1995 Ford Mondeo Verona 1.8 turbo diesel

Summary:

Slow, but comfortable and cheap to run

Faults:

The car was very slow to start, so I tried replacing the glow plugs and pre-heater, but that didn't help.

With hindsight and having owned another Mondeo 1.8TD, I believe that this car was suffering from compression losses.

Other than that, it was fine.

General Comments:

Quite a nice balance of features on this model. It may not have the air-con or alloys of the Ghia in 1995, but it did have velour seats, lumbar adjustment, central locking and a sunroof.

All in all, it did the job very well for me, in that I needed a cheap car that would give good fuel economy and no trouble. I did miss the air-con in the summer though!

My only concern was that it was very slow to pull off (see possible compression losses above), and so when I took a job in a built-up area on fast roads, I found it very difficult to safely pull into moving traffic.

Soon after I sold it for a 2.0 petrol Mondeo that had no such issues.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 3rd February, 2009

1995 Ford Mondeo LX 1.8

Summary:

It's a great car, even with its blind spots

Faults:

My front wheel bearings just been replaced.

Front springs have been replaced.

Burns a bit of oil.

The factory fitted alarm never works.

General Comments:

This is one quick car, but rattles at high speed.

The cabin is gloomy, but spacious and the seat are uncomfortable on long journeys.

For the cars age its still in good condition apart from a couple of rust spots.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 29th February, 2008

1995 Ford Mondeo GLX TD 1.8 turbo diesel

Summary:

Cheap, economical runabout

Faults:

Electrics went wild, ABS light constantly flashing on and the speedo spinning over to 130mph and not moving, causing me to cut the engine and then restart. Found out it was a battery lead that hadn't been fastened securely!

General Comments:

Having owned a 1.8 Turbo Diesel Mondeo prior to this one, albeit my last one was a MK2 on an R plate, I picked this M reg one up from auction for a bargain £120, as I needed another cheap runabout. Turns out the car is a 1 owner car from new (2 owners on log book, was his company car until 1999 and then he bought it and was his own personal car up until 2007)

Inside, it feels a bit more antiquated than my last MK2 did, however the stereo system is a lot better quality. It drives excellent, the engine itself sounds a lot more solid than that of my previous Mondeo (which in all honesty had been neglected, this one has been well serviced, came with a pile of receipts, not bad for the price!)

All it needed when I bought it was a new set of wheel trims (£10) and the wing mirrors touching up where the paint has peeled (£15 for primer, paint & lacquer soon solved it)

It drives as well as my old one although the engine is a bit lacklustre very antiquated diesel engine that isn't going to win any performance trials, but at the end of the day I was looking for a cheap stopgap and this is perfect.

Being the 2nd Mondeo I have owned I knew what to expect with regards to build quality and I still maintain that the Mondeo is a lot better built than the equivalent Vectra. I am hoping to sell this on in the summer and buy a later, 2.0 Zetec engined Mondeo however, because despite me thinking they handle great etc, I have said from the day of buying my last one, that it would be so much a better car if it had a petrol engine!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd April, 2007

26th Jun 2007, 02:14

I thoroughly agree with all your comments.

I've had one of the very last mk2 1.8TD's (X plate) for two years. Hammered it 20,000 miles a year since I bought it, and it's now on 130,000 miles and still as reliable as clockwork. Sails the MOT every year, and has never let me down. I've had to change a throttle cable (£20), a CV joint (£30) and a water pump (£30), but other than that it's been service parts and consumables only. I do stick to the service schedule though, and it gets a sumpful of fresh synthetic oil and genuine Ford filters every 10k without fail. Parts cost peanuts and the car is easy to work on. I also get between 45 mpg and 50 mpg on my commute. It's a cheap car to run.

Yes it's slow as a snail and horribly unrefined, but it's quite satisfying when friends and neighbours have spent ten times what this cost on their cars, and have had far more problems. I know the diesel engine makes it a bit nose heavy, but it's still far more satisfying drive than any Vectra or Passat. Lovely steering, nicely servoed brakes, slick gearbox. As you say, it's better as a petrol, but doing the mileage I do, diesel is a no-brainer. I'm also lucky on my commute if I can exceed 50 mph for more than about 30 seconds, so performance isn't really a concern. Economy is, and the car will crack 50 mpg if treated gently, and 45 is easily achievable.

Brilliant cars these. Would recommend one to anybody.

18th Jun 2008, 18:28

Yp, I agree, all I do is change the oil and filter every now and then, and use the passenger door lock to open and close it + apart from that, I ignore all rattles, bangs and clonks, but it refuses to die, despite being thrashed day in, day out-a cheap, tough car to run.