Faults:

Clutch + flywheel was the biggest expense a couple of years ago.

Had a coolant leak at the expansion tank, replaced relatively cheaply.

The rest was just wear and tear expected for the age and miles - exhaust, brakes, suspension, and so on.

The car never broke down or gave any major headaches. Reliable if looked after.

General Comments:

Despite its age, I am still running this old Mondeo. I find it modern and comfortable enough to use daily.

The 1.8 petrol is a good all round engine. Economical at around 35 mpg. Torque is weak and you feel the weight when loaded, but it still pulled a small trailer with no problems when I needed to.

LX is a middling spec. Interior is very mid 2000's Ford. Lots of plastic, but obviously quality enough to last all this time. Solid feeling still and everything works. Very comfortable seats. Driving position excellent.

I like the look of this generation best and the car has a huge boot. It wont last forever as the years and mileage are getting on, but I plan to use this car till it dies!

Faults:

The 2.0 TDCi has many known issues from this time period. My car has eaten two turbos, an EGR valve, and now has an oil leak.

The rest has just been wear and tear expected of the age and miles.

General Comments:

20 year old Mondeo still going strong. The reason I keep it is that it is still nice to drive, economical (diesel) and cheap to fix.

Yours truly knows a local Ford expert to keep this thing running. Otherwise, most people scrapped them whenever they had common issues that were too dear to fix.

But this Mondeo I feel is a little underrated - it can be a reliable car if you get it sorted.

The fact mine is still going at this age says it all, though I do admit I have spent quite a bit to keep it gong. Rust is normally an issue as well for these cars now, but mine has been garaged since I got it and has never had any problems at MOT time.

Ghia X has it all, and apart from the air con being dead, all electrics still work!

Interior is still comfortable and fresh. Love the exterior looks too.

For Ford fans only at this age, but worth it if you get a good one.

Faults:

Lots. Engine misfire, clutch, exhaust, oil and coolant leaks, rust, the list goes on.

General Comments:

This MK3 Mondeo is when the Mondeo took a turn for the worse in my opinion. After many reliable MK1's and MK2's in the family, when I bought this MK3 back in 2011 I thought it would be business as usual, but the car was not great.

Good to drive, but the 1.8 petrol engine barely did 35 mpg, and performance was not great. More reliable than the diesels however.

Not bad to look at. Exterior wise anyway. The interior is just weird looking however, and too much plastic everywhere! LX model was mid range with enough equipment. Very comfortable though.

An average car, just should have been better. Later MK4 Mondeo was better.

I scrapped this one back in 2019 just before all the covid nonsense, was glad to see the back of it.