USED Ford Mondeo Hatchback (00 - 07)

My car

Bought as second hand in July 2009, 3.5 years old with 24k miles on the clock. Car drives superbly, steering a little on the heavy side due to the 18" wheels and suffers from tramlining on bumpy surfaces. The 2.2 TDCi engine pulls really well and has bags of torque through a wide range of revs (1500 to 3000). The equipment levels on this trim are excellent, everything that you could ask for. Mine has optional Xenons and rear park assist (useful for a car of this size). Concerns (if any) might be tyre wear, from other reviews expect to replace every 12k miles, good tyres are expensive!

My car

This car is very good from both the driver's and the passenger's viewpoint. It has a smooth, quiet engine, road and wind noise are low, seats are leather, comfortable and can be heated if you feel cold, controls are smooth and easy to operate and the car handles in a very controlled, reassuring and satisfying way. The engine pulls smoothly from as low as 1000 rpm but the power doesn't come in strongly until about 3000 rpm when the character of the engine changes as extra valves open up in the intake system and it moves from 'economy' to 'sport' mode. The ride on 17 inch 205/50 tyres can be a little firm on bumpy roads but is generally good on most roads. It comes with lots of goodies like air con, electrically adjustable driver's seat & cruise control. Mine has done 90,000 miles now and the only out of course problems have been three road spring breakages (both front, one rear), one seized handbrake cable, no power to one front foglight and a misfire under power which is getting progressively worse and will need fixing soon. But all in all it's been a very pleasing, practical and cheap car to own.

My car

I bought my mondeo 2.2 tdci ST to replace my VW golf Mk4 GT TDI 150 as we needed a bigger car. first impressions were that the mondeo is a fantastic car for motorway cruises however not quite so user friendly as the golf around town. the big engine is a little clumbsy in 1st and 2nd gears and a few minutes of stop start traffic has your clutch foot hurting.. My overal mpg on the car at first was approx 46.

Good Points: Car is fantastic to drive, exceptional handling and all the room one could need without requiring an estate. On a long run you can achieve 50+ mpg and it comes fully loaded wth all the toys one should ever need. With the exception of a single exhaust at the back, the car is exactly same as the petrol ST for looks and therefore is simply stunning. Down side of this is other drivers see the car as a petrolhead ST and often want to race.

For me - someone who drives on motorways more than any other road, for th e money ( 07 plates currently cost under £10K) there is NO BETTER CAR available.

If you want this car for short urban trips I wouldnt buy it. Instaid opt for something a bit more refined like a 2.0 tdi VW jetta or passat.

I love this car but it has its own wee negatives, firm ride over bumpy roads on the big 18 inch alloy wheels.

I dont keep my cars long but ive had the mondeo for nearly 2 years now so that tells me all i need to know!

My car

I had a 2005 Zetec 6 speed 130bhp TDCI and it was basically the best car i ever had, and then comes along Mr Farmer in his Massey Ferguson and wrote off my pride and joy. cost me 9k and insurance company coughed up 4100. Ok i did do 60000 miles in 19months, and it was trouble free. OK, thats the good side and now for the bad. I didnt want to go into any debt or put any monies in, so when i saw a 53plate Zetec 6 speed 130bhp TDCI, with 70000 on the clock for 4k and i got them down to 3500, i thought i was getting a bargain NOT.

After 3 weeks the injectors and diesel pump failed, to which after many arguments the garage repaired at their cost(only got 1 months warranty, due to getting it cheaper). When i got it back, the starter motor went, £250( did someone see me coming) i had a slight wobble at 70mph, and after three weeks i shredded the 2 back tyres. £400 for 4 new pirellis(might as well get them all done!!!), and tracking done, only for the back two to bald again after 5000 miles(another 150 quid). Took it to a ford dealer(franchised) and found more faults, brake caliper sticking, drive shaft dry of oil/grease and wanted £900 to fix.Windscreen washer pump has failed.

Driving along the motorway and again when the accelerator is depressed, i feel as though i am mr wobble, as the whole car is shaking.

So, apart from all the faults, i am actually still getting 50MPG, and when its good, it great and when its bad, its very bad