To buy or not to buy???

Robster53

Hey guys, please help me out
I took a 08 Ford Mondeo 1.6 petrol for a test drive & loved it. Asking price is€7950, €6000 as trade in with my 06 Chervolet Kalos. I thought this was quiet good.
However I am been told to stay away from petrol as they drain the juice. I'm been told a diesel is a better option, but what worries me there is the increase in tax/insurance & extra costs in servicing.
My mileage is fairly low, probably 15000km PA.

Is a mondeo worth the buy or should I look at something else.
Any advice would be great

Jimbob 83

My aunt has a 1.6 petrol Focus saloon and she says its pretty heavy on petrol coming from a Daewoo Lanos

Robster53

Jimbob 83 wrote: »

My aunt has a 1.6 petrol Focus saloon and she says its pretty heavy on petrol coming from a Daewoo Lanos

Thanks for that jimbob. Im in turmoil over it all ha

Bpmull

You should test drive a diesel and see what you think but it will be fairly hard on petrol. Personally I don't like Mondeos prefer Octavia's think there a much better car. But if you are set on the Mondeo go for it as although the car is hard on petrol you don't do major mileage. Also it might be worth selling your car privately and buying the Mondeo straight as you would get a better deal. Specially as no one wants patrols so they would be cheap to buy straight as when trading in car you never get as good a deal.

Jimbob 83

When i bought my petrol Ford i knew what i was getting into but if i was getting low to mid 30mpg from a 1.6 i would be fuming

1.4 Octavia got 43mpg even on short runs

Robster53

Bpmull wrote: »

You should test drive a diesel and see what you think but it will be fairly hard on petrol. Personally I don't like Mondeos prefer Octavia's think there a much better car. But if you are set on the Mondeo go for it as although the car is hard on petrol you don't do major mileage. Also it might be worth selling your car privately and buying the Mondeo straight as you would get a better deal. Specially as no one wants patrols so they would be cheap to buy straight as when trading in car you never get as good a deal.

Cheers for that!!
I have seen a diesel mondeo for sale at a great price. Only thing there is its nearly a 3 hr drive for me to view it so I don't think that's really an option.
TBH I'd love a rav4 or land cruiser but they r out of my price range. I don't want to get into debt for a car, been there done that ha.

Jimbob 83

I travelled all the way from Galway to north county dublin to get the right car(twice), it's worth it tbh(unless like me when driving it home you are rushing to work on a sunday)

Robster53

Jimbob 83 wrote: »

When i bought my petrol Ford i knew what i was getting into but if i was getting low to mid 30mpg from a 1.6 i would be fuming

1.4 Octavia got 43mpg even on short runs

That sounds good, the fact & figures don't mean a whole lot to me TBH but def sounds good.
I'll take a look at octavias. I don't have my heart set on Mondeo just really liked it. And if it wasn't for friendly advice I'd have taken it. The advice has given me a lot to think about.
Thanks guys

Robster53

Jimbob 83 wrote: »

I travelled all the way from Galway to north county dublin to get the right car(twice), it's worth it tbh(unless like me when driving it home you are rushing to work on a sunday)

That's some dose, u didn't even get to enjoy ur new purchase. Well that day anyway

166man

You ''loved'' a 1.6 Mondeo? :eek:

goz83

Well worth travelling. I have been all over the country picking up cars. I think it was Clare I picked up my fto and wexford I picked up the zafira. You can also negotiate a price over the phone if everything checks out when you arrive. I got a 06 zafira in great nick and knocked it from 5.5k to 5k on the phone. Got another 50 yoyos off because there was a small gash in the rear bumper that wasn't mentioned on the phone.

Only downside to that car is it burns oil, but that's a very difficult thing to discover unless you have the car a while. I'll be getting her checked out soon to see if that can be sorted. No regrets, especially after the yokes I came across when viewing here in Dublin.

Jimbob 83

Robster53 wrote: »

That's some dose, u didn't even get to enjoy ur new purchase. Well that day anyway

200km+ on the motorways back to galway was enough tbh short trip at 90 minutes

Stheno

166man wrote: »

You ''loved'' a 1.6 Mondeo? :eek:

An now come on, this is a motors forum for petroholics, through to people looking for advice and information on cars that will suit their lifestyle.

Not everyone is looking for the best performance/spec whatever.

Some people just want a bit of advice about a car that has taken their eye.

Personally I think the Mondeo is underpowered with a 1.6 engine, but the OP might be looking for a largish saloon that will never do more than city driving and the odd stroll down the M7?

goz83 wrote: »

Well worth travelling. I have been all over the country picking up cars. I think it was Clare I picked up my fto and wexford I picked up the zafira. You can also negotiate a price over the phone if everything checks out when you arrive. I got a 06 zafira in great nick and knocked it from 5.5k to 5k on the phone. Got another 50 yoyos off because there was a small gash in the rear bumper that wasn't mentioned on the phone.
.

I 100% agree with travelling for the right car, find it, chat on the phone and you'll know if you have a rapport with the owner.

You can pretty much do all but the test drive and checking of documentation on the phone.

166man

Stheno wrote: »

An now come on, this is a motors forum for petroholics, through to people looking for advice and information on cars that will suit their lifestyle.

Not everyone is looking for the best performance/spec whatever.

Some people just want a bit of advice about a car that has taken their eye.

Personally I think the Mondeo is underpowered with a 1.6 engine, but the OP might be looking for a largish saloon that will never do more than city driving and the odd stroll down the M7?

Oh I completely agree with the different strokes for different folks kinda thing, but having been in a base spec Mondeo with the 1.6 engine it was fairly poor if I'm honest, and I don't drive a fast car!

I think 1.6 in the large heavy saloon is too small and fuel economy will suffer.

MuppetCheck

You'd probably get a decent spec 2 litre petrol Mondeo for the cost to change alone. It will be a higher motor tax bill but it's a superior car. Still not lively though.

Stheno

So do I, but for others it might be something they will aspire to and love.

For the amount I paid for and have put into my 12 year old Alfa, many would shudder at the fact I've done so, when I could be driving a car four years younger with no issues to deal with.

I love my car, and it's fun, and it helps me destress, etc, but for others a car is just a mode of transport.

Someone wanting a reliable, practical, cheap family car with low tax might chose the 1.6 mondeo and it fits all of their criteria, you and I might think differently but they might be willing to sacrifice what you and I want for affordability and space!

bazz26

That model Mondeo is a big and heavy car, the 1.6 litre petrol engine struggles in it. OP have you looked at a Mazda 6 1.8 litre, some good deals out there on them?

Robster53

Hey guys thanks for all the info, its has given me some food for thought alright.
I have some people shopping around for me now, so hopefully ill get something that suits my needs soon.

Robster53

166man wrote: »

You ''loved'' a 1.6 Mondeo? :eek:

My money my choice :cool:

spygirl

Just wondering if the OP went with the mondeo in the end?

colm_mcm

Probably best sending them a PM for an update. they haven't been online for ages.

Robster53

Hey guys, yes I went with a mondeo but got the ghia model, 2l
Got it at great price with more xtras.
I have it just over a wk now, & I'm really happy with it.

Thank you all for the guidance, it's much appreciated

The Pontiac

You did the right thing. A little more on tax but the same on petrol and insurance (more or less).

And a far superior car to the bog standard under-powered 1.6. The Ghia Mondeo really looks great.

Robster53

Cheers Ollie, I'm glad I asked u guys for the advice, I would have jumped in way too fast with the other car if it wasn't for all the advice I got )

spygirl

very glad came across your thread, am looking at one these the weekend. Might keep looking, just am under pressure to get something very soon. Thanks for the heads up

Robster53

I'm very happy with my purchase, love it but so happy I got advice from everyone. Let me know how u get on, happy shopping

spygirl

sorry am hijacking your thread...is the ghia a higher spec then zetec or much the same. sorry drove renaults for years and not familiar with fords at all so am doing the rounds on the tinternet for info.

The Pontiac

Zetec adds 16-inch alloy wheels, front fog lights, air conditioning, a leather gear knob and electric rear windows while the Ghia gets all the above plus 17-inch alloy wheels, automatic headlights and rain-sensing wipers, electric fold door mirrors and a Sony stereo with a CD autochanger.

Interior trim probably different too. Ghia was usually waltnut finish. Interior seats might also be different.

Robster53

Not at all.
The ghia is executive model. I'm not very good on all the specs to be honest.
To me the difference is cosmetic. Someone else may be able to clarify. Sorry I can't help there spy girl.
I loved the zetec model aswel as I'm not big into the mahogany interior thing, but mine only has a small amount that makes it look nice.

Robster53

I have 18" alloys, but having them changed to 16" as they r cheaper & supposedly last longer. That was the advice I got from my tyre man!

bazz26

Top spec model is the Titanium X but they are rare as hen's teeth. Most of the 2.0 litre petrol Mondeo of 2008/2009 were Titanium X spec. You should look at the Mazda 6 also.

166man

Robster53 wrote: »

My money my choice :cool:

I never said it wasn't.

Glad to hear you got something with even a bit more poke than the 1.6. Great bargains to be had on 2.0 petrol cars or bigger these days, well wear.

spygirl

Well lads, thanks for all the info. Actually went for the mondeo in the end. Gat a very good price for it as well as getting rid of mine at the same time. was kinda fluke as brought a mechanic with me to have a look at both cars. turned out he knew the mondeo as services it for the owner. Rang her to double check. took it as a sign so haggled a bit over the price.

Tried out the mazda 6 as well.....was lovely. Had it been a bit cheaper might have been swayed.The mondeo won out on mileage and price in the end. If I had a bit longer to look around might have been different story for the bigger engines in it but really needed to be in something asap.

Plus the on board computer thingy and bluetooth were gadgets I did not expect. Sucker for a car that talks back to me lol......although that may come to annoy me big time in the future but for now made feel like knight rider lol.
Again thanks for the help, I know I went against some of it but as apprecciated. points above were valid and agree with them but came down to price and mileage in the end.

Robster53

Well wear spygirl. Hope u have plenty fuel in it for a lot of spinning around for the wkend

Robster53

Thank you 166man