Ford Mondeo Hatchback (1993 - 2000) 1.8i LX 5d (96) Owner Review

1.8i LX 5d (96)

30 April 2017

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In their own words

The main purpose of the car is as a mile muncher on open roads. It will deliver a lot of cheap and comfortable miles. It is quite big, which can be awkward in town and parking, though the power steering helps a lot. Not a lot of extras but the radio/CD player was original and performs well. It can go at license losing speeds but apart from the fact that this is illegal, it is too heavy a car and the brakes are not like those on a Porsche, and theres no ABS. But for sensible legal driving it is more than adequate. I put 31 mpg as average but on the motorway it does 34-44mpg depending on how you drive and in town traffic it can go as low as 24mpg. What I really like about the car is that it is pleasant to drive (nothing special, but pleasant); it is reliable; it is very practical (can carry big loads easily, plenty of room for 5 people and all their luggage) and generally makes no trouble. The thing to know now is that as they get older the parts availability is starting to be an issue, particularly if you need an official Ford part - sorry sir, the fuel pump has to come from Germany and will take ten working days, and BTW the price to supply and fit it is £706...Make sure you have a good independent Ford specialist somewhere nearby if you want to keep it on the road nowadays.

How reliable do you find the car?

Given the age and miles I consider that this has been a reliable car; much more reliable than my previous cars. There were 97,000 miles on the clock and it was six years old when I bought it, but it was an ex-company car and had been dealer-serviced up to then. Since then the issues were: 106,000 miles - power steering pipes leaked/replaced (£270 at an independent garage); 121,000 miles - broken front spring passenger side replaced £80; 128,000 - failed MOT due to corrosion drivers door sill and missing suspension members (£50 for the welding and £120 to replace missing suspension members); 133,000 - new clutch plates £180; 138,000 - new brake pads rear and fix hydraulic leak; 145,000 - electrical fault to fuel pump connection; 153,000 fuel pump seized up. This sounds like a lot but is over 11 years of ownership and 56,000 miles. I have found it a very solid car.

Does the car do everything you expected it to do?

I bought the car cheap because it was "cosmetically challenged", but I knew it had a full service history so I didn't care that it wasn't pretty. A £500 car has lasted me 11 years and I am only going to replace it now. Who knows, I might still persevere a bit longer if I can get the fuel pump mended for a sensible price. Lets see. Incidentally it is a reasonably good driving car though I have noticed that it is showing signs of old age now in terms of gearbox feel (still works though) and a bit more play in the steering than there used to be. It is comfortable over long distances: I do a regular 200 mile run monthly to visit family, which is the main source of the miles.

How they rated it
Reliability: 4 out of 5 4.0
Meets Expectations: 4 out of 5 4.0
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 4.0
Adrian Clee recommends this car