1998 Ford Mondeo LX 1.8 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A good all rounder and value for money

Faults:

Air con gone all smelly - this is being fixed by a professional air con cleaner.

Rear centre seat belt does not operate and very tricky to remove.

Alarm keeps going off for no reason and there does not appear to be any shock sensor adjustment - probably a faulty pin switch.

General Comments:

Good all round car.

This is my 4th Mondeo, although 1st one in the "smiley face" design. All others have been Mk1's.

Nice and roomy.

Shame the seats are not as comfy as those in the GLX.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th May, 2005

1998 Ford Mondeo V6 Ghia 2.5 24v V6 petrol 5spd from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Ummm! nice wheels

Faults:

15In SUB ratteld no plate screws out. and rear window seal has been moved due to SUB pressure. all okay apart from that.

General Comments:

Good car, strong sexy, reliable ans quite fast.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 23rd February, 2005

9th Mar 2005, 06:10

Have to agree that this car is brilliant, Got a full ST24 kit and lowered, Chrome wheels, great sound system. Full leather interior and what a great engine, leaves boy racers for dead which leaves me smiling.

13th Oct 2006, 09:41

Just about to get one £250 ill let you know next week.

1998 Ford Mondeo Ghia X 2.0 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A great car and cheap to run

Faults:

Absolutely nothing other than general wear and tear items.

General Comments:

I picked up this 4 year old top of the range Mondeo with below average miles for £5000, for that I got 6xCD, cruise control, leather upholstery!

After 50,000 miles in 2 years its still going strong. Does everything you want of it on the motorways and can be a good drivers car on the twisty back roads. Being a Ford its easy and cheap to get parts for. If you need a comfy car for high mileages and have to pay running costs yourself then you can't go wrong, get about 34-39mpg.

Only problem is what to replace it with! Probably go for a 2.0 tdci Ghia X next.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 14th November, 2004

1998 Ford Mondeo Verona 1.8 16v petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Mr average on wheels

Faults:

Boot leak through o/s light cluster - cured with silicone sealant.

Rust developing along the n/s rear sill - not very clever for a six year old car.

Apart from that it has been totally reliable, although I only do around 6000 miles a year.

General Comments:

Overall a satisfactory car, but hardly one to set your pulse racing.

Has air-con and nice alloys, quite good to drive, grips the corners well, but the engine is not really up to the job, it does not really pull below 4000rpm (like most 16v engines), above this it is harsh and noisy.

Fuel economy is poor, I seem to average 27/28 mpg no matter how easy I take it.

The biggest downer is depreciation, I paid £4200 for it nearly 2 years ago, but would struggle to get half that for it now.

If you did 20k miles a year on a motorway this would probably be a good buy, but if you do my limited mileage each year I think you would be better off buying a small hatchback.

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

Review Date: 6th June, 2004

13th Jun 2004, 22:13

It has nothing to do with 16 valves engines. I hear this all the time and is a mistake.

Simply the engine is too small for the car. What do you expect?

15th Jun 2004, 11:11

I simply stated the fact that in common with the vast majority of 16v engines it needs to be revved hard to achieve decent performance, regardless of it being the 1.6, 1.8, 2.0 or 2.5 under the bonnet.

And yes, I quite agree the 1.8 is too small for this size/weight of car, hence my comment "but the engine is not really up to the job"!

24th Jan 2011, 09:36

I have owned a Mondeo Varona for about six years now. It is a 97 model and came with 45K on the clock. It is one of the best cars I have owned and I have had plenty.

Until the Ford I loved SAABs 99s, 900s and so on. The Varona has lasted better and cost less to run.

There are now several faults on the car and so I will be looking for another. Electrical faults are the worst. There is a wire at the end of the gearbox which gets worn away as the engine twists under torque. The central locking does not unlock the rear doors any more, the heater control does not give air anywhere but either the screen, your feet or both.

I have gone through about four front springs. They are a known problem on these cars.

Even considering all this it has been great. Nice to drive, comfortable, very reliable. The engine and gearbox are still as sweet as a nut at 90K miles.

I paid £1400 so that is cheap motoring to me. I shall sell it for spares or repair. Just wished they were still made.