vehicle for one baby to be transported around in.

    Do you have to move in laws and other family members around in it? Or is it just so you can fit in with all the other mummies at the play group with big arse vans for single children?

    • doctor strange on 05/08/2018 - 08:54

      a second baby is on the cards :) not sure if there is any benefit in planning upfront. I could upsize as I go..

  • IceCreamBandit on 05/08/2018 - 08:31
    +2

    Have you considered a Toyota Tarago or other people movers like Kia Carnival or Honda Odyssey?

    All have 7 seats and available within your budget.

  • Wallyt99 on 05/08/2018 - 09:31

    Honda MDX. /end thread.

  • twww on 05/08/2018 - 09:45
    +2

    Man, that's such a small budget. High KMs= 99 problems…

    Do you have a car already?

    Why a 7 seater and not a wagon, perhaps?

    • doctor strange on 05/08/2018 - 09:54
      +3

      Hi, It will be first car. I want to buy with cash. Taking car loan will affect my borrowing capacity for house loan.

      May be I should settle with reliable 5 seater, given the budget is tiny.

      • PlasticSpaceman on 06/08/2018 - 08:27

        Look for a wagon - maybe a Subaru. Big boot area for pram(s) and shopping. If you have a bad back then consider an SUV/large 4WD as they usually also have a fair amount of room for kid stuff as well as seats are higher so less stooping when putting kids into seats. We had a Holden Jackaroo (rebadged Isuzu) which was brilliant.

  • Switchblade88 on 05/08/2018 - 10:21
    +1

    At your stage I'd recommend a 5 seater. Nothing under $15k for a reasonable 7 seater at the moment which is beyond your budget and needs it seems.

    We had to upgrade to a 7-seater with our 4th child, and at the time we had the Holden Captiva, Ford Territory, Hyundai Santa Fe, and Kia Sorento to choose from.

    Captiva - rebadged Daewoo. Terrible maintenance problems hence why the market is flooded with cheap ones.
    Territory - solid, reliable and cheap to buy, but the 13L per 100km was going to kill us in fuel costs given our rural location.
    Santa Fe - quality car, but premium price - too far beyond our budget at the time.
    Sorento - what we settled on. Great value for money, avg 8L per 100km of diesel, and zero maintenance problems. (Bought at 140,000km)

    Given our Sorento has most parts cross-stamped with the Hyundai logo as well, it's no surprise that the quality and reliability matches the Santa Fe - and that 2.2l diesel engine from 2010 is the same model being used in all Kias and Hyundais today. I'm now at 230,000km and have had one engine check light, which was caused by a dirty throttle pedal sensor that has been good since I cleaned it out.

  • Quantumcat on 05/08/2018 - 12:17
    +7

    Just get a normal size car, by the time you have enough kids to justify having a seven seater you'll probably want a new car anyway.

  • Euphemistic on 05/08/2018 - 13:09

    Definitely consider a wagon if you don’t go for a 7 seater.

  • loropy9 on 05/08/2018 - 13:45
    +1

    A Camry will be more than enough to fit everything you need in for a family of four going on a long trip/holiday. If you buy a large suv on your budget, you are looking at expensive servicing down the road. Plus the headaches from a broken wehicle and children that need moving around.

  • spackbace on 05/08/2018 - 14:36

    Commodore or Camry, more than enough room for 2 kids and can buy a newer car for your money

  • PinzVidz on 05/08/2018 - 16:42
    +2

    Avensis Verso, OP. 7 seater with Camry drivetrain, bulletproof. Look for 2.4 litre 2AZ-FE (around 2004 onwards).

  • altomic on 05/08/2018 - 17:54
    +1

    Nissan cube

  • spurf on 06/08/2018 - 08:16

    The extra 2 seats in the Outlander are pretty uncomfortable but on the plus side that age vehicle the 7 seater will be similar money to the 5 seater. That car is super reliable, easy and inexpensive to fix. Just make sure the CVT has been services properly if it has a lot of kms. I use the android app CVTz50 with a Bluetooth ODB adaptor to read the estimated condition of the CVT fluid.

  • RibaldGadfly on 06/08/2018 - 08:20

    You can get a still reasonable diesel Citroen C4 Picasso for the money. They're really comfortable, if a bit quirky, but great to drive.
    In 2015 we did a return Sydney to Adelaide trip & the experience was great.
    Just ensure you do a little bit of motorway driving for the DPF.

  • Hoju on 06/08/2018 - 08:36

    Nissan Dualis early model?

    Why not just head onto car sales and apply the filters for what you want then see what comes up?

    I expect you’ll see some early models of
    Honda Odyssey
    Citroen c4 Picasso
    Nissan Cube
    A lot of Holden Captiva
    The odd old Nissan Dualis
    Kia carnival
    And some fuel guzzling big suvs

  • dp1 on 06/08/2018 - 10:20

    We bought a Ford mondeo wagon when expecting our second. We now have 3 kids and a dog and never needed anything bigger. The eldest will be driving in 3.5 years time and it will become her first car!

  • 028 on 06/08/2018 - 11:04
    +2

    Mitsubihi Grandis
    for 7500 you can get 07 onwards model with low k,VRX top spec which has leather seats(genuine leather upper,unlike most leather which are just look alike),heated front seats,led tail and brake lights,rear ac with seperate control,vents on all 3 rows,some has twin sunroof
    pros:old tech,means reliable,2.4 mivec same as Lancer,lower k for same $,split folding 3rd row seats,flat folding 3rd row,anchor points for 2nd row and 3rd row,means all 7 seats usable.
    cons:old tech,not as popular so maybe less demand when resale,but you also pay less when buying,and for this price range,price won't drop much,simply cause nothing compares in this range,year,km,all other competitors are 2 to 3g more for same year,km.
    fyi,we purchased a 07 vrx with 149km,full service history one owner 3 month ago for $7000.we average 10.9l/100k with 4 adults and 2 kids,mixed driving.if you search lancer with the same engine on carsles,sort by km high to low,you will see these engines are still strong and for sale well pass 300km.

  • 028 on 06/08/2018 - 11:10

    and 3rd row seats has plenty of space for adults even long trip

  • aranciata-oz on 06/08/2018 - 11:20

    We have two kids - 2yr and 4yr old - and my thoughts are this - after 3 years of umm-ing and arr-hing whether/when to "finally upgrade" to a 7 seater, I've concluded there is absolutely no compelling reason with two small kids, to stump up big $ to get a 7 seater right now for the simple reason our i30 wagon has served us not just well, but BLOODY well over the past 4 years … and probably will for a few more years yet unless our usage patterns change (kids friends coming with us during sport Saturdays etc) -small-medium wagons are so often overlooked - an example is this one - yes it's twice the price you're aiming to, but it's a reference point based on what we have:

    https://www.carsales.com.au/dealer/details/Hyundai-i30-2012/…

    This is not a commentary or judgment on any owners of 7 seat SUVs, but from an objective perspective I think people often don't delve deeply enough into their actual/practical needs when automatically following the Jones's current trend of an SUV - having ridden and driven in many myself over the years, I conclude those two extra but oh so tiny seats in the rear, are not only quite difficult to access (most SUV's not all) but come at the expense of robbing 80% of your boot space. You end up leaving the 6th and 7th seats down most of the time because you realise you need the boot space for grocery shopping etc … ie. a good 5 seater with a big boot might well end up being your actual day to day requirement.

    The design of a higher riding SUV itself also naturally lends itself to a less efficient utilisation of internal space - eg. compare the Mazda CX3 versus the platform it's built from - the Mazda 2 - very little difference in internal space, but so much more exxy thanks to the higher riding height (if you like this, then fair enough).

    After someone wrote off their Camry, my mates (two kids as well, now 4 and 6) went to a Mitsu Lancer wagon a few years ago and it still serves them very well, with long trips and up and down the coast every year thrown in too … with a timing chain in these 2.4 engines, it might serve your needs just as well as the 7 seater SUV you think you might need:

    https://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/Mitsubishi-Lance…

    Anyway hope my input has helped …

  • alexwar on 06/08/2018 - 13:18

    7 Seater Kia Rondo 2008-2010 with less than 100K KM is available for that price range, no mechanical issue. Take a look !

    • aranciata-oz on 06/08/2018 - 14:08

      That's a good car too. Test drove one years ago before we settled on our i30 wagon - the Rondo's steering position was a bit van like and the 2L engine wasn't that powerful but can see the appeal with the flexible seating arrangements and decent build quality.

  • fgp380 on 06/08/2018 - 14:51

    I've had a KIA Rondo 7 seater for the past 5 years and it's been great (mechanically or in general). The third row of seats can accommodate adults easily. Not too large as other SUVs and adequate boot space with third row of seats down. Only has half size spare wheel though.

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