I know I'll regret this......Mondeo advice!
- Thread starter Psymonkee
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If it isn't mentioned in the ad, it's most likely going to be a company car with motorway miles.
The best engine ,imo, is without doubt the V6*, as to if its a sensible option or not, well, thats upto you!
*GF Recently got herself a V6 Ghia and I am very impressed with it surprisingly good on fuel too.
Ehhh? I have a Titi X V6, 2.5l- Fuel is like fairy dust, now you see it "Blink" Now you don't.
19 - 24mpg
My GF recently got herself one (Y Reg 2.5 Ghia Saloon Manual) and she says she is spending no more on fuel per week than she did in her previous 2.0 Ghia which was a 98 S reg...
She does few miles though - I tried to warn her that a V6 was not a sensible choice, but thus far, she's more than happy with its performance / economy.
Does the Titanium X have different gear ratios or something? - I can't honestly say I think my GF's is particularly quick, my 1996 328i Auto (hers is a manual) feels considerably quicker yet I'm getting an overall average of 27MPG from that, I'd have thought the newer design Ford V6 would better that MPG by quite a margin.
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Its Chain, which needs inspecting at 100k, my mondeo 52 plate tdci is just over 80k miles and is running very well, and have had no problems in the 2 years i have owned it.
Its not so much that they have a mileage where they just stop working, it's all about how they've been used and looked after. There are people with TDCi mondeos on 250k miles and upwards - most people who have been in a taxi will have seen one of these
The 2 big potential problems are DMF failure (dual mass flywheel) and injector failure. The rest of the engine, and the car in general is pretty solid - I had mine 2 years and the only non service cost was a new DMF and clutch at £650. A fairly expensive repair, but in a cost per month term it wasnt bad!
DMF's get killed by poor driving mostly. You know how most cars will judder if you use too high a gear? The Mondeo doesnt do that nearly as much, I believe the DMF smooths that out. Due to the nature of the engine, people are much more inclined to use a high gear so that can end up knackering the DMF. Cars that have done a lot of stop-start work around town or that have been driven by people who cant change gear smoothly will also be more prone to failure. Rattly idle, sqeauling clutch or trouble starting are the symtoms.
Injectors are the second thing. To be honest, I'd be surprised to see a car that passes 100k without at least 1 needing replaced. Again, lack of care and poor driving provokes the issue. Cars that get run down to nearly empty and driven by people who redline it a lot (a pointess exercise in these) will suffer more than ones who get a nice clean full tank and driven normally. You're talking about £150~£200 per injector, less if you get the existing ones refurbished. Ford will always say to replace all 4, leaving people with a large 4 figure bill, but a diesel specialist can diagnose them and replace/refurb only what's necessary. Look for smoke on a cold start, excessive smoke under hard acelleration or the car going into limp home mode with the glowplug light flashing.
You want to be looking for a 4~5 year old car with a good solid history and 1 or 2 previous owners. Don't be put off if you see reciepts for stuff like DMF replacements - the DMF in particular is a more robust part now, so a replacement could be a good thing!
In terms of mileage, you want one that's had an easy life - so somewhere between 40 to 80k would be in the right ballpark. Not too low to be an abused car around town, not moon mileage. If these are looked after, there's really nothing to worry about. You only hear so many complaints because there are so many out there, you've just got to look at the number you see on a daily basis to realise they aren't the timebomb some would have you believe
My GF recently got herself one (Y Reg 2.5 Ghia Saloon Manual) and she says she is spending no more on fuel per week than she did in her previous 2.0 Ghia which was a 98 S reg...
She does few miles though - I tried to warn her that a V6 was not a sensible choice, but thus far, she's more than happy with its performance / economy.
Does the Titanium X have different gear ratios or something? - I can't honestly say I think my GF's is particularly quick, my 1996 328i Auto (hers is a manual) feels considerably quicker yet I'm getting an overall average of 27MPG from that, I'd have thought the newer design Ford V6 would better that MPG by quite a margin.
Not too sure on the Ratios,
Mine is the 5 Speed Auto, not too quick on moving off the line but once in motion it Fly's.
I had a mk1 V6 a few years ago. It never felt particularly quick (the engine always felt a bit "lazy", but that sounds a bit unfair to it), but on the other hand, it didn't take much to get into 3 figure speeds.
I wouldn't have described it as economical either, but it wasn't too bad. Compared to the Impreza I got 12 months after getting rid of the Mondeo, it was pretty easy on juice.
OP > if you get one of the 2.0 TDCI's, get the 130ps model. The 115ps cars feel like someone forgot to put an engine in.
Its not so much that they have a mileage where they just stop working, it's all about how they've been used and looked after. There are people with TDCi mondeos on 250k miles and upwards - most people who have been in a taxi will have seen one of these
The 2 big potential problems are DMF failure (dual mass flywheel) and injector failure. The rest of the engine, and the car in general is pretty solid - I had mine 2 years and the only non service cost was a new DMF and clutch at £650. A fairly expensive repair, but in a cost per month term it wasnt bad!
DMF's get killed by poor driving mostly. You know how most cars will judder if you use too high a gear? The Mondeo doesnt do that nearly as much, I believe the DMF smooths that out. Due to the nature of the engine, people are much more inclined to use a high gear so that can end up knackering the DMF. Cars that have done a lot of stop-start work around town or that have been driven by people who cant change gear smoothly will also be more prone to failure. Rattly idle, sqeauling clutch or trouble starting are the symtoms.
Injectors are the second thing. To be honest, I'd be surprised to see a car that passes 100k without at least 1 needing replaced. Again, lack of care and poor driving provokes the issue. Cars that get run down to nearly empty and driven by people who redline it a lot (a pointess exercise in these) will suffer more than ones who get a nice clean full tank and driven normally. You're talking about £150~£200 per injector, less if you get the existing ones refurbished. Ford will always say to replace all 4, leaving people with a large 4 figure bill, but a diesel specialist can diagnose them and replace/refurb only what's necessary. Look for smoke on a cold start, excessive smoke under hard acelleration or the car going into limp home mode with the glowplug light flashing.
You want to be looking for a 4~5 year old car with a good solid history and 1 or 2 previous owners. Don't be put off if you see reciepts for stuff like DMF replacements - the DMF in particular is a more robust part now, so a replacement could be a good thing!
In terms of mileage, you want one that's had an easy life - so somewhere between 40 to 80k would be in the right ballpark. Not too low to be an abused car around town, not moon mileage. If these are looked after, there's really nothing to worry about. You only hear so many complaints because there are so many out there, you've just got to look at the number you see on a daily basis to realise they aren't the timebomb some would have you believe
Oooo missed that post - thanks
Off to look at this today. Was 3995 2 days ago....
That looks like a reasonable car - shame the photos arent great but it looks tidy enough
It's averaged 17,500 miles per year which is right in the right zone for typical Mondeo usage.
As above, make sure it's a 130 - you'll be surprised how much difference there is between them for only 15bhp. It's all about power delivery though - the 130 has a VGT (variably geometry turbo) so it pulls smoothly from just above idle. The 115 has a wastegate turbo so the power band is much more narrow. It's easy enough to tell the difference, there's a big sticker on the slam panel
It's averaged 17,500 miles per year which is right in the right zone for typical Mondeo usage.
As above, make sure it's a 130 - you'll be surprised how much difference there is between them for only 15bhp. It's all about power delivery though - the 130 has a VGT (variably geometry turbo) so it pulls smoothly from just above idle. The 115 has a wastegate turbo so the power band is much more narrow. It's easy enough to tell the difference, there's a big sticker on the slam panel
Looks like that ghia is gone, was out on a test drive when I got there & the couple went into the showroom on their return...
However silly question - what's do bad about the LX trim? I sat in one and it seemed ok to me...
However silly question - what's do bad about the LX trim? I sat in one and it seemed ok to me...
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My 2.5 V6 averaged 33.2 mpg the other day on a run out to Manchester Airport and back, so a mixture of stop start town driving to the edge of the moors, Woodhead pass, stop start through tintwistle and mottram then a blast down the motorways to the airport.
Tootling round town sees 23-28 mpg, depending upon time sat idle.
2001 'Y' plate Ghia X.
As someone stated earlier, it doesn't feel particularly quick - it's a very lazy engine that only really starts to pull above 4.5k. Having said that, you tend to find it is a little quicker than it lets on and all of a sudden things are moving a lot faster than they were.
Tootling round town sees 23-28 mpg, depending upon time sat idle.
2001 'Y' plate Ghia X.
As someone stated earlier, it doesn't feel particularly quick - it's a very lazy engine that only really starts to pull above 4.5k. Having said that, you tend to find it is a little quicker than it lets on and all of a sudden things are moving a lot faster than they were.
My turbotaxi has 154k on it. had it almost a year now and i've just had to re-do the back calipers as they weren't engaging anymore. Now i'm just waiting on the clutch or the starter motor to go haha.
Love the car though. it's smooth, comfertable and will chug along with cruise on all day long.
Love the car though. it's smooth, comfertable and will chug along with cruise on all day long.