1998 Ford Mondeo LX review from UK and Ireland
"A Tough, Cheap to Maintain, and Reliable Car"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
So far, absolutely nothing at all!
General comments?
This Ford has been one of the most dependable a reliable cars I have owned. I have driven across France, Spain and Germany and have had no reliability issues at all.
Inside -
The only gripe I have is that Ford should have made the seats a bit more comfortable, but it is only the humble LX model. There OK, but could be better. The steering wheel moves up/down/in/out which is good for this LX spec model too.
Plastics do look a bit cheap looking, but are durable and nothings broken yet.
Air-condition is exceptional as its standard on Mondeo's after from 1998 and is more than adequate to cool the car.
Overall plenty of space inside and boot is a good size and all electrics work fine.
Outside -
No issues on my car although I do see a lot of Mondeos with cracked bumpers and rust on rear wheel arches, why did ford no galvanise these cars. Paintwork still has a good shine, not bad for a 9 year old Ford.
Design is a little dated now, but still looks OK plently about so nothing special.
Fuel Economy is very reasonable at about 36-38 on Motorways, good for a large saloon, in town this will drop to about 30. With the Air-con I have not noticed any difference in fuel economy, but does affect performance slightly, no worse though that other car manufacturers.
Mechanicals seem near bomb proof on these cars, engines are good if a tad noisy when revved some times, I have the car reguarly serviced with oil changes at 6000 miles, Ford say 10,000 is okay, but I think this is too long.
Ford got the handling with the Mondeo spot on and the Mondeo is delight to drive.
So far I have serviced the car myself and spent £192 so far in 11,000 miles. This takes in 2 oil/filter changes, air and cabin filters, sparks plugs, new front brake discs/pad and having the air-con serviced. Parts are extremely cheap compared to other cars and usually in stock at Motor Factors, Scrap Yards have plenty of parts for these.
For price, reliability, space, servicing and driving it is difficult to find anything to match the Ford Mondeo of any age new or old.
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| Very good car, often under rated |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model year | 1998 |
| Year of manufacture | 1998 |
| First year of ownership | 2005 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2006 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.8 16v Manual |
| Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 10 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 7 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 10 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 63100 miles |
| Most recent distance | 74500 miles |
| Previous car | Volkswagen Passat |
| Date of Entry | 1st October, 2006 |