2002 Ford Mondeo Ghia 2.0 petrol

Summary:

Far more than a shed

Faults:

Not much.

Central locking occasionally locks the car by itself.

Rear caliper sticking.

General Comments:

This car deserves to be more than a shed. Very cheap to buy, cheap to run and dependable.

It's also a surprisingly good driver's car that clearly was designed and developed by people who enjoy driving. The feel and weighting of the major controls would befit a premium car. Steering in particular is excellent, allowing you to place the car very accurately.

The rest of the chassis lives up to expectations. I have enjoyed owning and driving some fine performance cars and believe me, as a driving tool the Mondeo does all that you could expect a family four door saloon to do. It has the rare ability to feel more composed the faster you go, while remaining astonishingly wieldy.

Comfort is not quite so impressive. My Ghia rides on 17 inch wheels with a 45 tyre profile, leading to a ride that, while not jarring, is on the firm and occasionally crashy side.

Most serious flaw are the front seats - they may be leather but are rock hard and set far too high. How Ford could get this wrong on a car designed to travel long distances I do not know.

Refinement is therefore best described as average. The 2.0 Duratec engine may be willing and give decent performance, but it is harsh and rattly. A V6 model would be my choice another time.

In conclusion, a borderline brilliant car that would be near perfect with more refinement and a better driving position.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 1st October, 2016

3rd Oct 2016, 23:35

Assuming fuel consumption was OK, then that was 33k miles of cheap motoring.

5th Oct 2016, 12:26

The only thing at MOT time was a sticking rear caliper; this was freed off and has not been a problem since.

In reply to 3rd Oct 2016, 23:35

10th Jul 2024, 16:13

2.0 petrol, did around 35 mpg as expected of this engine in this size of car.

2002 Ford Mondeo TDDI 115 turbo diesel

Summary:

Mediocre when it's not breaking down

Faults:

Clutch and DMF.

Alternator.

Injectors.

Bushes.

Stereo.

Brakes.

Suspension coils.

Exhaust fallen off.

Heater.

Lots more.

General Comments:

This is my fourth Ford, I have had three previous Mondeo's, all diesel, and a Focus. My girlfriend had a KA, and to say the least they have all been unreliable.

When I bought the Focus, it needed a thousand pounds spending on it, and it still broke down twice before I got rid.

Mondeo 1 (Alternator and Clutch DMF) = £1000

With 80,000 on the clock, sold at 100,000. 2002 TDDI.

Mondeo 2 (Alternator and Clutch and DMF and Injector) Pretty much traded it in for scrap, 108,000 on the clock - sold at 120,000. 2003 TDCI.

Mondeo 3 (Alternator went yesterday, stereo and all the list of the above have gone wrong).

Bought at 130,000, now done 160,000. 2002 52 TDDI.

First couple of times, I thought oh I have just bought a lemon, or the last owner must have thrashed it. But there is a common theme, the same problems go wrong, and they are not that good to drive at all. I have a backup car (also called my girlfriend's car hehe) which is an 02 2.2 SRi 150 Vectra. Yeah, the inside looks like it has been built with Lego. But I have had it since 70,000 miles (now on 140,000), and never had a problem.

I will never buy a Ford again, Mondeo's are cheaper than the rest for a reason. I have researched and fixed most of the problems myself (due to money), and it turns out most of the problems above are common issues.

I wouldn't mind if it wasn't so expensive, if it was a known belt issue or something cheap to fix, I would be fine with that. But I have spent more money fixing Ford's than I have buying Fords; it astounds me how Ford can release cars knowing they have these sort of problems.

Well good riddance to bad news.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 26th November, 2010

4th Dec 2010, 09:44

2003 Mondeo TDCi 130, my company car from new. Bought off the lease company at 3 years old, still have it now. 160k. One injector recalibration and a MAF sensor. Still goes well, very reliable etc. Even with 160k on it, it drives better than a Vectra would have when brand new. Serviced once a year, and that's pretty much it.

Had an old mk2 TD that wouldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding, but I punted it on at 140k to a minicab firm who are still using it now with 300,000 miles on it. Still on the original engine (second gearbox though).

You can't buy a 130,000 mile car with no idea of how it has been treated or driven, then complain when it goes wrong. Also, if you have such repeated lousy experiences with Fords, why keep buying them?

13th Dec 2010, 11:53

As the original reviewer, in response to your comment.

Good for you, but just look around. A lot of people are not that lucky.

I won't buy one ever again.

I think your completely wrong about the Vectra, the Mondeo is a crashy, wallowy thing.

Everyone is a critic. This is written to share my experience of owning Fords. If you want to praise them, write your own review.

In reply to 13th Dec 2010, 11:53

17th Mar 2016, 10:42

I agree with both of your comments. And the reason why I would have bought another Ford was because even though I had the crappiest time with repairs on my Ford Fairmont, 'Big Red' was a 1999 model, and just because he sucked doesn't FORD sucks. And for that reason my dislike for them based on one old Ford could be swayed. However, after reading your comment I'm back to basics. You reminded me about how terrible the repairs were, and a lot of them were expensive and unnecessary. Fix one thing, then something else needed fixing. It was like some kind of "Christine" or "Carrie" car. When things hurt, you shouldn't go back for more! So thank you for that honest to goodness review!