Car Price Valuation - why is a Mondeo same as a fiesta?

KonkyWonky

Deleted_User wrote: »

I'd rather have a mk1 Mondeo beast then a 2003 Fiesta.

So would I, but that doesn't change the fact the Fiesta is a cheaper car to own/run.

bigjl

Not really KonkyWonky, but that is the gerneral consensus, hence the different retained values. It is almost like a self fulfilling prophecy.

pstuart

Our Mondeo went in for repairs and they loaned us a Fiesta (both cars near new) - what a difference - try both on a test run and we (Mondeo owners) all know which one you'll choose.

KonkyWonky

bigjl wrote: »

Not really KonkyWonky, but that is the gerneral consensus, hence the different retained values. It is almost like a self fulfilling prophecy.

So what is more cost effective with the Mondeo comparing like for like?

Fuel Efficiency?
Road Tax?
Insurance?
Parts?
Residual Value?

I'm not disputing the Mondeo is a better car, but it is not cheaper to own than a Fiesta no matter how you dress it up.

nmonline

Simple case of supply and demand - try selling each and you'll get an idea! I recently sold a 98 Fiesta for £895. In the same week I bought a 2002 Mondeo 2.0 LX for £600, and despite making it the cheapest car in the country, I ended up trading it as I didn't get a single retail call on it! If I were buying a car to run myself though, the Mondeo wins hands down - not that dear to run and incomparable value for money!

Strider590

The clever folk weight up the options, look at the facts and buy with their heads. The lazy folk do not think, the simply buy based on popular opinion......

"Popular opinion" is simply an opinion that's popular, it's no better than an "old wives tale"..... Do not mistake the word "popular" for the word "correct".

Rexy

It does really matter what you want the car for. Short local journeys/city driving then the fiesta is ok. If you do longer journeys, on motorways or with a family and luggage then you really want the bigger car. Drive a small car with the family on holiday and you really will wish you had the mondeo.

adamc260

As been said, the bigger car costs more to run and is a rep car, usually bought with LARGE discounts which affects residuals. Fiesta is a popular run around

adamc260

pstuart wrote: »

Our Mondeo went in for repairs and they loaned us a Fiesta (both cars near new) - what a difference - try both on a test run and we (Mondeo owners) all know which one you'll choose.

Well of course it'd be the Mondeo as its a bigger, more comfortable car that has a higher retail price from new so would have a different 'feel' to it in terms of quality etc. If the baby of the range was the best at everything you'd never need to make any other cars

bigjl

KonkyWonky wrote: »

So what is more cost effective with the Mondeo comparing like for like?

Fuel Efficiency?
Road Tax?
Insurance?
Parts?
Residual Value?

I'm not disputing the Mondeo is a better car, but it is not cheaper to own than a Fiesta no matter how you dress it up.

My Mondeo does 50 mpg , not much less than a Fiesta, the roadtax, mine is under £90 for six months, Insurance, my wifes Clio is £325 with 7 yrs no claims, Mondeo with same drivers an NCB is £345.

Parts, well general service items are pretty much the same.

Residual value, this is where the Mondeo wins, I bought mine for well under £2500, 2 yrs ago, it has now done another 50k roughly and is worth, well about £2500 to be honest.

The great thing about buying a 3 yr old car used by fleets is that they are cheap, a Fiesta will be expensive to buy, are rarer at the auctions due to the ownership demographic being different, very few fleets buy loads of Fiestas.

If you did 50k in two years ina Fiesta it would end up worthless and you would need a physio.

Yes most of your points are accurate, but not by enough to bridge the gap in running costs that depreciation has caused.

The self fulfilling prophecy is that every body thinks they cost peanuts to run, so everybody buys one, thus pushing up residuals, and they then make them more expensive to buy, but if you put miles on a small car then it loses its "golden status" in the residual table and will lose more than a Mondeo as very few buyers of ex fleet cars expect low miles, or even consider low miles to be a benefit.

If you look at the entire equation and costs involved then a Mondeo is a much cheaper option than some may think, it just takes a bit of lateral thinking.

Apart from anything else I would never have found a 3 yr old diesel supermini for under £2500.

Also to be considered is the fact that a car that was built to have a £17k price tag is inherently better built than one that was sold new at £10k.

I would genuinely have a Prius before a supermini sized car.