Hi, We have one medium lab and have just acquired a 10 month old massive bouncy chocolate lab! I have an Audi a3 convertible and it is obviously not safe to have them on the back seat, so we have decided to buy another cheapish car for taking them out, (although it will probably get lots of other use!). My budget is at the very max. £3K, but we are not sure what to go for. I have been looking at some old SUV's (Honda) but hubby is keener on getting some sort of estate car as he reckons it will be more practical. My previous car to my Audi was a mini, so it has been a long while since I've driven a big car, so do not want to go too big, if you know what I mean! I would really appreciate any advice, as I know this need to be done asap. Many thanks in advance.
I would go for the car with the highest safety rating. We have a Mercedes E-class estate. It's not new - very not new! - and is ugly as sin, but is very practical for our three Labs. It drives really well, is pretty economical and is comfortable, which is important for us, as we do cover long distances, driving between Spain, Andorra and the UK. You very quickly get used to the size, so I wouldn't worry about that. My other car is a Smart Roadster We also have a Jeep Grand Cherokee which I also love, although not so much at the moment, as it's in the shop needing a new engine... I'd have a look at the accessories you'll need for your dogs and see what is available for the cars you're looking at. I was a bit disappointed to find that there are very few standard accessories for the Merc. We found a crash-tested guard to stop the dogs coming into the back, but I also prefer to have a divider and gates so I can open my boot without the dogs jumping out - important in the event of an accident or needing to get them out on the side of a road. I am having to get these made to order, which is costly. You may prefer crash-tested crates such as Trans-K9 for your dogs, which would be an even safer option. I don't have space, even in these big cars, for crates for all three of my dogs. Welcome to the club of people who buy new cars based on the needs of their dogs, rather than what they would actually like to drive We'd love to see some pictures of your dogs, why not pop over to the Introductions section and tell us a bit about them? My choccy, Luna, just turned 11 months today, so I can sympathise with the bouncy
Hello, I went from a Mini to a Nissan Navara !!It was surprisingly easy. We love the Nissan, had 3 now..never let you down and loads of space for kit, dogs etc...my dogs go in the back cabin..but there are other models if you want them inside the car, pathfinder maybe ?. I bet you can get a decent old one for a fair price. happy hunting
I bought a Skoda Yeti a few months back and absolutely love it! There's loads of room for both my Labs in the boot plus plenty of headroom. I think they're described as a mini SUV. Used to have an old 03 plate VW Passat estate, loads and loads of room, would probably have got at least 4 labs in the boot. I kept that car for 10yrs and was gutted when it died.
ooh, budget cars for dogs .... We've spent a lot of time on this question! My husband used our 11kg spaniel as an excuse to buy a BMW E39 touring which is within your budget and amazing for dogs (the boot is completely flat so easy for them to jump in/out) but it's massive so maybe not what you're after. Also, a friend of mine recently bought a Kia sportage - surprisingly affordable and loads of room for the dogs. Though couldn't you fit two labs in an Audi A3? I have the 2001-2002 5-door sportback, and you could get one of those in VG condition for your budget. It's got a surprisingly generous boot.
I have an Audi A3 and the back seat and boot are huge! I could definitely fit another Stanley in the back with a harness. Although you have said that yours is a convertible so perhaps they're smaller. I had a little sporty car and used it as an excuse for an Audi upgrade OH was NOT impressed
Audi A6, Passat, and Mondeo estates are all good, and get a lot for your money We have had all three at one time or another
Skoda Octavia estate can comfortably fit 3 labs in the estate boot. She's a big old bird but she can shift too.very reliable.
The good thing about the estate vs the SUV is that it's a lot lower to the ground. This is far better for the dogs' joints when jumping out and if you ever have to contend with an injury, for you to lift them in and out!
We have a VW Passat estate - ours is relatively new but as they seem to go on for ages there are lots of second hand ones around. We have a purpose built crash tested crate in ours for Ripple, this keeps him secure and prevents him from eating the seats .
Wow, thank you so much for all your replies - I didn't expect to get such a great response! I'm not off to work but will be back later tonight and have a good look through all the suggestions. Again, thanks ever so much, it is so much nicer to speak to people who actually have similar dogs than a car salesman trying to talk me round! Will let you know how I get on!
We have a hyundai i40,(specially bought for the dog) it's huge, though monty generally only travels in this on longer trips or holidays as OH is a bit obsessive about keeping it clean . Day to day, he's in and out of my toyota yaris, I push down one of the back seats and he lies down part in the boot, part over the back seat with a dog bed for comfort, he's fastened in with a back harness. Has to be lifted out of it but this isn't a problem. I am not obsessed about a clean car
We also have a super thing called a boot buddy which protects the boot and bumper from scratches http://www.boot-buddy.com/?gclid=Cj...6CyDyNdApMNqTV6mLro_S9S5--biMBChoCnhgQAvD_BwE .
I'm currently looking for a new car - well newer and it's definitely going to be an estate for the flatbed entry rather than SUV for all the reasons @snowbunny mentions as we have ED issues. One thing to bear in mind is the age of the vehicle and the potential for heavy road costs, surcharges that are talked about to force diesel cars off the road - well old diesel cars at least and have cleaner air. Virtually all estates and SUVs are diesel engines.
Yes, our Jeep is a diesel. Our Merc, however, is petrol. I was expecting to have to take out a mortgage when we last drove to the UK in it, but I was actually pleasantly surprised at how efficient it was. It works out about the same per km as the Jeep.
We have a Subaru Outback which is a great combination for hauling dogs. Our other dog car is Chevy Suburban. The Dogs love it, but it is not exactly small. My favorite dog hauler is my Miata, but it is only good for one dog.
We have a Toyota RAV4, one dog and one toddler. Ella sits on the back seat (in a crash tested car harness) next to Nathan in his car seat. I think you could fit two dogs in the boot though. Ypu definitely have the height issues of an SUV vs station wagon as those have said above but to be honest, we still lift Ella out of the car every time
Friend has a second hand Honda Jazz and puts one back seat down, loads of room for her large greyhound and he gets in through the side door so doesn't have to jump in. I have a small car, a VW Polo with back seats down and a specially built crate to fit in (see Hamster Baskets or Dog Pod on Google), this fits two Labs, though I only have one now.
It wasn't fuel efficiency I was referring to, rather the potential tax changes and additional charges for driving diesel vehicles http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-ne...ne-expansion-could-see-diesel-cars-charged-to http://www.buyacar.co.uk/cars/diese...roposed-charges-and-surcharges-for-uk-drivers It's nit just a marketing ploy by car manufacturers to be offering scrappage schemes for the older diesels
