Time to replace the car

I have to confess that I've always liked new cars. It's just one of those things. I know everyone says you lose a lot of money as soon as you drive it away, but there's just something nice about the new car smell and being the first person to drive this particular car.

Anyway, my current car is four years old and in the past I've generally changed after three years. I kept this one an extra year because a friend of mine was interested in buying it last year but he didn't have the money and I couldn't find a deal I liked or a car I particularly wanted.

A year on he has the money so we set a price and now I need to look for a replacement. I need, or rather want, something with the carrying capacity to take Ally's stuff back and forth to university. I also like something that allows me to sit a little more upright. The Grandis, my current car, meets all these needs and has the added advantage of being the nicest people carrier I've driven. The rear row of seat are full size and fold into the floor. No other people carrier does this as far as I know.

So, my current shortlist include the Mazda 5, the Ford S-Max, and Nissan Qashqai+2. The Seat Altea XL is a five seat alternative, and in truth the extra row of seats in the S-Max and Nissan are useless unless you're under 7 years old. I could of course simply replace the Grandis with another Grandis, but I'm not sure I want to do that.

I've driven all but the Mazda so in the end it will probably come down to price and maybe even colour! I could be swayed on colour if the deal is too good on an S-Max I saw earlier! It was silver and I like black or red.