Second hand: Mondeo or Passat?

Londoner_1

I had a 2007 mondeo 2.0 tdci 115bhp for 4 years and did over 40k (bought as ex lease car)

it chewed through 3 alternators , 1st one failed within 5 months.
1 battery.
split turbo cooler pipe (common fault)
Famous pully rattle, was replaced when i bought it, it occured again after 3 years, did not bother doing it again. (common fault)
1 Main thermostats.
2 oil cooler thermostats to cure famous over cooling problem happened third time.
Turbo started to gum up, this was the main reason why got rid of it.

Hpwever it was a good drive on motorway, pretty frugul, once i clocked 58.9mpg at 60mph in winter driving sensibly.

Just had to get rid as turbo was playing up, could see other problems like dmf/clutch, injectors, egr over the horizon.

Replaced with a 100k mazda 6 petrol, total reliable driving.

JustAnotherSaver

Interesting. Thanks.

Had the chance of a MK5 Golf 2.0 140 TDI this weekend but unfortunately there was no service history with it so i wasn't willing to take the risk.

Bedhead1157

I had one of the very last of that shape Mondeos for 3 years and 40k.

Having had the old "Mk2" I thought the next model would be better. It's not.

In my ownership it needed all 4 springs replaced, discs all round, brake pipes, strut top mounts, a battery and the front bonnet catch rebuilt. By the end of my ownership it was very crusty underneath.

Inside it's not great, very basic, mine was an LX 1.8 petrol, gutless Mazda engine needing revved to the red to get anywhere, glacially slow, handled like a boat in a gale, drank fuel at an average of 30mpg if you didn't go above 50 and to top it off it cost 240 quid to tax,

Only good point was the aircon which would freeze you. Plus it's huge, about the size of an old Granada,

[Deleted User]

Bedhead1157 wrote: »

I had one of the very last of that shape Mondeos for 3 years and 40k.

Having had the old "Mk2" I thought the next model would be better. It's not.

In my ownership it needed all 4 springs replaced, discs all round, brake pipes, strut top mounts, a battery and the front bonnet catch rebuilt. By the end of my ownership it was very crusty underneath.

Inside it's not great, very basic, mine was an LX 1.8 petrol, gutless Mazda engine needing revved to the red to get anywhere, glacially slow, handled like a boat in a gale, drank fuel at an average of 30mpg if you didn't go above 50 and to top it off it cost 240 quid to tax,

Only good point was the aircon which would freeze you. Plus it's huge, about the size of an old Granada,

your driving style will not have helped with the running costs.

poppasmurf_bewdley

Bedhead1157 wrote: »

I had one of the very last of that shape Mondeos for 3 years and 40k.

Having had the old "Mk2" I thought the next model would be better. It's not.

In my ownership it needed all 4 springs replaced, discs all round, brake pipes, strut top mounts, a battery and the front bonnet catch rebuilt. By the end of my ownership it was very crusty underneath.

Inside it's not great, very basic, mine was an LX 1.8 petrol, gutless Mazda engine needing revved to the red to get anywhere, glacially slow, handled like a boat in a gale, drank fuel at an average of 30mpg if you didn't go above 50 and to top it off it cost 240 quid to tax,

Only good point was the aircon which would freeze you. Plus it's huge, about the size of an old Granada,

I would never recommend a 1.8 engine in a car which, as you say, is as big as a Granada. Having had a 1.8 Granada many years ago, I can vouch for it being totally and utterly useless in the acceleration, mpg and top speed departments.

The 2 litre engines in my last two Mondeos were entirely different. Smooth, powerful and refined, with excellent acceleration and mpg.

I would have a Mondeo again if it were not for the fact that my requirements are now so different. I now need a smaller vehicle which is easier to get in and out of, so I now have an SUV.

Bedhead1157

I'm not habitually a fast driver, but if you were trying to overtake a car doing 40 in a 60, you literally had to drop the thing to 3rd and rev it. Generally you didn't go above 60 at any time as over that it would be sub 30mpg, I had it checked on diagnostics and it was running fine. Seemingly the 1.8 Mazda 6 has the same engine and the same problem, the engine is really only suitable for something like an MX-5 as it has very little torque and what it has is up over 4000 rpm, which isn't much use in a 1700kg car.

I have a wee Fabia TSI now that has more torque than the Mondeo but more importantly, makes it from 1400 rpm right through to 4500 rpm. It will pull from 40 in 6th quicker than that Mondeo did in 3rd.

Bedhead1157

poppasmurf_bewdley wrote: »

I would never recommend a 1.8 engine in a car which, as you say, is as big as a Granada. Having had a 1.8 Granada many years ago, I can vouch for it being totally and utterly useless in the acceleration, mpg and top speed departments.

The 2 litre engines in my last two Mondeos were entirely different. Smooth, powerful and refined, with excellent acceleration and mpg.

I would have a Mondeo again if it were not for the fact that my requirements are now so different. I now need a smaller vehicle which is easier to get in and out of, so I now have an SUV.

I had a load of Granadas back in the day, smallest was a 2.4 Mk3 which was slow enough, right up to the 2.9 24v Cosworth one which was more interesting,but never fast.

The Mk3 Mondeo is nowhere near the car the MK2 was, it was smoother, more economical and only needed a couple of coil packs in 3 years, I can't help thinking the Mk3 was tied too much to the X-Type Jag, something like 17% of the parts are common to both of them.

The reason I didn't buy the diesel was because of the flywheel issues, I know know that very few Mk3 were 1.8 petrol, now I know why.

mollycat

Bedhead1157 wrote: »

I'm not habitually a fast driver, but if you were trying to overtake a car doing 40 in a 60, you literally had to drop the thing to 3rd and rev it. Generally you didn't go above 60 at any time as over that it would be sub 30mpg, I had it checked on diagnostics and it was running fine. Seemingly the 1.8 Mazda 6 has the same engine and the same problem, the engine is really only suitable for something like an MX-5 as it has very little torque and what it has is up over 4000 rpm, which isn't much use in a 1700kg car.

I have a wee Fabia TSI now that has more torque than the Mondeo but more importantly, makes it from 1400 rpm right through to 4500 rpm. It will pull from 40 in 6th quicker than that Mondeo did in 3rd.

Didn't have this problem with mine, sounds a bit unusual that.