Anyone have experience of the Zafira? We're looking for a replacement for our ageing 405 SRi. 7 seats would be useful for occasional use ie friends/out-laws etc.
I was considering an import or a used V70, though I wonder about the rear facing seats in the latter. Someone I know who has one says that drivers don't tailgate you when you have children in the back seats! Volvo chap says that the seats are in the safety cage area. I also wonder if car sickness is a problem as they face backwards
I'm impressed by the versatility of the Zafira, but wonder if a 2-3 year old V70 may last longer and have better residuals. Are the Zafiras OK to drive? I tried a 1.8i bifuel one the other day and it seemed sluggish whether on petrol or LPG.
TIA
Andrew
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My only experience of a Zafira was to hire one for a day to go to London. With 6 people on board I found it easy to handle and quite fast. It cruised well on the M25 and was easy to drive in town. To access the rear seats meant sliding the middle seats forward which was a pain. The luggage space was very limited with 6 up as well. In fact I had the outlaws with me and it was a struggle for them to get into the rear seats but not impossible. I'm no mechanic so cannot comment on the engine, I'll leave that to others.
John
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Ther seems to be some good offers on the Citroen people carriers Fiat lancia and Peugeot 807 are the same vehicles and with the common rail diesel they they are worth a look
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Again I serously considered Zafira when I last changed as I had to have GM for complicated reasons, but decided against Zafira after a very long and hard look
Perhaps main deciding factor was she who must be obeyed seriously did not like the ride. It was typical of a forward control vehicle, eg small van, in that it seemd constantly fidgety up and down, and the fact that the seats made you feel as if you were perched on a shelf made it worse. It was never a problem when we had Veedubs but with the stiffer suspension which seems typical of GM these days I had to agree with her. But the handling was fine and the car I drove, which was a 1.8 went OK but then I did not have a car full of inlaws. Only outlaws were small ones!
Trim inside was very brittle in my opinion, eg certain small cubbyhole doors had already broken off.
Drive loads of Volvos as rental cars, always super comfortable, but beyond that cannot comment.
Can you still get the 406 Estate with the extra seats??
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Check the news item on this site about Broadspeed special offers to find the lowest price for a decent spec Opel Zafira I have ever seen.
The old shape V70 looks too much like an 850 and therefore too dated against the current great lookin g V70 to hold its value.
Best V70 engine: the 200bhp 2.4T. You don't need the T5.
HJ
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Check the news item on this site about Broadspeed special offers to find the lowest price for a decent spec Opel Zafira I have ever seen.
The old shape V70 looks too much like an 850 and therefore too dated against the current great lookin g V70 to hold its value.
Best V70 engine: the 200bhp 2.4T. You don't need the T5.
HJ
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Thanks for all the feedback. Vauxhall have just told me that they are releasing a bifuel 1.6 and 1.8 Zafira in September.
I'm tempted by the used bifuel @ £1300 inc p/ex for the 405. I know the V70 is a better made and more desirable vehicle, but the car will transport young children and with petrol costs on the rise again apparently, I think the Zafira may be the sensible buy.
I did consider the 406 Family, but it costs more than the Zafira and is not as versatile.
Andrew
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It makes sense to go for a bi-fuel car at the moment - if I was in the market for a car I would certainally go for an LPG powered car, and sit back and watch the petrol price rise as the gas price remains fairly constant!
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David Lacey wrote:
>
> It makes sense to go for a bi-fuel car at the moment - if I
> was in the market for a car I would certainally go for an LPG
> powered car, and sit back and watch the petrol price rise as
> the gas price remains fairly constant!
Look whats has happened to gas prices in USA, ie gas gas as opposed to petrol gas. I would not trust anybody on gas prices remaining at their current level. Depends how long you are going to keep the vehicle and what sort of use IMHO.
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Stuart
I agree. LPG is liquified petroleum gas, and I'd be amazed if it doesn't start to track oil price. Also, there are no guarantees on taxation for this fuel. I wouldn't like to guess how long it will retain its competitive advantage, despite its environmental credentials. After all, despite catalysts, petrol taxes have risen, ostensibly for environmental reasons, but who believes that's the real reason?
Regards
John
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I thought that there was a tax freeze on LPG until 2004. I'm sure I read that somewhere.
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What about servicing costs - love them loath them or just put up with them GM products are cheap (in comparison) to service. I know of some Company T5s that have had to have auto gearboxes replaced at low miles at a horrendus cost (3.2k +) and Companies are unloading them ASAP.
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Stick the mother-in-law in the back of the V70, that'll stop tailgating!
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There was a thread about 7 seaters a week or two ago. I repeat that my children who were consigned to the rear-facing seats of an old Volvo 760, then aged 9 and 11, hated the back seats with a passion. I was obliged to put reflective film on the back window to give them some privacy. I did not notice any change in the behaviour of other motorists. On holidays we used a roof-box to store luggage. We now have an MPV with 7 individual forward-facing seats which the family approves of. Driving the Citroen Synergie is not an inspiring experience, however.
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The Zafira seems to make most sense wrt the extra seats, plus the LPG cost is appealing. Only problem is that the LPG tank sits where the spare is, so the spare is in the boot. I'll have to make do with some of that foam stuff, though I'm sure I read somewhere of new tyres that were supposed to make spares redundant.
Andrew
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I think the previous thread may have been mine.
I bought a Zafira 1.8Auto used (check vauxhall web site for a list at main dealers - thats where I found most were). Both me and my wife very happy with it.
Usual use is 5 seats with our 3 kids in the back (middle one only has lap belt, but this is baby in car seat) and big boot.
In 7 seat mode, Middle row of seats can be set for great legroom, so the in-laws slot in there, baby in the middle and older kids in the back row.
Luggage space in this mode v small - just enough for mclaren stroller.
(considered 7 seats estates: Merc E, Audi 100/A6, Volvo, Peugeot, but you cant put anything in the back with the kids).
Performance is adequate not great (but my main comparison is BMW 323i!). No problem in town or country. Fine at 80-85 on motorway, but you notice some drop in speed in a long steep incline & have to drop cog to keep pace. Handles pleasently though, feels nippy, a lot less floppy than a Galaxy size MPV.
I see they have just launched a 150bhp 2.2i, which should be nice.
Feels quite well built too - Made in Germany.
Overall - recommended (so far!)
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Thanks Robin. I think the Zafira makes the most sense. There is an LPG model coming out soon in 1.6/1.8, but as I only do a fairly low annual mileage the 2.2i may be better as it seems to haul large loads comfortably - there is a good review of it vs the Stream in this month's What Car? Price and availability will be the deciding factor I think.
Andrew
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