Hi peeps, looking at getting a Mondeo diesel, have a 1 year old so need the space for his stuff, and the ncap safety rating is really good on the Mondeo for children, but also want something reliable as I cannot think of anything worse than breaking down with him in the vehicle for any prolonged amount of time. Limited on budget, but have seen a 2004 Mondeo with 71k and a 2006 Mondeo with 125k. Is there any benefit for getting the newer 2006 car?

 

Thank in advance for any/all advice!

 

Mark

I can’t say, but I will say that lower mileage does not necessarily mean less wear. I would rather buy a car that has done 125k on motorway than 75k around town when considering wear on engine gearbox clutch, of course there is no way you can know the type of use

On 10/19/2019 at 2:19 PM, Mark0775 said:

Is there any benefit for getting the newer 2006 car?

Yes, quite possibly. A lot depends on how many miles a year you are likely to do. Modern Diesels die because of old age related problems (rubber seals, corrosion, wiring faults etc) more often than from pure mileage.

If you are likely to do over 10k a year, maybe go for the lower mileage. But otherwise the newer car will be a better bet. With decent servicing, and a little bit of luck, these cars can go way over 200k before mileage becomes a problem.

One other item to look at is the DPF, these usually last around 100k, but can vary a lot. A car with a nearly new OEM DPF would be one to go for. It is possible that some early models may not have a DPF, this may be an advantage.

(A Euro 6 (new) Diesel with a DPF will get you into city ultra low emission zones, but older cars with or without DPF are likely to be excluded. So an older car with a DPF offers no advantage.)

 

None of the Mk3s sold in UK was fitted with a dpf anyway. Are you comparing like for like with trim levels? eg, a late car could have had heated and cooled seats. If its got built in satnav then you can't get an upto date disk. I know that the early (pre facelift) cars build quality was better than later ones. If you know the reg nums, have a look at the mot histories on the dvla site might tell you how they've been looked after.