Rajaman

iTrader: (3)

I've got a 53 reg Passat 130 TDI PD se saloon which I am going to be advertising for £3,500 ono but I will let it go for £3,000 for a quick sale
It's covered 91k with FSH from new and has no faults or issues and is a powerful yet economical car, and will stand up to any inspection and is HPI clear
It's my own car, and I was using it as my daily drive while the evo was the weekend toy, I've chopped the evo in for a 535d M Sport which I use every day so this is now no longer needed
Comes with Alloys, 4 x EW, AC, 6 cd changer, T&T etc etc
Let me know if you are interested
Ray

hail-hail

Thanks Ray, will keep it in mind, but ........

I have just been offered a 52 plate Mondeo 2.0 TDCi - Zetec S 54k miles, FSH all for a snip at £2200. going to go look this weekend.

wrx287

iTrader: (8)

Dont know what price they are holding but the best car ive found for motorway driving was a Peugeot 407 2.2HDi. I drove one from South Wales to Edingburgh and back in one day and got around 45mpg.

Cyberevo

iTrader: (1)

BMW 5 series and Ford Mondeo just are not even in the same breathe, never mind league...

SimonD

...but a five year old lowish miles Mondeo and an old 5-series on its last legs certainly are!

LG John

I'd pit my £7k Mondeo against any £7k 5-series for overall ownership experience, enjoyment, etc. It drives and looks like a new car and to match it's performance and equipment you're going to need to produce a 530i or better with a world of options. I doubt you'll get even close to a 2005/36k miler for £7k.

Double the mileage, 2 years older, horrible wood trim, doesn't even have electric seats

Double the mileage, 4 years older, poverty spec

Ticks a lot of boxes but mileage not listed....that means it's epic!

Double the mileage, about the same age but even worse than poverty-spec, it doesn't even have leather

Now I'm not knocking the 5-series, or the 3-series for that matter, I'm simply saying that you pay a premium for the BMW badge both when new and in the second hand market. When faced with that choice (330i vs ST220) I took the prestige hit and went for the younger, less used, better equipped Ford. But I work from home and don't play golf so I guess I don't have anyone to live up to in 'car park wars'

cairns101

True. I even doubt if a 530i would keep up with the ST220 on performance.

hail-hail

Going to be putting a rake of miles on it, about 1k per week, so younger, less miles. lower running costs etc is more important than car park prestige wars.

I had an ST24 in the past and really liked it, so I am sure the newer model Mondeo is every bit as good.

Anyway the wife has an X5 so I can drive that if I want to be though of as a w@nker

You still playing poker for a living? Been a while since I have been on here.

LG John

Yeah, still playing away....over two years now!!

I'm sure having owned an ST24 you'll already know this.....but, if you are doing 1,000 miles a week you might want to steer clear of the ST200/220/330/530 and plump for a diesel version of whatever car you decide upon. I've never even seen close to 30mpg yet

hail-hail

Glad to hear it You doing as well as you thought? Be going to see you on telly any time soon?

It's always good to hear a successful 'change of life' story. I would love to jack in the rat race, but with 2 kids and a wife to look after and indeed a standard of living that i could only really have dreamt of, the risk out weighs the reward massivley.

Ho hum, back to requirements gathering....

LG John

Well enough, but I'm hideously lazy and so haven't made as much as I might have hoped. Yr1 was around £1500 banked per month and year 2 around £2500. All from an average of like 2-hours a day.....if that!!!

Cyberevo

iTrader: (1)

Utter rubbish, car park wars? I do a lot of miles and wanted a car I could get out the other end and feel fresh as a diasy and a BMW 5 series does just that, I have put 6k on her in 2 months and it has needed for nothing, not due a service for a while.

The general wear and tear on a BMW is very low, I would bet a mondeo would be creaking at the seams with the same miles as the BMW, it's just a better built car.

Better seats, steering, rear drive so a fair amount of fun and the chassis is very sorted. it's more solid, planted, less cabin noise, higher quality interior.

I have owned a lot of cars, had all the rep mobile hire cars for 1 year on the road doing stacks of miles and the Passat was the best in this range but my 02 525i sport is mile apart.

hodgy0_2

i bought an MY00 wagon in July 2008 and sold it in June 2009 - bought with 96k sold with 126k -- i changed the oil 5 times but nothing else

brilliant motorway car -- used to drive it from Cambridge to Bournemouth 2 times a week
only sold it to get slightly better mpg

LG John

Lol, I'm afraid you are talking utter drivel and I doubt you've even been in a Mondeo, let alone driven one.

Perhaps you failed to notice the picture of my ST220 next to an e46 M3 on the previous page. I think we can agree the M3 represents towards the upper echelons of the BMW range? Well that M3 is my mates and I'm on the insurance with fully comprehensive cover, meaning that I've probably driven it personally in excess of 1500 miles and have been a passenger for more to boot. That being the case, and having done 3000 miles in the Ford, I'm pretty well qualified to pass comment on them.

First of all the M3 is way, way, waaaaaaaaaay more expensive to run. Cheaper on fuel but much more on insurance (fair cop I guess), servicing and consumables. It recently had inspection 2 and that was eye-popping stuff, as was the astronomical sum to replace one of the headlight bulbs. Tyres, brakes, etc are all scary but I accept we are talking about the top dog BMW.

In terms of day to day driving the Mondeo is bigger, more practical and more comfortable and that includes a comparison of the Recaro seats in the ST220 to the ones in the M3 which are themselves very comfy. Ergonomically both cars seem fairly comparable although the decision of BMW to arrange the electric windows buttons around the gear lever is extremely annoying. In terms of design both interiors are very nice but I probably prefer the driver focused orientation of the M3. In terms of materials quality, build quality and 'squeaks' there is basically no difference. If I was being really picky then I suppose the upper half of the M3's dash is made of a slightly more tactile looking plastic than the Mondeo. The Mondeo however, is not a horrid hard plastic or anything like that.

The equipment on both cars is comparable with 99% of it being standard in the ST220 and the majority of the nice features of the M3 having been specified by the first owner. To drive they both destroy motorway's, a-roads, b-roads and are equally happy in and around town. If I had to pick one car to drive 1000 miles with my sole motivation being comfort and relaxation then I'd pick the Mondeo, it has that slight edge. Much of this is the result of the M3's slightly rougher ride but more so it's more enclosed driving position which affects the various different positions you'd adopt during a long drive. In both of them you'll likely arrive at your destination quite fresh and unstressed - a far cry from our other car, the Puma.

In terms of performance both cars have frankly dismal brakes but then, in my experience, 95%+ of stock cars are the same. In terms of grip and handling the Mondeo could certainly give the M3 a real hard time in the twisties but the straight-line grunt is simply not comparable. The M3 powers past with relative ease and it's rear-driven set up makes it more rewarding after the apex.....if you get what I mean You say that the BMW is more solid and planted but I'm comparing the top of the range 3-series to the top of the range Mondeo (both same segment of the market) and you're simply wrong. It's far easier to ruffle the feathers of the M3 than the Ford, although I believe the 19s are somewhat to blame for this.

The bottom line is the Mondeo is just 95% of the car the M3 is for a whole lot less money and nearly all of the deficit is realised in performance comparisons. That M3 is a 2003 with 39k miles and was bought a year ago for £19k. The Mondeo is a 2005 with 37k miles and was bought 3 months ago for £7k.

I need to stress that I don't doubt that your 525i is a great car. I'm sure it's every thing you say it is and more. However, whether you like it or not it's more expensive in the second hand market than the equivalent Mondeo and ultimately this thread is about a bloke looking for a comfortable car, that won't financially ruin him in which to spend many hours racking up the miles. BMW's can do this, but so can Ford's, VW's and Poxhalls....and for less money (which seems to be a relevant factor).

I probably don't have to say it but it goes without saying that I do prefer the M3 to the ST220. It is, ultimately, the better car (I'm not a fair judge though as I heavily weight the performance aspects. I'd love to see which car an old granny or vicar would prefer). It's just not 2.5-3x as good, being the difference in price (double difference when new, or thereabouts)

hail-hail

lol, that'll be that then

A balanced post, you will find that 99% of people will default to the position that 'BMW's are better than mondeos'. And for most of the time they probably are.
As you mentioned late in your post, value for money is what I am after in this car, it will essentially be our 3rd car and used soley for me to stick 1k miles per week driving in and out of england.

I have driven the wifes X5 for the last 3 weeks putting 3k miles on a low mileage car. If I drive it much more I will have already wiped the 2k I am about to spend on the Mondeo off the resale value of the X5.

Would I prefer to keep driving the X5, yes, it is a lovely car for running up and down the motorway. Does it make any sense to do this, no, I get 30mpg compared to 50mpg in the mondeo. Mondeo costs 2k. In reality I can buy a Mondeo every 3 months for 2k and it will be better value than running the X5.

I think that pretty much says it all.

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

Creak? definately not been in a mondeo
My first mondeo was a green 68k miler with fsh, N plate that I bought back in 2004, ran that car for about 18 months in which time I clocked up 40k miles.
Had the general servicing (very cheap I may add ) a full set of tyres (less than 250 quid all round ) and 2 wheel bearings.
Interior was virtually unworn (seats etc) though the steering wheel did show signs of wear around the edge, the car itself was sweet as a nut (1.8LX), no tappy engine etc, though with all the early mondeo's she had a bit of corrosion on the rear arches
But then again for 1300 quid what a bargain! this car just did motorways without difficulty and you felt fresh at the end of the journey
Compared to a BMW, considerably cheaper all round with just as much comfort as a similar spec bmw.

Tony

LG John

Hail, ironically my uncles 07 X5 3.0xd is the most comfortable car I've ever driven. The seats adjust in about 50 different ways and you can drive 500 miles and arrive feeling like you never left. However, with my heavy foot it was getting 22mpg - lol. Just yesterday he was complaining to me that he got only 12,000 miles out of his tyres and that they are circa £350 a corner for the run flats. To make matters worse, BMW UK are saying they will invalidate his warranty in regards to suspension and drivetrain if he puts non-run flats back on. It's lovely, but it's a mega bucks car to initially buy and run.

I suspect he'll be fighting and arguing all day long with BMW UK. Also, as a side note, he's had two X5's and an X3 all from new and says that BMW's customer service and dealerships are only interested in getting your money. So it seems that you don't even get better treatment for your extra outlay.

Hail, your best bet is probably an ex-fleet diesel mondeo or vectra type car. It'll have been serviced in accordance with the schedule and most of it's miles will have been fairly easy jaunts up and down motorways. You should be able to get a comfortable, spacious car that will lap up the miles you intend to throw at it.

P.S. If I was you I'd be looking for one with cruise control!

hail-hail

Going to look at a Mondeo on sunday, a 52 plate 2.0 tdci zetec 130, 54k miles, FSH. He wants 2.4k but should be able to get a couple of 100 off it.

On the BMW note, mate just bought a brand spanking X5 3.5 diesel. Got his misses up the duff, panicked, chopped in his R32 for pennies and got the X5..................................wait for it...........£54k.....it's nice, but not 54k nice....
I like mine, but I could do some damage with £54 to spend.

LG John

That's the exact same problem I had with my uncles. I had the use of it for 2 weeks when he was on holiday and I loved it and found myself pining after one. However, it was just over £60k new owing to it's spec and when I sat and thought about it I could do soooooooo much better with that money. First of I'd buy a low mileage, few year old, mint e60 M5, which is way faster than the X5 but probably as spacious and comfortable and it has even more toys. With the £25k or so that would remain I'd buy a Lotus Exige S, again, a few years old, low mileage, mint. When you put it like that...

Even at £2.4k, that's a lot of car for the money and will be great on the fuel. Good luck.

Cyberevo

iTrader: (1)

Saxo boy, I have actually driven a fair few mondeo's and still stand by what i said, the 5 series, is a better all round car. I'm not one for normally quoting the press but it has been demmed ot be one of the best cars in the world for total ownership apeal and much more.

BMW 5-Series | Used Car Tests | Car Reviews | Auto Express

I paid jsut over 4k for my 525 sport, 1 owner 48k miles. It's jsut such a nice place to be when doing the many many miles. I will probably still enjoy the drive, gettign into it takes the stress away for the 3 hour trek I often endure, I just couldn't face that in a mondeo.

It's not just about what represents good 2nd hand value, how about total onwership pleasure? I just can not fault the 5 series cars, they represent great value when considering how much they were new.

LG John

Each to their own but I have more experience with BMW's than Mondeo's given that I've owned one Mondeo and had access to an original 330d, an original X5, the new X5, the X3 and an M3. With the exceptions of the X5s none of them were particularly better than the Mondeo for comfort or tackling long distances. I can put my hand on my heart and say that I prefer my ST220 to a poverty spec 3-series with a small engine, which would probably be £-for-£ equivalent. I can't deny that I'd prefer a equally kitted out and equally youthful 330i, or better yet and M3, but the bottom line is they cost more (a lot more for the M).....believe me, I searched!!

That's not really the debate, the debate is what you can achieve for a given budget. There's no doubt that the top of the range 5-series is better than the top of the range Mondeo and that the same argument applies to mid and bottom of the range vehicles. However, in terms of performance the equivalent of the ST220 is a 530i or 530d and to find one of those with circa 40k miles on a 54/05 plate with a good array of options is frankly scary:

£15,000 for 530d with 40k miles
530i with 40k for £15k

Generally speaking we are talking about double the money I paid for a 2005/34k miler. That's the debate as far as I'm concerned and that's the reason why I think Hails £3k would be better invested in a Mondeo/Vectra type car than a BMW. His money will simply go further. You'll have no trouble convincing me that the cars I've linked are better/nicer than my ST220, but you can't convince me they are worth paying almost double the money.

Cyberevo

iTrader: (1)

I agree with quite a lot of what you are saying, but I still feel for that price point the 5 series is hard to beat as a motorway mile cruncher.

Here are a couple of pics of my 48k mile cruncher.

LG John

A nice car and seems like a bargain for just over £4k. It's unusually low mileage for that age and price. From my various searches *most* of the 5 and 3-series BMW's in and around OP's price range are fairly old, well used and tired looking.

At least you have the alu inserts for the interior. Far too many early 5-series have the god awful wood effect crap.

Cyberevo

iTrader: (1)

^^ I looked at a few ropy high mileage cars before finding this one, the lad was local too and was a DC5 owner so I knew him off the other forums.... It was his sisters car and whislt not mint it is a wonderfull sporty drive and I like the alacantara interior.

Proby521

iTrader: (1)

Talking about Mondeos, I just sent back my '55 Zetec 2l petrol. I've covered 153K in 3 years, and it's been a dream on the motorway. Not the car I would have chosen, but had no choice as company supplied/fuelled. I've never really been a ford fan, prefering german/VAG all the way, but 150 odd K's in the old Mundane and I must say I would definately consider buying one myself in the future now. In the last 3 months it's had clutch/handbrake cables/inlet manifold/rear shocks/new discs pads all around. Apart from that all it's had is oil 'n' filters!!! Not bad at all.

hail-hail

Right, the mondeo 2.0 TDCI that I went to see turned out to be a crappy 1.8 petrol. What a waste of time.

Off to the BCA in Derby tomorrow morning, let's see what I have purchased by this time tomorrow.

Quite excited, never bougth at an auction, have to buy something......

.......note to self....don't buy the 911 with 60k miles

LG John

Lol, it's one thing to claim a car has a sunroof when it doesn't, or such like. However, to claim a different engine is just brilliant