If your definition of luxury is space, then the Ford Galaxy is definitely a luxury car, with room to carry up to seven people in real comfort. Launched in June 1995, early cars can now be bought for around £4,000 and with some careful checking can still provide many years of loyal service.

The Galaxy is available with a broad range of engines — 2, 2.3 and 2.8 litre petrol engines and a 1.9 litre diesel, which in various levels of tuning can deliver between 90bhp and 130bhp. Choosing the right engine is critical because the size of any large MPV inevitably increases weight and wind resistance.

Only the bravest owners should consider the V6 2.8 — it struggles, whether with manual or auto gearbox, to achieve 20mpg in mixed driving. The smaller petrol engines fare better, with the 2.3 litre's extra power giving it the edge over the 2 litre.

For many drivers the economy of a diesel is attractive but in a car that weighs nearly 1,700kg the entry-level 90bhp unit struggles with the load, and its good fuel economy provides scant compensation. If the budget will stretch then the latest 130bhp unit, introduced in December 2002, is superb, making the car feel positively sprightly and easily achieving 40mpg. However, settle for the less powerful 110bhp engine and you can go for an older car — a 2000 V model, say, which would be up to £6,000 cheaper.

The Galaxy's flexible seating arrangement means that when new it could be ordered with five, six or seven seats. For most buyers the three-row, seven-seat configuration is most desirable. Rear seats are easily removed, although you need to fit them back in exactly the same place or the seatbelts will not work. The rarer six-seat option gives the benefit of slightly larger individual seats for all passengers, each with armrests.

Check seven-seaters to make sure they are originals by looking for rear air vents. Some owners buy the five-seater and then add two seats, but the lack of rear vents makes this clear. The vents are important on a hot day so pay around £400 less for a car that has been converted.

Like most MPVs, the Galaxy struggles to solve the problem that passengers also carry luggage and with all seven seats occupied there is precious little boot space, but this can be solved with a roof rack.

When looking at used MPVs it's easy to get fixated on price but the practicalities of ownership soon bite: air-conditioning and electric windows are more useful and thus worth more in the second-hand market than alloy wheels and expensive stereos.

MPV interiors tend to take a hammering so check the condition carefully. Sweets can be cleaned out but cigarette burns mean a new seat cover, and that will be expensive.

In August 2000 Ford gave the Galaxy a facelift, sharpening its features, revising the interior and adding side airbags. It also offered an optional multimedia pack playing video, DVD and Sony PlayStation 2 on screens mounted in the backs of the front-seat headrests. Your kids will love it but at £1,800 extra on a new car it's a rare option to find — expect to pay around £500 extra for a used car with it fitted.

VITAL STATISTICS

Model Ford Galaxy 1.9 TDI 110
Engine Four-cylinder, 1896cc
Power 110bhp @ 4000rpm
Transmission Five-speed manual
Fuel 42.8mpg (combined)
Acceleration 0 to 60mph: 13.7sec
Top speed 107mph

High-level brake light Introduced in August 1997

Rear seat Heater vents on third row identify factory-original 7-seater cars

Exhaust Excessive smoke from diesel under acceleration may indicate a worn turbo - expensive to replace

Air-conditioning Not standard on all models but essential on a large MPV

Security Remote central locking and immobiliser standard on all cars

Insurance Used V6 2.8s may look cheap second-hand but are in group 15 for insurance purposes, and heavy on fuel. Others are as low as group 10

Front seats 180-degree swivelling captain's seats are a useful feature of higher-specification models

Airbags Driver's airbag is standard, passenger and side airbags are on higher-specification models

Steering wheel Height and rake adjustment are standard

Safety Galaxy scored three stars in Euro NCAP test

Automatic gearbox Four-speed on pre-facelift (2000) models, five-speed thereafter

Catalytic converter Check carefully as it's prone to failure on diesel models

Antilock braking Not standard on all cars prior to year 2000 facelift

THE ONE TO BUY

Ford Galaxy 1.9 TDI 110 Ghia 7-seater with manual gearbox. 2000 V-reg with 30,000 miles. Pay £11,850 at a dealer with a 12-month warranty £10,750 privately

OR FOR SIMILAR MONEY...

2001 X-reg Peugeot 806 HDi GLX 110
2001 Y-reg Fiat Ulysses 2.0 JTD EL 109
2001 X-reg Citro‘n Synergie 2.0 HDi 110
2000 X-reg SEAT Alhambra 1.9 TDi SE
1999 T-reg Mercedes-Benz V-class CDI









Five-seat models worth less than seven-seaters. Source: estimates based on confidential CAP black book prices. 'Trade' is what a dealer would pay to buy your car; 'retail' is what you would pay a dealer