looking at one of these at the moment, but what are they really like! our only experience was with an crappy old 96 2 litre auto imported mondeo wagon years back, did not have a good run at all, have they improved much! looks to be a well appointed car and good for the money the one we are looking at is a 2.0 litre zetec manual sedan.
mugenb20b,
Mar 28, 8:41am
Good cars, nice to drive, make sure it's had regular servicing and that the clutch is good.
franc123,
Mar 28, 8:53am
The 2001 up are WAY better than 96, its a totally different vehicle, the 2.0 manual is the best to get. Early versions had faulty intake flaps that broke off and caused engine damage, most have been fixed but make sure it has been.Clutch replacement is, or at least was a $2k job unless the price of parts has come down in recent years, flywheel and hydraulic cylinder MUST be done also. The odd fuel pump, coolant header tank and door lock motor fails too, and good servicing with good oils is critical, service was every 20k on those but even that was too often for some people. Some of those engines have died early, early as in under 100k because of shyte, incomplete or no servicing so be careful.
tuttyclan,
Mar 28, 8:56am
I wouldnt touch one with a bargepole and you say you have already had a bad experence with one,I would go for a Honda Accord first or Toyota Camrey instead.
fordcrzy,
Mar 28, 8:59am
the 2002 moneo has as much in common with the old one as a toyota corolla. totally different cars! we had a 2002 wagon (manual) and it was great! the autos are pretty awful. they had a design fault with the intake butterflies that they fixed in 2004. basically some little screws come loose in the intake and get sucked into the engine.not good.and we had to do the clutch and that waas around 2 grand to do.ouch
dbolton,
Mar 28, 9:01am
well known problem is inside the inlet manifold are butterfly flaps that can break off causing engine failure. Some advocate replacing the manifold but getting them removed is a cheap option with no adverse effects. Top radiator hose needs watching for any weak spots. Go for manual gearbox autos can be a problem if not servicedbut a great car. Economicalcomfortable and generally trouble free.I own one and am very happy with it.
phillip.weston,
Mar 28, 9:07am
Sure and die of boredom in the process. The MkIII Mondeo is a decent car. I would have one over a Camry easily, but perhaps not over an Accord. But bare in mind, the Accord will be much higher cost than a similar year/milage Mondeo.
outbidyou2,
Mar 28, 9:10am
Well its 11 years old. According to the MTA spokesman this morning we should be aiming for a 10 y/o fleet on average.
tuttyclan,
Mar 28, 9:14am
The only boredom with a Toyota or a Honda is that one does not have to go into the workshop for repairs more often than its on the road lol.
fordluva,
Mar 28, 9:17am
interesting reading it is a manual and does have a good service history so Im told, will look into the above to see what has been done, also are they belt or Chain!
franc123,
Mar 28, 9:24am
Oh for goodness sake, a lot of these, indeed most Mondeos were used commercially and did 2-3-4 hundred thousand with very few problems at all, they are not that bad, look at the ones for sale. Just one example,Honda had a far worse reputation for under engineered auto transmissions and kept that queer, unrefined and unreliable hondamatic system for far too long. And then there was distributors, ignitors, relays and ignition switches dying at random on some models causing running probs or annoying intermittent breakdowns. It also took a stupidly long time to sort the rust problems out although thats not relevant in the period we talk about here. Life ain't perfect in the company that welds two motorbikes together and sells them as cars.
franc123,
Mar 28, 9:25am
They're all chain by that time.
tuttyclan,
Mar 28, 9:47am
We are the lucky ones then but I stick to Hondas thanks.
audi_s_ate,
Mar 28, 8:46pm
Agreed - far more reported problems with the mondeo/focus fleet vs accord/civic. All of my Honda's (have owned 8 now) have had solid reliability, more power and more economy than their traditional rivals.
unbeatabull,
Mar 28, 11:31pm
Common faults -
Inlet manifold butterflies (most have been removed or repaired by now), Header tank, water pump, thermostat housing, heater hoses, top radiator hose all very common to leak/fail/burst.
Clutch is a major as requires subframe to be removed (more then just a 2-3 hour job).
Door actuators, make sure all doors lock and all windows work.
Manual is a lot nicer and responsive to drive then the auto. Stay away from the V6.
willz29,
Mar 30, 2:23am
We bought an 02 wagon last year. Manual. great to drive, great on gas, and a good amount of pull in 3rd gear. Good cars.
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