A friend this week referred some customers to me who had just unexpectedly extended their family. The extra one they were expecting actually became 2(!) So they were looking for a suitable MPV with the extra space they require from their new family vehicle.
The usual criteria were applied, as much car as possible for as little money for the lowest mileage etc, but hey I love a challenge! The budget was £2,000 so the choice was slightly limited and in my experience because of the sheer nature of the usage of an MPV the cars themselves can be very hit and miss, with various stains and tears on the interiors not to mention old food laying in foot wells, I think you get the picture.
So after looking at a Renault Megane Scenic (too small) and a Vauxhall Zafira (a bit too scruffy) we finally found a Ford Galaxy 2.3 petrol on a Y plate which had covered 56,000 miles had a good service history, 7 seats and was in a nice metallic.
Now I wouldn’t normally recommend a big 2.3 petrol engine car as, especially in the current climate, this car is the absolute classic example of high maintenance costs, high insurance and extortionate road fund licence costs, so why choose this? Well after working out how much usage the car would have, which would be mainly the school run and some weekends, the annual mileage was as low as 6,000, the spec was just what the family needed but most importantly the price we arrived at was a debt-busting £1,800. The price also included a 3 month warranty and once this was weighed up the car became a sound choice, as if they kept the car for 3 years and were lucky with servicing costs and general maintenance then the car will be still worth around a £1000. When you consider that not only was this car around £18,000 when new but in 7 years the car has already depreciated as much as it probably will and before the “crunch” the same car will have made more like £4,500 you are looking at a bargain.
The tip therefore is make sure you research your model and budget and compare the costs with the price.
It is not always as it seems and, in this case it has even surprised me. We have some happy customers and hopefully they will have many years of happy motoring, whilst watching their new brood destroy the inside of their sparkling Galaxy!
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