With a third kiddie around the corner it looks like I’ll have to trade in the CRV for something with a better interior layout and 7 seat option. Not a commuter, but a real people and stuff mover for evenings and weekends. The wife will have to drive it too, best if easily maneuverable, and not too hard to park. Occasionally haul ice chest, water, bikes, tools, etc. so shouldn’t be too small either. this is my list so far:
VW Touran
Economical engine, open interior space, reliable, not too big / not too small. - Kinda boring, boxy.
Toyota Previa
Reliable, Quality design exterior, interior and seating, entertainment system, sliding passenger doors. - Quite big, and expensive.
Luxgen
Quality interior and seating, entertainment system. - Unknown reliability, quite big.
Mazda 5
Good value, sliding doors, reliable, more sporty. - May be too small for full load.
I’m leaning towards the Touran, but know nothing about it’s reputation …
Economical engine, open interior space, reliable, not too big / not too small. - Kinda boring, boxy.[/quote]
Its a VW and we’re talking European again. Its not going to be as reliable as its competitors and you’re going to pay a premium for it as an import. VWs as well as other Euro stuff don’t like the heat and their environmentally sensitive plastic and rubber components are going to fail early in Taiwan conditions. Parts are expensive and so is labour. It just doesn’t have the great side sliding doors and so won’t be as convenient in tight city conditions. The only VW I recommend in Taiwan is the old T4 and for those with plenty of cash, even the latest T5.
[quote=“twricky”]Toyota Previa
Reliable, Quality design exterior, interior and seating, entertainment system, sliding passenger doors. - Quite big, and expensive.[/quote]
You nailed it. Its generally too big for convenient city driving. Its tough to park as it is so high and isn’t as manoeuvrable as other alternatives. It won’t get into many underground or elevator type and rotisserie city spaces. It is reliable and offers good resale value though. In my opinion is strongest practical point which is its interior size and comfort is also its greatest drawback as in the city it can be frustrating and in the country it doesn’t drive as well around twisty mountain roads as the smaller, more nimble Mazda 5.
[quote=“twricky”]Luxgen
Quality interior and seating, entertainment system. - Unknown reliability, quite big.[/quote]
When you say “quality” I say “questionable”. When you actually look into the design of the Luxgen it is both built down to a price, is extremely frustrating to use in the area it was supposed to excel in which is its gadgetry. Its interface is terrible, its night vision is dangerous, its spare tyre practically irretrievable, its steering non reach adjustable and its reliability questionable at this time as you suggest. When something looks too good to be true, then it always is! Its a first generation product and its built as a cheap seven seater with lots of bling. Go figure!
[quote=“twricky”]Mazda 5
Good value, sliding doors, reliable, more sporty. - May be too small for full load.[/quote]
My favourite of your list so far. Although with a much lower roofline and smaller interior space than the Toyota Previa its much easier to drive for anyone, whether in the city or in the countryside. It handles the best of all the seven seaters as it drives like a saloon. It has plenty of power from its 2.0 litre petrol engine, which is also reasonably economical. It shares the same clever side sliding doors as the fore mentioned two. The rear most seats can be folded down flat which then offer great rear loading space. The clever centre row seats can also be folded into three different arrangements, which can cater for the centre passenger, or a mini central table top, or an arm rest etc.
The driving position is also the best of those mentioned so far, offering a slightly sport posture due to its lower ride height as well as catering for different drivers by offering the telescopic and height adjustable steering wheel.
The Mazda is not quite as reliable as the Toyota, but it is much cheaper for components and there is a greater used demand. Prices on Mazdas drop quite a bit in the first year so taking advantage by buying used can save quite a bit of money.
Its not going to be popular in Taiwan as it has too much strong competition from the Japanese and is neither a looker or something considered to be special as an import example. Stick with locally built seven seaters and you won’t go too wrong.
Oh, and of course if you should think about buying a used car and save yourself a lot of money, then I’d be glad to offer any assistance.
With a growing gaggle of little ones, saving money is good advice.
My guess going from an '05 CRV to a used '08 Mazda5 would only be 60k or so out of pocket. Since the CRV and Mazda5 are similarly sized cars, not sure how much interior space I would be gaining. The extra seat row and flexible configuration, sliding doors, and better handling/performance are worth considering for sure.
sulavaca, when we decide on the decision to sell/buy used, I’ll get in touch via your website details. Your advice and reputation are top notch. Thanks.
I can hold off making a decision until the end of the year if necessary. Anyone else wants to chime in, please feel free.
[quote=“twricky”]With a growing gaggle of little ones, saving money is good advice.
My guess going from an '05 CRV to a used '08 Mazda5 would only be 60k or so out of pocket. Since the CRV and Mazda5 are similarly sized cars, not sure how much interior space I would be gaining. The extra seat row and flexible configuration, sliding doors, and better handling/performance are worth considering for sure.
sulavaca, when we decide on the decision to sell/buy used, I’ll get in touch via your website details. Your advice and reputation are top notch. Thanks.
I can hold off making a decision until the end of the year if necessary. Anyone else wants to chime in, please feel free.[/quote]
Cool. Thanks.
I would recommend looking for a better quality car over a car of any given year, especially as the Mazda 5 doesn’t differ much in its base design over the years, other than the odd face lift and every one in a while. It may be the case you can save even more if you can come across a slightly older model in excellent condition.
For some reason I thought the Wish would be too small, but now that you mention, it looks to be a similar size to Mazda5, maybe less headroom, and no easy access sliding doors. I’ll add the Wish to the list for checking out… thanks.
I have 4 kids, and like going all around the place. I drive a T3, which is a damn sight bigger than anything on your list, however i am not short on space.
The footprint is not bigger than say a cefiro, so as long as the parking lots have 2 meters of headroom, it’s OK. (Yes, they say 1.9, however I do not dare that.
If I wanted something that could hold alot of folks (our kids plus relatives could get us to 8), what is the safest car/van out there?
Looking for something with some heft to it, and being able to take it onto a dirt road without worrying about getting stuck would be a plus, but not a must…
[quote=“tayster”]If I wanted something that could hold alot of folks (our kids plus relatives could get us to 8), what is the safest car/van out there?
Looking for something with some heft to it, and being able to take it onto a dirt road without worrying about getting stuck would be a plus, but not a must…[/quote]
There is no safest. “People carriers” are not designed as passenger cars are, i.e. with a lower centre of gravity, with sufficient brakes, suspension, and such. If you want the very, very short answer however without trying to promote a debate, I would suggest The Volvo XC90.
The simple reason is that it is an import and is tested. It also doesn’t suffer the bulimic lack of airbags that some local versions do.
Having said that, the vast majority of six or seven passenger vehicles have almost no rear crumple zone to speak of.
I would also stress however that the safest way of carrying passengers is in passenger cars, i.e. up to five passengers. These types of vehicles are designed and built more stringently and there are also less bodies within to do each other harm in the event of a collision. There also tends to be much more efficient crumple areas in these types of vehicles.
Yes, I know that vehicles with a greater locomotive force will often do more damage in a one on one collision, but it isn’t as simple as that. I have one previous customer right now who’s large SUV was just flipped by a much smaller passenger vehicle that suffered less of a severe impact from accounts.
Nothing is so simple to ascertain which vehicle is the safest of all.
I could put it another way however. I chose to purchase a Toyota Prius. This was because of a few reasons, but one of them happened to be that it was rated as the safest four to five seater passenger vehicle at the time of production. Euro NCAP standards are based upon several criteria, but many of them revolve around fixed point of impact vs speed tests. If you wish to base decisions on such information, then I recommend you visit their site and do your own due diligence. Of course you must always bare in mind that local vehicles can be built to different standards and can come without similar safety equipment to foreign versions.
Thanks Sulavac. Went to look at the Volvo XC90 the other day off of your suggestion. Very nice car, great feel to it both inside and out. Except for the somewhat cramped third row (and the price), just about perfect. Pricey at 2.7m - Taiwan dealers really charge a big premium over the US. I found the XC90 in the US here:
and the most expensive MRSP is $45,000 USD vs $80,000 USD here in Taiwan. That is a big premium if is really apples to apples. Any ideas why?
Also passed by the Range Rover deal and just for kicks went in to look at the new 7 seater Discovery. Now that is a nice ride, but you’d need to sell a body part to afford it. Again, when I looked it up on the internet, very big premium to the US or Europe for what looks to be the same car.
[quote=“tayster”]and the most expensive MRSP is $45,000 USD vs $80,000 USD here in Taiwan. That is a big premium if is really apples to apples. Any ideas why?
Also passed by the Range Rover deal and just for kicks went in to look at the new 7 seater Discovery. Now that is a nice ride, but you’d need to sell a body part to afford it. Again, when I looked it up on the internet, very big premium to the US or Europe for what looks to be the same car.[/quote]
There’s a huge mark-up on anything foreign in Taiwan as its foreign. No other reason. There’s also an even bigger depreciation on all such vehicles over Japanese offerings.
You mentioned the Landrover brand for example. I happen to know that the depreciation on such a brand can be up to 50% more than what they are resold for as used. Of course a lot of that has to do with the fact that they are so difficult to sell and have to sit around for a long time on garage forecourts.
If you want a Landrover/Range Rover however and want to save serious amounts over a new one, you can give me a shout and I can see what I can do. I personally don’t think that they are good vehicles at all though as they are seriously unreliable, largely impractical for most reasons and loose money like water through a sieve.
Does that come in a 7-seater? Needing a minimum of 6 seats and one extra for grandma wouldn’t be a bad idea. The ones I pulled up on the internet seemed to be 5 seaters.
In the “larger” bracket, looking at the Volvo XC90, Toyota Land Cruiser and Land Rover Discovery.
In the “smaller” bracket, looking at the Serena, Mazda 5 and Wish.
[quote=“tayster”]Does that come in a 7-seater? Needing a minimum of 6 seats and one extra for grandma wouldn’t be a bad idea. The ones I pulled up on the internet seemed to be 5 seaters.
In the “larger” bracket, looking at the Volvo XC90, Toyota Land Cruiser and Land Rover Discovery.
In the “smaller” bracket, looking at the Serena, Mazda 5 and Wish.
The two times I’ve rented mini-vans on trips with the family to Taiwan, was always given a Chrysler Town and Country by the agency. Perfectly happy with it, both driving around town and the Island. Just rented one in the US as well for three weeks. The US Town & Country larger engine than the Taiwan version, again, very happy with the ride.
Can anyone comment about owning one in Taiwan, particularly reliability and resale? Considering a new one, but may go used given cost.
Have always owned Toyota or Mitsubishi myself, so familiar with Japanese 7-seater options…never owned a US mini-van because I’ve always thought they were crap, but have to say, have liked the T&C from the little I’ve driven it. Any other US 7 seater options?
[url=http://tw.forumosa.com/t/help-me-buy-an-mpv/58657/19 Chrysler Town & Country and Other US Minivans[/url]
[quote=“taiwanbound”]The two times I’ve rented mini-vans on trips with the family to Taiwan, was always given a Chrysler Town and Country by the agency. Perfectly happy with it, both driving around town and the Island. Just rented one in the US as well for three weeks. The US Town & Country larger engine than the Taiwan version, again, very happy with the ride.
Can anyone comment about owning one in Taiwan, particularly reliability and resale? Considering a new one, but may go used given cost.
Have always owned Toyota or Mitsubishi myself, so familiar with Japanese 7-seater options…never owned a US mini-van because I’ve always thought they were crap, but have to say, have liked the T&C from the little I’ve driven it. Any other US 7 seater options?[/quote]
I have never met a single Town and Country owner that didn’t complain about its poor electrics and reliability. They are shoddy vehicles albeit cheap. The depreciation on such a vehicle is huge, which is why most of them are very cheap to purchase indeed.
There are also a few U.S. Ford Windstar models around as well as numerous other U.S. seven seaters. I can’t recommend any of them however. The only positive thing about them is their initial purchase price. This isn’t to say that they are cheap to run however as they can be a pain to keep maintained.
