Hi guys,

Looking at buying a Mondeo, probably 2009 / 2010 plate, for the wife. We've had a couple of Mondeos in the past and really liked them, but this time looking to get something a little older than we've had in the past.

Would be looking at a 1.8 / 2.0 litre and not overly fussy at the moment whether it's diesel or petrol. Wife does regular 45-60 min runs once/twice weekly so not too worried about the DPF clogging up as that should hopefully get a good clear-out regularly, if we go down the diesel route.

I just wondered, are there any common mechanical faults to look out for on Mondeos around 4/5 years old and in or around the 100,000 mile marker?

Any other advise regarding specific models to avoid etc would be much appreciated also. I've seen iCraig's post earlier in the forum (thinking about buying an Mk4) which was great for comparison to the different models, but any other info over and above would be great.

Thanks in advance for any nuggets of information.. !

Jtb

There are certainly expensive things that can go wrong with Diesels (DMF, DPF, Injectors) that aren't such a problem on the petrols. This is balanced against the higher expense at the pumps of the petrols, so it is a close choice... In some ways, an LPG converted petrol would be the best choice, but some of the people who do the conversions don't always produce a reliable conversion, and who knows why the seller is selling.

Beyond 80 k miles, I'd want to see that the DMF has been done, or want it cheaply, so I could get it done. The cambelt isn't due 'till 125k, so that probably can be ignored, for now, unless you also look at higher mileage examples.

At 2010, you are probably not quite new enough to find ecoboosts around, and they can be expensive.

Personally, I'd avoid an 'Edge', because I'd pay the money and get the kit (Zetec, or higher), but, if this is a second car, you might not care that much, I don't know.

There was a facelift (Mk 4.5) probably late 2010, and that must have been a success, because the prices on facelifts are higher - all things being equal, I'd prefer a facelift, but, so far, late non-facelifts seem to be easier to find and cheaper.

The first thing I'd do would be look around at what is available on-line (autotrader, and others) to see what is available for what money. That's the first thing that you want to do so, when you go to see a car, you will know whether it is decent value.

Mine is a 2010 59 reg 2.0 petrol titanium estate now 129.000 miles ex fleet had it 15 months now and in excellent condition and drives like new, can get over 40mpg on run but not very good on local 5 mile runs but even then can usually hold 30 plus, the only expense ,

Paid £4400 when bought and only expense has been tyres and discs and pads alround when bought although not absolute necessary decided to start with a clean sheet, fitted with Converse display, 6 cd player, dual zone A/C and fully kitted out, the only other expense is uprated the B/T VC to USB, I am still very happy with it.

Perfect guys, thanks very much for the feedback.

Test drove a 1.6 ecoboost titanium yesterday - well, for about 700 yards before it ran out of petrol on a busy roundabout, while still showing 5 miles remaining on the OBC! Needless to say, wasn't the best sales pitch (i was far from convinced it's a big enough engine for the car).. don't think the salesman was flavour of the month when he got back to the garage and the boss found out..

Will stick to my oiriginal plan of a minimum 1.8, as want something with a bit of grunt. Didn't get long enough in the ecoboost to comment on it, but it's certainly given food for thought as I did read some of the reviews which seem to be very complimentary. Might look at going for something slightly newer so I have that as a option, but in the larger engine.

Whats an approx cost for getting the DMF replaced - appreciate it'll vary depending on location, but is it likely to be a couple of hundred pound, or several hundred?

I got about 6 months ago a 57 plate MK4 1.8 TDCI.

The great news is its DPF free :D day to day drives sweet as a nut, had 110 on when I bought it, and I have clocked it up to 116k. All in all, I havent had any issues that werent there when I bought the car - but its under warranty. The issues I had are:

Aircon never worked: basically the compressor had leaked, and after I paid for a regass and it failed, I am now on the second replacement compressor and its working a charm (between 6 and 11 degrees!)

Airbag issue - seems there is a bad wire in the curtain airbag unfortunately. Going in next week to get that sorted!

Leaking thermostat housing - getting that sorted tomorrow hopefully!

Mechanically otherwise its sound, drives like a new car all in all, and I keep having moments where I want to give up, but generally speaking I still love it and dont overall regret it.