1998 Ford Galaxy GLX 2.3 petrol

Summary:

Loved her sorry to part

Faults:

Nothing went wrong.

Changed the wipers

Had a MOT.

General Comments:

The car was comfortable

Performed well for a big car

Family liked the space (they are tall except me)

Never missed a beat on a 750 mile journey stopped to take on fuel and comfort breaks, but not even a little water or oil needed!

Economy not bad for bid motor.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th May, 2006

1998 Ford Galaxy Ghia X 1.9 turbo diesel

Summary:

Brilliant for young families

Faults:

Very little has gone wrong.

A couple of electrical gremlins, fuses needing replaced etc, but nothing major.

It's rubbish in the snow.

General Comments:

I own a BMW 5 series and when my wife bought the galaxy as a 3 year old used car I had low expectations. I was aware that the Galaxy has often been placed low down - sometimes last! - in reliability surveys. However, it has turned out to be an extremely reliable and hardy family car.

It is economical - 40mpg average - and has enough torque for most driving conditions.

It is a great family car - loads of space. We have taken out the back two seats and used it as a large estate car. The boots swallows prams, buggies and luggage easily.

It has been utterly reliable - much more than my BMW - and the local dealer is brilliant.

Services cost and parts and much cheaper than I expected.

Second hand values aren't bad. Buy a Ghia or Ghia X.

Who cares if is isn't quite up to the build quality of prestige marques? MPV's are not cool, don't drive like cars and never will - so why waste your money on premium brands? Consider it a cheap, tough family bus that can take the abuse your kids will throw at it. We love it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 24th December, 2003

1998 Ford Galaxy GLX 2.3

Summary:

An excellent car for a big family and very good to drive, too

Faults:

Airbag fault: the "clock spring" wiring loom in the driver's steering wheel needed replacing.

Other than that only light bulbs.

Of course a 17 year-old in an Escort driving into the side of the car doing 50mph through our village with my wife and 2 daughters on board didn't help. The Galaxy did get badly damaged, but his car was a real mess. I was very glad my girls were in a Galaxy which showed itself to be a tough car and therefore a very good investment. It was repaired and drives perfectly.

General Comments:

Bought it from Belgium in 1998 and saved £5000 - off to a good start!

We have driven it on holiday to Spain twice and southern France once. We have 4 children, and the seating and room was very good although luggage space is limited (you do need a roof box).

The car with 2.3 petrol is a bit thirsty (27mpg) but surprisingly good performance.

I am very surprised by some of the bad reviews I read - I think that families on a tight budget spend a lot of money on these cars and are disappointed when the slightest thing goes wrong. I'm just glad my wife and daughters are still alive. And it's a jolly good car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 24th October, 2003

1998 Ford Galaxy Ghia X 2.3i

Summary:

Excellent family-shifter!

Faults:

Repeated shrieking noises from air-conditioning from 20000 miles onwards. Finally fixed by new bearing at 55000 miles.

Tonneau cover rewind mechanism failed at 10000 miles. Due to an apparent design change (which the dealers did not know about and could not cope with), Ford could not replace it, even though they tried 3 alternatives. This was still outstanding when the car moved on.

General Comments:

Excellent level of specification inside and out. (Why does the replacement not live up to this?)

Ideal for transporting anything from small children & bikes to christmas trees.

Air-conditioning fault was annoying and possibly the reason why the interior fogged up readily during heavy rain.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 24th January, 2002