When Hubby was made redundant at Christmas he had to hand back his VW Caravelle as well as his access to all the cars/vehicles in the company pool and along with it the versatility to borrow the perfect family car according to our destination, function and number of family members being transported. Working in the motor industry for five brands meant that we were very lucky to be able to swap and change our cars to suit us. On special occasions where it had been just the two of us we have borrowed an Audi R8, a Porchse Boxster, Audi S5 and Mercedes Clc to name just a few. Of course this has been a very nice perk as we would never be able to own such cars ourselves given that we have four children. The biggest benefit to us has been when going away on family holidays as we have generally taken either a VW Caravelle or a VW Sport Kombi which not only have enough seats to transport everyone comfortably but we have ample room to pack everything and the kitchen sink.
As a family of 6 we need two cars to cover lots of miles for a range of journeys. I have a Honda FRV CDTI Sport 6 Seater and hubby who is now commuting 65 miles a day and has to drive on some more remote roads has a Saab 9-3 Sport Tourer as he needs something realiable and robust. We use mine for eveything from the school run and shipping the Beans around, to day trips, weekends away to visit family in the South and for the family holidays when we have to pack the car to the roof with all the essentials. However it is when we go on the longer trips like weekends away or holidays that we really struggle as we do not have enough space in either car for all the Beans plus kit, even with a roof box. Camping last week meant we ended up using mine, mums and hubby had to pop some of the camping equipment down too, good job we were only 15 miles from home!!
We are currently looking to change to a VW Transporter Kombi or Caravelle for me or perhaps the Hyundai i800 but not sure that the boot is big enough on that one either. As a family we spend a lot of time travelling around from place to place so the family safety is of paramount importance. Whichever vehicle we opt for will have to be in good, safe roadworthy condition at all times, after all we are carrying 4 very precious bits of cargo. This means ensuring that it is always serviced regularly, MOT’d and brakes and tyres are in tip top condition. Before we head off on long journeys Hubby will always checks our tyre condition/pressures, tops up our various fluids and that our lights are working properly.
I was sent the link to this video which goes to show how Michelin recognise that every car owner is different, every journey is different and so they work hard to provide tyres which serve all our needs.
If you are looking to buy a new car like us then you can get great deals on finance from Sierra Financial.