Sold My Car - Now Which Mondeo ????

[Sam_374394490]

Hi everyone

I just want to say thank you to all of you that have replied to my car crisis over the past few weeks.

Well, finally I sold my Peugeot today. I did lose a bit of money on it, but at last we can move on and as soon as we buy our new car then In get to take my lovely Adria out again

Here goes, this is the dilema. Two mondeos, both black 2.0 tdci 130. One is a 04 reg, 38,000 miles on the clock, 3 owners, fsh, 1 years Mot, price £4,995. The other is a 2007, 69,000 miles on the clock, 1 owner, fsh and still under the ford warranty and has not had it's first mot price £4,995. The mot will be due around September.

Aaaaaaargh!!!!. I like the idea of having a newer car, but my sensible side is saying when it has it's first Mot will it raise lots of problems due to the 69,000 miles.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

Sam

 

[paul_374239978]

have you thought about the estate. it has self levelling rear suspension . i have a 03 2.0 tdci still with original exhaust and just changed clutch at 126000 miles. bit heavy on tyres but the 130 is a cracking towcar. dont bother with 115 or 5 speed box and you will be amazed at the mpg

 

[ScouseIan]

Hi Sam

Why are you restricted to only these 2?

I assume you have done your homework and that these prices are about right.

Why has the 04 reg had 3 owners in only 5 years? I would be suspicious of that for a start.

As long as the 2007 has a FSH I wouldn't worry too much.

You should be able to put the car in for an MOT before you buy it. There's no reason you have to wait till sept. Find out NOW before you buy it.

You may be able to extend the Ford warranty on the 07 model too.

Keep us posted.

 

[JTQ]

All other aspects being similar the younger car with the higher mileage is likely to be by far the best mechanically and otherwise.

It started life with the benefit of 3 more years of product development.

Its almost certainly had less cold starts and been driven harder as its likely to be a rep's car. The diesel and its turbo will benefit far more driven "hard" than in the normal domestic "school run", "shopping trolley" or 5 mile daily commute type usage. It can't realistically be thrashed being a diesel and the vehicle has the technology to eat the legal motorway speed plus 10 mph.

Also the faster accumulation of mileage means the oil change intervals must have been shorter and "old" oil will not have been standing cold in the engine for a fraction of the time of the earlier car. Add to that its likely to have been fuelled with branded diesel rather than supermarket so benefits from better additive technology.

In my view "my sensible is saying" certainly not the older car.

 

[JTQ]

All other aspects being similar the younger car with the higher mileage is likely to be by far the best mechanically and otherwise.

It started life with the benefit of 3 more years of product development.

Its almost certainly had less cold starts and been driven harder as its likely to be a rep's car. The diesel and its turbo will benefit far more driven "hard" than in the normal domestic "school run", "shopping trolley" or 5 mile daily commute type usage. It can't realistically be thrashed being a diesel and the vehicle has the technology to eat the legal motorway speed plus 10 mph.

Also the faster accumulation of mileage means the oil change intervals must have been shorter and "old" oil will not have been standing cold in the engine for a fraction of the time of the earlier car. Add to that its likely to have been fuelled with branded diesel rather than supermarket so benefits from better additive technology.

In my view "my sensible is saying" certainly not the older car.

Edit:

In my view "my sensible side is saying" certainly not the older car.

 

[emmerson2]

Totally agree with JTQ.

 

[Guest]

Best check out the models history on Dual Mass Flywheel (DMF) problems. I keep hearing and seeing more reports on Ford diesels spitting these flywheels.

If the choice made has DMF, before buying see if a Solid Flyheel alternative is available in case it does go wrong.

 

[Sam_374394490]

Hi guys

Thank for all the advice!!

Just a quick update .......

We are going tomorrow to look at a 54 plate Ford Modeo 2.0 tdci 130 which has done 52,000 miles, and has had 2 owners. The last two owners were elderly and have really looked after the car, it looks immaculate in the photographs. The car comes with a years Mot, 3 months warranty and already has a tow bar fitted which the dealers have said they will put on a new tow ball if need be. The dealers also sell, caravans and motorhomes so don't know if this a sign. Wish me luck, the Peugeot is being collected this evening :-(

 

[paul_374239978]

Best check out the models history on Dual Mass Flywheel (DMF) problems. I keep hearing and seeing more reports on Ford diesels spitting these flywheels.

If the choice made has DMF, before buying see if a Solid Flyheel alternative is available in case it does go wrong.

solid flywheel conversion ruins the driveability of the car. i changed mie including starter motor for

 

[seth1]

Hello Sam,

just to add, despite what others say i,d tend to sway to try and get the lowest milage car i could.Not only does this go for engine but running gear as well.Despite the belief its not cold mornings that kill turbos but people not letting them idle before tuning the engine off.

Another point that TDCI seem to be bad for,that Euro,s pointed out is the dual mass,and also injectors which i might add have to be programmed in relation to cylinder position.Get the milage on and these become more apparent.Still a good car though.

 

[Jo-AnneFairway5402010]

sam whats the latest then?.

jo xx

 

[Dustydog]

Hi Sam

JTQ's advice was spot on. Give me a car that's cruised the motorways rather than the shopping trolley variety. Motorways will eat up the miles but are less punishing on all the chassis components etc than a low mileager that never warmed up properly and did hundreds of turns stationary.

Cheers

Dustydog

 

[RichL812]

We have just got rid of our Mondeo after a year of hell. It was fine at test drive, 80000 on the clock (52/2002) model with the Delphi common rail.

So far over the last 12 months I have had to replace all 4 injectors, 1 of them twice for contamination, leak off pipes and all fuel injection pipes. The contamination is down we believe to the teflon coating inside the fuel pump starting to break up. If this goes then it is

 

[xtrailman]

The debate about low mileage verses high has always drawn differing opinions.

Personally i have no time for the high mileage car, the engine may out last the "urban" low mileage car.

But both engines will out last the fuel pump, the abs pump, the power steering, the wheel bearings, the uv joints, the water pump, the aircon pump, and then we have the cam belt or chain, turbo, etc.

Any car over 60k miles is a potential money sponge, my mileage over 4 years never exceeds 40k, after that my lad usually takes over ownership and puts 25k on the car before the odd failure.

Things are slightly different now, the old xtrail he has comes with an expensive turbo, and fuel pump, unlike the previous 2 litre primera's he had. I just hope he lucky.

 

[Sam_374394490]

We bought our car on Saturday.

A Ford Mondeo 2.0 tdci 130 with 55,000 miles on the clock on a 54 plate with one owner who treated the car as if it was his baby.

The way I look at it now, is since we bought our caravan back in March, we will always have to own a car that I guess is a work horse. In total we will probably average 6-8 weeks away every year in our caravan, with school holidays and weekends away. If it's got an engine it's always going to need looking after and maintaining whether it be a Mondeo, or any other type of vehicle. Obviously, due to towing we are putting a little bit more pressure on the car but all you can do as an owner is look after it, have it serviced regularly and treat it with the respect it deserves, because no car = no caravan. Cars at the best of times are liabilities, they will at some stage develop a fault, break down etc, but why worry about things before they happen. If we are unlucky enough to have bought, pardon the pun "an old banger" then we will have to deal with whatever it throws at us. I have read review after review on every type of available towing car going, on the Parkers guide. What Tow Car.Com and there isn't one out there that is faultless!!!!

 

[GeorgeandAde]

My 2.2 TDCI on an 06 plate has done 32,000 miles and has not missed a beat.

I treat it with respect,regular oil and filter changes,a good service once a year.

Yes,in the future things may begin to go wrong but with a reasonably cheap insurance group,45-55mpg solo and 30+ towing.Pretty reasonable for parts should anything go wrong.A huge boot(Its a hatch)Comfortable,smooth,power there if you want it,all the toys on it (Titanium X)

I would not change it for another make of car.

We all have our preferences and it would be a dull world if we all liked the same thing but im sure your new car will be fine Sam.

Good luck to you,and happy caravanning.

 

[Grahamsprite4]

hi there read this debate with alot of thought

any car that tows a caravan is going to be under some strain at some point in its life wether it be a hill start or reversing your van onto your pitch im my opinion the the only way to minimise the pain of breakdown is to service your car on a regular basis keep ypur tyres correctly inflated and check your vehicle for faults often

i drive a ford mondeo zetec s 2.0 tdci (130) on a 04 reg it has now covered 138000 miles on its original clutch and in the 4 yrs ive owned it i can honestly say due to regular maintenance and care ive had not 1 problem other than items of what you could class as general wear and tear ie brake pads, tyres, windscreen wipers and the such like .

the only thing i do differently is i have the oil changed at 10,000 miles instead of the stated milage in the owners manual i cant fault the ford mondeo 1 bit it makes a great tow car.

so in my opinion (and it is only mine) the milage on a car especially a deisel doesnt really matter .

i would always buy to what i could afford as caravaning is the fun bit the car is the horse!!!!

 

[xtrailman]

On the other hand. My oil is changed once a year at around 8.5k miles, over the four years i keep it i regularly check the under body, and remove the wheels for inspection.

Who ever gets a car of mine, inherits a well looked after car, that in the main will be my son, provided he wants it.

That has got to be a better buy than a car thrashed up the motorway, that gets a oil change every 20k, that's probably on a lease?

 

[Neil_374459237]

Just thought I would give another point of view. We bought our 52 Mondeo 2.0 TDCI 130 estate, about 18 months old with 15k on it. It has now done 138k and has had very little go wrong. It has had one set of front discs, and one set of pads all round. Rear box on exhaust. New aircon radiator after a boulder fell off a quarry lorry and went through the grill. Just before xmas it had one injector changed. All in all not bad for 123 thousand miles. Note that the clutch is still original. Our dilemma now is do we fit a towbar for our caravan or get a new car?