So I want cheap motoring

I've lurked around these parts of the forum long enough to know it's a mondeo I need

but I'm going to be doing hardly any miles total max 10k a year, so I need a petrol engine right? What's the best one to get?

I'll have total max £2,000 to spend , so what sort of age car will I be looking at? Also will this age of car fall into the stupid £500 a year road tax bracket?

I really don't want to buy a car but for personal reasons I have to.

SO any advice would be good, even if its don't get a mondeo , I don't care to much about the car , just the best choice that you experts on here suggest.

Thank you very much advance

Petrol Focus 1.6/1.8 would be a good place to start. Looking at PH you'd be looking at around a 2001-2002 model.

What sort of year would I be looking at for 2k? And what road tax level would it attract?

For stupidly cheap motoring i'm going to vote for a Rover 220SDi, i put 35k on mine in 18 months and all I had done to it was the usual services and replaced the timing belt when I first got it to be on the safe side and a pair of new front tyres. Sailed through it's last MOT with not even a single advisory too.

In fact I only got rid of it because some idiot in a van drove into the side of me and it got written off.

£7-800 to buy a "decent" '98-'99 one, 48 - 50MPG with dirt cheap insurance too.

That said I did hate the thing as it was noisy, small and unrefined but it did it's job of getting me around flawlessley and with no hassle. £2k would probably be enough to buy it, tax it, insure it, run it and maintain it for a fair while.

SAAB (just to get Fox going )

I sold my S2000 back in October and got a 2001 Focus Zetec 1.8 3 Door to replace it as a cheap car for within the budget you speak of.

Key things to note with zetec engine cars is the 10 year/100k cambelt interval (I had mine done by the garage I bought the car from, along with a replacement tensioner and waterpump just to be sure).

Servicing is peanuts. I did a full service for change from £50 quid (Air filter, oil filter, oil, spark plugs) and got new front discs for less than £30. I also just put a decent set of premium brand tyres on for less than the cost of 2 rears on my S2000 cost now.

Forgot to add, cars post march 2001 registration date fall into the new CO2 based emmisions. I believe my car costs a whopping £4 less than it would if it was pre March 2001... Insurance cost me something like £470 all in, 26, 3 points SP30 and 1 non fault accident, living inside the M25

I know Ford say 100k/10 years for a belt but that is very optimistic of Ford, general consensus is that 60k/6 years is ideal. The belt on my dad's was changed at 40k/8 years and the belt wasn't looking too healthy at that point.

I do agree that there's very few cars cheaper to run than a Focus. Rover 600s are getting long in the tooth and if you got 2k to spend you can do better than that. Tax on a 1.6 Focus is £145 for 12 months, you'll get 40mpg on a run.

Janesy B said:

I know Ford say 100k/10 years for a belt but that is very optimistic of Ford, general consensus is that 60k/6 years is ideal. The belt on my dad's was changed at 40k/8 years and the belt wasn't looking too healthy at that point.

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Fair point, also look out for cars that have had the belt done but not the tensioners. I believe this is what ended the engine on fox's mondeo.

Other key thing is there are lots of focus' about. Take your time finding a good one, plenty are about with CAT C/D, absolutely no history, crash damage, whatever... there is no reason to get a car like this.

I managed to talk my friend out of buying an Astra and he picked up a 2001 Y 1.6 Zetec for 2k, slightly high on price but it was a nice one owner car with full Ford service history. They'll be plenty of tatty ones about but if you look at a few you'll find a good one. Same with any typical family car really.

So a focus it is , what's the best trim spec in that year? zetec or Ghia? part from the faults already mentioned anything else I should be aware of?

thanks again really appreciate your advice

Why would you buy a Focus when the Mondeo exists?

A Mk1 or 1.5 Focus is no better than a Mk2 Mondeo which on a 2001 X plate can be had for three figure amounts of money. It is mechanically almost the same where it matters - same engines.

Why pay £2k for a 1.6 2001 Focus when £1k gets you a 2001 Mondeo 1.8 or 2.0 with more spec and a nicer interior? Remember, back when the Focus came out it shared a showroom with the Mk2 Mondeo for almost 3 years and was designed accordingly.

A Mk3 Mondeo, however, is so much better than the Mk1 or 1.5 Focus that it isnt even worth comparing.

I don't agree, early MK3s have a nasty dashboard, a mess with a hole cut out for a transit radio. They also suffer from rusty doors, worn subframe bushes are always mentioned as being a problem and they are extremely bland looking, even more so than a bog standard Focus.

You can't compare a MK2 Mondeo with a Focus, the engines may be the same but that's the only link. The MK1 Focus was also sold alongside the MK3 Mondeo for 4/5 years.

Janesy B said:

You can't compare a MK2 Mondeo with a Focus, the engines may be the same but that's the only link.

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Of course you can - the Mk1 Focus was the mid range car at a time when the Mk2 Mondeo was the higher range car. Remember, the Mk1 Focus was introduced only 2 years after the Mk2 Mondeo. You can compare them because they are two cars from the same manufacturer which are about the same age and have similar running costs.

The Mk2 Mondeo is and was a better car at the time than the Focus for most purposes.

My 2.0 Ghia Mondeo was so much better than a Focus it's difficult to know where to start.

The MK1 Focus was also sold alongside the MK3 Mondeo for 4 years as well.

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Where it was made to look increasingly more out of date and out of place in the model range as a result.

Within it's class the Focus was groundbreaking and is obviously the best choice. But that's ignoring the better classes which, thanks to depreciation, are now even cheaper to buy.

Btw, that same transit radio can be found in your beloved Focus

[TW]Fox;18188175 said:

Why would you buy a Focus when the Mondeo exists?

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Actually have to agree with this, so much better value.

Janesy B said:

I don't agree, early MK3s have a nasty dashboard, a mess with a hole cut out for a transit radio. They also suffer from rusty doors, worn subframe bushes are always mentioned as being a problem and they are extremely bland looking, even more so than a bog standard Focus.

You can't compare a MK2 Mondeo with a Focus, the engines may be the same but that's the only link. The MK1 Focus was also sold alongside the MK3 Mondeo for 4/5 years.

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The MK3 Mondeo is in another league to the Focus imo, the build quality is markedly better. Its a generation ahead at the end of the day. My housemate has an early (52 iirc) mk3 with over 200k on the clock and the interior is freakishly solid still, compared to my mates mk1.5 focus with about 65k on it which feels rattly and nasty already. I'd be all over a Mondeo for this price.

[TW]Fox;18188240 said:

My 2.0 Ghia Mondeo was so much better than a Focus it's difficult to know where to start.

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Except it looks like it shares an interior with a 96 Ford Contour and tries to return to the ground as fast as possible. The MK3 Mondeo was the second of Ford's new edge styling period and both cars share a similar looking front. I just can't get on with early MK3s at all.

I fancied a focus for this money but looking at the mondeo seems allot better value. Does this price sound normal for this it has a little high on miles?

110,000 miles 2l petrol
2003 FORD MONDEO 2.0 GHIA X 5DR PANTHER BLACK, MOT-06-2011, 2 Owners. Full Service History and so on, has nice leather and heated seats etc. Price £1,395 from a dealer

Seems good but I have no idea

Janesy B said:

Except it looks like it shares an interior with a 96 Ford Contour

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What a stupid comment, it does share an interior because its fundamentally the same car.

The interior of my Mondeo was considerably nicer inside than the interior of any Mk1 or 1.5 Focus. Which is no bad reflection on the Focus - my Mondeo was priced at £19995 in 1999 whereas no Mk1 Focus was, so you'd expect it to have a nicer interior.

But of course it isnt 1999 anymore so despite being the bigger, plusher, better equipped and more refined car costing more then, it now costs less than the Focus thanks to the used car market.

I just can't get on with early MK3s at all.

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The Mk1 Focus interior looks like the design team had a fight with a set square.

The early Mk3 Mondeo is in another league to the Focus, and costs the same. The Mk2 Mondeo is in a similar league, but is nicer, yet costs half as much money.

The answer here begins with M and ends with o.

Heck although it isn't the right car for the OP it kinda sums up the value debate when a 2000 Ford Mondeo ST24 costs less than a 2000 Focus 1.6 Zetec!

How about a Primera? Might be worth considering, although I'd get a Mondeo personally.

DAvE18 said:

110,000 miles 2l petrol
2003 FORD MONDEO 2.0 GHIA X 5DR PANTHER BLACK, MOT-06-2011, 2 Owners. Full Service History and so on, has nice leather and heated seats etc. Price £1,395 from a dealer

Seems good but I have no idea

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That seems far too cheap.

I thought so. Just went over the adverts wall of text and found out why dodgy peace of cut and paste on his part I think.

5 Doors, Manual, Hatchback, Petrol, 110,000 miles, Metallic PANTHER BLACK, MOT-06-2011, 2 Owners. Full Service History, Alloy wheels, Remote central locking, Air conditioning, Electrically adjustable drivers seat, Anti theft system, Rear electric windows, Cruise control, Central locking, Child locks, Climate Control, Colour coding - Body, Driver airbag, Electric mirrors, Electric windows, Electric sunroof, Foglights, Front armrest, Folding rear seats, Heated screen, Heated seats, Leather seats, Lumbar support, Immobiliser, Metallic paintwork, Park distance control, Part Service History, Passenger airbag, Power assisted steering, Radio, Rear armrest, Remote locking, Side airbags, Radio/CD, Rear headrests, Tinted glass, Wood/wood effect trim, Audio remote control, Steering wheel reach adjustment, Steering wheel rake adjustment, Service indicator, Front electric windows, Cloth seat trim, Body coloured bumpers, Alarm, 3x3 point rear seat belts, Rear wiper, Drivers airbag,

Quick edit then advert then restates a full history in bold sheesh make up your mind.

Sneaky sneaky shame it looks lovely aswell