Faults:

Brake pipes above fuel tank replaced at 90k.

New discs & pads at 100k.

Water pump & metal coolant pipe under sump at 110k.

Front suspension wishbones at 120k.

Front coil springs broken at 130k.

Anti roll bar links, 3 sets.

Air con had holed condenser when bought, never fixed.

Water leaks in boot & driver footwell, eventually cured!

General Comments:

A great family car, which took us all over the UK & France, laden down with a roof box and camping kit.

Never failed to start or breakdown.

Used front tyres quickly.

Grey interior trim showed marks.

Faults:

On inspection before purchase, outer drive shaft gaiter clips broken. This allowed ingress of water/moisture in, causing premature failure of CV joints at approx 13000 miles. Both were replaced, one covered by the car seller, one by myself.

Drivers seat frame broke at approx 14500 miles. Ford covered this as a recognised known fault under warranty. Seat frame now beginning to weaken again; now covered 51750 miles.

Occasionally when the engine is cold, there is a noise from under the bonnet like someone blowing down a pipe. Not sure what this is, but suspect idle valve?? (noise is louder outside the vehicle than inside)

General Comments:

I love it, I love it, I love it, I love it, I love it.

Still looks stylish today, and the car is now 10 years old.

Reasonably quick by today's standards, and handles quite well. Also it has a lovely growl to it when you accelerate.

Interior still looks quite up to date, and is comfortable to be in over long journeys.

Vehicle depreciation is very high, but I didn't buy it to sell it, so I ain't too bothered.

Faults:

Aircon not working, but think it just needs a re-gas.

Trim around cig lighter always falling off and now lost.

General Comments:

Very reliable, nice engine, quiet, but with sufficient power for this class.

Some torque-steer if you boot it out of a junction.

Although this is one of the more attractive models with mesh grill, alloys, smoked glass, spoiler etc. it is at the end of the day not amazingly exciting. But it is cast iron reliable and not a moose on the looks front either.

Good equipment level, PAS, EW, CD, remote locking, ABS, traction etc. but no excuse for the lack of passenger airbag...

Faults:

Thankfully nothing yet, though I did have cam belt kit fitted, and it had a major service when I bought it for my peace of mind, though at £500 pounds, I thought that was expensive, and that wasn't the dealer either!!!

General Comments:

OK, here goes, though I'm judging it against my previous car that was 11 years old when I got shot of it.

The Zetec in silver looks great. Smooth engine & gearbox, though I think it does have a flat spot in 3rd till you get to 3000 revs.

The brakes are not as good as the Cavalier, but it handles a lot better, and I mean a lot.

The cabin is fine, with very little if any wind noise, even at motorway speeds.

Speed & acceleration wise, the Cavalier trounces the Mondeo, both 2 litre 16v by the way (but I do suspect some previous owner had it chipped up), but the Ford drives and feels like a more expensive car.

So in a sentence, the Ford's slower, not as good brakes, but it handles better, and the Cavalier was better on petrol as well; even driving very sensibly, the Mondeo is a bit greedy.

Why didn't I buy a Vectra?