Hey everyone, as some of you may or may not know, or indeed care, I have been looking to replace my BMW 330CI, which I have had on finance for a little over 2 years and 4 months, I wanted to get out of finance and just buy a car outright, also gives me the freedom to change more easily and it 'feels' better to be honest.
So, after having a good look around and searching for the 'perfect' E39 5 series that I always wanted, I actually ended up buying something else (I never found a 5 series I was totally happy with anyway, maybe I will in time), I did mention this car once I think.
Anyway here it is;
I did the deal on this on Sunday, it's a 54 plate, January 2005 Mondeo ST220, it has done 44k miles and it's absolutely immaculate, better condition than my 330 was in to be honest, there are hardly even any stone chips and the alloys are un-scuffed. I got it for £6750, which is at the higher end maybe for this car but still well within what I think is ok, but I couldn't find another one this age in such good condition at all, let alone for less money. It has a full Ford service history and has had 1 owner, perfect really I guess
I drove it about 100 miles to get it home, and it was great, mostly I was just cruising on the motorway, where it is quieter, more comfortable and more refined than my 330CI was, then again that had run flats on it still and they ruin the ride, so I am told.
The leather recaros are excellent, actually I would say I find them a little bit more comfortable than BMW's sports seats, the stero is also better than the BMW one. The BMW had a higher quality, better finished interior no doubt, but you'ed expect that, however the Ford is quite ok, not a squeak or a rattle out of it, which is again, more than I can say for my 330CI, the back seats on that used to rattle and depending on the weather, the passenger side seat or something around there would rattle too.
I find it drives very well indeed, the best front wheel drive car I can recall driving, it turns in nice and sharp and really feels a whole lot more agile than you might think, given it’s size. It doesn’t quite have the same level of poise as the 330 when really pressing on, but it’s not far off to be honest, at least not at the speeds I would drive it at.
The engine pulls well and makes a nice noise as the revs rise, it’s quieter than the 330 at idle and at lower revs when just driving around town, but as you open it up and you get it over about 4,500 rpm it makes a lovely noise, different to the 330CI but very nice.
It feels a bit weird driving a manual again after more than 2 years of using an auto, but it also feels great, quite liberating even, being able to really use the engine properly. I stalled it a couple of times at first, but you never forget, I soon got the hang of it again and by the time I got back home it felt perfectly natural again.
Tis only day 1 so far, but all in all, I am very pleased. I know it's a bit of a downgrade in some respects, but to be perfectly honest, it doesn't really feel like it unless I start rubbing the interior plastics and such. It's a damn fine car I think, and surprised me when I test drove it. I still can't quite believe how refined it is comapred to my BMW, maybe it was the tyres on that I dunno, still it does ride very, very well.
I don't really miss the satnav or the bluetooth phone, everything else I had on the BMW though I have on this.
Anyone that is going to be at the rolling road day will see it in the metal anyway ...also, I think it's a nicer colour than the usual performance blue, looks a little more sophisticated a low key to me
So, after having a good look around and searching for the 'perfect' E39 5 series that I always wanted, I actually ended up buying something else (I never found a 5 series I was totally happy with anyway, maybe I will in time), I did mention this car once I think.
Anyway here it is;
I did the deal on this on Sunday, it's a 54 plate, January 2005 Mondeo ST220, it has done 44k miles and it's absolutely immaculate, better condition than my 330 was in to be honest, there are hardly even any stone chips and the alloys are un-scuffed. I got it for £6750, which is at the higher end maybe for this car but still well within what I think is ok, but I couldn't find another one this age in such good condition at all, let alone for less money. It has a full Ford service history and has had 1 owner, perfect really I guess
I drove it about 100 miles to get it home, and it was great, mostly I was just cruising on the motorway, where it is quieter, more comfortable and more refined than my 330CI was, then again that had run flats on it still and they ruin the ride, so I am told.
The leather recaros are excellent, actually I would say I find them a little bit more comfortable than BMW's sports seats, the stero is also better than the BMW one. The BMW had a higher quality, better finished interior no doubt, but you'ed expect that, however the Ford is quite ok, not a squeak or a rattle out of it, which is again, more than I can say for my 330CI, the back seats on that used to rattle and depending on the weather, the passenger side seat or something around there would rattle too.
I find it drives very well indeed, the best front wheel drive car I can recall driving, it turns in nice and sharp and really feels a whole lot more agile than you might think, given it’s size. It doesn’t quite have the same level of poise as the 330 when really pressing on, but it’s not far off to be honest, at least not at the speeds I would drive it at.
The engine pulls well and makes a nice noise as the revs rise, it’s quieter than the 330 at idle and at lower revs when just driving around town, but as you open it up and you get it over about 4,500 rpm it makes a lovely noise, different to the 330CI but very nice.
It feels a bit weird driving a manual again after more than 2 years of using an auto, but it also feels great, quite liberating even, being able to really use the engine properly. I stalled it a couple of times at first, but you never forget, I soon got the hang of it again and by the time I got back home it felt perfectly natural again.
Tis only day 1 so far, but all in all, I am very pleased. I know it's a bit of a downgrade in some respects, but to be perfectly honest, it doesn't really feel like it unless I start rubbing the interior plastics and such. It's a damn fine car I think, and surprised me when I test drove it. I still can't quite believe how refined it is comapred to my BMW, maybe it was the tyres on that I dunno, still it does ride very, very well.
I don't really miss the satnav or the bluetooth phone, everything else I had on the BMW though I have on this.
Anyone that is going to be at the rolling road day will see it in the metal anyway ...also, I think it's a nicer colour than the usual performance blue, looks a little more sophisticated a low key to me
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) looks much smaller diameter then the left hand side? 
You win at car selection
