SecondHandSense:HOW DO car dealers in the Republic compete with the significant price advantage offered in the North or across the water? Not very well is the obvious answer. We know that in 2007/2008 some 118,000 used cars were imported from the UK and this number shows every sign of increasing substantially this year and next. A colleague recently returned after a night in England with a fully equipped 2002 Volvo S40. With all taxes and duty paid, his savings amount to at least €2,000 on the asking price for a comparable car here.
His is not an isolated example and some dealers here have taken to pricing their second-hands to within perhaps €600-700 of the equivalent price for a car landed from the UK. The logic is to encourage customers to ask if travelling is really worth it.
However, this week’s car choice is not one to go running to the local dealer or airline website for. The Ford Galaxy built between 2000 and 2006 appears on the surface to be good value. In my view, it is not. It is a seven-seater and was built as a partnership deal with two other car companies, so it is the same as the Seat Alhambra and the Volkswagen Sharan.
The car is easy to drive but not to park. It rides and handles reasonably well. The last row of two seats weighs a ton and limits the boot space to that of a Fiat Cinquecento. The Alhambra and the Sharan were the same and this was one of the main problems addressed by Ford with the 2006 model.
The well-proven 1.9 diesel engine is the most popular and was supplied by Volkswagen. You will spot the odd 2.3 petrol engine but don’t pause long on that option. The interior is well finished and the car is reasonably well equipped, with extras such as anti-lock brakes and multiple airbags as standard. It does not have a EuroNCAP crash-test result but the Alahambra scored only three out of five stars. Reliability has been generally good but there have been recalls for faulty flywheels and exposed wiring on curtain airbags.
One dealer is offering a 2005 1.9 diesel with 70,000km on the clock for €19,900. Another is offering the ludicrous 2.3 petrol of the same year with 99,000km for €14,000. My advice is to wait for the 2006 model to get a little older.
STAR RATING:2/10