1997 Ford Mondeo LX review from UK and Ireland

A leaking rear light cluster has been the only problem. I tried to fix it with silicone, but it still leaked. This is a design fault which Ford never owned up to.

I had to buy a new light cluster from Ford for £65 which was of a changed design type this proves that the original design was faulty.

The performance is OK for an 1800 with 115bhp. 0-60 is about 10.2 seconds with the top end around 123mph.

It is very refined the engine is only doing 2500rpm at 70mph which is superb.

The suspension is very hard and the car is not as comfortable when compared to a Ford Granada that I use to own.

The handling is very good although not as tight as my second car which is a Fiesta XR2i.

The dash looks superb and the car drives A1 it does not seem to use any oil it is essential that these cars are run on 5/30 oil anything else will cause issues. The oil should also be semi-synthetic.

I only paid £950 pounds for the car! Yes for a 6 year old Mondeo £950! The vehicle also has a full Ford history. A great car that is better built than most of the older Fords, although the body should be galvanised a shame that Ford cut corners in that respect.