Mondeo TDCi

Scuzi

Scuzi

Scuzi

Man of Honour
Joined
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I've been considering getting another Passat TDi but while looking I couldn't help notice how cheap the Mondeo TDCi's were. I was searching on a budget of £7k and have seen some really nice 53/04 TDCi 130 Zetec-S Mondeos with ~50k miles for below £7k. Now to me that seems to be excellent value especially compared to the Passat which for the same money will be a year or two older, have higher miles and maybe won't be quite as loaded with toys. I used to drive a Passat TDi and I absolutely loved it. Compared to the Passat, what are your opinions on the Mondeo?

Now, I test drove a Mondeo TDCi 130 a couple of years ago and it was better built than I expected, handled very nicely and the engine pulled well but I hated the brakes, it felt like the pads were made of wood. The car was brand new and only had about 20 miles on the clock so maybe that was the cause. Are the brakes poor on the Mondeo or was it just the one I drove?

I especially like the Zetec-S as it appears to have a body kit on it (am I right here?) and looks very tidy, especially with the 17" alloys. It seems very well equipped and has everything I'd want. I considered the GhiaX but leather doesn't do it for me.

So tell me all you know, especially your views on it compared to the Passat.


By the way, some of you may have noticed my erratic threads regarding new cars recently, i.e. from 2 seat roadsters, BMW coupe's and the sort. I had my heart set on a BMW 320Cd and was about to put a deposit on a nice one but as I have 4 points with a CD10 I'm finding it hard to get insured on anything. I think the sensible thing to do is to buy a sensible car with sensible insurance until my points expire then I can get a proper car like a 330Cd or the like :)


Thanks :)
 
I know what he's saying though, the Ford engine has a smoother power delivery compared to the like of a VAG PD engine which makes it feel a bit more bland but actually makes it more driveable in everyday life.
 
I knew there was something wrong with the brakes. To be honest as long as they work well I'd be happy, I don't really drive fast or enthusiastically any more, I must be getting old! ;)

I may be going to look at a couple of Zetec-S TDCi's tomorrow if the dealer gets back to me. I'll not be buying for another few weeks at least, if I do decide to go ahead.

Are there any particular things I should look out for during the test drive. As far as I know the cars I'll be looking at have spent their life on the motorway so I'm hoping they'll be in good nick.
 
Is there a site which lists service intervals, cam belt intervals etc? I want to go into the potential purchase well versed. I usually buy with my heart hence why I'm in this situation so I plan to buy with my head this time.
 
The reason I want the diesel is neither for economy or exclusively for cheaper insurance, it's because I think it's the best engine in the range for driving style and ability. My current car does has 180bhp so if I downgraded to a bog standard petrol unit I can guarantee I'd become bored very quickly. The diesel 'feels' faster and is in general much more of a pleasure to drive. The economy will be an added bonus, especially on my frequent long drives back to Ireland!

The Passat 1.8T isn't really an option because insurance on it is just as bad as my Toledo. :(

I've been doing the sums and with the Mondeo I'll be saving around £1500 a year in insurance alone. I'm also going to pay off the finance on my existing car with a much lower APR loan, so I'll be saving a good bit on that too, not to mention fuel costs.
 
My Toledo costs £1500 a year more than the Mondeo. Having looked at insurance quotes for the Passat 1.8T it works out at about £8-900 more expensive.

Just out of interest I did the quotes without the CD10 + 4 points. Here are the results, first ones are with the points specified and second ones are without.

Toledo 20VT Sport - £3490 and £800 excess - £1950 and £250 excess
Mondeo TDCi 130 Zetec S - £1870 and £500 excess - £1030 and £250 excess

Whatever you do DON'T GET A CD10!
 
I'm just off the phone to Car Giant, I'm taking a run down in a hour to have a look at what they've got. They have 5 Zetec S models in stock, 4 of which are TDCi's so fingers crossed I find something worthwhile :)

I'll post back later.
 
I'm just back from Car Giant and to be honest I'm not impressed. I looked at two models, both '03 TDCi Zetec S models, one with 50k on the clock and one with 80k on the clock. Both of these cars had had one service in their entire life. The car with 50k's last service was late 2003 when it had 8k on the clock - not even an oil change since then! The 80k car had one service when it had 45k on the clock. Both cars were in a state too, flat tyres, dirty, scratches etc. and hadn't even been cleaned inside.

That just wasn't good enough so I walked away. All their Mondeos were the same, I don't know about the other cars though. I'll be looking elsewhere.

The search continues.
 
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