What Sort Of Car?

There is no point in a 2+2 if it's your only car and you have two teenage children 6' tall and still growing. Equally, there's no point in buying more car than you need. If you've only got two kids, do you really need a huge SUV that's going to cost you £400 a year in tax?

On the other hand a car is a pleasure and a statement, so if that's what you want and you don't mind spending the money, go for it.

SUVs are all the rage these days, mainly because they're the only vehicles that cope well with road humps. A petrol-engined version will cost you at least 30% more in fuel than a diesel. Yet a diesel may be a lot slower. And is the expense of maintaining a four-wheel-drive justified by not having to slow down so much before running over a sleeping policeman? Some SUVs are only part-time 4x4s. Some are available with two-wheel drive only.


Then again, if you've got six kids, do you go for an MPV or a 7-seater 4x4? Check the way the seats fold first. On some, the rearmost seats are a single bench, so you can't fold one of them away to create more luggage capacity when travelling six-up.