1998 Ford Galaxy Ghia X 1.9 turbo diesel from UK and Ireland

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 from UK and Ireland

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

23rd Sep 2026, 12:45

Your review ought to be seen by all those vintage car enthusiasts who keep saying that cars used to be better back in the day.

Clearly, those people never took safety into account. I am so glad for your family (and your daughters in particular) that they walked away unharmed from a crash caused by a reckless teenager driving a piece of junk.

If you hadn't been driving a modern car like the Galaxy, which saved your daughters' lives, who knows what might have happened in that accident.

For me, cars from the 90s and early 2000s were the best. They ushered in the modern era while remaining just as reliable as the older models. I’m never going to put cars on a pedestal if they’d catch fire from merely brushing against a bicycle. Yet those were the so-called "old-school cars."

That kind of vehicle is fine if every driver is responsible, but sadly that isn't the case; if some reckless idiot suddenly crashes into you, you’ll be grateful to have a modern, safe car.