Copied from the "Bangernomics Running Costs Competition" thread:
Time for me to quietly reverse the Escort out of the contest. My father has given me some help to replace it with another Ford so I can carry on commuting to work at odd hours and picking my son up at weekends ... Planning to keep the new one for at least four or five years, so it might qualify on here soon.
>> Spill the beans :-)
It's a 6-year-old ex-lease Mondeo TDCi LX hatchback with 112,000 miles on it, bought privately. We looked at a few cars and this was the most honest one out of the lot, and the lowest priced to boot. The apathy of some of the dealers we saw continues to amaze me...
Last edited by: Dave_TD {P} on Mon 21 Feb 11 at 21:12
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If it's a 6 year old that makes it the revised Mondeo III. Had a Ghia version of the TDCi and it was a good car. Cheddar and Humph would of course agree too.
It did have a few minor problems (EGR related) which would be easily sorted. Good luck with the new, bigger, nicer car ;-)
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>> If it's a 6 year old that makes it the revised Mondeo III
It is, with the white indicator lenses. I've always been a believer in giving the manufacturers a few years to iron out the faults in any model, and the earlier cars we looked at were no cheaper either. The praise for the model by the members here played a big part in the decision too, thanks :-)
Last edited by: Dave_TD {P} on Mon 21 Feb 11 at 22:01
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It will also either be a Euro III or Euro IV diesel without a DPF. Thank goodness!
The Mazda6 is a nice car but rising oil levels is still a worry. But I booked it in the other week for some work and to ask the dealer if they were allowed to change the oil... the tactic being I knew the lease company would probably refuse. But now if there's a problem due to the oil rising... well I did ask for an oil change. Which they would have passed the cost of on to my employer anyway. I kind of hope the engine did explode ;-) That would teach them. But the next car I might get has at least a 7 month lead time!! And I get to order it 4 months before this one goes back.... hmmm.
Enjoy the Mondeo.
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Isn't ther Mazda 6 based on the Mondeo in part anyway?
The Mondeo will be a world away from the Escort and at least you know if you have a crash you have a very good chance of not spending the next week in A&E.
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>> Isn't ther Mazda 6 based on the Mondeo in part anyway?
No. And the engine is definitely different.
>> at least you know if you have a crash you have a very good chance of not spending the next week in A&E.
Even a modern Fiesta (previous model in my experience) is pretty tough. Better than an old Escort for sure.
Last edited by: rtj70 on Mon 21 Feb 11 at 22:38
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My dads MK4 (1995-2002) got 3 star NCAP, the Escort was 1.5 star but rust affects them both so I would not want a crash in either.
The Panda was 3 star NCAP but that is only because the one they tested had no ABS and only one airbag, it would be a 4 star it tested now.
The one good thing about the last generation of Escorts is they were very refined and dirt cheap to buy. My dad paid £1600 for his at 6 years old, FSH and 60,000 miles. Imagine buying a 6 year old Focus for that.
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The one good thing about the last generation of Escorts is they were very refined
>
>>>>>> ive just fallen off my chair
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...ive just fallen off my chair...
I'll have you know the last one I drove had power steering.
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>> >> ive just fallen off my chair
Compared to, say, Fiestas or Corsas, he means ;-)
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Compared to most late 90's car. The only car of that class which was quieter and smoother (n Zetec form) was the 306. Even at 90k my dads Escort was near silent at idle. It had miles of sound proofing, it was a very smooth car. In 1998 the Astra G and Focus changed the game and the Escort was then very old fashioned.
The CVH engines were a joke, as was the 1.3 Endura in the Escort, why put an engine from the Ka in a heavy car like an Escort?
I am talking about the 1995-2000 Escort here, not the earlier ones.
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they were crap
they were always crap
worst fords ever made and thats saying something
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>> It will also either be a Euro III or Euro IV diesel without a DPF
>> Imagine buying a 6 year old Focus for that
We did look at a 6 year old Focus with 97k miles, for more than twice that amount Rats. The dealer assured us they had changed the DPF themselves, until I pointed out that they'd done a good job of covering it in road carp and surface rust afterwards.
The Mondeo has had a recent clutch replacement, a Ford mechanic has pronounced the DMF to be sound, and it's a chain cam engine :)
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nice likkle ren no is what you want with a nice little dci injun
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Sounds good Dave, have you bought it? Might be worth looking for Zetec for leather steering wheel, front fogs and alloys though otherwise the LX is fine.
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It's been paid for, we're picking it up later in the week. The Escort has front foglights and I've never used them in anger so I can't say I'll miss them. What the wheels are made of is neither here nor there for me, the Mondeo has all of its original wheeltrims which shows it's been cared for.
The LX has more gizmos than I have any right to expect, we looked at a couple of Zetecs and a couple of LXs and there was very little to choose between them. Overall this car's condition and service record should allay the fears of the most fastidious forum user, so I should be alright then ;-)
>> ren no
No heated front windscreen on those, that was about the only really useful feature on the Escort! Where I live seems to have its own microclimate where frost and low cloud are very common, so it's come in handy over the last couple of winters.
Last edited by: Dave_TD {P} on Mon 21 Feb 11 at 23:14
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>> nice likkle ren no is what you want with a nice little dci injun
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"injun" ???
.. was that the Red injun?
.. with plenty of Crazy Horse-power?
...and space for his family when he has to totem around.
...with hopes of getting a squaw deal from the seller.
...but if he's sold a bad 'un then he'll Sioux.
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>> The Mondeo has had a recent clutch replacement,
That's good too. The front subframe needs dropping to get the clutch replaces. And therefore needs to be refitted/realigned. Not cheap.
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I'm not sure that 'very refined' and Escort are used in the same sentence often ;-)
There are a few 04/54 Focuses on autotrader for under £1600 though; if you're prepared to spend £2k then there's quite a bit more choice, albeit at more than 60k miles, so it doesn't seem to be that difficult...
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Seem to have come down a lot then :)
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Nice machine! I like the interiors, the dash and steering wheel etc. are attractive in a modern way without being loud and shouty. Should be good on fuel too i'd think. Can't beat munching the miles in a comfy cruiser with a decent engine.
All the best with it Dave.
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I think Escorts have been unfairly derided on this thread.
Family had two, neither of which gave any bother.
My brother had a third, but it was nicked within a fortnight.
The Mondeo should do Dave a treat.
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Never a fan of the last Escorts but they did the job for loads of folks. Well done on the Mondeo Dave. In that age/price range either a Mondeo or Octavia will do the job well. The Mondeo with a real big car feeling of space and refinement.... good safety and nice to drive too.
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Enjoy the Mondeo Dave - I've driven a few over the last few years and they've all been good. Looked at a couple when we were replacing the Espace but sadly couldn't find a good one within our budget.
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Dave
I have owned my '03 petrol Mondeo for the last 6 years. 83K on the clock now.
Good cruiser, economical and plenty of room.
Many of the main problems that I have experienced seem to be common with my previous Mk1 Mondeo:-
Front discs last about 40 -50k before they start to shimmy.
Handbrake cables seized.
Rear caliper seized.
Central locking can become temperamental; one rear passenger lock started working again yesterday after being on strike for a fortnight.
The rear washer pipe came adrift leading to a damp patch above the rear o/s passenger's head.
Thermostat failed.
And, of course, rusty doors.
Sounds a lot but spread over 6 years I suppose it's not too bad. Hope yours turns out to be a good 'un.
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Hope you enjoy it Dave. If my last three were anything to go by it'll serve you well. I know I've droned on about how good they are ad nauseam so I'll not linger but I truly believe these are among the best cars available at real life money.
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>>I've droned on about how good they are ad nauseam
Almost as good as a Westfield? ;>)
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And better than an Espace/Scenic.
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>>Almost as good as a Westfield? ;>) >>
>> And better than an Espace/Scenic. >>
No they can outrun a Westfield and lug more than an Espace ;-)
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We picked the car up last night. It seems every bit as good as I'd hoped - it's in great condition inside and out and wears its 112k miles extremely well. Everything lights up and works just as it should. At a cruise-controlled 67mph coming back up the motorway, the trip computer showed an average of 59.2mpg - I realise that's not representative of day-to-day economy but it ain't a bad way to start.
I plan to keep it for at least 5 years, doing 10-12,000 miles a year, mainly commuting and picking my kids up. There are many used Mondeo IIIs for sale with 170k-200k miles, still commanding reasonable prices.
I've spent today giving it a thorough clean inside and out plus a coat of wax, removing old stickers then positioning the tax disc holder and MoT label just so in the windscreen, deciding which cubby holes to keep pens, map, phone charger in etc. Just need somewhere to go in it now :)
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Is this engine chain based? If so that is something less to worry about too :).
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Good stuff, Dave.
You've been far enough in the car to know that if there is something wrong with it, it's nothing major - always a nervy time the first few miles in a brand new car, let alone a used one.
Sounds as if your car is the perfect example of why I like Fords.
Worth running a bottle of Millers through, even if you don't buy a second one.
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Yes Rattle it's a chain engine. It's also had a clutch 18 months ago, and the DMF was pronounced in good health at the time. All the tyres are all nearly new, so no big bills on the horizon.
The door bottoms were no more than grimy on the insides, but they've all come up like new. All the drain holes are clear too, so no worries there. If the car gives me nothing to talk about for a year or two, I'll be very happy :)
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You won't be doing a Stu then hopefully :)
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Aww leave him alone... Why isn't this thread full of people warning me off a diesel Mondeo and urging me to buy a Daihatsu anyway? :)
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Are you sure it's a chain?
I only ask because I thought the TDCi engine had a cambelt change interval of 100,000 miles.
My 1.8 did, but I can't remember what it says in the handbook of the CC3, which is a 2.0.
Can't check at present because it's in having the boot latch looked at.
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Yep. The 2.0 TDCi 115, 2.0 TDCi 130 and 2.2TDCi 155 fitted to the 2000 Mondeo and the X-Type are chain cam, the 2.0 TDCi 136 DPF fitted to the Focus (like my cousin's Titanium), the 2007 Mondeo and myriad PSA vehicles is belt cam.
Application chart here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Duratorq_engine
Last edited by: Dave_TD {P} on Wed 2 Mar 11 at 19:08
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... the 2.0 TDCi 136 fitted to the Focus (like my cousin's Titanium), the 2007 Mondeo and myriad PSA vehicles is belt cam...
Thanks for that.
There's often confusion when this subject comes up, hardly surprising when the differing engines are called the same and fitted into the same cars.
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The apathy of some of the dealers we saw continues to amaze me...
>>>>>>>>.
>>>>>>>>>>> takes all sorts to make the world spin
had a customer phone me yesterday asking if the car she is collecting on friday as she drops her rotten fiesta off on me with raggy arches and never seen a bucket of water since i sold it to her 4 years ago,if it had passed its fresh mot i was putting on it for her
i told her to leave me alone and concentrate on getting here friday with the lolly and if the car had failed its mot that was my problem not hers
sometimes customers just need telling to back off and get on with their own sordid little worlds while we motor traders go for the jugular big time and await the px with baited breath because we have some fool on the end of the phone salivating on a px from a retired likkle old lady who only uses it to get her pension in and go to the bookies.......
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But did it pass its MOT Bb? ;>)
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yes
got an advisory for slight play in rear bushes but there is actually nothing wrong with them and seeing as arms are £50 a chuck its going out as izz and advisory sheet goes in my folder for future reference
no test drives round blind bends needed on this one................
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Ford Mondeo III - A replacement for the Escort - rtj70
