Hi everyone,
I thought it might be useful / interesting to share my experiences and the running costs associated with a 54 plate Mondeo 2.0 TDCI Ghia X that had 90k miles on the clock when purchased.
In September 2011 I needed a car that would cope with my commute from Portsmouth to Southampton every day and make a monthly trip to Cornwall bearable.
I had a budget of £3k and needed something economical, comfortable and reliable. Some may argue that the 'reliable' aspect is a bit circumspect with the 2.0 TDCI but I went into it with my eyes open about DMFs etc.
In the last three years I've done 47,798 miles or just under 16,000 miles a year.
My average fuel consumption has been 44.64 MPG (although the OBC has recorded 52.79). My commute is the perfect example of a 'combined' journey, with town driving at either end and motorway in between. My average monthly fuel spend has been £176.58.
Servicing, repairs, MOT and tyres have come to £4,669.57 (I'll go into more detail later).
Tax was £600 and insurance £1,926.71.
Assuming it has depreciated the full £3k purchase price, the total cost of ownership has been £16,337.08 or 34p per mile.
I said I would go into more detail with the servicing:
I'm pleased to say that so far I haven't had any DMF issues (touch wood) but I have had to replace the power steering pump twice (the first time was a 3rd party pump that didn't last). I also had to replace the oil and water thermostats to solve a temperature sensor issue and it's also had a new set of discs and pads.
It's had two sets of Michelin Conti Sport Contact 5s and had it Hunter aligned at the same time which worked out at about £600 a time.
Plus the standard annual servicing and MOT I've averaged about £1500 a year to keep it on the road.
==
I've been mostly happy with it, it certainly crunches the miles and you can fit a lot in the back with the seats down.
I'd be interested to know how the figures above compare to other Mondeo owners and other car owners in general.
I'm trying to work out if it's a false economy buying a cheaper car upfront that then requires high servicing costs to keep it going or if I could get something newer for a similar TCO / price per mile over three years.
My thinking being something newer might have better consumption, lower tax, similar insurance and servicing costs but *hopefully* lower repair bills.
With the savings made in those departments I could spend more on the car itself.
My suspicion, if it is possible, is that it would be something like a 1.0 Fiesta which just wouldn't compare to a Mondeo Ghia X in terms of practicality, equipment and comfort but I thought it was worth asking.
Cheers all, happy to answer any questions if you've made it this far.
I thought it might be useful / interesting to share my experiences and the running costs associated with a 54 plate Mondeo 2.0 TDCI Ghia X that had 90k miles on the clock when purchased.
In September 2011 I needed a car that would cope with my commute from Portsmouth to Southampton every day and make a monthly trip to Cornwall bearable.
I had a budget of £3k and needed something economical, comfortable and reliable. Some may argue that the 'reliable' aspect is a bit circumspect with the 2.0 TDCI but I went into it with my eyes open about DMFs etc.
In the last three years I've done 47,798 miles or just under 16,000 miles a year.
My average fuel consumption has been 44.64 MPG (although the OBC has recorded 52.79). My commute is the perfect example of a 'combined' journey, with town driving at either end and motorway in between. My average monthly fuel spend has been £176.58.
Servicing, repairs, MOT and tyres have come to £4,669.57 (I'll go into more detail later).
Tax was £600 and insurance £1,926.71.
Assuming it has depreciated the full £3k purchase price, the total cost of ownership has been £16,337.08 or 34p per mile.
I said I would go into more detail with the servicing:
I'm pleased to say that so far I haven't had any DMF issues (touch wood) but I have had to replace the power steering pump twice (the first time was a 3rd party pump that didn't last). I also had to replace the oil and water thermostats to solve a temperature sensor issue and it's also had a new set of discs and pads.
It's had two sets of Michelin Conti Sport Contact 5s and had it Hunter aligned at the same time which worked out at about £600 a time.
Plus the standard annual servicing and MOT I've averaged about £1500 a year to keep it on the road.
==
I've been mostly happy with it, it certainly crunches the miles and you can fit a lot in the back with the seats down.
I'd be interested to know how the figures above compare to other Mondeo owners and other car owners in general.
I'm trying to work out if it's a false economy buying a cheaper car upfront that then requires high servicing costs to keep it going or if I could get something newer for a similar TCO / price per mile over three years.
My thinking being something newer might have better consumption, lower tax, similar insurance and servicing costs but *hopefully* lower repair bills.
With the savings made in those departments I could spend more on the car itself.
My suspicion, if it is possible, is that it would be something like a 1.0 Fiesta which just wouldn't compare to a Mondeo Ghia X in terms of practicality, equipment and comfort but I thought it was worth asking.
Cheers all, happy to answer any questions if you've made it this far.
