MK3 Mondeo

He just stood and listened to me reel off all the things wrong with it!

Off to view another one this week, Zetec-S again (pre-facelift) but a Saloon.
 
Why another zetec-s? Ok the 18" wheels look good but the standard mk3 suspension is firm enough without needing the sports option, especially on a diesel.
 
[TW]Fox;15870430 said:
Because it looks great, whereas the stock Mondeo merely looks ok.


My wife Mondeo ZetecS we have had since new in 2001, it has never broken down, or had any problems whatsoever. Bit juicy on the V6 and front tires, but she loves it. Had it 9 years and she still doesnt want something else. I took a photo today.

SG200096.jpg
 
[TW]Fox;15870430 said:
Because it looks great, whereas the stock Mondeo merely looks ok.

Really? It looks barely different to a normal mondeo to me though I've never been a fan of obvious body kits. The skirts are hardly noticable and the front bumper is just different. The wheels are better but why pay the premium for 18" tyres on a Mondeo unless it's a st220?
 
I'd have reservations about buying an 8 year old 2.0 diesel with only 61,000 miles on it. I used to have one of these, and now have the Focus 2.0 diesel. Both take an absolute age to get up to running temperature, especially in town. You can drive 10 miles over 20 minutes in town, and they won't get to optimum.

Check and see if the exhaust circulating valve (think that's it) has been replaced. These are a common failure on these diesel engines. Indicators that it hasn't or is going to fail will be a lack of power, unwillingness to rev initially, and pure white smoke upon start-up for the first couple of seconds.

For £3,5k I'd give it a miss tbh.
 
It was too tatty to even consider buying, walked away from it!

I've arranged to view a couple over the next week or so, one i'm not too fussed abaout, but i want to build some "experience" of what to look for, so its worth a peek anyway.

Another one i've arranged to view next week, face lift this time and seems quite tidy, needs a couple of bits tidying (cosmetically) but nothing serious :)

I hate looking for "new" cars :(
 
My wife Mondeo ZetecS we have had since new in 2001, it has never broken down, or had any problems whatsoever. Bit juicy on the V6 and front tires, but she loves it. Had it 9 years and she still doesnt want something else. I took a photo today.

Lovely looking car but can I ask why you've spoiled it by fitting a Renault V6 badge to the side? Why would you do that? :confused:
 
Really? It looks barely different to a normal mondeo to me though I've never been a fan of obvious body kits. The skirts are hardly noticable and the front bumper is just different. The wheels are better but why pay the premium for 18" tyres on a Mondeo unless it's a st220?

The front and rear bumper design combined with the 18 inch wheels and subtle sideskirt makes, to me (and others) a noticeable contribution to the way the car looks.
 
[TW]Fox;15877770 said:
The front and rear bumper design combined with the 18 inch wheels and subtle sideskirt makes, to me (and others) a noticeable contribution to the way the car looks.

Ghia/Ghia X/Zetec all look very generic, you can't tell them apart from each other really either.

Not saying that i was to scream "I'm driving a diesel with a sporty bodykit on", but it just looks...better :)
 
[TW]Fox;15877767 said:
Lovely looking car but can I ask why you've spoiled it by fitting a Renault V6 badge to the side? Why would you do that? :confused:


one of the original ones snapped, so she replaced them with those. Didnt know they were renault ones, they came from a ford dealer:confused:
 
I spent Sunday getting a mk3 through it's MOT so a good idea of things to look for;
Items it failed on:

rear coil spring
rear anti-roll bar drop link
rear brake caliper
handbrake cable
rear wheel bearing
both front-rear brake pipes and rear pipes over subframe.

Main mk3 problems are rear subframe bushes and sticking rear brake calipers.

Dad had a Zetec-S a few years ago, good spec and not as bad on fuel as you'd think, it did need two rer calipers though....
I do think the Zetec-S look sufficently different to make it more desireable, I prefer the look of the saloon model.
 
My wife Mondeo ZetecS we have had since new in 2001, it has never broken down, or had any problems whatsoever. Bit juicy on the V6 and front tires, but she loves it. Had it 9 years and she still doesnt want something else. I took a photo today.

SG200096.jpg

Is that a proper saloon mondeo? As in does the rear window open when you open boot?

If so they seem to be super rare.
 
Is that a proper saloon mondeo? As in does the rear window open when you open boot?

If so they seem to be super rare.


Yes it is a proper saloon, just the boot opens, not the rear window which is separate. Yes they are rare it would seem. People are always trying to buy it off my wife which seems suprising for a 9 years old mondeo.
 
Yes it is a proper saloon, just the boot opens, not the rear window which is separate. Yes they are rare it would seem. People are always trying to buy it off my wife which seems suprising for a 9 years old mondeo.

And the fact it is bright red :p
 
It's odd that the saloons are rare in the UK.
It's the opposite in the rest of europe. Saloons, and especially estates, are much more common than hatchbacks.
 
It's odd that the saloons are rare in the UK.
It's the opposite in the rest of europe. Saloons, and especially estates, are much more common than hatchbacks.

Hatchbacks are so much more practical though, getting large things in the boot is just much easier with a large opening.
 
It depends on the country in Europe, to be honest. The hatchback:sedan ratio here is about 6:1, in Germany it's 3:1 and Spain 4:1... but in France it's 9:1 and in Italy 13:1!

Either way, sedans are not more common than hatchbacks in any of the major European markets, but they are more common than in the UK.
 
Hatchbacks are so much more practical though, getting large things in the boot is just much easier with a large opening.
Indeed, which is why i didn't buy a Mondeo when i was looking for new car.
Well that, and they're much more expensive over here than in the UK ;)

It depends on the country in Europe, to be honest. The hatchback:sedan ratio here is about 6:1, in Germany it's 3:1 and Spain 4:1... but in France it's 9:1 and in Italy 13:1!
You sure it's not the other way around? I swear in Germany it'll be 1:3 :p

Spot on about france though. All their big saloons have always been hatchbacks.
 
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