Before all you amateur astronomers grab your telescopes and point them skyward, I should point out that I’m not talking about the interstellar galaxy type, but about the exciting new Ford Galaxy. I apologize for any confusion this may have caused, but for me, the discovery of a vehicle that finally fits our family’s needs is cause for much celebration.
You see, for years we’ve shoehorned ourselves into all sorts of family cars and small minivans often resulting in miserable trips involving everyone squeezing and arguing with each other. Family vacations should normally be a pleasurable experience for everyone, but all too often ours seem to descend into petty bickering between us and the dog usually joins in for good measure.
We finally arrive at our destination tired and hoarse from screaming and with steamed up windows because my kids insist that the inside temperature be more like a portable sauna. Sometimes I long for one of those plexiglass screens that taxis have that I could just swipe to drown out the endless chorus of “I’m bored” or “Are we there yet?”
Then there’s all the stuff you have to take with you, I vaguely remember in my younger single days I could go away for a week with nothing but a spare pair of underpants and a toothbrush and I could always ditch my pants if I was necessary. These days it seems like we have to carry every conceivable modern luxury with us, and frankly, we might as well hitch the house to the back of the car and drag it down the highway with us.
There have been a few times recently where I’ve lost my mind and told my kids I’m going to go to the building dealer and buy some sandbags and dump them out in the living room so we can pretend we’re at the beach.
I am pleased to report that all of this is behind us now that we are the proud owners of a new Ford Galaxy. I had driven a Galaxy a few years ago when my friend threw a stag party and in his wisdom it turned up in a model with a 2.3 petrol engine much to our dismay as we had to drive it all the way to Amsterdam. Suffice it to say that after satisfying the copious thirst for fuel this thing had, there was very little left in the kitty for our drinking activities and certainly nothing left to fund a night in the arms of one of those nice window ladies we had planned. . for him.
Despite that, I remember that the Ghia model we had was lavishly decorated in leather and wood, although it reminded me a bit of a gentleman’s living room. I decided to go with the Zetec model which is well equipped but has a more high-tech feel inside.
There was only one question of where to make my purchase. These days there is a bewildering variety of different places to visit, from traditional franchised dealerships to car supermarkets and the like. After spending what seemed like a lifetime on the internet, I finally settled on Ford Deals Direct. They buy from Ford, and by cutting out the middleman, they can offer deep discounts on new Ford cars. We saved a few thousand on the new list price which is great as the money we save will go towards next years holiday in Wales. I can’t wait as we now have dual zone air conditioning and a DVD system not to mention acres of space and room for seven people. You might even have room for two pairs of pants!