Mondeo TDCi...facts, opinions and alternatives?

[Adam205]

I'm getting old. At the grand old age of 20 I am looking to don the pipe and slippers and purchase a diesel estate car.

My searching has led me to seriously consider the Mondeo TDCi 130, and for my budget of £3k I could get a Ghia X with 100k miles on it.

It will mostly be used for cruising up and down the M6, towing a 1600kg car trailer and ferrying general junk.

2 questions...

1) Am I being an idiot buying a 100k diesel repmobile?
2) 6spd Manual or Auto?

Thanks in advance!

[Classic Grad 98]

I found a black '03 plate Ghia X TDCI [6] with 104k for £1900, with a very similar brief to yourself. I use it to tow an 1100kg trailer and it does a superb job- 45mpg or 30mpg towing. I've done 20k since buying it and in that time it has needed, aside from normal servicing and tyres;
Camshaft position sensor
Exhaust backbox
Starter motor
Intake pressure pipe
Brakes.
I've been reasonably impressed, but you will hear horror stories. The TDCI system uses very high injection pressures and injectors do wear out at over 100k. They are fitted with dual mass flywheels.
For towing, the six-speed is perfect but for regular use the ratios are very close and 1st is irritatingly short.
In short I've been happy with mine. Go for a post-facelift ('53 plate-) car which has revised camshaft position sensor and updated cosmetics. I believe 'titanium X' is the top spec facelifted car.

[Classic Grad 98]

P.S while I've been happy and positive about mine, I have to say if I was buying again with the same brief I'd get a Skoda Octavia or Passat with 1.9 PD TDI engine.

[camelot1971]

My 55 plate 2.2 tdci ghia x is on 130k, done 20k in the last 12 months and hasn't missed a beat other than a broken front coil from a pot hole. Servicing is the key, with the miles I do its serviced twice a year and the egr is as clean as a whistle and it drives like a new one.

I'm sure there are some bad 'uns about but I would say that's down to neglect rather than a bad car.

[jbi]

Ford tdci engines

[andy-xr]

3 things to look out for. DMF failure, rear subframe bushes and injectors. The DMF is around £800 fix, the injectors about a grand for all four and the rear subframe bushes about £300 (Ford use rubber ones still, you can get polybushes though)

They're good cars despite the above, and I had all 3 go on mine. AT 117k the power steering pump was on it's way out, it's the usual thing with 3 figure miles, the bills start to add up

They'll fix up fine though, I think MBH's example is on something like 200k, the local taxi co has one on 295k last time I was in it

Interiors can be a bit tatty after a few years btw. I'd still buy one but I'm not sure I'd go diesel at that sort of price/miles

[littlebasher]

If you're only 20, will your license allow you to pull a 1600kg car trailer with anything on it (as you'll be over the 3500kg limit for post 1997 licenses)?

(I'm assuming that an unladen twin axle car trailer must weigh the 1600kgs alone)

Edited by littlebasher on Sunday 31st July 20:24

[entwisi]

Couple of options in the mix,

Honda accord cdti tourer, bought mine on 130 k, now over 170, all its needed is a drive shaft, clutch is slipping but has done since 154 k, as long as I dont boot it in 3/4th its fine, comfy and reliable, dmf but no dpf on the 7th gen

Another I considered was the jaguar x type estate, nice cabin, seem to be reliable if you ask around

[Classic Grad 98]

littlebasher said:

If you're only 20, will your license allow you to pull a 1600kg car trailer with anything on it (as you'll be over the 3500kg limit for post 1997 licenses)?

(I'm assuming that an unladen twin axle car trailer must weigh the 1600kgs alone)

Edited by littlebasher on Sunday 31st July 20:24

I was in the same situation. OP will be able to tow any trailer so long as the Maximum Authorised Mass (on the trailers chassis plate) Isn't greater than the minimum curb weight of the car and the whole rig weighs under 3.5t. It's easy to be legal without taking the additional test but the laws and regs can be confusing.
By the way, I was 20 when I bought mine!

[mybrainhurts]

andy-xr said:

I think MBH's example is on something like 200k,

341,000 now...

Ghia X 130TDci estate

It's had...

1 rear shocker and screenwash pump (early on)
Alternator
Two starter motors
1 clutch/DMF
1 rear arm bush
1 trackrod end
1 rear caliper
2 injectors

Still runs like a new 'un... Always run on BP...and Ford approved 5W-30 oil


Edit :cough: for sale soon :cough:

Edited by mybrainhurts on Sunday 31st July 22:44

[Adam205]

Thanks for all the help guys! Sounding positive.

Will take a look at the accords, I'm just slightly worried (maybe excessively) about parts prices with it being Japanese.

littlebasher said:

If you're only 20, will your license allow you to pull a 1600kg car trailer with anything on it (as you'll be over the 3500kg limit for post 1997 licenses)?

(I'm assuming that an unladen twin axle car trailer must weigh the 1600kgs alone)

Edited by littlebasher on Sunday 31st July 20:24

I can tow what I like once I've done the trailer test, which I will be completing this summer.

The unladen weight of the twin axle car trailer is 400kg, MAM is 1600kgs, Capacity is 1200kgs. I wouldn't actually be towing anything more than about a tonne.

[Classic Grad 98]

Don't bother with the test, it's too expensive and you don't need it.
The unladen weight (tare) of your trailer is 400kg, and you'll never put more than a ton on it, right? So that means max 1400kg. The mondeo estate will be about 1550kg I think? So here's what you do.
Get in touch with trailer manufacturer. Ask them to supply another chassis plate with a MAM of 1500kg stamped on. Tow legally without doing the Stoopid test.

[Adam205]

Classic Grad 98 said:

Don't bother with the test, it's too expensive and you don't need it.
The unladen weight (tare) of your trailer is 400kg, and you'll never put more than a ton on it, right? So that means max 1400kg. The mondeo estate will be about 1550kg I think? So here's what you do.
Get in touch with trailer manufacturer. Ask them to supply another chassis plate with a MAM of 1500kg stamped on. Tow legally without doing the Stoopid test.

Its not the only thing I tow or tow with though You can't get away with towing 2 tonnes with a Land Rover Discovery without the B+E unfortunately, no matter how you try and fiddle the numbers.

[Classic Grad 98]

Adam205 said:

Its not the only thing I tow or tow with though

Right you are sir, looks like you'll be doing the Stoopid test then :-)

[Adam205]

Classic Grad 98 said:

Right you are sir, looks like you'll be doing the Stoopid test then :-)

It really is.

[Hudson]

Mines fine, got 150k on the clock, feels like new. Had regular servicing mind you.

Very comfy, economical, got enough power to get you out of trouble, but not into it (dont expect the race car performance that sales reps will bore you to death with about derv turbos), big boot (moved GF out of her house today, loads of room), loads of toys.

Got a good price for mine. £0 swapped my knackered ST24 for it with my dad, but id certainly spend money on one!

[Ghia x]

ive got a 2002 saloon 130 ghia x with 150k. ive done 10k in 9 months and is hasnt missed a beat either. it has all the toys and the leather, and i have no problems chucking the kids in the back, filling the boot and going off for the weekend, a very practical car for less than 2k returning over 50mpg is a no brainer for me. hope the injectors and DMF stay good though!

[samuelellis]

I have a Mondeo TDCi 130 Ghia Estate

It weighs over 2metric ton and is a two seater due to the speaker install and all is well

The self leveling shocks ford put on the Ghia and up estate models do really work if you are going to be towing to help keep the car level and not have the backend sat on its arse (OK i had some custom made springs on mine to help it out but thats expected as the weight is permanent)

If you can get an estate then they dont have the subframe bushes that wear out on the hatchback

If you can get a facelift BUT get one with a euro3 engine not a Euro4, on the Euro3 the EGR valve is at the front of the engine same as the euro4 but does not have sensors attatched to it so you can block it off without the ECU light coming on - you will want to block the EGR valve off

The brakes were upgraded with just ford discs and Pagit pads - nothing more was needed as they brakes os standard are pretty good

Oh and in regards to pulling the weight i have found that it does not seem to be affecting it all that much - as a previous poster said if you have a fair amount of weight the box is brilliant

Just as an aside to the faults aready mentioned - the aux belt tensioner and/or camshaft pully can get noisy, it does not stop it working fine it just makes a racket

[HellDiver]

I run a petrol 54-plate Mondeo. It's needed a few items, main one being a clutch which was ruined by the grease leaking from the release bearing. That was £360 to replace, mostly labour as the engine and subframe need to be dropped. It's had two CVs and wheel bearings, and driveshaft bearing, and a rear caliper. Otherwise it's been fine.

I usually change my car every 12-18 months due to boredom, but I've had this one nearly 2 years and no intention in changing.

[The_Burg]

Is the 2.2 diesel better or worse than the 2.0?
What age did the euro4 engines come out?