Ford mondeo lx 2.0 petrol auto

[mikeFRP]

Hi. Could anybody give me any help on this for my new car?

It's an 05, has 78k and Is up for sale for £1950.

It's an auto and 2l. Will this chomp petrol, what will it be like to drive daily, it says 4 gear auto! Will it be crap on motorways only have 4 gears.

Whats the reliability like on these?

Anything I can check on the car? Any auto issues that commonly happen. Etc etc.

Any help welcome please. Thanks

The reg Is Nd05vwl

 

[PhilLew]

I'm no mechanic but I have just bought an auto (not Mondeo) and so drive both manual and auto cars daily. so...

It's an auto and 2l. Will this chomp petrol

Auto is typicaly 10-15% worse on fuel than the equivalent petrol model

what will it be like to drive daily

depends if you take to the auto or not, if you haven't driven one before make sure you get a long test drive before buying one, maybe even hire one for a day or two just to make sure you're ok with it, I know a few people who have bought an auto and hated them.

it says 4 gear auto! Will it be crap on motorways only have 4 gears

Auto box works in a different way, a manual has a lower 1st gear to aid pulling away slowly, an auto will change up to 2nd at about the speed a manual would go in to 3rd so it's effectivly 1st thats longer in an auto, top gear is about the same ratio as the manual version so no problems at motorway speed.

Whats the reliability like on these

Engine and everything else is the same as the petrol version, auto box is as reliable as any other BUT manual Mondeo's are very expensive to have the clutch and dual mass flywheel replaced (it requires the front sub-frame to be removed from under the car) expect a bill for £800 - £1000 or more fro a manual clutch, which you won't have with an auto.

Anything I can check on the car? Any auto issues that commonly happen. Etc etc.

Check everything else as normal, with the auto box check it engages smoothly when going from N/D/R, it should creep forward in D on level ground and sit still in D on a hill without any brakes needed. also check the gears all change smoothly up and down and that the kickdown function works too.

I'm sure some of the mechanics on here will be along shortly with more words of advice but all I would say is the biggest problem you're likley to have is whether you like driving it or not,
I can't emphasise enough, if you haven't driven one before then do so BEFORE you buy one :grin:
Good luck.

 

[mikeFRP]

Thanks for the advice mate. I've driven an auto for a day when my last car was in for repair. I didn't mind it but it was very jerky! It was an old car though so could of been that.

The issue I'm most concerned about is the fuel consumption. I currently drive a 1.6 laguna on an 's' plate and I can't aford to spend any more on fuel bills! So a 2l with auto box I think would be too thirsty! Would it be?

I need a big family car but need it to be reliable, cheap to fix, low tax, and fuel effcient. I do 15k a year! And absolute max 2 grand is all I have to spend. Any thoughts

I'm not bothered about how it looks, street cred, how it drives etc! I've got the Frp for that.

Thanks in advance

 

[PhilLew]

I've just bought a 3.0 auto Jag S type, so fuel economy wasn't really top of my shopping list :grin:

In general (not including luxury cars) Auto's tend to be a little more expensive than their manual equivalent because there are fewer of them, so if you don't need an auto why pay more, find a cheaper manual.

The cost of replacing a clutch with old Mondeos is the reason they are so cheap, If you can find one whch has had the clutch and the flywheel already done you'll get a bargain but one approaching 80,000 that hasn't been done yet AVOID!
(Passats of the same age are just as expensive for cluthes) Vectra prices tend to be pegged to Mondeo prices but don't cost £1000 for clutches so represent better value. (especialy if you can find facelift models at your price range)

If you're happy with Renaults then stick with them, they are IMHO very under rated (so relatvley cheap compared to their rivals) and do a good diesel engine. Likewise the new generation Citroens are very cheap so you'll get newer for your money and a good choice of diesels but the build quality/reliability isn't as good.

Saabs are a good bet just now, owned by GM so lots of Vauxhall parts fit, although Saab parts are still being supplied, but because the parent company have gone bust a lot of people are avoiding them and prices are falling.

Anything Japanese is going to be ultra reliable but beware of insurance/service/repair costs if it's a grey import.

don't be tempted into a cheap Mercedes, at that sort of price/age their build quality was awful and they are prone to rust.

If you're worried about fuel costs have you looked at LPG converted cars? slight loss of power and mpg but it only costs 75p/liter :grin:

Wherever your buying from hagle hard, expect to get at least 10% and anytihng up to 25% or more off the advertised price, it's a buyers market if you're not getting the deal you want walk away. There's plenty more cars out there :grin:

 

[mikeFRP]

That's great. Thanks for your help.

Il look into the above options and see what I find. Much apreciated

 

[mikeFRP]

Spotted this

03 rover 75 2.0 se club. 49k. Great service history. £1595.

Any thoughts on that?

Thanks