Back to ford after 20+yrs

[Ferkin]

Hello everyone,
After having a vauxhall for the last 22yrs, 2 cavaliers and a vectra b sri150 for the last
15yrs(now at 96k) i think its time to move on again....
Now i have £8000 cash available and my intention is to purchase a Mondeo 2.0 tdci titanium
(new shape)148/178hp(dont matter which), but my budget restricts me somewhat to higher mileage
cars around the 100k mark, my current mileage per yr is 5k, but i will be doubling that after
my purchase(my current car has lots of issue's which limit my mileage).
Now my question is, other than the obvious(full service history/cam/other belts done) will
a high mileage car be a problem for me, and which model should i get, the 148hp or 178hp(has
more xtras including full leather i believe),or is there something else i need to look out
for....mpg doesnt bother me as anything above the 30mpg i get now is a bonus.
i'm looking to keep the car for the next 10yrs unless i get another cash lump arrive before
that, so i need a reliable car and the mondeo's new look is far better than the vauxhall's
current offering in its class.

Any advice/info will be much appreciated.

[TomsFocus]

With your low mileage it would be best to avoid a modern diesel with a DPF.  Have you looked at the petrol options in the Mondeo?

[Ferkin]

Hi TomsFocus,  no not looked at petrol, the diesel has other cost reducing benefits including insurance(full nc discount) and tax.... But when you say about DPF, I understand that low usage

can be an issue, but its long trips I'm going to use the car for, maybe 10k is just a low estimate as we plan lots of UK sightseeing, from top to bottom, so I guess a decent economy would

also be an advantage, maybe you understand my logic(not sure the misses does tho).

[TomsFocus]

Yeah that's a fair point.

Low overall mileage may not be an issue if you're mainly doing long trips.  The problems come when people are using them for a 5 mile commute or school run during the week for example.

It's worth noting though, that there are a lot of other parts on modern diesels that could fail between 100-150k.  EGR valve, dual mass flywheel, fuel injectors etc.  The DPF will also require replacement at some point even with longer runs, but that will also depend on how the car has been driven before.

It sounds like diesel may work well for your touring needs, just as long as you're aware that it will likely need more maintenance than your old petrols did.

[Ferkin]

1 hour ago, TomsFocus said:

Yeah that's a fair point.

Low overall mileage may not be an issue if you're mainly doing long trips.  The problems come when people are using them for a 5 mile commute or school run during the week for example.

It's worth noting though, that there are a lot of other parts on modern diesels that could fail between 100-150k.  EGR valve, dual mass flywheel, fuel injectors etc.  The DPF will also require replacement at some point even with longer runs, but that will also depend on how the car has been driven before.

It sounds like diesel may work well for your touring needs, just as long as you're aware that it will likely need more maintenance than your old petrols did.

Well you also make a very fair point,

I'm in my mid 50's and no longer need performance so looking for, as you rightly put, a tourer

Now if I'm correct(unless I'm arguing with the misses) at 100k that a major service is made, one which is over and above the regular full service, now I'm guessing a non business

Owner may not do a full service, but I'm looking at a company owned motorway miles car that has done the proper services at the proper intervals.

Also what I'm going to factor in with the price of the car is, the price of that major service if it has not been done, I will barter if I have to.

I have  seen many cars at 7k ish, so 1k should cover most of the major cost of that service, I do tend to look after my motors, hence the lengthy ownership, so in context the Mondeo

is a fair choice according to aesthetics/affordability/status symbol.

[TomsFocus]

The cambelt kit will be due replacement around 100k but I'm not sure of anything else that would be replaced at a 100k service on them, the rest should just be the usual major service.  You might find the belt has been changed early but it's definitely something worth checking and haggling if it hasn't been done.

I agree, the Mondeo is a good choice overall.

[Ferkin]

53 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

The cambelt kit will be due replacement around 100k but I'm not sure of anything else that would be replaced at a 100k service on them, the rest should just be the usual major service.  You might find the belt has been changed early but it's definitely something worth checking and haggling if it hasn't been done.

I agree, the Mondeo is a good choice overall.

The 1st thing I'm gonna check is cambelt, as my knowledge of mechanics is pretty good(not done major work in 30yrs) I used to work for Honda in mid 80's, but a back problem meant bending over the engine bay killed me, so had to give it up.

Having owned a lot of cars between the ages of 13 and now , mk1 cortina ,mk1 mini,mk2 escort,mk5 cortina, 3 x mk2 Granada, mk3 capri 2.8 injection special,2x maestro, mk2 cavalier 2.0 glsi, mk3 cavalier sri130, VECTRA ......that's all.

But modern cars now I don't work on, not to mention not having anywhere to work on one.... but I can ,thankfully, spot a wrongun, and that's why I came here.

People like yourself can give me pointers to which at modern cars will help me further, things like you already mentioned(dpf) and so on, if it takes me a couple of months to find one then

so be it.

 

Thanks for your reply's and help.

 

[pragmatix]

Ive had a couple of high mileage Mondeos, all ex hire cars normally bought around the 95 k mark and have gone on to onto 175k mark with no problems at all, all ive done with them is change the timeing belts and check the rear suspension bushes and for som inexplicable reason every mondeo ive had has at some time had a seized or partialy seized rear near side caliper.

[Ferkin]

9 hours ago, pragmatix said:

Ive had a couple of high mileage Mondeos, all ex hire cars normally bought around the 95 k mark and have gone on to onto 175k mark with no problems at all, all ive done with them is change the timeing belts and check the rear suspension bushes and for som inexplicable reason every mondeo ive had has at some time had a seized or partialy seized rear near side caliper.

Thanks for the heads up, I will be checking both items just in case.

I'm pretty confident that I will get a lot of miles out of a Mondeo. Was speaking to my neighbour today and he's a taxi driver, he told me they have 3 in use 2012/13 models and all 3 have clocked 400k+ and they almost run 24/7....I think my choice is safe, as long as I get 7 years+ I will be happy.

[Frembrit]

Hi Neal, If you didn't know, the service interval on the MK5 Mondeo is every 2 years or 18,000 miles and the timing belt is due at 10 years or 125,000 miles. I very much doubt that a fleet car would have its timing belt replaced early though, but you never know.

You can register (free) on the ETIS website here http://www.etis.ford.com/  and look up information on the car by the reg number. (check for fitted optional extras, service sheets, etc)

 

[Ferkin]

On ‎8‎/‎30‎/‎2018 at 8:50 AM, Frembrit said:

Hi Neal, If you didn't know, the service interval on the MK5 Mondeo is every 2 years or 18,000 miles and the timing belt is due at 10 years or 125,000 miles. I very much doubt that a fleet car would have its timing belt replaced early though, but you never know.

You can register (free) on the ETIS website here http://www.etis.ford.com/  and look up information on the car by the reg number. (check for fitted optional extras, service sheets, etc)

 

 Hi David,

Many thanks for the information its perfect, piece of mind means a lot and this website has put my mind at ease, now all I got to do is choose what colour out of red/white/blue and HP

Variant in hatchback form, I have to say my heart say's 178hp but my head say's 148hp, the 178hp titanium does have the twin pipes and looks good, we will see.

W

[Frembrit]

I can't comment on those engines as I've only driven my friends White 210ps powershift version...I think he was getting about 38 mpg from that. 

Worth a look on the TalkFord fourm too.... https://talkford.com/community/forum/889-ford-mondeo-mk5-uk-ford-fusion-usa-forum-2013/