MPV - Zafira VXR - opinions?

[TW]Fox;18427004 said:
Why are you trying to limit yourself to within 40 miles of your house when you are spending almost £10k on a car? :confused:

Most people travel more than that to pop to Ikea for a table :confused:
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Not so easy to do when you have a family and busy life to get on with. Especially if the travelling turns out to be futile.

5 years ago happily travelled when car hunting, now I really wouldn't want to go more than 30 mins away.

Yes it limits options but that's the way it goes.

How about a Citroen C8?

Bar the VXR, family 7 seat MPVs are designed for practicality, palatable running costs as 3 or more kids is expensive enough, and not to set your world on fire.
 
[TW]Fox;18427004 said:
Most people travel more than that to pop to Ikea for a table :confused:
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People really do that? Ikea is the one shop I will actively avoid... even when SWMBO wants to visit.

On a slightly more serious note, Fox and half the thread are correct: the SMAX is the best 7-seat non-overt-bus MPV out there. It's the only real choice (aside from the Zafira which is built out of spit and tissue paper) that comes with an interesting engine, aside from the Mercedes R-Class, which is beyond your budget (and I've heard this quote in a review: "That's not a car... it's a space station." *).

A Previa is a Toyota, which - pending a recall - will be very reliable and has the most space. However, it is slooooooooooooooooooow...
 
I recently had reason to drive one of the Zafira VXRs and was able to compare it with an S-MAX i drove just before christmas..

Chalk and cheese, the S-MAX drove and felt nicer in every single way, i would struggle to find a single reason to buy the zafira over a S-MAX if both were available for similar money.
 
MOOGLEYS said:
If you like the Zafira you can get a decent 07/08 plate 1.9 Sri CDTi with low miles and warranty for 9k or a 1.8 vvti Sri 140bhp comes in at less than 9k..
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The VXR was 07 plate for 8495, i'd prefer the VXR to the SRi, though i wouldn't discount the SRi altogether.

I've also not discounted the S-Max either, i intend on testing one of them too.

@ Fox, i would travel for the right car, but i'd rather spend £9k on a decent mid range car that's well in budget than a hypothetically good car that's just breaking into budget, chances are it'll be a heap! That's the case for the Volvo XC90, they are almost all high mileage 7> yr old cars for under £9k, and if it wasn't, i'd be wary of why.
 
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wez130 said:
The VXR was 07 plate for 8495, i'd prefer the VXR to the SRi, though i wouldn't discount the SRi altogether.

I've also not discounted the S-Max either, i intend on testing one of them too.

@ Fox, i would travel for the right car, but i'd rather spend £9k on a decent mid range car that's well in budget than a hypothetically good car that's just breaking into budget, chances are it'll be a heap! That's the case for the Volvo XC90, they are almost all high mileage 7> yr old cars for under £9k, and if it wasn't, i'd be wary of why.
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Yep, £8500 with a nackered clutch, not a good start. VXRs arn't that cheap to run and a fair bit more on parts than the more standard versions.
 
wez130 said:
The VXR was 07 plate for 8495, i'd prefer the VXR to the SRi, though i wouldn't discount the SRi altogether.

I've also not discounted the S-Max either, i intend on testing one of them too.

@ Fox, i would travel for the right car, but i'd rather spend £9k on a decent mid range car that's well in budget than a hypothetically good car that's just breaking into budget, chances are it'll be a heap! That's the case for the Volvo XC90, they are almost all high mileage 7> yr old cars for under £9k, and if it wasn't, i'd be wary of why.
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If you want a VXR get a very comprehensive warranty with it. At 40k you could be looking at a new clutch, turbo and the Cam belt, water pump and tensioners will need doing. VX say 80k but I would not risk it. Then you have the fuel cost, higher tax cost and insurance etc etc..
The Zafira VXR's are cheap to buy for a reason they cost so much to run and are incredibly unreliable, poorly built and awfull to drive especially with kids they are very laggy and juddery its very much all go or no go. They were a huge failure when released and vauxhall lost quite a bit of money on them and sold most at a loss. If your looking to do 15k+ a year then a Diesel would make sense. The S Maxx is a much better car for your budget and you can easily get a nice one for less than 9k with a decent warranty. It may take a bit of shopping around and a little travelling but surely its worth it for a decent car..
 
Went and test drove a S-Max today, it was only the 1.8TDCi, but it was titanium spec with sat nav, heated seats etc, it was perfect except for the colour (tonic blue), and the price, £13000 for an 07 plate with 45k miles on it. But my god, the difference was night and day, I didn't know what engine it was when driving it, but i noticed it still had a bit of poke, diesel torque obviously, i'd imagine that i could live with that. The driving position was decent and the interior was a million times better than the vaux. However, i still preferred the seats in the VXR, much more supportive.

So, i think i'm set on a S-max now, just need to find one within my price range with a fairly good spec.
 
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