Should you buy a used Ford Mondeo Mk4?

Yes, as long as the engine, gearbox and fuel type suit your needs – most of the used Mondeos for sale now are diesel, and these are not ULEZ compliant and likely to fall foul of clean air zones around the UK as more cities adopt this anti-pollution penalty. For drivers who mostly need a car for rural, town and country driving with a bit of motorway in between that’s not a big concern, and a well maintained Mondeo is economical, easy to keep in good working order, and cheap to buy.

Some engine and gearbox combinations are weaker than others – we’d stick to 2.0-litre, manual models as much as possible, and the 2.2-litre is a very capable diesel if you need an automatic. The hatchback’s boot space is immense, with robust trim, and the passenger space reflects that the third generation Mondeo really did grow a size, occupying the same place that once you might have chosen a Granada or Scorpio to fill.

Whether you go for the highest specification and keep it shiny, or just want a cavernous second hand diesel runaround for heavy-duty work, it’s hard to find fault with the Mondeo, particularly when compared with the Vauxhall Vectra (or later, Vauxhall Insignia) or Renault Laguna that it shared the company car parks with when new.

What we like about the Mondeo Mk4

Solid build quality as a rule, with a strong body and better rust resistance than past Fords. Comfortable and well equipped interior, robust trim, and very few genuine weak spots in the engine range – most issues are down to lack of maintenance and aging components. It’s also incredibly spacious and practical.

What we don’t like

The 1.6-litre diesel is notorious in the trade across all the models it’s installed in, which means simple maintenance needs are often dismissed as a catastrophic failure – or charged as such. The 1.8-litre diesel feels like a different era. This Mondeo is also very big, rivalling some upmarket saloons of the era for parking space demands. It’s a little unwieldy in congested small towns.