Faults:

Injector no. 2 replaced at 68000 miles at a cost of £387.

Injector no. 1 replaced at 70500 miles at a cost of £354.

Handbrake cable replaced at 71000 miles at a cost of £49.

Button in binnacle for resetting trip computer very 'iffy' - needs to be pushed 'just right' for it to work.

General Comments:

When the car is working it's awesome, the power delivery from the TDCi engine is fantastic, making for easy motorway entry and overtaking on all roads.

It's also quiet and refined so you can talk to your passengers at speed without too much intrusive road or tyre noise, although wind noise around the rear windows at 70mph or above is a bit high.

Round the twisty bits the car handles well, although mine didn't seem too keen on wet roundabouts! Perhaps I was a little overconfident as I was having too much fun! I would have to say that my previous car (2004 Vectra 1.8 Club) did handle better though - it just felt tighter somehow.

The seats are very comfortable and supportive, the cabin quality is good and the 6 CD changer gives excellent sound quality.

Mine blew 2 injectors in 8 weeks. These are extremely expensive parts and only Ford have the necessary software to calibrate them, a license to print money if ever I saw one!

When taken to Ford, the answer was 'it's just failed, it's one of those things'. Where would garages be without 'one of those things'? A catch-all statement to cover anything they can't or won't explain! Try as I might I couldn't get them to give me a reason for the failure.

I'd definitely recommend the driving experience, but I'd never ever buy another Ford diesel without a manufacturer warranty - the risk of injector failure is a gamble too far for me!

Faults:

Sorry nothing has gone wrong with my car yet...

Fingers X.

General Comments:

Went to England and bought a Zetec S Mondeo; great car, looks good.

Can't help thinking I miss my GT TDI Golf though, even though the Mondeo is a nicer drive and bigger. There is something not cool about owning a Ford. I don't know why?

PS I wish they made high spec cars available in the Irish Republic. Would save myself having to travel to England to get one.

Faults:

Tyres, various engine failures from perished hoses, brakes and poor build quality issues. Heavily corroded alloy wheels after just two years.

General Comments:

The car is a typical Ford. How many times do you read "Ford's best car yet" or "Incredible improvement over previous models". It's a Ford Mondeo which is by far less reliable than it's German and Japanese rivals.

The diesel engine performs well however gives little economical advantage over it's petrol equivalent (36-40mpg). Interior looks awkward and boy racer-ish. Exterior is bland and looks nothing more than the rep-mobile it is.

The car suffers from constant niggles however the dealer often puts them right free of charge. The gearbox feels fragile and I don't have much faith in its long term reliability.

Talk to anyone about your concerns and they just want to blow sunshine off its behind. The UK is still Ford crazy, not sure how or why with this very, very average car!