talizman

iTrader: (1)

During my search for a practical economical family car, the following have been suggested

Mondeo Estate TDCi
47 mpg
130 bhp
330 Nm
540 litre boot
0-60 mph - 9.9s
122 mph top speed

and

Vectra CDTi SRi Estate
47 mpg
150 bhp
320 Nm
530 litre boot
0-60 mph - 9.5s
130 mph top speed

Anyone got experience of either/both?

Andy M3

Hmmm Mondeo i think, but if you are image conscious and need something with good residuals, these are not the cars to be buying. But value for money and relative cost over 3 years i think my accountant would approve of the mondeo

talizman

iTrader: (1)

I know what you are saying, but the cars that have image and strong residuals aren't as practical as these two in terms of load space and fuel....

I currently run a WRX Wagon which has neither residuals nor economy!

The other cars I've considered are -:

Passat Estate TDi
47 mpg
130 bhp
285 Nm
495 litre boot
0-60 mph - 9.9s
125 mph top speed

and

BMW 320d Touring
47 mpg
150 bhp
330 Nm
435 litre boot
0-60 mph - 9.0s
131 mph top speed

Both are more appealing in terms of image, but considerably dearer to buy, albeit they will both retain more in the long run.

Both have less boot space (100 litres in BMW's case), similar power, torque and fuel consumption.

Hmmmmmmmmmmm

A nearly new Mondeo/Vectra can be had for circa £12-13k

The Beemer and Passat are both £17k+ but have stronger residuals....

darryl90

buy a new model a4 tdi good cars im doin 1000 mile per week havnt had any bother from mine

talizman

iTrader: (1)

Unfortunately my budget is closer to £12k than £22k! hence why I'm looking at Mondeo and Vectra

Jamescsti

For image I would have the BMW,
But I would have the Vectra over the Mondeo, have driven the petrol saloon versions but no experience of the estate diesels

iamevilhomer

Had my mondeo tddi for 14 months now and covered 30k, shes a 2001 lx with 57k on the clock now.
Can honestly say i have had no problems, getting 500 to 600 miles per tank, excellent roadholding and brakes most cars would be in need off (300mm front discs and 280mm rear discs).
Interior is very good, no complaints!

talizman

iTrader: (1)

Just got back from looking at a few cars.....

Salesman at Ford garage almost got my signature for a Mondeo ST TDCi Estate. I must admit, as far as estates go, the car was lovely, with leather and Sony in dash 6 CD changer and 155ps engine. It was a 05 plate with 10k for £15,995......

I also popped into VW for a look at Passat estates.... a nice 54 or 05 Highline with 130 bhp TDi and leather etc can be had for £14-£15k

I'm normally pretty impulsive but this is the longest I've deliberated over a new car in my life!

I can't believe I'm more interested in boot size, rather than "will 19's go on"

KGB

Hi m8,

I have a 2004 Tdci Mondeo Zetec which we run as an every day car and it drives well though the constant whine of the engine/turbo gets on my woolly mitts a lot of the time. Its one of the newest cars i've owned (bought at 6 months old) yet i've spent more time sat in the dealers or on the phone to the dealer and Ford trying to get all of its faults put right than i care to remember. The attitude of the dealer and their lack of ability to correct faults was terrible.

If you do decide to go for the Ford make sure you're buying from a well respected dealership and probably best to commit to the car for a long time because the depreciation, as you've mentioned, is crippling! ( i'm getting part ex offers against ex demo Vw's, Audi's of £7k for a 2004 53 plate tdci zetec 130 with 20k on clock)

Cheers, KGB.

gingerboy

Had a mondeo TDC 130 up until 2 months ago - great car, load area massive.

Economy wise I was getting 49 mpg combined, but the majority was motorway work.

Servicing may be worth looking at as ford intervals are every 10,000 miles and I believe vauxhall extended theirs to 20,000 miles on the new CDTI's, if your doing high miles it's worth working out what you will save.

Reliability of the Mondeo was fine although the interior drivers door trim was poor (elbow rest ripped after 12 months). Other than that the rest of the interior was finished to a pretty high standard - no rattles, creaks or groans.

Very comfortable on long drives and even the LX i drove had cruise control, elec windows, mirrors, heated fr & rr screen, air con etc etc.

I believe the Mondeo is the drivers car when it comes to A roads, but on motorways the Vectra is slightly better as it does not suffer with the same levels of wind noise.

look out for are faulty EGR valve causing smoke under acceleration - very common fault on the Mondeo, also check that injectors have had the latest ford update as this helps reduce smoke and increase MPG, other than that all in all a really good work horse!!

Good luck and happy hunting finding a low mileage example thats of a good spec (Zetec and above are probably the ones that hold their value best).

Paul