15th Nov 2015, 18:17
I live in Jhb, South Africa - In 1999 I bought a three month old demo Ford Mondeo, which I subsequently owned for 10 years. This was an exceptionally reliable, fuel efficient vehicle, and the only mechanical repairs required during this period were replacement of clutch assembly, brake discs and pads... which are general wear and tear items. Both my children learned to drive in this vehicle, so it was subject to a fair bit of driving abuse by my teenage son and daughter until their early 20s. Despite this abuse, the car did not fail us in any way, barring a few collisions, which required cosmetic repairs.
In terms of design flaws - this was an ugly looking car. The bumpers crumpled easily when subject to the tiniest of impacts.The other irritation was the fabric roof lining coming undone from the inner roof panel.
In summary this was a very under-rated car, which delivered well above expectations... so to commemorate this car, I intend buying a scale model version of this Mondeo to display in my bar. This will remind me (and my now adult children) of the wonderful workhorse we once owned. Thank you Ford for the lovely 1999 Mondeo, you previously produced.
16th Nov 2015, 13:40
Nice story and you are correct my friend - however as to the car's looks, opinions vary. The previous model to this car, the Sierra, wasn't a bad looking car, but it hasn't aged well. It looks 80s because it is, and the Mondeo is very 90s, but I think still does not look to out of place on the road today. Given the more modern models, the problem is the same - base models with small alloy wheels that don't look in proportion to the rest of the car. You need bright colors and nice alloys - makes a world of difference on most mundane cars. Mind you, you are right about the bumpers on the 90s models though - mines cracked easily as well! Looked terrible, but you could always get it fixed.
28th Sep 2015, 14:57
This review and comments here are spot on. Have modern cars come a long way in safety and fuel economy improvement? Of course, but at what cost? And given the recent VW scandal regarding emissions, things only look like getting worse. The 90s was the best time period for cars, no argument. A good balance of economy and performance, plus running costs. Most smart people I know, myself included, choose to drive older cars because they are reliable enough and don't cost the earth to fix.