These are the cars we owned since 1991. Read on after the pictures.
Car stories
1981: Renault 5
1985: Citroen 2CV
1991: Citroen BX14
My first car for just HFL 2000. We actually rode the car on our wedding day!
1995: Citroen BX16
After numerous repairs at the local shop, we got a chance to buy my dad’s 1991 gen 2 BX. On our way to Hungary!
1998: Citroen ZX Aura
2001: Nissan Sunny Wagon
2004: Pontiac Trans Sport #1
We got ourselves a 1994 Pontiac TransSport. Happy driving since June 2004 after changing the spark plug cables.
Petrol consumption 1 litre in 8.5 kilometers up to (accell slowly!) 1 in 10.
Wikipedia has more on the origin of the peculiar design of the first generation Pontiac TransSport, a.k.a. "Dustbuster".
2006: Chevrolet Trans Sport #2
Just before the 2006 summer holidays, our 1994 Pontiac TransSport failed the Periodic Car Test. So we shopped around and found: a next generation TransSport, labeled Chevrolet in Europe since 1998.
Here are the specs (misleadingly, stating options that weren’t available till 1999):
- Bouwjaar: 1998
- Carrosserie: mpv
- Brandstof: benzine
- Kleur: groen metallic
- Kilometerstand: 149.435
- Deuren: 5
- Extra's: automaat, vierwielaandrijving (4x4), ABS, airconditioning, stuurbekrachtiging, cruise control, airbags voor, traction control, centrale vergrendeling, elektrische ramen, startonderbreker, elektrisch verstelbare voorstoelen, spiegels verwarmd, warmtewerend glas, radio/cd-speler, lichtmetalen velgen, trekhaak, (veilig), (wijzigingen enof invoerfouten voorbehouden), 7-persoons, audio met wisselaar, bagagenet, bekerhouders achterin, bekerhouders voorin, centrale deurvergrendeling afstandbediend, deelbare achterbank (gelijke delen), electrisch bediende zijdeur rechts, electrisch uitzetbare zijramen, electrisch verstelbare buitenspiegels, electrisch verstelbare voorstoelen, in hoogte verstelbaar stuur, in hoogte verstelbare 3 punt gordels, in hoogte verstelbare bestuurderstoel, in hoogte verstelbare koplampen, instructieboekjes aanwezig, lederen stuurwiel, lendensteun in beide voorstoelen, metallic lak, nationale autopas, niveau regeling, roof rails, rookvrije auto, schuifdeur links en rechts, start onderbreking, zij-airbags voor, airbags voor, leren bekleding, middenarm
Got it for € 7.500 with a € 1.000 trade in for the 1994 minivan. In 2009 I finally got to install working rear parking sensors with a camera. That’s handy!
2013: Chevrolet Trans Sport #3
After the fuel lines started to leak, we decided to buy a new car. Seating for 6 led to the last 2005 edition of the same Chevrolet model, equipped with Versatrak all-wheel drive.
However, it begged for a new transmission in 2015. Two years on, sold the car for scrap in August 2017.
2017-2021: Greenwheels Up
Bleek dat we helemaal geen (eigen) auto nodig hadden! Genoeg andere vormen van mobiliteit beschikbaar, als je centraal woont.
2021: Nissan e-NV200 “Evalia”
After 3 years without owning a car, using a compact GreenWheels now and then, we moved to the countryside and found a 2014 Nissan Evalia e-nv200 full electric minivan. It is based on the Nissan Leaf and has a characteristic, Tokyo styled body. It stands out of the crowd and allowed to move 3x3 banana boxes full of stuff on the second row alone when we moved house!
To improve the range from 90 km on 24 kWh to 40 kWh we had an upgrade from Muxsan in Delft installed in the rear. At the end of 2025, we had 160,000 km on the odometer! But the batteries deteriorated a lot, 130 instead of 200 km on a full charge, so it was time for a trade-in.
2026: Ford Tourneo Connect PHEV
We had a lot of experience charging the Evalia with the exotic Chademo, where the new standard in Europe definitely is CCS nowadays.
What struck us, was that along the highway, the fast-charging stations still have an unwelcoming ambiancy, especially after dark.
It can be nice, but you never can tell. Solo drivers, whether female or male, may prefer the flexibility to continue to the next station when a location looks wrong.
That experience led our family to look for a Plug-in Hybrid, but one with enough pure EV range to reduce our CO2 footprint.
So we test-drove EVs with a range extender, like the Mazda MX30-R, and the Volkswagen Golf E-Hybrid PHEV. But they all lacked the high driving position we were used to in all our minivans.
By pure chance, on one of those trips, we entered a Ford-dealership and exactly on the boundary between utility van and passenger car zones, we spotted this Tourneo Connect PHEV 7 seater. The sales guy admitted it is a Volkswagen Caddy Maxi eHybrid in disguise. Both are built in the same factory in Poland and the key fof and steering wheel make no effort to hide their origin. Technically, the car is based on the same base as the VW Golf 8, so we get all that refinement in a boxy shape. Apart from the huge space, the hybrid drive train and superior suspension exceeded everything we were used to in the Evalia, so we went for it.
A full 20 kWh charge gets you some 60 km in winter at 0˚C, cruising at 80-97 km/h. Not the promised 100+ km EV range from the WLTP leaflet. The heated front seats and steering wheel are really nice and don’t use that much juice, as we knew from the Nissan. The Climate Control/AC set to 20˚C might be the culprit. Let’s see what spring will bring.