Ford Mondeo Hatchback (2000 - 2007) 2.0TDCi Graphite (115ps) 5d (2003/03) Owner Review
Want to know everything there is to know about this car?
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Summary
What does this car say about you?
That I followed the crowd and was duped by the "there's enough of them on the road" argument.
What do your friends / family / neighbours think of the car?
Looks good, nice ride, nice performance. They're getting fed up loaning me their cars when mines in the garage though.
Would you buy this car again and why?
Never. I wouldn't even buy another Ford as it has been the most unreliable car I've ever owned and "Googling" the faults I've had normally brings up hundreds of similar problems on similar cars. I tried changing the review ratings to "0 - Fix Or Repair Daily" but unfortunately that's not supported so this seems to be the most appropriate free-text field.
What are you likely to buy next?
Not sure, either a 13-year old Cavalier to improve reliability and claw-back some of my losses or something Japanese/German if the budget is there.
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Buying experience
Type of dealer you bought from?
Franchise
Did you buy this car new?
No
What price did you pay?
£8,000
When did you buy the car?
March 2006
Did you get a good deal and why?
At the time it seemed like a good deal as the car was low mileage. Given the steep depreciation in 1 year though the deal should have been better.
Is there any special reason why you bought this car?
Size, reputation
What was the dealer like?
Friendly and quite helpful.
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Driving it
What's it like to drive?
Nice drive (when it's going), engine is flexible enough to be relaxed on the motorway and can be almost entertaining on B-roads.
What's it like to park?
Visibility is appalling, normally end up leaving large gaps front/back (used to park my Cavalier leaving 10mm gap if necessary) and always have to adjust mirrors to judge distance from kerb.
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Living with it
Have you had any problems with the car?
Lots. In 12 months I've had new subframe bushes (£180), starter motor (£185 from independant garage), camshaft position sensor (£125) and now got a further problem. Local dealer wants to replace the crankshaft pulley (£150-200) before "further investigation". Following discussions with a separate dealer the problem was traced to the dual-mass flywheel and the clutch assembly which cost a mere £775, small change in the world of Mondeo ownership. 2 months on from the flywheel/clutch it's broken again, this time the front passenger side suspension spring has snapped. When the subframe bushes were replaced the franchised dealer managed to fail to fit the anti-roll bar wrongly so far no maintenance-induced defect has become apparent other than refitting the ARB.
What's most practical about your car?
It's big, will probably make a good shed in a couple of months time when it stops working for good.
Favourite gadget, option or accessory?
None
