USED Ford Galaxy MPV (06 - )

My car

I have only had the car for about a month but we all really like it. The 2.0TDi engine is very lively despite the large dimensions of the car.

There is a little body roll compared to my last car (Mazda 6 estate) but not enough to worry about.

Overall quality is very good, one small gripe being that there is a little rattle on bumpy surfaces which I think comes from the seat belt height adjuster but I'm not absolutely sure. Also, I have the rear seat DVD package and the positioning of the DVD player (under the passenger seat) is a pain.

I was considering a Volvo V70 at the time of purchase but chose the Galaxy as the space it offered was unbeatable. So far I feel that I have made the right choice and the rather long wait (from the beginning of October to the beginning of February) was definately worth it.

My car

Our new Galaxy was supposed to be a change from 4 kias(3 Sedonas). Our kias were excellent. But then came disapointment from Ford. On collection the dealer had two different sets of keys for the car but we volunteered to return to pick them up when they found them. Then in 3 months of ownership we discovered the following. 1. Rear door rubber trim constantly falling off. 2. Poor carpet trim/fit. 3. Serious turbo lag ( We find great difficulty cruising at 30mph eg. first nothing then were going like "a bat out of.." scary!). 4. Mega clatter from engine on starting if clutch not depressed and all dashboard lights extinguished. 5. Clutch smell(burning) on hill starts. 6. Sixth gear inoperable at less than 80mph+ 7. Emmission problem (probably due to management syst probs.) 8. Engine cuts out at motorway speeds. 9. Total electrical failure on Dec. 27th. RAC attends. 10.Rear wiper not in contact with glass 11.Rear tail lights visible inside cabin at night (off putting at night). 12.Worst designed alloys for ease of cleaning (by hand/powerwash/ car wash) I have ever experienced. 13.Puncture repair kit replacing the spare wheel. We have now covered 3.5k miles but as the car is contract hired we are returning it as the dealer/ford has failed to rectify these faults. Its a shame because it looks a great car, but as the old saying goes, "never judge a book by it's cover".

My car

Since owning 3 previous Galaxies, we took delivery of the all new Galaxy Zetec 1.8 TDI 125 BHP in November. We were happy with the new shape and facia, we were impressed by the 1.8 TDI engine, it drove like a petrol engine. We got the car through Motability for our handicapped son. After having it for approximately 5 days our viewpoint of the all new Galaxy changed. The quality of the interior was poor unlike the former Galaxies we owned, the seats were not as comfortable. On inspection of the seats they are much thinner and cheaper made. One very bad point which we drew to the attention of the dealership, was the rear headrests could only be down or fully up - no intermediates, which was no good for children, and no good for our handicapped son. Taking delivery the first sign of poor quality was that the rubber seal surrounding the rear door was hanging off, the carpets at the front were poorly cut and showed the metal on the floor. Unlike the other Galaxy you couldn't lift the drinks trays up without your knees being seriously in the way, this was due to the seats being smaller and not as much leg room as in the older style Galaxy. We have since terminated this vehicle in favour of the older model. Long live Volkswagon!!

My car

This car was a replacement for my wife's 14 year old Vauxhall Corsa which I had bought for £700 when she passed her driving test last year.

To keep costs down we bought the base model (+ ESP and Alarm) but this more than met our needs. My first experience was when I picked up the car from Ashton-Under-Lyne and drove home to Bilston.

The clutch is very light, gear change is smooth and generally its easy to control. While driving I noticed the speed is very deceptive, ie driving at 60 actually feels like 40 and there is an erg to put your foot down. Fuel economy seems good, after filling the tank and doing the 90 mile trek home the needle had hardly budged, saying that I was driving at 60, didn't want to push the engine too hard while new.

Other cars I considered were the S-MAX, Zafira, Toyota Verso, Voyager and Mazda 5 but these didn't do it for me.

I like the space, looks and drive, my only problem is where's the spare wheel. I believe people will be put off by this and it is a confidence hitter when doing long journeys.

I've had the car 3 days and except for the spare wheel issue I'm thoroughly happy with my choice.