to mondeo or not to mondeo?
Discussion
hi everyone, I was looking to pick some brains...
I've been driving a 2002 1.9 Octavia estate for the past three years, I got it for a pretty decent £1000 with 150k miles. I've spent about £2k on various repairs and wear and tear items since 2016 and it's served me pretty well, no major issues at all and now up to 177k. However. It keeps letting water in.
I've done the best I can to remedy it but I'm pretty sick of it smelling and having sodden front passenger carpets, and can't afford to take it to a main stealer for them to properly fix it. Its ride is also starting to suffer - it just doesn't feel that smooth sometimes, especially braking, especially on ever so slightly bumpy roads (welcome to west yorkshire) these and a few other age related conditions.
So, I was thinking of spending about £1500 on an around 100k mile Mondeo diesel, you seem to be able to get a nice looking 59 plate for that money. They're cheaper to insure than the octy, faster, and should do about the same on fuel, and I would welcome having something a bit 'newer' in terms of general wear and tear.
I'm just not sure about their reliability - I've heard they can vary from rock solid to s
theap, as can any model of any car, I guess. I also hesitate to risk a different used car, at least I know with mine it's mechanically reliable (well serviced) and the issues are, at the end of the day, quite small, but a fresh motor could pack up on me in an expensive way.
any advice and experiences are very welcome
I've been driving a 2002 1.9 Octavia estate for the past three years, I got it for a pretty decent £1000 with 150k miles. I've spent about £2k on various repairs and wear and tear items since 2016 and it's served me pretty well, no major issues at all and now up to 177k. However. It keeps letting water in.
I've done the best I can to remedy it but I'm pretty sick of it smelling and having sodden front passenger carpets, and can't afford to take it to a main stealer for them to properly fix it. Its ride is also starting to suffer - it just doesn't feel that smooth sometimes, especially braking, especially on ever so slightly bumpy roads (welcome to west yorkshire) these and a few other age related conditions.
So, I was thinking of spending about £1500 on an around 100k mile Mondeo diesel, you seem to be able to get a nice looking 59 plate for that money. They're cheaper to insure than the octy, faster, and should do about the same on fuel, and I would welcome having something a bit 'newer' in terms of general wear and tear.
I'm just not sure about their reliability - I've heard they can vary from rock solid to s
theap, as can any model of any car, I guess. I also hesitate to risk a different used car, at least I know with mine it's mechanically reliable (well serviced) and the issues are, at the end of the day, quite small, but a fresh motor could pack up on me in an expensive way.any advice and experiences are very welcome
hebdenwill said:
hi everyone, I was looking to pick some brains...
I've been driving a 2002 1.9 Octavia estate for the past three years, I got it for a pretty decent £1000 with 150k miles. I've spent about £2k on various repairs and wear and tear items since 2016 and it's served me pretty well, no major issues at all and now up to 177k. However. It keeps letting water in.
I've done the best I can to remedy it but I'm pretty sick of it smelling and having sodden front passenger carpets, and can't afford to take it to a main stealer for them to properly fix it. Its ride is also starting to suffer - it just doesn't feel that smooth sometimes, especially braking, especially on ever so slightly bumpy roads (welcome to west yorkshire) these and a few other age related conditions.
So, I was thinking of spending about £1500 on an around 100k mile Mondeo diesel, you seem to be able to get a nice looking 59 plate for that money. They're cheaper to insure than the octy, faster, and should do about the same on fuel, and I would welcome having something a bit 'newer' in terms of general wear and tear.
I'm just not sure about their reliability - I've heard they can vary from rock solid to stheap, as can any model of any car, I guess. I also hesitate to risk a different used car, at least I know with mine it's mechanically reliable (well serviced) and the issues are, at the end of the day, quite small, but a fresh motor could pack up on me in an expensive way.
any advice and experiences are very welcome
Maybe not applicable to your situation as you are looking for something "newer" on a 59 plate but I'll add my 2p for what it's worth.I've been driving a 2002 1.9 Octavia estate for the past three years, I got it for a pretty decent £1000 with 150k miles. I've spent about £2k on various repairs and wear and tear items since 2016 and it's served me pretty well, no major issues at all and now up to 177k. However. It keeps letting water in.
I've done the best I can to remedy it but I'm pretty sick of it smelling and having sodden front passenger carpets, and can't afford to take it to a main stealer for them to properly fix it. Its ride is also starting to suffer - it just doesn't feel that smooth sometimes, especially braking, especially on ever so slightly bumpy roads (welcome to west yorkshire) these and a few other age related conditions.
So, I was thinking of spending about £1500 on an around 100k mile Mondeo diesel, you seem to be able to get a nice looking 59 plate for that money. They're cheaper to insure than the octy, faster, and should do about the same on fuel, and I would welcome having something a bit 'newer' in terms of general wear and tear.
I'm just not sure about their reliability - I've heard they can vary from rock solid to s
theap, as can any model of any car, I guess. I also hesitate to risk a different used car, at least I know with mine it's mechanically reliable (well serviced) and the issues are, at the end of the day, quite small, but a fresh motor could pack up on me in an expensive way.any advice and experiences are very welcome
Around 4 years ago, I was looking for a cheap daily run-around/station car. Found a 2004 Mondeo, it had 62K miles on the clock (which seemed genuine when matched up with MOT history). It's a 3.0 V6, the model under the ST220 at the time but fully loaded with all of the options - amazingly, all of which still work - even the heated and A/C cooled seats.
It cost me £1,900 back then, obviously I've had to get tyres, replacement disks and pads etc during my ownership but nothing out of the ordinary. It went through the last MOT in January with no advisories. It's now on 103K miles.
One of the best cars I've ever owned for the money. Perhaps I got lucky and got a good one but I'd buy again on my experience to date.
Any particular reason you want a diesel? If you aren't doing 40K+ miles a year look at the petrol options too. I wouldn't recommend one with the same V6 as mine as it's appalling on fuel - around "town" it probably does 20-23mpg, To give it dues, on a good motorway run it can get almost 40mpg.
I imagine the newer 1.6/1.8/2.0 versions are far more economical
Edited by OzzyR1 on Thursday 20th February 03:17
There seems to be countless instances on here of people saying "I only bought the Mondeo as a car to keep me going for a few weeks umpty years ago, still got it. Comfortable, reliable, handles really well, lots of toys." I'm not going to disagree. As you say, I guess a lot is down to luck, getting a car that has been well serviced and not bashed on kerbs etc. Looking up the MOT history can really help there.
The mk4 Mondeo is reliable and well-built. Statistically you shouldn't have many issues with it. There are a couple of common fault areas, most notably the rear trailing arm bushes. £200-400 fix depending on the garage.
In terms of the engine, if you're only spending £1500-odd then this won't get you a 2.5T or 2.0T petrol, only the 2.0 n/a, which is somewhat wheezy. Go for the 2.0 TDCI. They seem to have little trouble doing mega miles in taxis.
In terms of the engine, if you're only spending £1500-odd then this won't get you a 2.5T or 2.0T petrol, only the 2.0 n/a, which is somewhat wheezy. Go for the 2.0 TDCI. They seem to have little trouble doing mega miles in taxis.
I've had 2 MK3 Mondeos which I've taken to around 120k miles before selling. Loved both. Now I have a Mk4 Mondeo 2.0TDCI which my dad first bought new. Only 82k miles but in that time all it has needed are pads, discs and tyres. Nice to drive, not bad on fuel and cheap to run. If I needed to replace it, I'd buy another Mondeo. They are nice daily drivers.
I've had a few mondeos, maybe three off the top of my head.
All have been superb cars, the petrol ones especially were fantastic, albeit both petrol ones I had were V6 engines.
The Diesel one I had was also great really, it was only an LX model that one but still well equipped for the trim level, only issue I had with the TDCi diesel was the DMF went at about 120k miles which was a pricy job I think at about £1200 but that was probably 10 years ago on a Mk3 Mondeo.
The Ghia X V6 I had was a brilliant car, really good spec and a lovely drive, should have kept it instead of selling it and buying a 3 series, no issues with that one apart from a small split breather pipe which I easily replaced.
All have been superb cars, the petrol ones especially were fantastic, albeit both petrol ones I had were V6 engines.
The Diesel one I had was also great really, it was only an LX model that one but still well equipped for the trim level, only issue I had with the TDCi diesel was the DMF went at about 120k miles which was a pricy job I think at about £1200 but that was probably 10 years ago on a Mk3 Mondeo.
The Ghia X V6 I had was a brilliant car, really good spec and a lovely drive, should have kept it instead of selling it and buying a 3 series, no issues with that one apart from a small split breather pipe which I easily replaced.
ian_c_uk said:
Fyi, water in footwell of octavia is most likely pollen filter under scuttle not installed correctly - take a look / reseat / replace. They are a known issue.
^^^This. A common issue on all models based on the Mk4 Golf platform, so there may be an easy fix for your Octavia if that is the only reason you are looking to get rid!They are great cars. I've had one as a daily and it does everything you need it to really well. Mine is the Mk4 2.2 tdci in the top Tit X Sport trim. It's been very reliable and I regularly do a 600 mile trip in it most months. Good spec on mine, nice interior. Sat nav is obviously very dated now but most people use google maps or Waze anyway. It's fairly nippy with mine having around 230bhp (remap). Still looks good for its age. Some of the more basic ones look a bit crap without the sport pack and smaller wheels etc.
Much better all rounder than previous audis, bmw that I have had.
Much better all rounder than previous audis, bmw that I have had.
hebdenwill said:
However. It keeps letting water in.
As mentioned, check the pollen filter area for standing water, the passats of the same ear have an issue where the battery tray area under the windscreen gets blocked drain holes and fills with water.You can take the trim off, remove the rubber 1 way valves in the bottom and then swill it out with the house and a paintbrush. The pollen filter housing can be sealed properly with good quality silicone, polyurethane or my preffered choice, No nonsense roof and gutter sealant from screwfix (black and white tube).
If its not coming in there, open the passengers door, get someone to run water against the seal along the bottom of the outside of the window and then check underneath the door. It may take a bit of time for you to see anything happening. If the water comes out from behind the door card, the door membrane has failed and will need sorting. if it comes out of the drain holes and nowhere else itll be time to check the aperture seal. Shut door, hose on the area and then check all the way around the door. You can nudge the door in a bit by moving the latch plate on the door jamb usually; make sure you mark its original position so you can put it back if it causes issues with the door lock.
After that if you still have no luck, you can print out sheets of paper with an inkjet printer and leave them about in possible areas of ingress to have evidence from the ink dissolving. Behind the wheel arch liner might need cleaning out if it's blocked up over the years.
Or buy a mondeo.
At this budget, would it be worth sticking with the devil you know? You might inherit a mondeo with it's own problems
Jamescrs said:
The Diesel one I had was also great really, it was only an LX model that one but still well equipped for the trim level, only issue I had with the TDCi diesel was the DMF went at about 120k miles which was a pricy job I think at about £1200 but that was probably 10 years ago on a Mk3 Mondeo.
My 2.0 TDCi Focus shat it's DMF at 17k. Yep, seventeen thousand miles.Cost £700 at a trusted independent garage to replace it, including the clutch and slave cylinder.
The replacement (non Ford part) is still going strong 158k later.
Apart from that, the 2.0 TDCi engine has been great. Not terribly powerful and a bit smoky (mine is pre DPF and has the EGR blanked), but economical and has only needed filters. Timing belt interval is 110k on mine.
thanks for all your excellent advice guys!! really appreciate it, especially the water ingress advice
as a matter of fact, i'm a bit of a minor expert at removing the scuttle, pollen filter housing, wheel well guards etc, having done it more times than I care to mention! you could eat your dinner off the inside of those wheel wells, and the metal under the scuttle near the P/F housing is spic and span so should drain off nicely. The P/F housing itself is in good condition, clean and no cracks, seems to sit very flush.
I'd never thought of trying to seal around the base of the housing itself though, as it looks like it fits quite well! do you reckon it's worth putting a fat bead of the No Nonsense Roof and Gutter (or silicone) around the edges where it touches metal @Demelitia?
I did notice yesterday, when trying to resicilone the top of the scuttle where it touches the windscreen (it doesn't sit flush as the channel it clips into has rubber bulging out of it from somewhere, maybe a poorly fitted windscreen) that the heater matrix / vortex had a small drip of water sitting on the intake, could this have seeped between the P/F housing and the metal? Come to think of it I've seen tiny leaves from the tree I park my car near, under the underlay directly below and forward of the glovebox...
Regarding door leakage, the carpet under the pass. door has never felt even slightly moist, so I doubt it's getting in there. Drivers door lets a bit of water through onto the top of the sill / step, only a tiny seep though which pools on the rubber and plastic and is easy enough to brush off.
if I can't get this leaking sorted, i'll definitely consider a mondeo! However I did see, for about the same money and mileage, a few nice looking beemer 3 series a year or two older, so it might have to be one of them, despite the higher cost of parts..
thanks again all
as a matter of fact, i'm a bit of a minor expert at removing the scuttle, pollen filter housing, wheel well guards etc, having done it more times than I care to mention! you could eat your dinner off the inside of those wheel wells, and the metal under the scuttle near the P/F housing is spic and span so should drain off nicely. The P/F housing itself is in good condition, clean and no cracks, seems to sit very flush.
I'd never thought of trying to seal around the base of the housing itself though, as it looks like it fits quite well! do you reckon it's worth putting a fat bead of the No Nonsense Roof and Gutter (or silicone) around the edges where it touches metal @Demelitia?
I did notice yesterday, when trying to resicilone the top of the scuttle where it touches the windscreen (it doesn't sit flush as the channel it clips into has rubber bulging out of it from somewhere, maybe a poorly fitted windscreen) that the heater matrix / vortex had a small drip of water sitting on the intake, could this have seeped between the P/F housing and the metal? Come to think of it I've seen tiny leaves from the tree I park my car near, under the underlay directly below and forward of the glovebox...
Regarding door leakage, the carpet under the pass. door has never felt even slightly moist, so I doubt it's getting in there. Drivers door lets a bit of water through onto the top of the sill / step, only a tiny seep though which pools on the rubber and plastic and is easy enough to brush off.
if I can't get this leaking sorted, i'll definitely consider a mondeo! However I did see, for about the same money and mileage, a few nice looking beemer 3 series a year or two older, so it might have to be one of them, despite the higher cost of parts..
thanks again all
I had a 2003 2.0 TDCi Mondeo Zetec which I bought as a practical daily driver. Excellent car, good performance, very comfortable and surprisingly agile.
My Dad also has a Mondeo, 1.8 petrol which he bought new in 2001. He lives in rural Ireland where the roads are interesting and the weather is often wet, followed by wet with some more wet. The car now has 127,000 miles on it, lives outside, gets washed once a year before their version of the MOT (NCT I think it is) and gets a service once a year at a Ford dealer. He likes to stick with a car and as it's now worth almost nothing, he just keeps it going with the assumption that it will eventually die.
I was out there in October last year and he came to meet us in the Mondeo. I don't think there is a straight panel left on it and it bears many battle scars from hedges, car park dings and a somewhat casual attitude to reversing. the inside has some fascinating fungi growing on the rear door trims and the boot space is full of dog blankets and accumulated clutter.
I was worried that we wouldn't make it to where we were going, but once underway I was amazed that it drove so well. No rattles or squeaks from the interior trim, no vibration from the running gear and all the switches and controls work as they should. It still drives really well and for a car that's not been particularly well looked after, it's a tribute to the quality of the original design and build.
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