General So, what next?

[larkim]

Our 5 year old JTD is starting to look as if it will start to cost us £££, or at best is starting to look tired and shabby - to be honest, I'm no good at looking after cars, and neither are our 4 boys!!

Now that I've spotted that the Multipla is no longer being made, what are the practical alternatives for someone like me that liked the value for money of a Multipla, and needs to be able to seat 6 people just about every time we use the vehicle? Last time I looked, "MPV"s like the Galaxy etc had really poor boot space when the 6th seat was being used, and "vans" like the Mercedes Vito were practical but out of our financial league.

I suspect the answer might just be hang onto the Multipla until our kids leave home (or replace with a well-looked after, newer model), but I'd be interested to hear from other people that have 4 kids and what their thoughts are.

What will you be getting when the time comes to replace?

Matt

 

[slobo]

I owned an Espace (don't know if they still make them)

I had a pretty trouble free 60,000 miles out of it.

 

[disgusted]

Aah, those halcyon early days of Multi ownership.

We bought ours new in 2001, so it got to the age of your car some time ago.

We "graduated" from a 7-seat Citroen CX Familiale (still have that one too!).

You know the story, 4 children, blah, blah.

Children now adults. Only one left at home.

The Multi is still great when they're all home on visits. It's one of the few MPVs with 6 ADULT seats.

I've tried to ditch the "Loser-Cruiser" many times. It's not a money thing, it's just that Mrs Disgusted loves the beastie.

Costs? Well, I suffered all of the depreciation when newish - or rather I didn't because I didn't sell it.

The car has been very reliable. Apart from a dodgy EGR valve about 5 years ago, the only thing that I've had replaced (I don't touch it) are LOADS of suspension joints plus consumables like brakes and clutches (on the 3rd - needed a dual-mass thingy last time,).

You could stick with it. Maybe an eccentric choice (eccentric me? just see my car list), but over time, heaps cheaper than chopping and changing...

 

[FiatFleetFamily]

Our 5 year old JTD is starting to look as if it will start to cost us £££, or at best is starting to look tired and shabby - to be honest, I'm no good at looking after cars, and neither are our 4 boys!!

Now that I've spotted that the Multipla is no longer being made, what are the practical alternatives for someone like me that liked the value for money of a Multipla, and needs to be able to seat 6 people just about every time we use the vehicle? Last time I looked, "MPV"s like the Galaxy etc had really poor boot space when the 6th seat was being used, and "vans" like the Mercedes Vito were practical but out of our financial league.

I suspect the answer might just be hang onto the Multipla until our kids leave home (or replace with a well-looked after, newer model), but I'd be interested to hear from other people that have 4 kids and what their thoughts are.

What will you be getting when the time comes to replace?

Matt

6 seats, get either a Honda FRV, but the middle seat on each row is not a full size seat, or get a late plate final generation Multipla from 2008 till 2011, Final generation ones are good value now.

 

[larkim]

Glad its not just me failing to find an alternative then!

The shame of it is, if Fiat had just made an "estate" Multipla I would be happy with it for the rest of my days - just another 6-8inches on the boot space would turn it from a great passenger-seating vehicle with a just-about adequate boot, into a great passenger and boot-space vehicle.

Putting finish levels to one side (no doubt enhanced by our family's abuse of the vehicle), it does everything we want it to, apart from fit in quite as much as we'd like into the boot when we go on holiday.

Matt

 

[fingers99]

Depending on how big the kids are, you might look at a Volvo V70 estate. Some have 2 dickey seats in the back (fold up under the floor) complete with seatbelts. 5 adult seats (on some models the central seat converts to a child seat with booster cushion).

The normally aspirated ones are fairly cheap, go on for 200,000 plus miles with servicing, cam belt intervals are a whopping 90k miles.

The V5 turbo ones are brutally fast and handle rather like a big Alfa 155.

Deisel and AWD ones out there, too.

 

[blu73]

i always seem to find myself behind a volvo with 2 kids in them seats waving at me lol..

there is some real bargins in the world of vans though if you don't mind buying 2nd hand. They are very pricey new granted. I sold my vito last year for £3.5k which isn't alot really, now it was not new, an '03 plate - but only had 85k miles on it and was solid and smooth to drive and not rusty, windows all round, doors on both side and fancy wheels and all of that stuff. It could sit 7, had a playstation and a 27" TV etc etc. It was even easy to park being that it was just a square box with huge wing mirrors etc. And it is infact now a family van, the guy who bought its wife took it off him when he got home and declared it hers apparently lol.

I would highly recommend one myself.

 

[larkim]

Yes, I had a Vito (well, stricly a Viano) on holiday a couple of years ago and it was fabulous. I'd just be wary buying second hand as most are used as airport taxis, I suppose. Doesn't stop it being an appealing option though!

 

[blu73]

Well technically mine was a converted panel van but dont do that, insurance was a nightmare with it being a commercial vehicle on the V5 but with lowered suspension and big wheels and the like. There is/was only one company in the UK that i could find that would insure the thing. It wouldn't be that bad if i had bought a Vanio or V Class. You can't get them reclassified like you can with old vans.

 

[Mato72]

I have been Multipla Owner for 4 months ( I own the second version 09/2004) and I love the car. (previous car was also Fiat but Grande punto which I lost in Total accident)

Keep it short..... the advice is that Fiat should "inflate" the New Fiat panda by 30 % than add one front seat in the midlle, and price it "from 10000 E". Please stop to convince the public that multipla succesor is at first Freemont and now 500 L and XL.

C - max, Marea, Touran, Zafira Or Honda FRV (second car market as they have stopped to make them)

 

[BikeDoc]

When my Multi finally dies (I tend to buy cheap and run them into the ground, not sold a car on since . . . er . . . 1995 ), and if I can afford it, I'd like to get another (had two in the past) VW Kombi/Camper.
No water pump or radiator, Cam belt, ABS, power steering, electric seats/windows/locking, Airbags, fuel injection, Crank/Camshaft sensors, LCD displays, in fact no real Electronics at all . . . bliss!

Run forever with basic maintenance and tooling, cheap parts (which you can get anywhere in the World), 7, 8 or 9 seats depending on layout, hold their value, or more often appreciate, and Cool as anything.

 

[blu73]

a cheap vw camper, no matter how bad condition it is in is just not an affordable thing anymore, not unless you get really lucky. Even T25 are demanding a high price now and when i was driving air-cooled vee-dubs as a youngster everyone in the scene just mocked them and said they were real vee-dubs lol.

 

[BikeDoc]

I didn't say cheap, I said if I can afford it
For the price of a five year old MPV, you could pick up a decent one (£7-8000).
You can pretty-much guarantee not to have any depreciation on it however long you keep it.

All the modern 'gadgets' and supposed 'refinements' just become a constant drain on your wallet after a few years, I for one can happily live without them all

I virtually gave my two Campers away, just before the prices went stupid :bang:

 

[blu73]

i'm never lucky on stuff like that either, things always seem to drop dramatically in value after i buy them lol

 

[FiatFleetFamily]

Our 5 year old JTD is starting to look as if it will start to cost us £££, or at best is starting to look tired and shabby - to be honest, I'm no good at looking after cars, and neither are our 4 boys!!

Now that I've spotted that the Multipla is no longer being made, what are the practical alternatives for someone like me that liked the value for money of a Multipla, and needs to be able to seat 6 people just about every time we use the vehicle? Last time I looked, "MPV"s like the Galaxy etc had really poor boot space when the 6th seat was being used, and "vans" like the Mercedes Vito were practical but out of our financial league.

I suspect the answer might just be hang onto the Multipla until our kids leave home (or replace with a well-looked after, newer model), but I'd be interested to hear from other people that have 4 kids and what their thoughts are.

What will you be getting when the time comes to replace?

Matt

So are you keeping the Multipla or buy a newer Multipla or are you going to buy another brand and take that step into the unknown ?

 

[larkim]

Still got it, can't really think of anything which we could replace it with currently.

SWMBO quite likes the idea of the larger vans (as do I), but it's a question of finding the money!!!

Multi is running OK, its not an urgent change required.

Matt