1st Aug 2007, 17:29
Another update.
After a period of disuse after the MOT expired I used our family Fiesta for work while I decided what to do with the Mondeo. After much deliberation, I decided to take her for an MOT and base my decision on what the MOT man said. If he gave me a list of failures or advisories, she'd go.
She sailed it with just an advisory on a tyre (down to 2mm)
So, she's back to the daily grind. Overdue a service, and I think one of the engine mounts is going (jerky on/off throttle) but still a reliable runner, and returned 46 mpg on the last tankful. Just bought all Ford genuine parts for the service (oil, oil filter, fuel filter, air filter) and got change out of £50.
I think I'm going to run her into the ground or at least until she chucks a big bill at me. I suspect this will be the clutch, which although not slipping, is definitely biting at the absolute upper limit of the pedal travel. Forgivable at 133,000 miles though.
It's nice to have air-con back as well.
3rd May 2009, 08:58
Kept it for a while longer, then was offered a nice Volvo S60 2.0T from a mate who'd had it for 3 yrs and kept up the Volvo history, and really looked after it. The Mondy was sold via Ebay at 141,000 miles to a Polish chap who drove her back to Warsaw for a left hook conversion and to sell on. The rubbish Renault Grand Scenic cost more to maintain in six months than the Mondeo cost in all the time I had it. Sold the French P-O-S and bought a Golf which is great so far.
The Mondeo was a great, reliable family car. No complaints at all.
1st Jul 2009, 11:04
Well as everyone has said, a great review. Only came across it through searching for a window winder. I recognise this car immediately. I have an R reg 1997 TD estate Mondeo that I bought in 2000 with 202,000 on the clock. Came from a local taxi firm that I do the signs for. Maybe I got the best of the 8 they replaced with mk3s, but it now has 373,000 on the clock and is just the best car I've ever had.
I agree on the mpg, have had even less to repair despite more years and miles. Been down to s. France at over the ton, can get a plywood lining for the old Dispatch/Expert/Scudo and installation tools etc in the back. I won't give it up til it surrenders to the old tin worm. One reason to keep it is you can get a 48 inch wide plywood in the back across the corners. They don't make them that big now, except MPV's.
5th May 2010, 16:47
Bought an 93 Mondeo 1.8TD GLX estate to replace my 1985 Maestro. Gave £400 for Mondeo in 2003 with 220,000 on clock, did another 35,000, but scrapped it because of a broken windscreen and general abuse by myself. But 100% reliable, and got £120 from a scrapyard.
I managed to find a one owner X-reg 1.8 TD estate, 100,000 miles with full service history for £1000. I'm hoping to keep this at least 10 years, no street cred, but very very reliable. I'm getting 43mpg without trying, about the same as my old one.
If you want reliability and good mpg at a cheap price, then get one of these. I was tempted to go for a MK 3 Mondeo, but was told they aren't as reliable, and I also use bio diesel with no problems, that's £15 cheaper on a full tank.
All in all, highly recommended.
9th Aug 2013, 23:32
Since my last comments, the car has now covered 130,000 miles. I have had to replace the clutch because of slipping (including new slave cylinder although not needed), fitted at a local garage for £250.
Front wishbones/ball joints £120 fitted, 1 new front suspension coil spring and drop links £90 fitted, for one MOT.
Because of using bio-diesel (so I was told) the fuel pump started to run erratic/hard to start, and started to leak from the shaft seal. Had a second hand pump fitted for £350, but I have to put that one down to my own misuse. Now using normal diesel, had a new cambelt/tensioner kit fitted at the same time (£60 extra on top of bill for kit).
Sometimes it revs high between changing gear due to accelerator cable sticking/frayed, so I'll need to replace it shortly. Due to the cold winters we've had here in the UK, the windscreen washer tube froze and fractured, that was easily replaced for £10, must remember to use -20 degree washer fluid in the future.
Even driving heavy footed, it's still returning 40 MPG (better in the summer months!).
I have only given it 1 service, (air filter, cabin filter, diesel filter, glow plugs) but have an oil/filter change with every other MOT.
I have no plans to change the car at the moment, so I'll post more comments in the future.
10th Aug 2013, 19:19
I've been told that Mondeo clutches are notoriously difficult to replace, and it takes a long time to do so. Your clutch replacement seems inexpensive; you must have a good mechanic.
9th Jan 2016, 12:13
I couldn't agree more with O.P. and subsequent posters; these old tubs are super reliable if looked after. Knew a guy who wouldn't let his company replace his for a newer model because he loved it so much. The engine was, at the time, derided for being old fashioned and underpowered. I think time and experience has shown that should read tried and trusted, as well as adequate for purpose.
I had a more modern Ford diesel - a 2012 C-Max - and that was a dog - see the review posted elsewhere on here.
The biggest problem with these Mondeos was finding one, as the taxi lads hoovered them all up - they value what this car offers.
13th Apr 2007, 01:11
Another update.
131,000 miles up, and it's time to part with the Mondeo. A growing family means we're going down the MPV route, and we're in the process of buying a Renault Grand Scenic 1.9dCi.
The Mondeo is still running well, although it seems to have aged dramatically in the last few thousand miles. The interior is becoming creaky, and the front shocks now feel well past their best, with the car floating and bouncing more than it used to over the Third World quality roads the UK is blessed with. It's also now showing wear on the seat squab and steering wheel. Nothing a few quid off Ebay couldn't sort out, but I'm not interested in tarting cars up when they get to this kind of value.
Reliability continues to be first class. There's something odd going on with the power steering intermittently when parking, but the fluid level is OK and there are no odd noises. The car still has yet to break down or fail to start, which impresses me immensely in 40,000 miles of hard use, the majority of which being the wrong side of 100k. Fuel economy continues to impress, with between 45 and 48 mpg regularly returned on my daily commute.
If you want a cheap, comfortable, reliable family car, I would recommend a mk2 Mondeo without hesitation. They may lack the trim quality of the Germans, but underneath, the basic engineering is as good, if not better. My brother-in-law has a VW Passat which is a year newer and has done half the miles, yet has been nothing like as reliable, and has cost nearly £2000 in unscheduled maintenance in two years.
Will be appearing in Autotrader in the next few weeks with a fresh MOT for a grand. Will probably make someone a bargain motor.