What do you think of this Mondeo Ghia X, worth having a look ?

Plexman · 13 Jan 2006 at 21:21

Hi all,

A Mondeo Ghia X R Reg 1998 has come up for sale not far from me. The garage wants £1000 but the problem is it does not have any service history at all.

The car has 12 months MOT, no tax, 3 previous owners. and has done 90,000 miles.

Do you think it is worth having a look at considering it has no service history?

And the next big question, if i do have a look at it what should i look out for on this specific year ghia x?

When does the timing belt need changing?

Any advice would be appreciated.

here is a link to the car http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/WW...urce=0&photo=1&sort=3&ukcarsearch_full=SEARCH it should be the top red one.

Guv · 13 Jan 2006 at 21:42

If you like the car go and have a look. Can't do any harm looking. I'm not sure what to look out far apart from the usual - like body work (look for rust, dents etc.), tyre condition, sound of the engine (you don't want any weird noises) etc.

It will be a zetec engine so timing belt will be 100,000 miles or 10 years IIRC, so there's a good chance it will need replacing very soon.

It could be that the car has been serviced by the owner, in which case there won't be any stamped history. A lot of people do this. If the car looks great and the engine oil isn't really dirty then it could be fine.

Plexman · 13 Jan 2006 at 21:59

thanks for your reply guv, fox mentioned the same regarding the timing belt interval, but he did say that was for 1999S models onwards.

Just double checking.

Tesla · 13 Jan 2006 at 23:16

Check that the central locking works and press lock twice to activate the alarm. The sensors in the doors wear out. Dead cheap to replace but good possible baragining material.

Also check the air con works on all speed settings and not just 1 and 4. Again a cheap fix but good bargaining material.

Dandle · 13 Jan 2006 at 23:36

96-98 2.0 mondeos with the engine code NGA(the only code for 2.0 those years) require replacement at 80k miles or 5 years. Tensioner and guide pulleys should also be replaced.

[TW]Fox · 14 Jan 2006 at 02:57

Dandle is correct - if the engine has a silver cam cover it's got a lower replacement interval.

Only if the cam cover is black is it the newer engine with 100k/10 year intervals.

Provided all is at it seems, that is a good car at an exceptional price and well worth buying, but do make sure you find out why its that cheap.

Plexman · 14 Jan 2006 at 11:46

Thanks for the reply's Telsa, Dandle, Fox.

I should be going to see it today or tomorrow so will let you know how I get on.

The reason he gave me for the car being cheap was because it had no service history.

As it's got no service history I would want to change the belt as soon as I brought the car. What kind of price am I looking at to get it replaced. £150 ish?

Tesla · 14 Jan 2006 at 11:54

If I was getting a cam belt change done again I would get Ford to do it this time round.

I think they charge about £200 but that's because the tensioners and pulleys need to be changed aswell.

Tax is £170 a year too incase it doesn't have any.

Check the boot area for damp too.

[TW]Fox · 14 Jan 2006 at 15:18

The leaking light cluster issues only really affect 99/00 cars normally.

Tesla · 14 Jan 2006 at 15:22

Or cars that have had a nasty bump and a not-so-good repair in the past

Plexman · 15 Jan 2006 at 11:12

Just quick couple of other questions.

Had a long talk with the seller and found out that he doesn't have the remote only the key for the car. Will I still be able to test if central locking works fully and the alarm?

Also he did mention that he think only one of the heated seats work. Easy fix or not?

Should be going to see the car in a couple of hours.

Tesla · 15 Jan 2006 at 12:31

It is quite common for heated seats to break. The two common reasons are either:

The heating element in the seat is knackered or what I found on my car was the wire under the seat gets severed by the sharp hole it goes in. About 15mins tops to fix if it is the latter.

If the seats dont look badly worn it's probably a broken wire which is easy to fix. Don't tell him that though!

To set the alarm and double locking with just the key turn it all the way left and then all the way right (directions taken facing the drivers door lock) within 3 seconds. The indicator lights should all flash.

blueboy2001 · 15 Jan 2006 at 14:58

I'd be slightly dubious about the mileage if there is no service history. These things were seldom bought new by private buyers and so the majority spent time on a fleet doing big mileages. If you're going to buy it do a HPi and VMC check to ensure there is no mileage discrepancies. If its coming from a trader, they should be able to provide a print out of the HPi details with all the previous keepers.