# Dogs and small car???



## madmerle (Feb 10, 2012)

So this is kind of dog related 

I start learning to drive at the end of this year, and in my traditionally organised ways I have started to look at potential cars for when I pass my test. 

So far I have found:

Kia Picanto 
Honda Jazz

Both of these have folding rear seat to allow my doggies to be comfortable. 

I was wondering if anyone on pf drives a hatchback or similar, that has a big enough boot to fit 2 collies in, or has compleltly flat folding rear seats. Must be cheap to run and I dont want to have to take out a loan to pay for the insurance!!! hehe 

Ooh also must be 1.4l or less

Many thanks 
Madmerle xx


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## PoisonGirl (Oct 24, 2008)

My friend had a mini (new style) and a staffie who went in the boot quite comfortably 

We have a fiesta (it's 1.6 but I know you can get smaller engine sizes) and at a squish we fit 3 dogs (sitting) in the boot but plenty of room for 2 I should think?


I plan on getting a focus or a mondeo estate when I learn to drive though.


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## Barkley Star (Feb 10, 2012)

Just wanted to say that I have mine on the backseat with car harnesses that attach to the seat belt (after it has been done up) or the clicky thing that the belt goes in. It works really well for us! We use to have a saloon, so then it was a must, but now in a Meriva it works great too. I can see the dogs, they are secure and it's easy to load/unload, plus we have the boot ready for our stuff and shopping. It's also cheaper than getting a travelling cage and can be used in any car (get a blanket to protect the seats!).


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## Phoolf (Jun 13, 2012)

I put Kes on the back seat, I haven't brought a cover yet so it's now covered with muddy paw prints and hair but it works pretty well. She can see out the back, the sides, see what I'm up to and just sits there quickly strapped in. I only have a 1.2L Corsa, obviously if we had a car full she would either have to be on everyones laps or in the boot but I've yet to put her in the boot to be honest. I like to use that space for my shopping etc.


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## rona (Aug 18, 2011)

Have a look at the Skoda Fabia. Basically a VW but much cheaper.

The boot is the biggest you can get in a small hatch and you could even go to the estate version for a little more room.


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## madmerle (Feb 10, 2012)

thanks for the replies - i would really love an estate or a 4x4 but fuel and insurance costs dont factor in what i want!!!

Also as it will be my first car, i didnt want it to be too big - i think i will have a small hatch back first and then work up to a bigger car

I will have a look at a skoda fabia - thanks :001_smile:

Any other suggestions??? You cant all drive estates!!!


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## Thorne (May 11, 2009)

You should be able to fit 2 Collies into a VW Polo's boot if they like to sit, if not the seats do fold flat. Nice little cars, my mum has a 1.2 petrol one and I'm thinking about getting one myself.
I think Vauxhall Corsas have a decent sized boot as well!

ETA The Polo isn't too dear on tax and insurance but a 1.4 would probably be better on fuel than our one.


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## PoisonGirl (Oct 24, 2008)

What I reeally want, eventually, is an ex police dog van. 2nd and aswell as already kitted out for my dogs!


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## bluegirl (May 7, 2012)

Maybe you need to be asking the insurance companies what would be the best car for you to go for insurance wise and make your choice that way, that's what we had to do.
I don't know how old you are but we ended up having to buy a clio for our eldest son when he started to learn to drive at 17 because the insurance even as a named driver was ridiculous. When he passed we then wanted to consider giving him his own insurance but the "cheap £1800" price as a named driver doubled as a main driver. He was too young to drive our 4x4 and the honda was too powerful for him so again they couldn't insure. So insurance prices basically dictated what he could drive.


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## speug (Nov 1, 2011)

I put Angus (collie) on the back seat of my ford KA in a harness - way too much junk in the boot to put him there and it's not big enough in my opinion


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## MCWillow (Aug 26, 2011)

I've got a Clio, and while a dog could fit in the boot, I don't think a crate could. Personally I don't like dogs in boots unless they are crated - I would be worried sick about someone rear ending me and hurting the dog (even in a crate it would still worry me).

I would use a seatbelt harness and put them on the back seat


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## metaldog (Nov 11, 2009)

I've got a daewoo matiz, it' s super economical to run and insure. Pippi JRT Shannow and Bizkit have the back seat. However I can fit Bizkit and Shannow in the boot together so I can travel with three children in the car as well as me and three dogs.

It's amazing how much you can fit in my little car :lol:


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## toffee44 (Oct 21, 2011)

I have three largish dogs and a peugoet 106 admittingly I wouldnt want to take all three far but they regualry go out in my car.

Had a polo and corsa before that and a year of three dogs and no landrover....not sure how we coped!!


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## toffee44 (Oct 21, 2011)

Obv seats are down and I havea guard,otherwise Dylan likes to navigate!!


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## charlearose (Sep 18, 2011)

ok well we have six dogs 5 dogue de bordeauxs and one bullmastiff 
we are lucky in that we have 3 cars between me and dh 
dh has a new Cheverlot Captiva truck which he uses for week and which we use on weekend for the all the dogs we have a big ramp that we use to get dogs in /out of and put the seats down
i have ( dont laugh ) a mini cooper s and i can fit 2 dogs in there two with the seats down no probs and my dogs are big 12 stone and 11stone 

dh also has an audi tt convertible that has never had a dog in it at all in fact i rarely go in it in case i drop some rubbish in it so the dogs have no chance  


i see you mentioned 4by4 we used to have an old jeep that was great we bought is just for the dogs for about 800quid and it was tax exempt cos it was so bloody old insurance was pretty much the same as it is now and petrol cos we only used it on weekend wasnt much but it was a very reliable work horse that we had for 3 years so a good deal overall 
We then leased a new jeep which was fab but it got written off last year


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## pogo (Jul 25, 2011)

I have a peugeot 107 urban which is a 998cc engine but has plenty of power  

And the back seats fold down and i fit both boys behind a dog guard in there


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## bearcub (Jul 19, 2011)

I borrowed a Seat Ibiza recently and managed to fit my two dogs (Lab and Collie) in the boot. They were a bit squished though. They've been in the boot of a Skoda Fabia too. Can't help further than that as we've just bought an estate


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## AdMed (Apr 14, 2012)

bearcub said:


> I borrowed a Seat Ibiza recently and managed to fit my two dogs (Lab and Collie) in the boot. They were a bit squished though. They've been in the boot of a Skoda Fabia too. Can't help further than that as we've just bought an estate


Both the Ibiza and Fabia are effectively Polos with slightly different (and marginally bigger) body work. I had an Ibiza which I loved and would very much recommend!

Also to consider would be Peugeot 207 SW and the Renault Clio estate, both of those are effectively baby estate cars and both start with 1.4cc engines.

Otherwise what about Hyundai? Either the i20 or i30. The i20 is Fiesta sized and the i30 is Focus sized. The i30 starts with a 1.4 engine but the i20 has a 1.2.


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## Freddie and frank (Mar 26, 2012)

I used to have a ford focus when we first had Freddie and there was plenty of room. Was cheap to run too.
When we decided to get frank, we had a bigger 4x4. 
Just changed car but yet again we had to consider the boot size. Another 4x4 but cream interior..........
Black boot liner though.......phew :scared:


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## Tigerneko (Jan 2, 2009)

In sight of getting our 3rd dog in 6 weeks time, we have just bought a bigger car 

although all 3 dogs are only small (a Patterdale, a Border Terrier x and soon to be a Manchester Terrier) we want to ideally crate them all seperately, so decided to opt for something with LOTS of boot space. This is mainly my mum's car (my dad has a very big posh Mondeo, and although our two are okay in it, we can't fit more than 1 crate in the boot) and she is a nervous driver so didn't want anything too long like most estate cars. So she brought home a Renault Kangoo on Tuesday! It has sliding doors at the back, a HUGE boot, lots of storage space (including overhead storage like you have on a plane! Very cool ) and hopefully it'll be ideal! We haven't set the car up with the crates yet because it needs a VERY good clean but hopefully it should have all the space we need and more! All the seats can be folded down or taken out as well, so we basically have unlimited space  and it doesn't feel half as big as it is, it's like a Tardis! I would definitely recommend them for any multiple/big dog owner!


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## Doguiesrus (Apr 18, 2012)

I had l200 but didnt like dogs in that dont know why just didnt. My hubby bought a tranny van and we put all beds in and can fit all of pur massive dogs and terriers in! Its ideal! Haha problem solved buy a transit and you can buy a few more dogs too then! Hehe! Sorry carnt held carwise i have only ever had 4x4 Like discovery and defenders. I have a nice car bit strictly no pooch allowed x


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## Doguiesrus (Apr 18, 2012)

I had l200 but didnt like dogs in that dont know why just didnt. My hubby bought a tranny van and we put all beds in and can fit all of pur massive dogs and terriers in! Its ideal! Haha problem solved buy a transit and you can buy a few more dogs too then! Hehe! Sorry carnt held carwise i have only ever had 4x4 for the dogs like discovery and defenders. I have a nice car bit strictly no pooch allowed x


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## Doguiesrus (Apr 18, 2012)

I had l200 but didnt like dogs in that dont know why just didnt. My hubby bought a tranny van and we put all beds in and can fit all of pur massive dogs and terriers in! Its ideal! Haha problem solved buy a transit and you can buy a few more dogs too then! Hehe! Sorry carnt held carwise i have only ever had 4x4 for the dogs like discovery and defenders. I have a nice car bit strictly no pooch allowed x


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## JonoBeagle (Nov 1, 2011)

We have a 1.4 litre Polo. Small tanks they are... Cheapish to service; although I really ran it into the ground and did the drive shaft recently.

If they haven't been serviced recently, then they can eat the fuel a bit. Remember to check when the Cambelt was changed if second hand. If it snaps you could have a £1500 bill for pretty much a whole new engine.

In terms of space. Boris would easily fit in the back potentially with another dog so if they sit two collies would fit easily, and the seats fold down very neatly. 

Brilliant run abouts and good on the motorway as well. Only problem is Boris won't stop whining unless he is in a harness on the front seat so he can rest his head on my wrist when cruising.


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## newfiesmum (Apr 21, 2010)

Unless you have an estate car, your dog is far safer on the back seat. Hatchbacks are designed to collapse if they are hit from behind. My previous dogs were always on the back seat; now I have an estate car as these dogs are too big to fit in anything else.


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