Farewell, then, Ford Mondeo. Apparently, the Blue Oval is just going to make trucks and Transits.
I’d be happy if it just stuck to small (Ford Fiesta), medium (Cortina) and large (Granada), plus coupeà (Capri). That is pure nostalgia speaking, though – and, in fairness, it does seem as though the Mondie will be around for a while yet, as saloons will only be off the menu in the USA from 2020.
Even so, I did spend some time on local radio lamenting the fact that you don’t see really old Mondeos for sale any more. And then I came across what must be the most expensive Mk1 Mondie you can possibly buy.
AWS Engineering is selling its Super Touring car. Apparently, the owner, Alan Strachan, worked on the cars back in the day and is selling his Rouse-built car for just £65k. The upside is that it’s ready to race.
Find a used Ford Mondeo on PistonHeads
That’s the used supercar Mondeo sorted, so what should we look for next? The Mondeo really is the spiritual successor to the Cortina and Sierra, except that it is actually comfy and nice to drive.
So are there any real Mk1s around? Probably, but a 137,000-mile 1.8-litre automatic from 1993 in faded red paint is probably the least desirable spec on earth. The asking price of £300 seemed optimistic, especially as there was no ticket.
Typical of the worn out, I did find a one-owner Mk2 2.0 Zetec from 1999. It was up for £265, and had 153,000 miles under its well-worn wheels and an expired MOT. No mention of why that might be. Presumably the owner has expired too. It had rusty wheel arches and many miles of gaffer tape to hold the bumpers together.
More sensible is to look for Mondies that don’t need work but are ready to work. Around £5000 strikes me as a solid budget and for that you can get a 2013 1.6 TDCi Eco Graphite. I found one with 10 stamps, 116,000 miles and a fresh clutch and flywheel. You should get 60mpg out of that. Plus, if you wanted some room, then a same- year estate in basic Edge spec and standout plastic wheel trims with just 88k miles can be yours.
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My Mondeo MK5 2.0tdci has
You want realiability? Go
You want realiability? Go Japanese. Period.
Ford unreliable?
I have had numerous Fords, and a fair share of Mondeos, my last was an ST220, and it was a fantastic, totally bullet proof, never missed a beat, went like a greased weazle and handled better than most cars of twice the price. The only problem was it liked to guzzle petrol.