1995 Ford Mondeo LX 1.8

Summary:

Sluggish

Faults:

Rear wheel bearing at 28000.

Exhaust has lasted 2 years and 12000 miles - needs replacement.

Heavy wear on BOTH front and rear tyres.

Water leak in the boot through a faulty rear windscreen de-mister grommet (on the tailgate).

Uses a lot of oil.

General Comments:

A slug.

I still have an 1989 Vaux Belmont 1.8 SRi with 120000 which feels still feels tighter than the Mondeo and is much more responsive.

Engine sounds like a diesel.

Ford cannot guarantee the same paint finish if you have a knock (mine is silver).

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 22nd September, 2001

2nd Oct 2001, 06:47

Suggest checking rear wheel alignment as it is adjustable unlike many other cars.

1995 Ford Mondeo LX 1.8 turbo diesel

Summary:

Very, very average

Faults:

Radiator cooling pump collapsed at 130,000 miles, causing the timing belt to come off and the engine was damaged.

Windscreen wash pump failed at 132,000 miles.

Turbo failed at 135,000 miles.

Alternator failed at 140,000 miles.

Leak into the passenger foot-well.

General Comments:

Seats are ridiculously unforgiving.

Awful to start in the winter.

Real axle seems to make a 'knocking' noise.

Sloppy handling.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 14th September, 2001

1995 Ford Mondeo Ghia 2.0 Zetec

Summary:

Comfortable and fairly quick family car

Faults:

I had a leak into the passenger foot-well, it turned out to be due to a bit of paper stuck in a drain pipe under the front cowling!

I had some rust on the passenger door from an old accident repair, I ended up replacing the door and doing the respray myself.

General Comments:

The car has been faultlessly reliable, despite covering nearly 11,000 miles in just 6 months.

The automatic box slows the car down quite a bit (11 seconds 0-60 at best) and also hits on the economy. I usually get around 27mpg on my trips to work and that does include some stop-start driving. On the motorway the economy improves considerably, often nudging 40mpg.

This car seems very much at home on the motorway, the engine will accelerate effortlessly from 80 mph up-hill, not bad for a family saloon.

The car is exceptionally comfy and well equipped, the only thing I miss from my old Orion is the trip computer. You have to own a Ghia X Mondeo to get that in 1995. I do have an Electric Sunroof, Electric Seat, Heated Windscreen, Lit Vanity Mirrors, Velour Trim, Alloys, CD Player, Electric Windows all round etc etc. Can't complain about the spec really!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 6th July, 2001

28th Sep 2001, 06:17

A totally souless car. Mondeo? More like Mundaneo!

Much better with manual gearbox.

I found the auto box impacted heavily on performance and the total lack of engine breaking resulting in near suicidal conditions when driving down steep hills.

I have since swapped my mondeo for a 24V Senator... wow, now that IS A CAR!!!

24th Aug 2004, 05:44

I had two Mondeo autos and never had a problem with lack of engine braking - even in the Lake District.

The brakes were more powerful than the manual version and that helped.

1995 Ford Mondeo Si 4x4 2.0

Summary:

Highly recommended as a towcar

Faults:

Rear brake calipers replaced at 45,000 miles.

Exhaust system only available at Ford dealers and is very expensive to replace.

General Comments:

A good comfortable car to drive.

Engine is good but not refined.

The 4x4 makes this a great car for towing my caravan.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 13th April, 2001

1995 Ford Mondeo LX 2.0

Summary:

Badly made, fast, dull and easy to hate

Faults:

Catalytic converter 4 TIMES!

Various engine faults.

Exhaust.

Drank huge amounts of oil and far more petrol than it should have needed to.

Paint was unbelievably soft (car wash a big no-no!)

General Comments:

Horrible. OK, so it wasn't looked after very well before we had it, but it was still unreliable, uncomfortable and easy to lose in the car park. Went like a bomb and great for the motorway, but little else.

Dealer was useless and "forgot" to do anything to it when it went in for repairs once.

Cabin is like an aircraft cockpit with that dashboard and back end is too bouncy for back-seat passengers.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 8th February, 2001

13th Aug 2001, 16:01

I had a '95 70000 miler - hated the damn thing - kept it 6 months before the general rumbles, rattles and extreme thirst for petrol drove me mad. Oh yeah - the paint was awful too - looked 10 years old and not 4 when I had it. My advice - only buy one if it is at a giveaway price!

23rd Oct 2004, 13:04

I've got a 1995 mondeo 1.6LX, its not a very good car, good on fuel, but very underpowered, suspension bushes last about 1 year only! I have put it through 2 MOT's and it cost £300 a time, might not bother with another.

29th Jun 2006, 15:49

I agree. I wouldn't have another through choice. Mine was pretty reliable, I didn't spend a penny on it in the 6 months I had it, 2.0 is quite pokey, but far too thirsty. I also agree that the paint isn't very durable. It's useful as a cheap throwaway car these days.

12th Dec 2006, 05:19

My 96 example has just gone to the scrapyard with 211,000 miles on the clock. Still drove perfectly, but developed an ABS fault which was going to cost more than the car was worth to put right.

Had a mechanic check the engine over at 190,000 miles and found compressions and oil pressure still within factory tolerances. Still performed brilliantly (2.0), returned low 30's mpg and started in all weathers. All the interior gadgets still worked, the interior cleaned up well, and apart from the inevitable stone chips and the odd parking dink, so did the outside.

Can't agree with any of the negative comments above. Part of the reason these are so popular as taxis is because they run forever if looked after. If I could have been bothered, I could probably have fixed my ABS fault for less than £100 using a local breakers for parts, but I fancied a change anyway.

Took delivery of a 12 month old ST TDCi last week which I hope is half as good.