£1000-£1500 Mile Munching Diesel

Skeeter

Skeeter

Skeeter

Caporegime
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Surrey
... my current thinking is early (2001) Mk3 Mondeo. You can get pretty much any trim level with 100k on it for well under £1500, but im always open to other suggestions.

Ive got a Mk2 Mondeo 1.8 Zetec and im spending £300 a month on fuel, plus its getting to that stage where you start to loose confidence and can 'sence' some big bills comming. Any change to save money would have to be a cheap one, none of this "I spend £8,000 on a new small diesel to save me £100 year in tax and £4 a month in fuel" rubbish.

Any suggestions other than the Deo, and for Mk3 dervs, whats to look out for (other than it being well looked after if its over 100k).
 
I'm in the same boat as you skeeter (same car also) but more miles I'm unsure as to the reliability of a cheap mk3 mondeo. I've been looking at the audi A6's as something to eat up the miles in comfort. Whats the general concensus (sp?) on these?

Aero
 
Keep what you have got.
Let's say you were to buy a car that saved you £100/month on fuel. If that car cost you £1000 of cash money to change to, you would need to keep it for 10 months before you broke even. Then you have the added risk of buying in to a £1500 car that you don't know and may have issues that need fixing.
Better the devil you know IMO.
 
Rilot said:
Keep what you have got.
Let's say you were to buy a car that saved you £100/month on fuel. If that car cost you £1000 of cash money to change to, you would need to keep it for 10 months before you broke even. Then you have the added risk of buying in to a £1500 car that you don't know and may have issues that need fixing.
Better the devil you know IMO.
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It's a good point, but it depends how he works his finances - he may have the money in his savings - I for one wouldnt want to be buying petrol from savings but I'd happily buy a car. To him it may be worth it to lower the impact on his disposable income and at the same time getting something newer and better equipped.

Not saying you dont have a valid point, but it really depends on your perspective :)
 
You'll struggle to find a TDCi Mk3 Mondeo for £1/£1.5k. If you do, it will be totally shagged. Big costs as well associated with the likely replacement of the DMF, injectors, pump, all of which will fail at some point given the likely age/mileage of the car. If you're going to budget for an old intergalactic TDCi, then budget for another £1.5k for repairs. The TD is simply rough and you should steer clear unless you don't mind tractor noises.

At this sort of money, have you considered a C5 HDi? Big, roomy practical. Ugly as fug and with a nasty interior, but does make for a decent barge, with good ride quality and tried and test HDi tech.
 
MarkDavis said:
You'll struggle to find a TDCi Mk3 Mondeo for £1/£1.5k. If you do, it will be totally shagged.
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Rubbish - a huge assumption with no basis in truth whatsoever

MarkDavis said:
Big costs as well associated with the likely replacement of the DMF, injectors, pump, all of which will fail at some point given the likely age/mileage of the car.
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Rubbish - only if you don't know what you're looking at

MarkDavis said:
If you're going to budget for an old intergalactic TDCi, then budget for another £1.5k for repairs. The TD is simply rough and you should steer clear unless you don't mind tractor noises.
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Nonsense on both counts. DMF = £600, Full set of injectors = £400 - you're unlikely to need both if you buy carefully and maintain it properly.

The TDDi isn't actually that much rougher than the TDCi, would be worth having a look at one if a good example comes up. The only difference is mechanical injection over common rail, its the same engine otherwise.

MarkDavis said:
At this sort of money, have you considered a C5 HDi? Big, roomy practical. Ugly as fug and with a nasty interior, but does make for a decent barge, with good ride quality and tried and test HDi tech.
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LOL.

It's nice that you've managed to google "Mondeo TDCi" and have now repeated anything bad you find, but could you try posting something with even a remote basis in fact next time?
 
[TW]Fox;15163537 said:
Errr there is a huge amount of truth in it - £1k doesnt buy a good Mk3 Mondeo and it certainly doesnt buy a good diesel Mk3 Mondeo.
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They're hard to find but there are early Mk3s around for 1500 quid. My point was that they're not necessarily shagged because they're cheap.

You'd probably struggle to get a TDCi but a TDDi is doable - whether its any good or not is entirely dependent on the car itself.

It wouldn't be easy to find one, which is why I didn't recommend one - but assuming a car is crap because its older/higher mileage is a bit daft. Its a point you have made yourself quite a few times, miles != condition. Value is directly correlated with miles though - so cheap and good is possible, just hard.
 
Id avoid the TDCi Mondeo. Friend at work had one, in the space he owned it he fitted a new clutch and flywheel, set of injectors, various sensors and also a new turbo. Problems still happend with the car so he got shot. Last going off it had ANOTHER turbo fitted to it due to a faulty Actuator. Its lucky he was a Mechanic because costs could have got a lot worse. But then again i dont find £2k in parts reasonable. Id find another car and avoid the Mondeo like the plaque in my opinion.
 
iaind said:
You'd probably struggle to get a TDCi
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Exactly!

It wouldn't be easy to find one, which is why I didn't recommend one - but assuming a car is crap because its older/higher mileage is a bit daft. Its a point you have made yourself quite a few times, miles != condition. Value is directly correlated with miles though - so cheap and good is possible, just hard.
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Nobody was talking about miles, only price. A high mileage Mondeo is a good car. A £1k TDCi is not, irrespective of miles.
 
[TW]Fox;15163597 said:
Exactly!



Nobody was talking about miles, only price. A high mileage Mondeo is a good car. A £1k TDCi is not, irrespective of miles.
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I should have been more clear in my original post - I meant he was talking rubbish that it will always be knackered because it's cheap, not that a TDCi would be hard to find. The OP said he was looking at 2001ish Mondeos anyway, which would put him into TDDi territory - which isn't as terrible as is made out.
 
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