[Closed] Old or new Galaxy (or van)

"I can't get past an old Galaxy/sharan/Alhambra in 1.9tdi guise for value and known issues."

Which could just as easily develop 2k worth of work in the next few months.

Like wise a newer model with higher milage.

Its a double edged sword.

Had a new shape Galaxy as a work car for a while.. great alternative to a van (if you have kids for example)

loads of room for bikes without any need to remove wheels with all seats folded and nice to drive in 2.0TDI auto format. Basic zetec model has all of the toys you need (air con etc.)

recommended

@matt have a mate but a diesel Galaxy and he loves it, it swallows bikes and camping kit with seats out and the interior is very flexible. It's the vehicle of choice for a road trip. He has chipped the engine fir more bhp and economy. I recall they all share the VAG diesel which is a great motor. The van comparison is all about image IMO, you don't win any cool points with a people carrier but it's a more comfortable drive and can be used to carry people when required 😉

Also - whats it needing for 2k ?

assuming its not consumables such as pads/disks/timing belt /filters and fluids - whats actually broken ?

Or is it a thinly veiled excuse for the mrs for a different car ?

If the latter , get the car that fits your needs and budget but be aware that your probably going to spend money repairing it at the age your looking - this works out well if your handy with your hands, if your paying a garage it will bankrupt you.

Vw parts cost a fortune.

Touran needs tyres, discs and pads all round. Front suspension links both sides, dampers on front, next service needs cam belt. It also is rusting all over tailgate and a (replaced after bump) front wing.
The last worry is that it had a new clutch at 20k when we bought it, and it slipped on me this week (at 140k). Feels like the final straw if that went on top of everything else.

I'd service the Touran myself, all the discs and pads are simple easy things to do and you could buy a replacement car and have to exactly the same again!

What's the budget for a replacement?

The windscreen wipers are known fault as well as the turbos I believe.

Budget for replacement would be @£6k,poss bit more.

Had a new shape Galaxy as a company car a few years ago. Diesel version. Lovely car, great to drive (almost carlike in terms of handling and ride), loads of space and the seats fold flat into the floor, so no faffing around with removing/replacing seats.

I looked seriously at old shape Galaxies a couple of months back, albeit my budget was 1.5k - 2k. Ended up getting a Mondeo Estate off someone on here, but they do look like lovely cars and there are a lot of people that swear by them. The old shapes are essentially the VW Sharan with a different badge and interior trim, so are pretty reliable. Whilst VW and Ford switched to new shape in about 2006, Seat continued making the old shape Alhambra until 2010. I'm told you can get some fantastic deals on relatively low mileage old shape Alhambras (compared to what the same age/mileage Galaxy would be)

Have you looked at milage and condition of a 6k cars recently

Im in the market for similar atm and have not been impressed with whats on offer. - i usually buy at the arse of the market for sub 2k and fix my self (and will continue to do so for my self) but mrs t-r has the mechanical thought process than turning up the radio makes all issues go away...hence new and warrentied is looking appealing. It seems that 5-6 k is the normal consumer market as they believe its enough to not buy junk and sellers know this. All manor of junk to sift though at that price- ok im used to sifting through junk but im alot more willing to put shocks and springs and bushes on a 2k car than i am a 6k car- also seems to be alot less competition and more room to haggle on a >2k car than a 6k car

Hence why im away to look at new dacias this afternoon.

Or the proverbial 10k Vauxhall Zafira. For a new car it's a fantastic price!

Except that was a1.6 16 v petrol and taxed and mpg as such

10k dacias a 1.5 dci renault engine thats 0rated for tax and about 55-60mpg

I know the vaux drives crap ive hired enough of them , so the dacia doesnt have to do much better. Both will fall apart quite quick im sure - my hire cars certainly havnt been the best built.

Ps im not saying go buy a new car , im just saying be aware that the 6 k car market can be a dangerous place. Cars too expensive to dispose of if they go tits up but too cheap to be worth the work tht needs doing if you get one of the many tarted up lemons that are around that market.

I agree on the worry about £6k cars - we haven't been and seen any yet.. 😕

We also have been chatting for a couple of years about getting a hoofing big car / van to ship bikes, boys and boats around with.

If we had the money, I would splash out on a crew van thing.

You can get the diesel version for 11k though, and I didn't think they drove that bad, but never been a fan of the way Vauxhalls drive though.

I wont touch one of those old Zafira's - I can't sit in one without being in agony from sciatic nerve......

[quote=matt_outandabout ]Budget for replacement would be @£6k,poss bit more.

Is that including £1-2k for repairs, or have you got that in addition?

I'm with trail_rat on this to some extent - my "new" car cost me £4k for a 4.5yo Mondeo with 120k on the clock. So far I've spent £1k on replacing the DMF/clutch and I've fitted new tyres all round. Still need to get the cambelt done. At which point all the most likely high expense things are new so I've got a better car than spending the same money just buying a car which might need all those things fixing anyway (though all the 4yo new shape Mondeos with <100k on the clock were actually around the £8k mark).

Mee too matt , i drove a vito dualiner long and its exactly the car i need in my life .

How ever , i do not want to become a slave to the car loan to pay for it nor put up with it for the rest of my driving. Lots of empty space to haul around for the rest of my trips.

Maybe once ive paid the mortgage off.

For now i stuck a clutch in my van - figured i cant buy anything reliable for the 3-500 quid a clutch costs.

Im annoyed at the frontera though , its had new tires , new suspension , new brakes and brake lines , new steering rack (after a crash) new bushes in alot of the suspension .... Solid motor , just beat up

Because of the crash , mrs t-r refuses to drive it 🙁

We have a W reg Galaxy - pretty much bomb proof really. Looks very tatty now (ex taxi and pushing 200,000 miles). Only issues are the aircon(very common) and windscreen wipers (also common).

The new one has seats that fold into the floor, whereas the older one you have to remove (and store) them somewhere - they are very heavy and a bit of a pain to fit and remove if you do it a lot.

had an old shape 52 plate 1.9Tdi generally positive - got rid of because of aircon problems which think are well known, like a green house without and no good with kids - only car ever had that actually does better mpg than published - one we had you could turn the front seats round - good for picnics and camping - talking about camping recall having to remove fuse for courtesy lights as would flatten battery if kids kept opening doors 😥

I'd spent some time looking for a Toyota Previa or import equivalent

54' TDi Galaxy here.
Ace car. Just so practical. Swallows bikes, kids etc. Av mpg is 35mpg, but lots better on a run.
Plenty of issues, but mostly niggles rather than big bills. Clutch & turbos are no less reliable than any other modern diesel. The DMF's are tougher than Fords TDCi by all account. Avoid auto gearboxes like the plague. AC fault is usually a corroded pipe. A trick fix, but not a pricey one in terms of parts cost. Wipers can seize over summer, just a case of freeing them off. Front suspension suffers, as it's a 1800kg car that spends it's life bouncing over speed humps. Drop links cost £10 a side & take 20mins to fix. I've just put complete new driveshafts on mine for less than £100. Cam belt (& water pump & tensioner while the belt is off), for ours this Summer. Biggest pain...electric windows. Complete loom goes from pillar to drivers door, & the wires chaff & short. Again, just a fiddly fix.
Get one. Don't worry about mileage & keep a contingency for repairs.

Have to say though...who has quoted you £2k for those repairs ?
Timing belt is about £350.
New shocks & brakes shouldn't set you back more than £500-600.

How ever , i do not want to become a slave to the car loan to pay for it nor put up with it for the rest of my driving.

Hence the agonising over a 'cheaper' way of having a car.
I need it for work, and could not have it being unreliable.
But, i do not want some silly £400+ loan or repayment on a new car. Brother in law does, wont use it to commute as he can only do 8k a year mileage, and is paranoid when the kids go near it - and then hands over a huge chunk of salary for the privilege. Nuts.