Holden Barina

**PumpkinZulu** · January 27th, 2014, 06:49 PM

Wow thanks guys, this is all great! Lancers are on our list, as is the Mazda 3. We definitely won't need anything too large for a fair while, we initially wanted a wagon, but got talked around to the idea of a smaller car.

**Trillian** · January 27th, 2014, 08:22 PM

Some small cars are really roomy though - camry's are awesome! they have a huge boot, can fit 3 seats across the back no worries and they are cheap to run. When you have a look at them, think about what you are going to put in them - will your pram fit in the boot etc. Even sit in the back of them yourself and see if you feel cramped or not.

**xXHopeXx** · January 27th, 2014, 08:31 PM

I wouldn't classify a camry as a small car though. It is a medium/large imo. Nissan TIIDAs are VERY roomy for a small car! Would easily fit 2 car seats across the back and it has a pretty decent sized boot. We hired one a couple of times and it was good. Same with a hyundai elantra and i30. Possibly you could look at yhe i30 wagons if you're interested in wagons still?

**Floweryfields** · January 27th, 2014, 09:02 PM

I had a Ford Focus hatch and it was very roomy in the back for a small car.

**OceanPrincess** · January 27th, 2014, 09:09 PM

How tall is DH? Pretty tall from memory?

We are a tall family. I had a Mazda 3 and we chose to upgrade just after DS1 was born as it was really cramped with two car seats (one forward, one rear facing). We actually had to change car seats to find one that would fit rear facing behind the passenger seat, regardless of it was me or DH there. We upgraded soon after that!

**LimeSlice** · January 27th, 2014, 09:45 PM

Yeah, a Camry is full size family sedan, comparable to a Falcon or a Commodore.
Is that the car you meant, Trill, or were you thinking of something else?

**JLeigh29** · January 27th, 2014, 10:54 PM

We have an i30 and it easily fits our two car seats (though we have the rear facing one behind the drivers side and there's just enough room for DH. He's 5 foot 10). Pram fits in the boot easily...but not sure you'd get a trolley full of groceries in it at the same time! It was a bit of a bugger when mum was here as the five of us couldn't fit in one car...not sure if being able to have a third adult in the car is something you'll need. I love, love, love my i30 though. Great to drive, lots of great features and awesome fuel economy (auto diesel). We have talked about getting something bigger, but I hate the thought of driving a bigger car (parking spots are cramped enough with the i30 as it is, lol!)
SIL loves her Lancer if that helps (but DH isn't a fan - says it's 'cheap', lol!).

**Trillian** · January 28th, 2014, 06:31 AM

Yeah, a Camry is full size family sedan, comparable to a Falcon or a Commodore.
Is that the car you meant, Trill, or were you thinking of something else?

Are they really? I've always thought they were a small car because they run a 4cyl model as well as the larger 6cyl. DH's is certainly cheap to run like a small car - helluva lot cheaper than the commodore we used to have.

**Astrid** · January 28th, 2014, 06:40 AM

I have found over the years that the size of car models change. I remember the Pulsar what small (not micro), then it became bigger and bigger, then they brought in the Micra, which is about the size of the original Pulsar (So why not have kept the Pulsar at the same size?).

So the it is not only make and model, there is also the year of that particular model of model.

**Lenny** · January 28th, 2014, 06:40 AM

I have a Mazda 3. I love it. It is small and easy to drive and park and manoeuvre etc.
Our other car is a Prado and this weekend we went visiting just about everyone and we drove around and about for miles. We did it all in the Mazda. It's cheaper to run and it perfectly comfy for us. The kids legs don't have heaps of room in the back, they rest on the back of the front seats. But my children are a bit older than yours. It's a hatch and I can fit loads in the boot - both kids bikes even fit if I remove the hatch privacy thing.

Eta - Astrid is right. The latest Mazda 3 model is bigger than my one.

**Jellyfish** · January 28th, 2014, 06:49 AM

We love our Toyota Yaris. I've had it five years and it was second hand when I got it and still runs brilliantly. We just packed it up for a week at the beach including our pram (bugaboo chameleon so pretty giant) and it fit heaps. Two seats fit in the back pretty comfy and I've even sat between them in a pinch. Toyota's are reliable and parts are easy to source. Just thought I'd throw in a mention of it!

**Miss.September** · January 28th, 2014, 06:50 AM

Are they really? I've always thought they were a small car because they run a 4cyl model as well as the larger 6cyl. DH's is certainly cheap to run like a small car - helluva lot cheaper than the commodore we used to have.

I agree. I had a 96 Camry, 4cyl, ran like a dream, no issues at all. Very fuel efficient but gutsy. Massive boot space (we got three full golf bags in there with room , couldn't get them in dad's commodore). It's a bigger sized car physically but I reckon it's comparable to the running of a small car. It didn't cost me any more to fill it compared to the Hyundai Excel I had prior to that (bought that brand new, got rid of it at 75000kms and 4 years old - weak, couldn't go uphill with the aircon on!). It also looks like the second hand market is pretty safe because they don't tend to get trashed - elderly or families tend to buy them and not use them to hoon around in. The only reason we sold the Camry was because we knew we wanted to start a family and we often travel with our dogs - we didn't want kids and dogs in the backseat together so we got a wagon.