Car for Triplets

SauRoNZA said:
The A4 is only about 5cm wider than the Jazz (granted probably measured at the mirrors) so not sure how much real world space there would be inside.

Also the A4 has more sporty rear seats (bucketed left and right with hump in middle) while the Jazz has more of a flat bench.

So it could result in being much of a muchness.

The Jazz is also taller which makes it easier to load into than the A4. It's after all the most wheelchair friendly car out there for this very reason.
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Agree here, the Jazz will give you much more room than the A4 actually.
 
VW Kombi is the ultimate, but only older ones fit your budget, don't know how you feel about older cars. I read a couple of times in the past that a big liking for a Kombi with small children comes in with convenience coupled with personal safety. Reason is that you can load yourself and your children in to the Kombi's side door and then lock it, while inside you can then organize the children and from the inside walk over to the drivers seat, think this is especially important for moms going shopping alone with the children etc.

Kia Sedona and Mazda 5 are also very good options, personally I'll choose Mazda over Kia any day. A friend had a Mazda 5 for a couple of years while his 3 children was still small and it worked very well for them till they were out of the car seats, now he upgraded to a Ranger.
http://www.cars.co.za/searchVehicle...fig=&keyword=&sort=vfs_price&P=3#.WP46mlK1v5o
 
When you guys say VW kombi are we talking about Caravelle. If you guys are talking about Caravelle it's on the expensive side the new one , also the Kia Sedona the new one is expensive unless he goes for previous generation. The are only two cars to consider its either Mazda 5 or Honda FR V.
 
Congrats! I won't lie to you, its gonna be a bit rough there in the beginning. Make sure you line up as much support and grand parents as you can. BUT soon enough they'll be self-sufficient toddlers and you'll look back not wanting it any other way.

Back to the solicited info, we were using a jazz with our first kid, then upgraded to a 2015 Kia Sorento 7 seater when the second one arrived (thinking, at that stage, that we might also go for a 3rd later). Lots of space, good safety ratings, reliable, parts available etc. The newer models score much better, and tbh I haven't looked much at the ~2012 ones (which are just about in your price range).

I think three smaller seats may just about fit in the back row (in the 2015 model at least), leaving the boot for the prams. With the back row fully up there isn't much boot space, but at least you have some options. Three baby seats in one row might fit, but won't be super practical. "Loading" the middle baby will be a *****.

Some other thoughts:
- Nissan Lavina on the cheaper end?
- Two Jazz's? It may just be more practical and within your budget to always travel with two cars. The Jazz with its "magic seats" is great for an extra pram.
- Can one put a baby seat on the front seat (when you disabled the front passenger air bag)??? I know a friend of mine looked far and wide at SUV's that have the ability to switch off the front airbag. Surprisingly not a lot of brands have that feature. VW is one, I think. He has three kids, but the older one can ride in a booster seat already. I think he went for the VW tiguan? in the end.
 
GSRit01 said:
Hi everyone.

Some awesome ideas and responses here. Too much to quote everyone.

We really enjoy the Jazz, but I think even if we could fit all 3 seats, it will be cramped for sure.

I agree that we will more than likely wait to see what will happen with the pregnancy as it is a very high risk pregnancy and all 3 may not make it. Although if it's 2, a bigger car is probably still needed.

I definitely will check gumtree for car seats, prams etc.

I read that isofix is not necessary but makes things much easier.

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions! Especially the McLaren!
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There are some groups you should join on FB:
1. The South african multiple birth association
2. Moms of multiples resale group JHB / CPT / DBN (lots of things for sale here)
 
Something to consider that is possible in the Jazz and not other cars, assuming the new ones are the same, you could fit a pram (or other things) under the rear seats, which wouldn't be possible with most (any?) other cars.

If the three baby seats do fit inside, then it will ultimately offer more real space than most other cars.

Sure an A4 technically has a bigger boot, but it's also long and flat whereas the Jazz has vertical loading space. Exactly why we sold an Audi A6 (which could take a queen size mattress in the boot I'm sure for a Honda Jazz instead as you could put a wheelchair in the back "as is" without dismantling it.

I haven't used a Jazz with 3 kids but I have used it with wheelchair bound disabled people and there is a lot more stuff that comes with them.

It's a hugely underrated/underestimated car.
 
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It's a 2011 Jazz. Has plenty of space. Fit 3 adults comfortably in the back. Boot space is good. Still doubt that I will get 3 car seats in the back though. Will test it first though.

FRV and Mazda 5 seem like the options, but will also wait until closer to the time to see how the pregnancy goes.

Just got to figure out which car seats, travel systems, prams etc.
 
GSRit01 said:
Just got to figure out which car seats, travel systems, prams etc.
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That's a disaster even if you have just one.

I highly recommend going second hand and ignoring all the *** people talk about metal fatigue and what not. It lasts a few months and then you need new ones anyway.

In your case second hand might be hard since you'll probably need them to match very specifically.
 
GSRit01 said:
At this rate I may as well just duct tape them onto the back seat with a pilow.
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A friend of mine has 4 kids, 3 of them were in car chairs for a long time. The car he had was an MPV styled car, it's probably the better option for that many for 3 kids, SUV's are okay for one maybe two kids but three at the same time in car chairs you'll need a lot more space.
 
GSRit01 said:
At this rate I may as well just duct tape them onto the back seat with a pilow.
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Hey throwing the pillow and using duct tape will still put you ahead of many parents on our roads.

I used to think it's a money problem until I started seeing 5-series BMW's and Audi Q5's dropping kids off at school with no chairs or even seat belts.

You can be damn sure the airbags aren't disabled either which means they'll probably be dead from a 20km/h collision.
 
GSRit01 said:
Yes I will definitely go the MPV route. Perhaps even a Toyota Verso 7 seater? Somebody at work suggested it.
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Not a bad idea and much in the same vein as the Honda FRV really.

I reckon you would be fine with the Jazz to start out with and then once you know what's going for what you can do the upgrade as the need arises.

I am however glad I'm not you...would be utter madness. So good luck with the Triples.
 
GSRit01 said:
It is our first pregnancy so always good to get all the advice that we can.
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Well at least you scored a bonus with not having to get pregnant again for a brother or sister, the down side is school fees, no hand me downs, and the clock cycles will eventually sync up, which means your are screwed.

Well I have a Renault scenic, not having to bend down to secure seats was heaven with my brothers children, when I looked after them, and it had plenty space for a 3rd seat and with the boot being able to open entirely was also a blessing.Definitely some thing you need to look at. Seating while important, you need to look at floor compartments and boot access, and height of the car.

Renault had nice floor compartments especially handy for stuffing loose items in there even emergency nappies and baby goodies so you don't have constantly drag about a full nappy bag, and just have the necessary.

Good luck !!!!!!!!!!!
 
wizardofid said:
Renault had nice floor compartments especially handy for stuffing loose items in there even emergency nappies and baby goodies so you don't have constantly drag about a full nappy bag, and just have the necessary.

Good luck !!!!!!!!!!!
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Exactly why I said the Jazz has a major benefit over other cars as you can use all the space under the rear seats.
 
SauRoNZA said:
Exactly why I said the Jazz has a major benefit over other cars as you can use all the space under the rear seats.
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I have a Jazz and a Touran, and apart from the boot, there is very little in comfort and usable space between the two.
 
Crush said:
Look at the Honda FRV. The space is great and I think u can pick them up at relative bargains. The second row seats are definitely wide enough for 3 baby seats but just check if it has isofix points in the middle or not.

Front can seat 3 people as well.
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Was also going to suggest this, a family member of mine has the 6 seater frv, it is really wide. Which is what you will need with 3 cars seats. Good luck.
 
SauRoNZA said:
Not in car seats they won't.

Unless maybe someone makes a single piece car seat that supports three kids, that would work but the standard seats would mean there isn't space for a third in the middle and no way to harness it even if there was.
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True, my sedan is rather big, and I'm sure three car seats won't fit in there.
 
wizardofid said:
Well at least you scored a bonus with not having to get pregnant again for a brother or sister, the down side is school fees, no hand me downs, and the clock cycles will eventually sync up, which means your are screwed.

Well I have a Renault scenic, not having to bend down to secure seats was heaven with my brothers children, when I looked after them, and it had plenty space for a 3rd seat and with the boot being able to open entirely was also a blessing.Definitely some thing you need to look at. Seating while important, you need to look at floor compartments and boot access, and height of the car.

Renault had nice floor compartments especially handy for stuffing loose items in there even emergency nappies and baby goodies so you don't have constantly drag about a full nappy bag, and just have the necessary.

Good luck !!!!!!!!!!!
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Was going to recommend a Scenic as well. You'll be able to find a Scenic 3 within budget. A Grand Scenic would probably be ever better (more boot space and two extra seats if ever needed). My mother is on her second Scenic 1 - first one replaced by two Merc A-Classes before she went back to the Renault because of space requirements.

The Scenic 1 has three separate seats at the back, although the middle seat is a little bit smaller... I'm almost certain 3 car seats would fit there. Not sure how the Scenic 2 or 3 compare.
 
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