Hi all I am lookin to buy a people carrier and was wondering what the differance between the galaxy and sharan are as i thought they were virtually the same but the ford is cheaper to tax. Are there any advantages of owning any of them and are there anything to look out for when viewing them. I am looking for a 2002 to 2004 model. Many thanks Dave

well the petrol versions are different from 1 another,dont forget the alhambra is the same as well.

the tdi versions of all cars have the 1.9tdi engines from vw,about 90% of tdi ford galaxy's are vw sharans,

some ecu's wiring and badges are fords.probably the same with the alhambra.

best to go for a manuel tdi,as there does seem to be a lot of problems with the auto's across the ranges,

my old mk2 ghia tdi was good for nearly 60 mpg.the petrol versions are a tad juicy and cost more on the r/f/tax.

remember these cars are nearly 2 tonnes.

Watch out for air con issues and front suspension

Watch out for air con issues and front suspension

forgot,also if going for a tdi,make sure the auxhillary booster heater works.

HI thanks for the replys but can you tell me what the auxhillary booster heater is and how i know if it works. Thanks Dave

the booster heater is a additional heater located at the rear of the car just behind the left passenger side,will have a small exhaust comming out ot it,

when working correctly sounds like a jet engine.

its to help produce heat in the winter for engine/occupants as these vw engines are very efficient they do not produce enough waste heat for the cabin,so if working within 5 mins of starting car on a cold day you should have heat into the cabin.

on a mk 1 iirc they work 5 degrees or below,on a mk2 10 degrees.hth.