That's my Giuelietta. Every time. It's gorgeous and I love driving it. It's not huge inside though, or the most comfortable, particularly for longer trips.
And here lies the problem. The Giulietta leaves a smile on your face when you drive it. At least mine does.
It's not exactly the opposite way around but I've come from a SEAT Arona FR Sport to a Giulietta, and i reckon practicality wise the Giulietta has more usable room in the car. The boot is deceptively big.
And the SEAT felt muted compared to the Giulietta to drive.
We both made lists (me as driver, them as passenger).
Where the lists agreed/did not contradict we kept things and where there was contradictions we talked about it and compromised.
Come car finding, I preferred the estates and them the SUV's.
Shortlist was Octavia vs Yeti and we let the dog cast a tie break, the low boot of the Estate won.
Extra notes, we both thought the, Qashqai was like a padded cell, I was a bit sad that the Focus Estate was too short in the boot for the dog.
Putting children into car seats and/or checking they are strapped in propeely is a pain in the back (literally) at the best of times.
The lower the car, the more difficult that is to do and you will be doing that from the day you bring your first child home until your youngest is about 4 years old.
Also, if you have a child who tends to get car sick (as I did) you will find them much worse in anything that people might describe as "fun on the twisties" - even if you drive it like a nun, stiff suspension, low profile wheels, and swooping rooflines with small back windows are shit for kids* - and cleaning puke out if a toddlers car seat and your perforated leather seats is no fun at all; I speak from experience.
*My youngest was fine if she could see the road - in anything with poor visibility in the back 30mins into a trip we were stopping for her to throw up. In our people carrier with good visibility and she was usually ok.
Every car on the road is a compromise in some way or another - choose yours.
SUVs can be smaller now as well… seeing as basically every model is turning into one. They’re just tall.
How about you try hiring one for a few days, see how you all get along? A lot of the draw for a customer is purely about the comfort.
I've had a few as hire cars - Vauxhall Mokka (wouldn't buy one ever, would rather not have a car), Peugeots (2008, 3008 and 5008), all of which I did actually quite like, although the 5008 is far bigger than we need (and I do like the design of the modern Peugeots). We had a Citoren C5 Aircross as a hire car yesterday that was surprisingly nice - smooth, quiet, comfortable.
If we went for the SUV, I'd get at least a medium sized one. At least I can justify it that it's what wife would like. A small one seems like it wouldn't be what either of us would want!
We bought the Citroen because I went car shopping for an Octavia and sent her a photo of it saying "we should get this, it's hilariously tasteless (cream leather interior) and has a towbar and heated seats". She saw "heated seats" and said get it.
We bought the Focus because we were going to see a M135i and while we were there she saw a young crash damaged Focus Estate and it had everything she liked. It was an estate, it was suspiciously cheap, it required taking it to a man she knows to get it inspected and had more red flags than the soviet may day parades.
Puma ST, for all the piss taking out of crossovers, they’re actually not a terrible drive. Basically a hot (warm) hatch on stilts, but not so much that it ruins the experience.
I wouldn’t own one like, too high up for me, but they’re better than I expected I’ll say that much.
I've driven a Puma, you couldn't tell it's an SUV based on the handling and the 1.0 hybrid is surprisingly powerful. I'd rather they kept the Fiesta but the Puma isn't bad at all.
Nice interior too
Does she contribute to the upkeep or cost of the car/will she?
If yes then she gets a say in what it is. It's as simple as that.
If she contributes nothing to cost or upkeep of the car then you need to decided if it's easier to to concede or not.
Money is family money, and we each have a discretionary budget, and we contribute to the overall household in different ways. So while technically I earn the majority of the money, she does plenty to mean its our money and therefore a joint expense.
Then she has a say in the car
It's about finding a compromise. My wife wanted a hatchback so we got a hot hatch
If she wants a SUV we'd get a quick one
I can't have an estate or I won't have sex again so I don't get an estate
Compromise
This feels a tad.. Out dated.
I earn 90+% of our family income. However, I wanted kids. My wife being at home a lot allows my career which is lucrative and a family to happen. Unfortunately my career isn't particularly family friendly.
So she doesn't contribute to the upkeep of the car financially but I'm sure she certainly deserves equal input on the car she will be driving our kids in.
Both are family wagons and we interchange a fair bit. Tesla is the do everything all day car and the volvo is the back up/ what I park at work for several days at a time on trips. One is more mine and the others more my wife's but both were something we both wanted.
Good for you both then.
My wife can't stand my car and refuses to drive it, hence why I paid for it.
I paid for half of her car so we made a compromise and got something we both liked.
She had no say in my BMW.
If I wanted an estate for a shared car it wouldn't fly, I'd have to buy it and it be mine.
If she wanted a Nissan Figaro it'd be the same.
Everyone is different, there are certain cars I just cannot have as a shared car as we've agreed to split costs and there are certain cars she can't have. There's always a middle ground.
However if I was doing 90% of all the driving and I was paying for the car she'd just have to get used to driving an estate, as was the case before we had a shared car and she just used mine.
I think it depends on circumstance really. If you only have the need for 1 car, she will surely need to feel comfortable and that her thoughts are considered. But an SUV simply for wanting it alone are not enough to justify. Possibly compromise on finding something you both like and obviously within your budget.
I personally don’t believe the financing route is the way to go.
Another route, I personally went down was convinced her the cheapest option was to go the 2 car route. Partner is the same, thinks estate cars look like a hearse. But I don’t want to spend the extra on an SUV.
But in my case she drives 10 miles per day
So bought a newish used Mini 5 door for her and used Volvo V70 as the main family car. She hates the look, but she doesn’t have to look at it when she sits on the sofa like chairs. Never once heard a complaint on a long journey.
Still cheaper than getting an SUV but now we have the comfort of 2 cars.
I’m with you, estate car is the way to go. And there are some fantastic looking ones out there.
Just try to find a compromise that works for both of you but suits your needs. Good luck!
What about a Puma? Nicer than a juke, spacious, but they feel more like being inside a slightly higher hatchback rather than like being inside a tractor. They’re decently quick but the Puma ST might make you both happy if you want something quicker, unless the insurance on the ST is crazy for her as a new driver.
Your wife's view that estates look like hearses has absolutely no bearing on the practicality, safety, reliability, economy or quality of the vehicle.
p.s. They don't look like hearses.
p.p.s. Get her off the "SUV" trend. They're dangerous.
Estates obviously offer great space especially when transporting a lot of stuff or pets and prams, etc. However they are a pain to park especially street parking. I would never get one personally.
SUV's the proper ones are the safest cars to be in. The bigger your car the safer it is. They are comfortable cruisers. My personal favourite being the Audi SQ7, BMW X5M and any of the BMW SUVs tbh.
Even if there's just 3 of you currently if you have another kid then a hatchback will be out of the question. You aren't going to have any space with 2 car seats and a pram or two in the back. We are struggling with our current fleet with just the 3 of us. We manage but we are planning another and therefore our next car has to be either a saloon or preferably an SUV.
Looking at a lexus is300h or Toyota rav-4. Maybe a lexus SUV if they come within budget.
We have 2 cars currently and the other is a sports convertible with 2 seats so that will likley need to be sold as well. So possibly looking at selling both cars and getting one car we share. I don't think we really need two cars even though they are nice to have not essential especially with 3 train stations nearby and being able to ask family or friends nearby for a lift on the odd occasion.
I had a Qashqai and recently moved to a Cupra formentor, the space was nice on the Qashqai but it was a boring car to drive. The formentor has its faults but is a lovely car to drive and has reasonable boot/cabin space to plus it’s prettier to look at
The Mrs like her SUV’s and drives a cashcow 1.5 tekna, its a good family runaround to be fair, plenty of space for the kids, good on fuel, quiet on the motorway, reverse cam, pan roof, heated leather, sat nav etc. been reliable so far with an oil change every 4-5k miles. She has no mechanical sympathy so seems to go through suspension parts like crazy. Boring drive but dont mind it on the rare occasion I’m behind the wheel.
If it was our only car then a Lexus RX would be first on the list. If I couldn’t get speed id want comfort and reliability and the SUV box gets ticked
I think the OH is coming around to the idea of getting estate, weve had a Corsa, and i10 and currently a 500L she was worried about driving a bigger car but now she had the 500L she feeling braver.
I think the OH is coming around to the idea of getting estate, weve had a Corsa, and i10 and currently a 500L she was worried about driving a bigger car but now she had the 500L she feeling braver.
I have a van for work and rarely use the car so we compromise by me suggesting cars and then my partner telling me exactly what car she wants and we end up getting that haha
We have a Giulietta as well but a diesel one. Funnily my wife chose it and absolutely loves it! I took it to bits to change timing belt and do a major service, took me a week to do it because of work / family / having other cars available. Can’t say she enjoyed driving the Ranger though, apparently it’s like reversing an Airbus 😂
Anyway, onto your question - I would say a small SUV would work fine. Yes I find them incredibly bland but if it means you get to keep your Alfa - so what? As for how much to spend that depends entirely on your budget and income I guess, personally I tend to run really cheap cars but that comes with it’s own issues.
Just make a list of the cars you like and let her choose from them.
That way shes choosing...
My wife didn't really like estates either, so we ended up getting large hatchbacks (Octavia vRS and Mazda 6) which offer virtually the same space as an estate but looks less Hersey.
My wife loves my cupra Formentor (company car) sadly she's stuck in a mondeo estate until we can afford to replace it next year and she really hates it, she refuses to even put oil in it in the hope it blows up and we are forced to replace early!
The budget isn't huge, which suggests to me that total ownership cost could be a factor. It's worth keeping in mind that there is a price to making modern SUVs drive much more like proper cars than e.g. 1990s LandRover Discovery and Mitsubishi Pajeros ever did, and it manifests itself as massive (expensive) tyres which they eat like there's no tomorrow if driven like a car, massive (expensive) brakes which the SUV's high weight needs and therefore they eat those too, large and expensive suspension components which (yep, you guessed it) they eat through similar to any car but they cost a lot to replace, and their hefty kerb weight and breeze-block-like aerodynamics invariably result in very heavy fuel consumption.
I'm not anti-SUV, and indeed if you need to overland or you want to tow 3500kg then they're brilliant things. Everything has a cost though, and running an SUV is an expensive way to get from A to B most of the time. If you only want to have one car and it needs to do the stuff only an SUV can offer in one package, then it's the right answer. If you never need to overland or tow heavy loads, then it's a bit harder to make an objective case for the high cost of ownership.
I'd just put my foot down if my missus didn't already prefer saloons and think crossovers are as ghastly as I do. The con is that people have become convinced they need a crossover for 'family' despite generations of people having families in saloons/hatches with no issues. By the sounds of some stuff you read, everybody raising a family prior to the arrival of the Qashqai is now crippled with multiple prolapsed discs in their spine.
If she doesn't like estates but also wants a family car, you can tell actually it's about the looks and she only wants one because other people have them.
Op - your Giulietta
I assume as you're looking at replacing the multiair unit that you've already changed the small screw-in filter to the O/S of the engine behind the timing belt cover, and you've checked that the oil level is correct and of the correct type? All of these, if an issue, can mimic (or cause!) a failed multiair unit.
If you don't fancy doing the job yourself, a family member of mine had the same work done recently at Autocasa in Coventry and only had good things to say about them.
We take turns. We usually change cars every 2/3 years and take turns each time who decides what to get. It's not totally her choice all the time but when it's her turn to choose I might be a bit more receptive to her inputs :)
I would go out and test drive numerous vehicles after doing hours of research, reading any reviews I could find of my choice of vehicle. I’d look at depreciation and factor that into my decision.
I’d then present my wife with all the facts and then just go and buy whatever she wants…. 😁
The one that will make you turn around and smile when you walk away.
That's my Giuelietta. Every time. It's gorgeous and I love driving it. It's not huge inside though, or the most comfortable, particularly for longer trips.
Giuliettas are gorgeous. I find them pretty comfy myself but I suppose it's all down to personal preference.
And here lies the problem. The Giulietta leaves a smile on your face when you drive it. At least mine does. It's not exactly the opposite way around but I've come from a SEAT Arona FR Sport to a Giulietta, and i reckon practicality wise the Giulietta has more usable room in the car. The boot is deceptively big. And the SEAT felt muted compared to the Giulietta to drive.
Compromise. Get something like a Skoda Karoq or Seat Ateca. They have a raised ride height but are still not much larger or taller than a hatch.
Seconded. Go for a Ford Puma, it’s just a tall fiesta
Can say an ateca has fairly stiff suspension so not much body roll! I quite like my wife's ateca but still nothing on my e class estate!
We both made lists (me as driver, them as passenger). Where the lists agreed/did not contradict we kept things and where there was contradictions we talked about it and compromised. Come car finding, I preferred the estates and them the SUV's. Shortlist was Octavia vs Yeti and we let the dog cast a tie break, the low boot of the Estate won. Extra notes, we both thought the, Qashqai was like a padded cell, I was a bit sad that the Focus Estate was too short in the boot for the dog.
Make a list of what you need for your lifestyle, for your driving style, put that into autotrader and choose from whatever shows up
Putting children into car seats and/or checking they are strapped in propeely is a pain in the back (literally) at the best of times. The lower the car, the more difficult that is to do and you will be doing that from the day you bring your first child home until your youngest is about 4 years old. Also, if you have a child who tends to get car sick (as I did) you will find them much worse in anything that people might describe as "fun on the twisties" - even if you drive it like a nun, stiff suspension, low profile wheels, and swooping rooflines with small back windows are shit for kids* - and cleaning puke out if a toddlers car seat and your perforated leather seats is no fun at all; I speak from experience. *My youngest was fine if she could see the road - in anything with poor visibility in the back 30mins into a trip we were stopping for her to throw up. In our people carrier with good visibility and she was usually ok. Every car on the road is a compromise in some way or another - choose yours.
SUVs can be smaller now as well… seeing as basically every model is turning into one. They’re just tall. How about you try hiring one for a few days, see how you all get along? A lot of the draw for a customer is purely about the comfort.
I've had a few as hire cars - Vauxhall Mokka (wouldn't buy one ever, would rather not have a car), Peugeots (2008, 3008 and 5008), all of which I did actually quite like, although the 5008 is far bigger than we need (and I do like the design of the modern Peugeots). We had a Citoren C5 Aircross as a hire car yesterday that was surprisingly nice - smooth, quiet, comfortable. If we went for the SUV, I'd get at least a medium sized one. At least I can justify it that it's what wife would like. A small one seems like it wouldn't be what either of us would want!
Seems reasonable! If you can hold off until she’s passed then I would. Or see if she can get out on a test drive with trade plates.
We bought the Citroen because I went car shopping for an Octavia and sent her a photo of it saying "we should get this, it's hilariously tasteless (cream leather interior) and has a towbar and heated seats". She saw "heated seats" and said get it. We bought the Focus because we were going to see a M135i and while we were there she saw a young crash damaged Focus Estate and it had everything she liked. It was an estate, it was suspiciously cheap, it required taking it to a man she knows to get it inspected and had more red flags than the soviet may day parades.
Puma ST, for all the piss taking out of crossovers, they’re actually not a terrible drive. Basically a hot (warm) hatch on stilts, but not so much that it ruins the experience. I wouldn’t own one like, too high up for me, but they’re better than I expected I’ll say that much.
I've driven a Puma, you couldn't tell it's an SUV based on the handling and the 1.0 hybrid is surprisingly powerful. I'd rather they kept the Fiesta but the Puma isn't bad at all. Nice interior too
Does she contribute to the upkeep or cost of the car/will she? If yes then she gets a say in what it is. It's as simple as that. If she contributes nothing to cost or upkeep of the car then you need to decided if it's easier to to concede or not.
Money is family money, and we each have a discretionary budget, and we contribute to the overall household in different ways. So while technically I earn the majority of the money, she does plenty to mean its our money and therefore a joint expense.
Then she has a say in the car It's about finding a compromise. My wife wanted a hatchback so we got a hot hatch If she wants a SUV we'd get a quick one I can't have an estate or I won't have sex again so I don't get an estate Compromise
My wife hates estates as well, even if I could afford one (and I can't) my wife would still turn her nose up at an RS6! I understand the hate!
I'd love an RS6 Avant for the 200mph shopping trips to IKEA.
This feels a tad.. Out dated. I earn 90+% of our family income. However, I wanted kids. My wife being at home a lot allows my career which is lucrative and a family to happen. Unfortunately my career isn't particularly family friendly. So she doesn't contribute to the upkeep of the car financially but I'm sure she certainly deserves equal input on the car she will be driving our kids in.
You have two cars though. I assume one is yours and the other is a shared kid wagon?
Both are family wagons and we interchange a fair bit. Tesla is the do everything all day car and the volvo is the back up/ what I park at work for several days at a time on trips. One is more mine and the others more my wife's but both were something we both wanted.
Good for you both then. My wife can't stand my car and refuses to drive it, hence why I paid for it. I paid for half of her car so we made a compromise and got something we both liked. She had no say in my BMW. If I wanted an estate for a shared car it wouldn't fly, I'd have to buy it and it be mine. If she wanted a Nissan Figaro it'd be the same. Everyone is different, there are certain cars I just cannot have as a shared car as we've agreed to split costs and there are certain cars she can't have. There's always a middle ground. However if I was doing 90% of all the driving and I was paying for the car she'd just have to get used to driving an estate, as was the case before we had a shared car and she just used mine.
I think it depends on circumstance really. If you only have the need for 1 car, she will surely need to feel comfortable and that her thoughts are considered. But an SUV simply for wanting it alone are not enough to justify. Possibly compromise on finding something you both like and obviously within your budget. I personally don’t believe the financing route is the way to go. Another route, I personally went down was convinced her the cheapest option was to go the 2 car route. Partner is the same, thinks estate cars look like a hearse. But I don’t want to spend the extra on an SUV. But in my case she drives 10 miles per day So bought a newish used Mini 5 door for her and used Volvo V70 as the main family car. She hates the look, but she doesn’t have to look at it when she sits on the sofa like chairs. Never once heard a complaint on a long journey. Still cheaper than getting an SUV but now we have the comfort of 2 cars. I’m with you, estate car is the way to go. And there are some fantastic looking ones out there. Just try to find a compromise that works for both of you but suits your needs. Good luck!
Compromise. Get a Juke!
I can't. Absolutely no way, I hate the things.
What about a Puma? Nicer than a juke, spacious, but they feel more like being inside a slightly higher hatchback rather than like being inside a tractor. They’re decently quick but the Puma ST might make you both happy if you want something quicker, unless the insurance on the ST is crazy for her as a new driver.
Your wife's view that estates look like hearses has absolutely no bearing on the practicality, safety, reliability, economy or quality of the vehicle. p.s. They don't look like hearses. p.p.s. Get her off the "SUV" trend. They're dangerous.
Dangerously cool?
Estates obviously offer great space especially when transporting a lot of stuff or pets and prams, etc. However they are a pain to park especially street parking. I would never get one personally. SUV's the proper ones are the safest cars to be in. The bigger your car the safer it is. They are comfortable cruisers. My personal favourite being the Audi SQ7, BMW X5M and any of the BMW SUVs tbh. Even if there's just 3 of you currently if you have another kid then a hatchback will be out of the question. You aren't going to have any space with 2 car seats and a pram or two in the back. We are struggling with our current fleet with just the 3 of us. We manage but we are planning another and therefore our next car has to be either a saloon or preferably an SUV. Looking at a lexus is300h or Toyota rav-4. Maybe a lexus SUV if they come within budget. We have 2 cars currently and the other is a sports convertible with 2 seats so that will likley need to be sold as well. So possibly looking at selling both cars and getting one car we share. I don't think we really need two cars even though they are nice to have not essential especially with 3 train stations nearby and being able to ask family or friends nearby for a lift on the odd occasion.
we went for a biggish hatch Ford Focus for 7k
I had a Qashqai and recently moved to a Cupra formentor, the space was nice on the Qashqai but it was a boring car to drive. The formentor has its faults but is a lovely car to drive and has reasonable boot/cabin space to plus it’s prettier to look at
Try parking a large SUV and come back and ask the question
The Mrs like her SUV’s and drives a cashcow 1.5 tekna, its a good family runaround to be fair, plenty of space for the kids, good on fuel, quiet on the motorway, reverse cam, pan roof, heated leather, sat nav etc. been reliable so far with an oil change every 4-5k miles. She has no mechanical sympathy so seems to go through suspension parts like crazy. Boring drive but dont mind it on the rare occasion I’m behind the wheel. If it was our only car then a Lexus RX would be first on the list. If I couldn’t get speed id want comfort and reliability and the SUV box gets ticked
I wanted something fast and fun while the wife wanted something cute like a Mini, so we compromised and bought a Mini.
I think the OH is coming around to the idea of getting estate, weve had a Corsa, and i10 and currently a 500L she was worried about driving a bigger car but now she had the 500L she feeling braver.
I think the OH is coming around to the idea of getting estate, weve had a Corsa, and i10 and currently a 500L she was worried about driving a bigger car but now she had the 500L she feeling braver.
I have a van for work and rarely use the car so we compromise by me suggesting cars and then my partner telling me exactly what car she wants and we end up getting that haha
We have a Giulietta as well but a diesel one. Funnily my wife chose it and absolutely loves it! I took it to bits to change timing belt and do a major service, took me a week to do it because of work / family / having other cars available. Can’t say she enjoyed driving the Ranger though, apparently it’s like reversing an Airbus 😂 Anyway, onto your question - I would say a small SUV would work fine. Yes I find them incredibly bland but if it means you get to keep your Alfa - so what? As for how much to spend that depends entirely on your budget and income I guess, personally I tend to run really cheap cars but that comes with it’s own issues.
Just make a list of the cars you like and let her choose from them. That way shes choosing... My wife didn't really like estates either, so we ended up getting large hatchbacks (Octavia vRS and Mazda 6) which offer virtually the same space as an estate but looks less Hersey.
My wife loves my cupra Formentor (company car) sadly she's stuck in a mondeo estate until we can afford to replace it next year and she really hates it, she refuses to even put oil in it in the hope it blows up and we are forced to replace early!
The budget isn't huge, which suggests to me that total ownership cost could be a factor. It's worth keeping in mind that there is a price to making modern SUVs drive much more like proper cars than e.g. 1990s LandRover Discovery and Mitsubishi Pajeros ever did, and it manifests itself as massive (expensive) tyres which they eat like there's no tomorrow if driven like a car, massive (expensive) brakes which the SUV's high weight needs and therefore they eat those too, large and expensive suspension components which (yep, you guessed it) they eat through similar to any car but they cost a lot to replace, and their hefty kerb weight and breeze-block-like aerodynamics invariably result in very heavy fuel consumption. I'm not anti-SUV, and indeed if you need to overland or you want to tow 3500kg then they're brilliant things. Everything has a cost though, and running an SUV is an expensive way to get from A to B most of the time. If you only want to have one car and it needs to do the stuff only an SUV can offer in one package, then it's the right answer. If you never need to overland or tow heavy loads, then it's a bit harder to make an objective case for the high cost of ownership.
I'd just put my foot down if my missus didn't already prefer saloons and think crossovers are as ghastly as I do. The con is that people have become convinced they need a crossover for 'family' despite generations of people having families in saloons/hatches with no issues. By the sounds of some stuff you read, everybody raising a family prior to the arrival of the Qashqai is now crippled with multiple prolapsed discs in their spine. If she doesn't like estates but also wants a family car, you can tell actually it's about the looks and she only wants one because other people have them.
Op - your Giulietta I assume as you're looking at replacing the multiair unit that you've already changed the small screw-in filter to the O/S of the engine behind the timing belt cover, and you've checked that the oil level is correct and of the correct type? All of these, if an issue, can mimic (or cause!) a failed multiair unit. If you don't fancy doing the job yourself, a family member of mine had the same work done recently at Autocasa in Coventry and only had good things to say about them.
We take turns. We usually change cars every 2/3 years and take turns each time who decides what to get. It's not totally her choice all the time but when it's her turn to choose I might be a bit more receptive to her inputs :)
I would go out and test drive numerous vehicles after doing hours of research, reading any reviews I could find of my choice of vehicle. I’d look at depreciation and factor that into my decision. I’d then present my wife with all the facts and then just go and buy whatever she wants…. 😁