Faults:

Loud tapping noise from top of engine

Exhaust noisy at 3-4000rpm - knackered baffles

New discs and pads

Headlamp bulb.

General Comments:

I bought a low mileage FSH Si late last year, and thought I'd done the right thing by taking my time and sourcing a cared for and looked after car.

On a longish trip, a tapping noise started from the top of the engine. I pulled over and listened to it, and came to the conclusion one or more of the hydraulic cam followers had become blocked, or failed. Not a huge problem in itself, so I continued driving the car.

After much head scratching, an engine flush, a strip-down and clean-up of the followers and cams, I sold the car with the fault. The new owner has replaced the cam followers and the noise is still present - so it sounds like it was a little end starting to die.

Not overly impressed as the car was very well maintained, and I didn't drive it harshly by any stretch of the imagination.

They are well equipped cars, very comfortable and grippy, and have very nice handling. The Si goes like the clappers in 3rd/4th/5th, but you soon get tired of the high revs when on the motorway.

Faults:

Only the bushers that's all.

General Comments:

Had car 8 years, the reliability is very good, thinking of buying the new Ford Mondeo.

Faults:

Small coolant pipe that feeds the heater matrix rusted through (this is apparently a common fault). Unfortunately it causes the engine to loose all of its coolant, and the first you know about it is when rough running/misfiring, by which time the damage is done! Mine warped the head due to this. If I hadn't been able to remove, strip and replace the engine this would have written the car off! New pipe was £20 - so check yours. It runs from the bottom radiator hose under the engine.

The heater packed up this winter, which I have been told is likely to be an airlock in the system. Luke warm air isn't much use in mid December.

Rear door handle was sticking, so the door wouldn't shut properly, easily fixed with a quick strip down and some WD40.

General Comments:

I fitted a K&N 57i filter which gives it a touch more breath when accelerating hard.

Lots of room for my wife and three kids.

It is very reliable (with exception of the rusty heater feed pipe) we took it to the south of France last summer without incident.

It gets taken on a 250 mile motorway journey every three weeks. It spends most of that trip traveling at 90mph and still gives pretty good fuel consumption.

If you are looking for a low price large family car you can't go far wrong with a Mondy, you can get early ones for peanuts these days.