Shuttle as a family vehicle?

[needabeer]

Hi all,

I posted this on another forum but it appears that's an old one...

Just new here. I'm due my third child soon so will have 3 under 5 years old (plus a dog). I've started the task of shopping around for a larger family car, which seats 3 child seats easily, so have looked at the usual, VW Touran and Sharan, Ford Galaxy and S-Max, Alhambra, C4 Grand Picasso etc etc.

I actually quite like the idea of running a VW Shuttle as a family car. We hired a T5 camper last year and it was a dream to drive. A Shuttle would give more room than the usual MPVs as well as storage and additional seats for friends. There's very little reviews online that I can find and it doesn't seem very common as a family car.

Does anyone use a Shuttle as a family car and how do they find it? Also what extras are worthwhile to make it slightly less minibus/taxi looking? I would certainly be changing up the standard steel wheels for alloys.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Pauly]

What seating plan are you going for ?
What will you be doing with it, local driving? Travelling? Camping?
I have a six seat kombi (three kids also) with a triple bench in the back and only the outer two seats have isofix not sure how that compares to the 2+1 rear seats but it's a consideration if all three are young, we use ours day to day as a family vehicle no real complaints
I have driven a few T6s and they are all nice to drive as they are all virtually the same chassis/engine with different body/seating arrangements with the exception of the caravelles that get lots of upgrades the executive model in particular, but suppose a lot of it comes down to intended use and budget
@Caravellet6 will prob know best as shuttle falls into that lineup I believe
Check out the resources section for lots of info on prices/options/accessories etc
I love the DSG gearbox very refined and defo consider electric latching on side door standard catches need a good shove to close, sod it if you got the budget consider electric side doors
LED headlights are a bit expensive but look the dogs danglies and very un van like

 

[needabeer]

Thanks.
We'll be using it as our main family vehicle (with a second small runaround). I do about 20k miles per year, mainly motorway but also local. It'll be for school runs, holidays to France, work etc etc. It won't be used as a camper but we'd likely put camping gear in the back and a fit bike rack.
As it stands I'm looking at seating configuration for 8 of 2-3-3. We don't use isofix so as long as the child seats fit in row it's fine. The additional 3 seats give us room for friends also. Then I need to decide on SWB or LWB for the boot space.
I'd anticipate keeping the vehicle for a good few years.
I've looked at Caravelle. They look awesome but probably out of our price range.

 

[Rob]

I also have 3 kids and like Pauly using a Kombi and really wish I had power latching doors because it drives me to the point of insanity the amount of times they don't close the sliding door properly.

 

[StudleyGlass]

welcome @needabeer

I will have to agree on the sliding side doors , i speced twin eletric doors, much better for the kids and not a bad priced option.

 

[needabeer]

Just had a look at the doors. Power latching seems like a no-brainer for the small extra cost. Electric doors might be a bit too much at £828. Privacy glass is going to be a must too.
My worry is I don't seem to see many Shuttles on the road as a family vehicle. Most are functional taxis/hotel shuttles etc. There seems to be plenty of Kombis though but I reckon we'd really use the extra seats. Am I missing something where the shuttle isn't worth while/value for money? Once the options are added the cost starts to stack up and its in the same region as a Ford Galaxy etc which has a lot more spec.

 

[Stevefrs]

We looked at kombi/ shuttles and caravelle. We ended up ordering a new kombi with a few options. We discounted the shuttle as by the time you have added a few options the price runs away. I liked the caravelle but as we needed space for when we are on holiday it made sense to get the kombi.
Other things to consider:
Insurance does an 8 seater come under normal rules or is it going to get loaded. I know I had read a guy stating he was getting loaded for being an 8 seater versus a 7.
Most people have managed at least 10% discount on a new kombi including options but not as much with the shuttles or caravelle.
Plus the lower cost finance offered seems to be mainly focused on the vans.
Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[Scruffy]

We're on our third Kombi type van, and they are without a shadow of a doubt the best family vehicle out there. Just makes life so much easier to cart around the crap that a family seems to acquire. We have a Kombi as I use it for work, but a Shuttle with some good rubber mats everywhere will be just as family friendly. I'd go for the two seats up front, as you can easily step through when the fighting/eating/DVD changing needs sorting.

I've considered a large MPV from time to time, but they are expensive, thirsty, not tax efficient ( for those who can) and in full 7 seater mode, utterly useless if you need to carry more than a handbag.

 

[Pauly]

^^^ Agree with everything @Scruffy said

 

[Scruffy]

Actually....if I win the lottery, I'll have a LWB Carravelle.

Am I sad?

 

[needabeer]

Yeah the Caravelle looks awesome. Ill have to keep putting on the lottery!
I thought exactly the same about the MPVs I've looked at @Scruffy. Even the largest ones only have space for small children in the rear 2 seats and when they're in place the boot more or less disappears.

 

[needabeer]

It'll be interesting to go into a dealership now. I'm not sure how much buying power I'll have as a private buyer for discount when they're used to dealing with commercial buyers and bulk orders.

 

[Stevefrs]

I am a private buyer and easily negotiated the 10% discount. A bit of discussion around finance rates and van ordered. Be aware though that if you order a factory kombi there is a risk of not getting it till next year!

 

[Pauly]

10% is your target, it seems the max anyone has got is 12% but you would need to be at the right dealer at the right time with them needing the sale for their quarterly target etc to get more than 10

 

[Scruffy]

Sorry to say this but....I got 20% off and a mate of mine got 22.5 % off via a trade organisation we are members of.

 

[Pauly]

12% seemed to be the max a standard punter of the street at a main dealer could get, some people have got lots more going through brokers etc but some also lost their orders when brokers had their deals revoked by VW
How did you wangle that much ? was it from a dealer or a broker ?

 

[Scruffy]

Dealer. And as I said it is part of a deal a trade organisation I'm a member of has been running for a lot of years now.

 

[needabeer]

20% would be awesome! I won't hold my breath though.
Is there much discount to be had for used/nearly new, although these seem hard to find just now!