Hi all, first post here, sorry in advance because it's probably going to be long!! I've signed up because I'm really interested in looking at an S-Max or Galaxy. I know it's not a great topic but hopefully you Ford folks know a bit about them.

We have three kids, one is in a baby seat and one in a booster so our Vx Vectra just isn't cutting it any more. We're going for 7 seats so the kids can bring a friend along on days out etc. We're planning on buying a big tent this year so boot space with the seats down has to be decent.

My problem with car buying is that I'm poor lol. I've got £6k to spend and won't spend a penny more, I don't want to add finance so that's all I have to play with..... trouble is, I'm doubting that it's gonna be enough to see me in a Ford. I'm being cautious because it's taken a while to save the cash and the car will need to last for a good 4 years.

After looking at a lot of other MPVs the only other option I'd go for is French, which I'd prefer not to tbh. I personally think the best of the French is the the C4 Grand Picasso but it's let down a bit by only coming with a 110bhp 1.6HDi manual, the rest are semi auto crap. Still a nice, functional family car that happily keeps up with traffic, even if it's a bit dull.

So, to the point!! There are plenty of 06/07 S-Max's out there for £6k but they're all carrying a lot of miles. There's one I'm considering taking a look at but it could be an epic mistake. 06 2.0tdci Tit 138k recent clutch and dmf, cam belt and water pump, recon turbo. I don't know how it's gathered those miles, could be lots and lots of shopping! Hopefully not.

Now, in my mind that car "could" turn out to be a better buy than a 90k car, a lot of the expensive jobs have come and gone so they should be good for another chunk of miles. The concerning things are suspension/bushes, gearbox, electrics and general wear and tear. I'm fortunate that I do all of my own work so labour costs are generally very few and very far between.

If anyone can offer some advice on buying old high mileage S-Max's or Galaxy's I've very much appreciated it.

What would you do in my dire situation?

 

Like you said, a lot of work has been done on your 138k example.

So long as it's been well looked after, should get another few miles out of the engine and running gear. The other bits and bobs? That's always a gamble.

I do agree with on the going French thing...bleugh!!
(Saying that, my Dad had an old Xantia estate with 100-and-something k on the clock...engine was still strong as an ox, was just the hydraulic suspension that let go in the end)

 

2.0tdci (which is same as a pug/citreon 2.0hdi) and is far better than the 1.6hdi which is the same as the woeful ford 1.6tdci. The best best for high miles would be to find the less common ford 1.8tdci. Which is a very strong engine.

Galaxy and S-Max are 's-platform' cars, same chassis and susspension underneath as a mondeo, so they're good for high miles.

 

Thanks for that guys.

What is it that gives the 1.8tdci the edge? Or should I ask, what problems/weak areas are to be expected on the 2.0tdci? Is it internal wear?

Being the 's platform' do they share literately everything from the underside of a mondy? bushes, arms, brakes etc?

 

I'm off to look at the high miler this evening. I'm really hoping it's a goodun!

Is there anything in particular I should be looking out for? Water/oil/fuel leak areas? Any suspension parts prone to excessive wear? Dodgy trim? Electrics?

Thanks again.

 

I spent a similar amount on a Mk4 Mondeo 2.0 TDCi last year, and it's going to clock 130K any day now. It's been faultless and I wouldn't hesitate to buy another at that mileage - especially as the DMF has been done on 'yours'.

I know the_frozen_one prefers the 1.8, but have a look on Talkford.com and see the number of problems with the 1.8, over the 2.0. There are a lot more troublesome 1.8s out there, and a lot more 2.0s in existence, so I'd personally recommend the larger engine.

Bear in mind that time kills car as much as mileage - and as it's still relatively new, bushes and perishable parts will still be fine.
Mine did need new rear arm bushes (big bastards) but it's a known weakness on Mondeos, and especially estates.

 

hehehe hello again Dan