Mondeo ST200 or ST220 beat BMW 735

unkel

Motornet people aware!

I remember there was a very regular contributor on motornet. He had driven a BMW 735 once, and he still preferred the Ford Mondeo, so he bought it. Whatever happened to him?

Ratchet

i don't get it, how somebody compare 735 with Mondeo.

exactiv

the modeo is a horrible car. all versions. ST or not. they're big fat ugly cars. I don't get it either, how could anyone compare a ford with BMW.

528i

That was Aogan, nice enough chap (very easily annoyed though), played in some rock 'n roll band but was also a biker, therefore questions were asked of his sexuality.. he couldn't handle those questions so in an effort to prove the motornet cynics wrong, rushed out to buy a fast macho (bmw being the obvious choice) car.

He lost himself somewhere along the way, and his biggest mistake since then was admitting that he'd actually gone & bought a ford (accidentally or otherwise).. It's a pretty sore topic, so if you do find him its best not to mention it.

Ratchet

528i wrote:

That was Aogan, nice enough chap (very easily annoyed though), played in some rock 'n roll band but was also a biker, therefore questions were asked of his sexuality.. he couldn't handle those questions so in an effort to prove the motornet cynics wrong, rushed out to buy a fast macho (bmw being the obvious choice) car.

He lost himself somewhere along the way, and his biggest mistake since then was admitting that he'd actually gone & bought a ford (accidentally or otherwise).. It's a pretty sore topic, so if you do find him its best not to mention it.

LOL

Aogan , I remember that OK

camarobill

Ratchet wrote:

i don't get it, how somebody campare 735 with Mondeo.

well said,the mondeo is twice the motor!

chicken_food

Having had a st220 in the drive way for a year last week, i can honestly say the bmw 735 doesnt come close to it. (iv driven in both) I much prefer the mondeo for so many reasons. Unless uv ever been driven in one i dont think you can comment about it. Its unbelievable.

Squirrel

chicken_food wrote:

Having had a st220 in the drive way for a year last week, i can honestly say the bmw 735 doesnt come close to it. (iv driven in both) I much prefer the mondeo for so many reasons. Unless uv ever been driven in one i dont think you can comment about it. Its unbelievable.

I'm assuming you mean a week last year

528i

I think he meant "in the drive way for a year" and last week was its anniversary,. I'm assuming he couldnt get it started, and just left it there gathering rust & snide remarks from passers by.

ando

There's a lad around here that has an ST220. I wouldn’t say no to it, not at all. I'd prefare something different than the usual & boring bmw/merc brigade

Ratchet

how you can compare these two cars ?

they are totally different class of a car and serve different purpose

unkel

528i wrote:

That was Aogan

Ah it was, starting to remember know. I think the mark II Mondeo is a nice looking car, when it came out it had great reviews

Happened to come across a test the other day that slated the ST220, that's how I vaguely recalled the existence of the discussion on motornet

@all posters, yeah I agree the comparison between the two cars is absurd. This was only really geared towards motornet members

chicken_food wrote:

Having had a st220 in the drive way for a year last week, i can honestly say the bmw 735 doesnt come close to it. (iv driven in both) I much prefer the mondeo for so many reasons. Unless uv ever been driven in one i dont think you can comment about it. Its unbelievable.

No you're confusing me, bud

One has driven a car_x
One has been driven in a car_x

What do you mean?

MustangCobra

exactiv wrote:

the modeo is a horrible car. all versions. ST or not. they're big fat ugly cars.

I don't get it either, how could anyone compare a ford with BMW.

Ford GT40,Ford Tunderbird,Ford Mustang,Ford Escort Cosworth,Ford Mk1 Escort,Ford RS TURBO,Ford XR4x4......should I continue?

Dreamers drive Beamers!

Gatster

Fords aren't at all bad cars, but Ford have to make a real effort to make a 'special' car (the ST220 is a fine car, one of the managers at work has one), although the 1 series is clearly not special.

For 2004(?) ST220 money, I'd have this:

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carid=192582

What exactly is it that Beamer drivers are dreaming of?

camarobill

MustangCobra wrote:

Ford GT40,Ford Tunderbird,Ford Mustang,Ford Escort Cosworth,Ford Mk1 Escort,Ford RS TURBO,Ford XR4x4......should I continue?

Dreamers drive Beamers!

that should cover it

ds20prefecture

Gatster wrote:

For 2004(?) ST220 money, I'd have this:

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carid=192582

What exactly is it that Beamer drivers are dreaming of?

Can someone explain this forum's obsession with BMWs? The 5 series is a fine car, particularly in diesel form. But 43k for a mid-sized executive car with 60000 miles on the clock? Why? Is it the "brand"? The "engineering excellence"? The "flawless build quality"? All of these are merely marketing speak for "you've been had". The 5 isn't that special - indeed it is common as muck. Don't get me wrong - the car is a good car, but I'm struggling with it's USP (to continue the marketing speak)

Please don't depress me and tell me it's "an aspiratonal brand" or a "status symbol". Also please don't alarm me and tell me that this is a BMW driver's forum, and I'm just a long way from home.

NB: I am not trolling here: I am genuinely interested in why people pay so much for this brand in general and the 5 in particular. I quite fancy a 530d touring, but the saleswoman wouldn't give me a kiss, and I like a kiss when I'm being f*)^ed.

bazz26

ds20prefecture wrote:

NB: I am not trolling here: I am genuinely interested in why people pay so much for this brand in general and the 5 in particular. I quite fancy a 530d touring, but the saleswoman wouldn't give me a kiss, and I like a kiss when I'm being f*)^ed.

LOL

Well put..

ToxicPaddy

I drive a mondeo and before anyone goes off on some sort of rant, I was
24 at the time of buying it and any hope I had of ever getting insured on a
BMW non existant. Its nothing flash, just a 1.6LX model, but its cheap to maintain, reliable and economical.. and I needed something to get some sort
of car fast..

Anyway, Id never say no to a BMW, Im a big fan of the 5 Series model just gone out and also the 7 Series.. either would do me, Im not fussy

Tox

lomb

40grand is insane for that car tbh, i would happily pay 11grand for a 99 740iL though, a far better car at a far better price.

Gatster

I don't know about this forum's obsession with BMW, but this thread is about a BMW vs. Ford (I've owned both). Because a car (any car) is 'common as muck', doesn't make it a bad car.

Some BMW's are a rip off and no better than the equivalent, often cheaper, offerings from other manufacturers but some of them (530d for example) are the best in class. I like BMW's because I always have. When I was 10 I liked the newly launched M6 because of the way it looked, I was blissfully (and thankfully) unaware of branding or image, same with the first M3. When I got to actually go in one a few years later (about a year off being able to drive) I just wanted one more because of the speed of it. Generally (upto 2002) they're pretty well built as well.

Irish car prices are a rip off, and the national/global 'must have' bling obsession with flashing the cash just inflates the price of 'brands' even further - buy something because it's good or you want it, not because you think you should. I would rather have a 530d than an ST220 (maybe not a €42k, would buy in the UK), but I drive at least 60 miles a day and have to pay for fuel...

Ford GT40,Ford Tunderbird,Ford Mustang,Ford Escort Cosworth,Ford Mk1 Escort,Ford RS TURBO,Ford XR4x4......should I continue?

that should cover it

Really? Pretty much every major/long standing car manufacturer has good cars in their history, it's taken Ford 30 years to pull the Mustang round.

ds20prefecture

Gatster wrote:

I don't know about this forum's obsession with BMW, but this thread is about a BMW vs. Ford (I've owned both). Because a car (any car) is 'common as muck', doesn't make it a bad car.

Agreed. I think I said the BMW was a fine car, and apologies for hijacking the thread. In retrospect it would have been more appropriate to start a new one, but I admit to not being too familiar with this format of forum. But I think if you look around the recent threads, most are littered with, if not actually directly about, references to BMW.

Some BMW's are a rip off and no better than the equivalent, often cheaper, offerings from other manufacturers but some of them (530d for example) are the best in class.

It is a spectacular engine. The Jag S-Type twin-turbo 2.7 (soon to be fitted to top end Peugeot, Citroën and Volvo) is probably a little more impressive in terms of smoothness and specific output, but the technology is much newer. It is also unlikely to be quite as special as the straight 6, and the BMW x35d knocks the PSA/Ford 2.7 into a cocked hat.

I like BMW's because I always have. When I was 10 I liked the newly launched M6 because of the way it looked, I was bilssfully (and thankfully) unaware of branding or image, same with the first M3. When I got to actually go in one a few years later (about a year off being able to drive) I just wanted one more because of the speed of it. Generally (upto 2002) they're pretty well built as well. Irish car prices are a rip off, and the national obsession with flashing the cash just inflates the price of 'brands' even further - buy something because it's good or you want it, not because you think you should.

Well said. Again, my query was more towards why it seems most people in this forum are avid and vocal BMW fans (sometimes to the exclusion of all else). I think some have the unfounded belief that the cars are somehow revolutionary, inventive or particularly different. Instead the are the best executed example of a proven formula, carefully targetted at the market that is most likely to
a) feel the need to own one
b) be at such a stage in their careers that their company will buy them, meaning the concept of "value" seems lost

I would rather have a 530d than an ST220 (maybe not a €42k, would buy in the UK), but I drive at least 60 miles a day and have to pay for fuel...

Again, apologies for the off-thread post.

unkel

ds20prefecture wrote:

but the saleswoman wouldn't give me a kiss, and I like a kiss when I'm being f*)^ed.

ROFLAO

ds20prefecture wrote:

I am genuinely interested in why people pay so much for this brand in general and the 5 in particular

I'm not, I'm just glad they do. Not for BMWs in particular, but for any car really

ds20prefecture wrote:

apologies for hijacking the thread

It's my thread and I don't mind - discussion is good

ds20prefecture wrote:

it seems most people in this forum are avid and vocal BMW fans (sometimes to the exclusion of all else)

Hope you're not including me. Last time I stated this was before you joined, but I have never been a BMW fanboy. Don't get me wrong, I've always liked them, but I like loads of other cars too. Came across my previous car (E34 530i V8) by accident and really liked it. Was looking for a E39 for my current car (and let's be straight - the BMW 5-series has been the best car in its class for the last 18 years apart from a few months when the brand new E-class co-existed with the aging 5-series, according to pretty much all motoring journos) but ended up with an E38 735i V8

I'm just very very impressed with this car. Granted it's been modified and I have no idea how much better that has made the car, if at all. Bought it when it was just over 7 years old for less than 10% of its new price. It's just passed 120k miles and in the 13 months owning it, nothing has gone wrong - knock on wood

I ain't a fan of the looks of recent BMWs. Then again I didn't like the E39 back in '96. Fortunately I am not rich and can't afford to buy new cars, let alone high spec new BMWs. I always have many a year to get used to new designs

MustangCobra

Seen a 05 reg 730i (70 grands worth???)broke down on the side of the road thismorning,
Im sorry but I got a good laugh from it.

Easily amused ,I know ;-)

lomb

MustangCobra wrote:

Seen a 05 reg 730i (70 grands worth???)broke down on the side of the road thismorning,
Im sorry but I got a good laugh from it.

Easily amused ,I know ;-)

yeah if anything goes wrong it usually goes wrong when new, id say its more like 85-90grand actually.
a neighbours new 05 astra broke down the other day needed a new ECU had to wait 2 days for repair as there was none in the country!

Ratchet

MustangCobra wrote:

Seen a 05 reg 730i (70 grands worth???)broke down on the side of the road thismorning,
Im sorry but I got a good laugh from it.

Easily amused ,I know ;-)

planes fall from the sky too.

unkel

lomb wrote:

id say its more like 85-90grand actually

The basic spec, non SE 730i (which nobody buys) touches on €100k list price

green-blood

I'm aware of a cork reg'd ST220 C 15XXX its bloody lovely, I always end up drooling when I seeit - its a touring car for the road... lovely

lomb

unkel wrote:

The basic spec, non SE 730i (which nobody buys) touches on €100k list price

that means it will be 10 grand in 5 years still wouldnt buy one unless they are proven, too much technology, can only trust the japenese with that sort of hi tech, not some fat sweaty german

Ratchet

lets compare hi spec laguna to S class Merc.

I am getting out of this forum

7 series and Mondeo are 2 different cars and hardly big BMW would be your caravan horse .

It's natural that you will have more use for Mondeo when looking at daily use and comparing it to 7 series which most of you Mondeo chooser's wouldn't be able to afford anyway even without service cost . This just waste of time

It maybe isn't everybody's cup of tea but you buy 7 series for different reasons. It's everybody's own preference, budget and daily needs which will have influence a car purchase.

I could say I don't like new mustang as has not enough loading space when comparing to (not slow) Audi s4 avant but this statement is total Spaghetti bolonez as most of replies to this thread.

unkel

Ratchet wrote:

7 series and Mondeo are 2 different cars and hardly big BMW would be your caravan horse

They are. See my thread starting post. I was only asking ex-motornet forum members to revive my memory!

Pity we can't even see the history of motornet any more

Ratchet

unkel wrote:

They are. See my thread starting post. I was only asking ex-motornet forum members to revive my memory!

Pity we can't even see the history of motornet any more

nothing against your post. I do remember this being the topic on motornet but reading some replies i see big similarities to his senseless justification of the mondeo purchase. I am not saying he should buy 7 series as probably didn't fit his criteria but any comparison of this two cars is really pointless in first place. His wish list was screwed.

let's buy family saloon and he goes to drive test & series and Mondeo.
what a diversity.

Simply he was just in market for a mondeo type of a car or couldn't handle rear wheel drive tank.

camarobill

Ratchet wrote:

lets compare hi spec laguna to S class Merc.

I am getting out of this forum

7 series and Mondeo are 2 different cars and hardly big BMW would be your caravan horse .

It's natural that you will have more use for Mondeo when looking at daily use and comparing it to 7 series which most of you Mondeo chooser's wouldn't be able to afford anyway even without service cost . This just waste of time

It maybe isn't everybody's cup of tea but you buy 7 series for different reasons. It's everybody's own preference, budget and daily needs which will have influence a car purchase.

I could say I don't like new mustang as has not enough loading space when comparing to (not slow) Audi s4 avant but this statement is total Spaghetti bolonez as most of replies to this thread.

calm down,a bit off piss takeing going on :rolleyes:

ubu

in relation to the BMW's there does seem to be alot of fans of the brand here, but that is not necessarily a bad thing, the dominance of the brand has some justification, but at the end of the day it comes down to personal preference, for me,
i would take the A3 over the 1 series
id take the 3 series over a C class/A4
id take a 5 series over an E class or A6
but id take an S class/A8 over a 7 series
id probably take a 5.0 TDI toureg over an X5 aswell

in relation to the st220 and 7 series, they are two totally different cars and to compare them is not practical as they serve totally different purposes

MustangCobra

Ratchet wrote:

I could say I don't like new mustang as has not enough loading space when comparing to (not slow) Audi s4 avant but this statement is total Spaghetti bolonez as most of replies to this thread.

Are you losing it or what, comparing the new Mustang against a Audi S4

Have a look at this;-

http://www.muscularmustangs.com/2005/roushindealers.php

damo605

735? Looks, sounds and handles like nothing else but garaunteed to break your heart like nothing else!
I'm no fan of Ford but if someone offered me a '95 1.6 Mondeo for 15 grand I'd rather pay it than take a span new 7 series for free.... I've driven BMW and so have some good friends of mine and when ever we meet up in the pub and start talking about cars it is a BMW bashing conversation - The only people who think we are mad are the people who have never owned one and gone broke from trying to maintain them!
Perfect example is when I had a problem with my 5 series (One of many) and it was the first working day after a fairly cold christmas - I rang main BMW dealer in Cork city and they couldn't look at my car for 'at least' 10 days as all their guys (and the servie dept. bloke actually told me this over the phone) were out picking up all the "break downs".... Same day a mate rang Toyota main dealer in Cork city to book in for a service and they told him to come in whenever he wanted as it was a very quiet period and there would be absolutely no problem fitting him in (i.e. Give the lads something to do)!
There's something suspect here lads - Looks to me like certain car manufacturers are still making a buck or two off a reputation they made for themselves many years ago and people are now just buying the badge instead of the car.... I never had and probably never would have a Ford but: for God's sake go for the ST200 or 220 as if your life depended on it 'cause your sanity (and wallet) does!

unkel

damo605 wrote:

if someone offered me a '95 1.6 Mondeo for 15 grand I'd rather pay it than take a span new 7 series for free

Now we've seen it all. Ta 528i for the reply I was hoping to get. Mods please close now

528i

Shtopp.. dis place if fulla loonies.. everyone knows a new 7-series would come with the full manufacturers warranty

that guy

Well. It's nice to be remembered I suppose, though somewhat inaccurately.

The 735 was just one of a long list of test drives. I know I was a bit all over the place, but I reckon it's one of the most difficult motoring purchases - the family friendly performance car. Family friendly? -Easy. Performance? -easy. But try getting both, and for 15 to 20k?

I've always loved the big 7 series but they say never meet your heroes and I was not blown away by the test drive. Steering was over light and I dunno I suppose I expected more thunderous performance from my first spin in a v8. I'd say you'd need to drive it for a few months to start to appreciate it fully.

I thought all along that a 528 would fulfill my list of requirements but was looking a long time for the right spec and the right colour and the right price, and she never materialised. It'd either have a tape deck cloth seats and no aircon, or all the extras and be decked out in fcukin toyota avensis wine red! And let me tell you that babies and super-absorbent cloth upholstery are not a healthy combination

Have the mondeo now for about 6 months and 'tis grand as they say. Road tax and fuel economy are a bit of a downer. She's due a couple of things as well now so tires are ordered and she's booked in for a service. All in all, grand car - bit of poke, looks well, plenty of room, sounds great, fully spec'd, low mileage, wasn't too dear and hasn't given us any problems yet (fingers crossed). Can't have been too bad a choice eh?

As for the bm, maybe next time.

lomb

that guy wrote:

I dunno I suppose I expected more thunderous performance from my first spin in a v8. I'd say you'd need to drive it for a few months to start to appreciate it fully.

which is why u need a 4.4liter v8 740i instead of the 735 which is somewhat of a compromise or on the new one the 745i

unkel

that guy wrote:

Well. It's nice to be remembered I suppose, though somewhat inaccurately.

Welcome to boards, Aogan, I knew you'd show up

that guy

I migrated to octane initially. Never realised boards was such a vast conglomerate.

528i

there's a personal problems section if you need to just talk about that ford affliction or anything, I had a sore testicle last week and boards help me through it.

chicken_food

@ that guy
What color ST220 do u have?? And where'd u get it?
I have the priveledge of one aswell. Ur the second guy iv ever heard of who has one. To get a test drive in one the garage had to ring up the only guy he knew that had one. licence was **-d-220 sad but it convinced us that the st220 was the car to get!

that guy

I thought they only came in one colour ??? - ford racing blue.

Anyway, that's what colour it is. -You don't live near in the spawell tallaght templeogue environs do you? There's a guy round there with one. Our one is the four door saloon, which I beliebe is paricularly unusual. They were initially made in estate and hatchback forms and towards the end of production made a saloon, of which I think only a handful (200 or something) were brought to the uk.

Whoever bought it from new tinkered about with it very slightly - it's got a performance air filter and it's been lowered very slightly and the suspension stiffened a bit - I dunno why the fcuk he did that, they're hard enough as standard. Lowering it definitely helps the looks though

fletch

that guy wrote:

I thought they only came in one colour ??? - ford racing blue.

that guy, that ST220 looks sweet, what I wouldn't do for a drive. My Da has a '00 1.8 Zetec-E & she's a flier and the things grimps the road like a limpet!

528i

If it werent for the teg-type R oz racing alloys and micky mouse exhausts, it could easily be mistaken for a cop-car

chicken_food

Is that not the st2000 rather than the st220??
We had a st2000 before the 220. Still have the old st2000-great for the odd sunday drive. A remarkable difference between the old one and the new one. Both unique. Both cars are silver,saloons. @that guy-u shudve kept the original alloys!

that guy

Never heard of an st2000.

What you see there is an st200. There's a lot of confusion actually on the web about what exactly is what, between the st24's and st220's etc. The st220 is the 3 litre petrol ST version of the latest model mondeo - see "ford pic. The st200 which we have is a 2.5l v6 and it's clearly (from other pic) the ST version of the previous model mondeo, just as you have the focus ST170. Like I said I've never heard of an st2000, you're not thinking of the escort RS2000 by any chance? The st24 was the ST version of the older mondeo again - it was a 2.5 v6, but less poke -170bhp I think. I think it's the same as what in 2000 was sold as the ghia v6.

Anyway, sorry chicken food, did you say you had the newer model st220? It's not black by any chance is it? I saw one last thursday in Ranelagh. First one I've seen on Irish roads - looks very nice.

As for my alloys - that's the way I bought the car. The original owner ditched the original ST jobs. -I'd never have bothered myself but looking at the web pic below and comparing it to our own car, I think your man was actually spot on with lowering it a little bit. It definitely looks better. She's murder on poor surfaces though - drive over a coin and I could identify the denomination.

Exhausts/body kit etc are all factory standard and fully functional...

Gatster

If I can find one (probably in the Uk) an ST200 Saloon may well make it onto my consider list - Any problems, how's insurance etc?

bazz26

A nice ST220 for sale here:

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=109005

unkel

bazz26 wrote:

A nice ST220 for sale here:

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=109005

Overpriced though