26th Apr 2011, 06:56

I purchased a Mk II Mondeo as my first car in late 2010 for a reasonable price of £800. I actually knew the previous owner, and had been a passenger in this particular vehicle many times. Aside from a minor crack in the bumper plastic, cosmetically it was sound, both inside and out, and obviously had been looked after in its 11 years of existence.

But lo and behold, it failed its first MOT and needed a new headlight unit and a new offside suspension spring. I didn't drive it over the winter months, because I didn't fancy getting myself killed in the snow and ice, so six weeks of being sat on a drive under 2ft of snow probably did it no good, but hey, I'm still alive...

It's a comfortable car to drive, and very much at home on the motorway. Town driving is a drama, especially in Devon where a majority of the roads and villages are single track. It's not easy trying to squeeze yourself into a pullover to let a tractor past, but I'm happy to say I still have all my wing mirrors. It's poor at low speeds, and first gear is useless unless you're doing a hill start. I often move off in second when on a flat road just to avoid the clunk of moving from first to second. The electric windows are sticky, and only really work when the weather is humid, because the damp lubricates the rubber seals they need to glide past.

Six months into owning it, I've had to deal with leaky power steering pumps, spongy brakes and tracking deviations, all of which have surpassed in cost of repair the original cost of the car. Some days it is still a bit wobbly, despite the tracking being tuned, but each day is different, so I really can't explain why it happens.

Despite the niggles, it's a pleasure to drive; smooth most of the time, very fast and hungry 1.8 engine, and looks nice on the outside. An ideal first car if you like saloons.

8th Aug 2011, 07:03

You need to move the dial to multi direction floor face and screen, and the air con won't come on. I had this problem too.

18th Feb 2024, 17:32

Great review, the Mondeo of this generation is great.