1998 Ford Mondeo Ghia X review from UK and Ireland

The usual Mondeo Gripes have been present to some degree with this May 1998 Model.

* Heater blower fan resistor defective - operated only on setting 4. Very common fault and cheap repair kit available from Ford for less than £20.

* Central locking problems

- Boot lock motor release not working, have to use key.

- Defective drivers door lock, intermittent fault - Sometimes does not work central locking when locking or unlocking with the key in the lock.

- Remote key function no longer working even though battery in key replaced and attempts made to reprogram key to car failed.

* Exhaust - this is a pain on the 2.5 V6 model as it uses 2 rear silencers on the back of the car and the after market replacements are a very poor fit and look ugly from the rear of the car. The passenger side rear box had to be changed as it was banging against the bumper and melting it - Do NOT buy a TUBEREX exhaust for this model, they are a VERY bad fit. The Ford OE rear exhaust boxes are over £200 and that is just to supply them, but it is worth it as the aftermarket systems are rubbish.

Also be aware that the manifolds on the V6 have pre-cats built in and cost a fortune to replace if they are blowing.

* IMRC - this is the little box that sits under the V6 Duratec engine cover under the bonnet, on my car this had become faulty, causing a severe power loss above 4000RPM. It opens the secondary inlet manifold (Valves 18 - 24) over 4000RPM and suffers from internal transistor overheating due to a poor nylon grub screw that holds the transistor against the heat-sink. Replace this with a metal screw and it fixes the problem. Ford charge nearly £200 for a new IMRC unit so I saved a fortune by repairing mine.

* Rust - my car is showing the usual Mondeo rust formation, that is on the rear door inner sills around the base of the rear arches where they meet the rear door sills. As my car has only done 90,000 miles, the rust is not too bad for a 10 year old car.

* Brakes - Had to replace the rear discs and pads - usual wear and tear. Front brake discs tend to warp and my car does vibrate through the steering wheel on heavy braking. Parts cheap for Mondeos though.

This is the Fourth Mondeo Mk 2 that I have owned - I love Mondeos - It's the second V6 I have had and only cost me £800. The first one was a V6 Automatic and I sold it due to serious gas guzzling. I have had 2 2.0 models and they were slightly underpowered, but very comfy and practical.

In terms of value for money - you can't beat the Mondeo - the Ghia X has all the toys, leather, cruise control, air con etc etc for less than a grand.

This car (the manual version) is fantastic, it has the ST24 V6 24v 168BHP Duratec engine (USA built) and with a little TLC and a service, it now runs great. The acceleration is vicious from 0 - 60 and it's a real wolf in sheep's clothing! The faces on the boy racers in their all show no go Corsas is classic when I leave them for dust from the lights!

What a car. The seats are all leather and heated, so its very nice for the cold mornings, Its got a quickclear windscreen, so no scraping either.

Basically, the car is the dogs danglies and is nearly BMW class without the hefty price tag - I love it.

Ford dealers, on the other hand, are a waste of space - Rude, arrogant and condescending. I get my parts from them and that is all. I get an independent mechanic to do the more difficult jobs and do everything else myself.

In summary, if you want performance, luxury and real value for money - get a pre 2001 Mondeo V6 Ghia X - they are VERY hard to beat for the money.

After Mar 2001, the V6 is not so good as you will be lining Gordon Browns coffers with band L road tax at £430 per year due to the high emissions.