I'm in the market for a second-hand large, robust MPV for the family and I can't find a decent low mileage Previa for sensible money...so...looking at the latest "Which" car guide I notice that the Seat Alhambra is described as "worth considering". Looking at past years' copies of the Which guide I notice that the Alhambra consistently comes out ahead of both the Sharan and Galaxy in terms of customer satisfaction. Why is this? I thought they were all the same vehicle off the same production line just with a different badge and trim? Can anyone explain why the Alhambra should be so much more favoured to Which readers? I only ask because it looks like second hand Galaxy and Sharans are relatively common...
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Last months or maybe the months before Car Mechanics had an article on buying one & they've just bought one. Worth buying the current copy anyway as they've just found out it's been seriously clocked TWICE & has a load of issues. All Alhambras are diesels, they do make the comment that the best buy is the 2.3 Petrol or the faster diesel. All built in the same factory in spain & tend to have various issues.
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Doesn't make a good advert for that publication if they have bought a double clocked car!!
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I haven't read Car Mechanics for a long time and I'm a bit doubtful of some of their car buying advice. They used to buy 'project cars' to work on and would say what good value a particular model was, how sturdy and robust it was etc etc and then proceed to discover numerous faults that they hadn't previously noticed!
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>>Can anyone explain why the Alhambra should be so much more favoured to Which readers? I only ask because it looks like second hand Galaxy and Sharans are relatively common>>
Expecations, people have a lower expecation of Seat than VW or Ford so are more satisified with the same product.
There are differences, Alhambras have a lot of standard kit, the Galaxy with the 2.3 4 cyl is probably the best petrol option, the 1.8t is more thirsty IIRC, the Alhambra now has the new 2.0 TDI 140 option though IIRC the Sharan makes do with the 1.9 TDi 130 still, perhaps a new Sharan will be along before the new Alamabra. However the Galaxy was available with the 1.9 TDi 150 from the Golf / Bora thus was the most powerful diesel variant, I say was beacuse there is of course now an all new Ford built Galaxy.
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If you're not doing lots of miles then go for the 2.3 petrol, if you are get a deisel, but make sure its at least 130bhp.
Other than that, buy on condition, I don't think there's enough of a difference in them to make one more worthwhile than another.
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I read often, only post occasionally
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One of my brothers had a VW Sharan and two Ford Galaxys. He will swear to this day the VW was better built etc. and the Ford's had faults...
Maybe the same production line and assembly staff but are they built to the same standards....? And are all items common in terms of quality etc.
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Doesn't make a good advert for that publication if they have bought a double clocked car!!
to be fair to the magazine they bought it at auction and it came as a trade in from a reputable company so without doing a full hpi before they bought there wasnt much they could really do
there was an article not so long ago on watchdog where the galaxy was britains most clocked car
sober thoughts for anyone buying uncharted auction cars
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>>And are all items common in terms of quality etc.>>
No, although they were produced on the same production line, the interiors, engines etc were all different.
The Alhambra was rated the best buy because it was cheaper, yet still had many of the attributes of the VW range.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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>>if you are get a diesel, but make sure it's at least 130bhp.
Not sure what more recent engine options are but I had a tdi 90 Galaxy from 1996-98 - it kept up with the traffic, and after a couple of weeks I didn't notice how slow it was. I have always found that I 'normalise' to whatever I drive after short period. I should think the 110 would be fine unless the OP is competitive in which case no Galaxy will satisfy! IIRC it did about 40mpg as well. Two faults in 40,000 miles - the lighting control stalk fell apart early on, then no problems until the electrics went completely haywire as well - a water leak had submerged the control unit under the cabin floor (I don't think they put it there any more).
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Surely the idea of a project car is to find and fix faults, and turn it into a going concern again, and show Average Joes, like you lot, what the common problems are and how to put them right cheaply...Be pretty boring if the bought an unmolested perfect car wouldn't it?
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Oh I don't know posh lad, you could devote a good few pages to hoovering out the rear load compartment. The following month you could clean inside the filler flap. The next checking the fuses, not that any would be blown you understand. I could learn a lot, well worth a subscription ;-)
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Or fitting a towbar or a dog grill, and polish it, some real brain stretching stuff like
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Surely the idea of a project car is to find and fix faults, and turn it into a going concern again, and show Average Joes, like you lot, what the common problems are and how to put them right cheaply...Be pretty boring if the bought an unmolested perfect car wouldn't it?
Yes, that's true. What I was saying though was that they would give a glowing description of the 'exellent buy' they'd just got at auction at the start of the project series and then proceed to find all manner of faults - i.e. they'd misjudged their purchase somewhat. I think the last one I read involved a Diesel Pug that was a 'bargain buy' from auction but then they had to replace the head (twice !) and still didn't manage to cure an overheating problem. Probably ended up costing more than from a dealer forecourt!
Having said all that I'm glad they're still in business and educating DIY'ers - especially when it comes to electronics.
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Expecations, people have a lower expecation of Seat than VW or Ford so are more satisified with the same product.
That's an old argument that was used when MB and VW quality started to fall a few years back and I think its been discredited. I don't think people have lower expectations of companies like SEAT and Skoda than of, say, Ford. It probably has something to do with dealer service, which SEAT owners rate more highly than do VW and Ford owners. If you have a problem and the dealer attends to it swiftly and proficiently then you are more likely to be satisfied with the vehicle.
In 2000 a friend of mine bought a new Sharan. By 2003 he'd had a few minor problems, but at 40k miles the rubbery coating on some of the trim started to peel off and the steering wheel also started to come apart. Since it was still under warranty it ended up with the VW 'regional engineer' looking at it - but he decided this fault wasn't covered by the warranty! So my friend had a car less than 3 years old, about 40k miles, costing over £20k and the trim was coming apart - he wasn't happy with VW.
Mind you, he's a glutton for punishment, he traded it for a Disco which has been even more grief.
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>> Expecations, people have a lower expecation of Seat than VW or >> Ford so are more satisified with the same product. >> That's an old argument that was used when MB and VW quality started to fall a few years back and I think its been discredited. I don't think people have lower expectations of companies like SEAT and Skoda than of, say, Ford. >>
I think it still stands. Though the Seat / Skoda comparison with VW is most relevant, Ford is only in the equation re the Galaxy.
I know a few Seat owners, one when spouting on about how good a car their Ibiza is was even more impressed when told that it shared components with VW and Audis. This is even more the case when it comes to Skodas and owners who know little about cars. Another Seat driver who has an Alamabra and has had a couple of problems has intimated to me that they would have given the dealer a bigger ear bashing if it had been a Sharan or Galaxy because the car would have cost more to buy. Fair enough I guess in a respect.
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I know several Galaxy owners;virtually all their problems have been on VW designed/supplied items-for example trim,electrical and suspension(broken springs).
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