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Hi, I am looking to upgrade my 1998 Toyota Camry station wagon to a second hand 7 seater. My budget is $12-20k. The four most important features of my next car would be fuel efficiency (ideally better than what I have now), safety (easy to be better than what I have now lol), the layout of the third row of seats, and that there is some reasonable boot space. I have three children and they will soon all need a "corner" seatbelt so one child will be permanently using one seat in the third row. I don't mind if the middle seat of the second row is a small one with a lap belt. An SUV will probably be out because of the fuel economy ...? If not then I quite like Ford Territory, Subaru Tribeca, or Volvo XC90. Re cars, I'm looking at Toyota Mark X, Mazda Premacy, or Toyota Ipsum. Do you have any recommendations or comments about these options? Many thanks.

The Mazda Premacy 2.0L & 2.3L (MPV) and Mitsubishi Outlander 2.4L (SUV) petrol vehicles are good vehicles with the option of seven seats. The fuel economy on the 2.4L Outlander is around 9.0L/100km for a combined drive cycle which is similar to the Mazda Premacy - so it's worth considering the SUV too. The Toyota Ipsum with the 1.8L engine is also worth considering.

The other vehicles you have mentioned are thirstier and will likely have high mileage in this price range. A low mileage vehicle with a good service record is important.