Buying A High Mileage Mondeo

[Noddi]

Hi Guys

New to this forum and wanted to ask your advice…

Wanting to buy a second hand Mondeo Ghia X 2004, I’ve seen two that I like…an estate with 140,000 miles and a hatchback with 117,000. The hatchback has got a full service history and the estate has a part service history. I’m ton as I like the look and practicality of the estate but the higher mileage and lack of full service is putting me off slightly but it is £300 cheaper.

Am I worrying over nothing as long as it looks, feels and sounds in good condition?

What should I be looking out for? I’ve heard that the rear bushes/sub frame can be a problem.

Many thanks for any help/advise.

Cheers

Simon

[BigD]

Get the hatch. The boot is still massive. I put my two year old GSD in there without having to drop the rear seats and she's got loads of room.

Things to look out for; DMF failure, sticking rear brakes, rust in the usual Ford places i.e. doors and rear arches, corrosion in the heated windscreen wiring requiring complete replacement (only one side of the heated screen will work), injectors. If any of this has happened/been fixed already then the FSH will be invaluable.

[gforce]

EDIT: Can't seem to see if you've mentioned petrol or diesel, so all of the following is based on the assumpution it's the 2.0 TDCi 130 brake...

Agree with the above mate. Bushes and droplinks will cause a rattle going over speed bumps and the like, so will be easy to look out for. These should probably have been done on both those cars at some stage given the mileages. To be honest though, these are relatively straightforward/cheap fixes.

I'd be more interested to know about the mechanical issues mentioned above. Clutch and flywheel should probably have been done on both by now as well ya know. I got mine done under warranty shortly after I bought my Mondeo with about 80k on it, wasn't interested in buying one even at that sort of mileage if it hadn't been done, so the dealer said he's stand over it if it needed replaced.

I put 60k on my ZS hatch in just over 2 years and it didn't give me much bother. Sold it at 140k as I felt I had a good run out of it and was worried of picking up the bill for the injectors cos you could be looking at the guts of £800. This would be a major issue to ask any seller about. EGR valve is another one. Both of those should be Euro III cars though, so I'd blank it off with a little plate like I did on my own.

When going to look at them, try catch the seller early and give yourself a chance to start the car from cold, as blue or white smoke or struggling to start can be a tell-tale sign of these issues.

With a Ghia X you'll get plenty for your money as they're a great spec. Probably heated leather, so check that the seats are working ok. Need to sit on it for a few mins as they never really get touch warm to your hand. Also, if it has the Sony front loading 6CD, check ask that it's fully working as well.

Check the alloys, especially if they've a diemaond cut finish, for the common lacquer peel/corrosion.

Small niggly issues to look out for, that I experienced in my ownership, are things like the boot handle playing up (opening randomly, not opening at all - needed a new switch and lock mechanism to cure this), broken glovebox handle, my heated windscreen wouldn't work under 4degrees either so it wasn't much use! That's a long long story so won't go into it here!

Wheel bearings was another...you'll be able to hear these no bother on a test drive too, but think on the Mondeo you need to replace the whole hub.

Check the shocks for any signs of leaking, especially the rears on the estate as they're probably self-levelling and are a fortune to replace if you go for genuine like-for-like. I had to replace my fronts on about 120k I think, but I had Eibachs on for about 20k of that also. Replaced top mounts at the same time.

Track rod ends on the front.

Can't seem to think of anything else off the top of my head right now.

I must say, I'd be more interested in the lower mileage and full service history of the hatch. As BigD mentioned, the boot is huge and the whole car is really roomy. I loved my Mondie and really regretted letting it go, but my Focus came up at a bargain on low miles so had to take it. The guy who bought my Mondeo actually sent me a pic (see below) on the year anniversary of when he bought it! Near brought a tear to my eye, haha! He hasn't had any major issues with it and seems to enjoy it as much as I did, even though I had probably done most of the aesthetic mods to it already!

[Noddi]

Sorry Guys

I my haste forgot to add that hey're both 2.0l TDCi 130 (6) Ghia X's, the estate they're asking £1,695 and the Hatchback they want £1,990 and comes with 3 months warranty...are they both fair prices?

Think I am leaning towards the Hatchback with it's lower miles and to be honest is closer to me for an inspection, i know as of yesterday they still have the car so should i just turn up so as to catch the car cold...had thought about that one. But just thought the estate a little more practical as can chuck my two springer in the back, kids in the middle and roof box on top. But then again, that all happening at the same time is a bit like today's date 12/12/12 not going to happen for another 89 years, lol!

They both have all of the Ghia X goodies, so will have to test all of them...i'm a fairly low level DIY kind of mechanic, so can do some easy bits such as disks/pads, track rod ends and that kind of stuff. but would want to know what i need to test/check/look out for when buying.

i'm in that awkard predicament of my previous car died in the floods thanks to a fellow motorist, it's been written off waiting for the payment now. so need a car rather quickly but also don't want to rush in either...argh!!

gforce, your old mondeo below look stunning...i've attached pics of the two i'm looking at.

Thanks for your help guys

[PeanuckleJive]

Since it hasn't been mentioned properly:

The DMF failure seems to be why a lot of Mondeos move along to their new owners at high mileages like these, dead easy to check for meaning you can rule out a car (or plan ahead to replace the DMF) very quickly.

With the engine idling with the clutch up, it'll make a rumbling noise, when you put the clutch pedal down it'll go away. Dead easy to check and worth doing.

Parts alone when I did DMF and Clutch myself were £520, so to get it done at a garage you could easily be looking at near £1000 for the job.

[gforce]

Thanks mate, I put a lot of effort into it. Had pretty much given it a final facelift (05 onwards) with chrome grille, chrome weather strips, chrome door handles, chrome trimmed rear lights, put in a half leather/alcantara heated/cooled interior, rear footwell and roof lights, custome lower grill...the list goes on! Loved that car, haha!

Both of those that you've pictured look like clean examples - but then again they're gonna make sure they look the part in advertisment photos aren't they?! The prices seem about right though for age and miles. have you tried talking them down at all yet? Maybe tell the hatch seller you've seen the estate for £300 less and you might find it more useful?

Anyway, I'd def be asking about the major mechanical issues (clutch, injectors etc) and must say the warranty with the hatch makes it even more appealing. A dog guard and set of roofbars and you'd have no bother getting the dogs in and roof box on, but I know what you mean about it just seeming so much more convenient on the estate.

Unfortunate to hear about your other car being written off. You're clearly aware of the risk of rushing in so no need to advise on that!

[Noddi]

Yeah...i know what you mean about looking nice to sell.

I haven't been to see the hatchback just yet, but have been emailing the dealer and it has FSH up111k but no reciepts for any other work so i guess they don't know, risk there? Have to say they're not exactly forth coming with any other details I request other than clutch/DMF/injectors are covered. Perhaps i could either haggle the price down if i like it when physically see it or get the warranty upped to 6/12 months...trouble is i don't have the cash in my pocket to be able to wave under their nose as an incentive. just that !Removed! predicament of being down to one car, needing two being close to Xmas and waiting for the !Removed! payout but being able to have cash to use instead middle of next week. Will i miss a good car would it be a dog, only 27 miles away so could go look and not make an off and if i do like it and it's still around call them back mid week and make a cash offer or will other come up...what a quandry!!! lol

bugger!

[Noddi]

Well, just found another Mondeo 2.0l 130 Ghia x on a 52 plate with 130,000 on the clock...FSH and a recent clutch change all for £1,695...and all the Ghia x goodies and again, judging by the website looks in good order . It is cheaper than the previous hatchback i've seen but with more miles and slightly older, however the clutch has been changed but not the DMF and no warranty. Both look good with pro's and con's i guess but i think i'd still like younger and less miles or is that being petty??

[BigD]

The heated seats are easy to check for as well. Sit in the car, and switch it on. After a couple of minutes if its working, you will experience the worrying sensation that you've !Removed! yourself. If that happens, all good.

(Unless you actually have !Removed! your pants).

[Noddi]

Oh indeed, I know that warm and fuzzy feeling well!