Ford Mondeo 2004

[Sage]

Hi Guys,

I am planning to buy a European car. My budget is 1.9M. Is ford mondeo a good option?

It's engine is 2000cc petrol (auto transmission) and the owner claims that the fuel economy is 10kmpl in city. Can this be true?

Going through the forum I found out that spare parts availability is an issue for this model but is it worth the hassle?

[Supra_Natural]

Hi Guys,

I am planning to buy a European car. My budget is 1.9M. Is ford mondeo a good option?

It's engine is 2000cc petrol (auto transmission) and the owner claims that the fuel economy is 10kmpl in city. Can this be true?

Going through the forum I found out that spare parts availability is an issue for this model but is it worth the hassle?

The Mondeo is an ok car but there is a shortage of places in SL where you can get parts. They are freely available in the UK though so if you plan ahead you can get them down through the various guys who do that now, or even yourself.

In addition, because of the lack of proper backup, most of the Mondeos here have had various local maka baasery inflicted upon them so they can have all kinds of issues that will be irritating to sort out.

You're honestly better off looking at a late model Peugeot 406 or Volkswagen B5 Passat. Both cars have their own set of quirks but they are well understood with several specialists who are familiar with them and decent parts backup as well. You can easily find a decent one within your budget and a good one will be even nicer than the Mondeo to drive and generally live with.

Finally, if you're buying a biggish Euro car with an automatic, you are NOT going to get 10KM/L in the city. Unless you go diesel, which brings it's own set of issues.

Edited June 19, 2015 by Supra_Natural

[Crosswind]

Future Automobiles actually accepts Mondeos for service. Their scanners support Mondeos.

Also mechanic Caldera at David Pieris know quite a bit about Mondeos.

But none of these companies stock spare parts for Mondeos so eBay will be your best friend. Engine parts are almost same as Mazda Tribute or Mazda 626 but these are also not very common parts. You will have to spend a lot of time in Delkanda to find Tribute/626 spares.

Pros:

Very comfortable and much more reliable than many other Euros (compare Peugeots, VWs and some BMWs)

Engine is rock solid. Don't usually give oil leaks or transmission issues

Not much electronics. this contributes to reliability

Cons:

Suspension is flimsy. Will definitely give trouble now and then

Interior plastics are not suitable for Sri Lankan climate. Especially the A/C controller (non-Ghia version), auto gear lever and the power shutter switches get damaged very fast - good news is these plastic bits are very cheap in ebay. They will cost maximum 10 pounds to import it.

The alternator regulator is another common part which gets damaged.

Petrol consumption is 6km/litre max in traffic. That too, if you are careful.

All Ford cars look like they were designed by nursery school kids with Down's syndrome (only exception are the Mustangs).

Personally I would support going for a Mondeo than a 406 or definitely over a Passat, but that's because I've used one and currently use a Focus. On the other hand, Supra had a bromance with a Passat sometime ago so he still loves them.

1.9 million is way too much for a Mondeo. A fully loaded Ghia version with leather seats, climate control A/C and sunroof should cost a maximum 1.5 mill nowadays. A non-ghia version should cost even less (around 1.3 maybe).

[Sage]

How does the WV Passat do on petrol? This also auto gear.

[Crosswind]

Expect any European car from the early 2000s with a 2000cc engine to do around 6km/litre or less.

If you are an economy minded person, dont buy a Euro. You will skimp on maintenanance, ruin the car and blame all euros in general.

[Sage]

Thanks crosswind for your advice!

[rajia]

Future Automobiles actually accepts Mondeos for service. Their scanners support Mondeos.

Also mechanic Caldera at David Pieris know quite a bit about Mondeos.

But none of these companies stock spare parts for Mondeos so eBay will be your best friend. Engine parts are almost same as Mazda Tribute or Mazda 626 but these are also not very common parts. You will have to spend a lot of time in Delkanda to find Tribute/626 spares.

Pros:

Very comfortable and much more reliable than many other Euros (compare Peugeots, VWs and some BMWs)

Engine is rock solid. Don't usually give oil leaks or transmission issues

Not much electronics. this contributes to reliability

Cons:

Suspension is flimsy. Will definitely give trouble now and then

Interior plastics are not suitable for Sri Lankan climate. Especially the A/C controller (non-Ghia version), auto gear lever and the power shutter switches get damaged very fast - good news is these plastic bits are very cheap in ebay. They will cost maximum 10 pounds to import it.

The alternator regulator is another common part which gets damaged.

Petrol consumption is 6km/litre max in traffic. That too, if you are careful.

All Ford cars look like they were designed by nursery school kids with Down's syndrome (only exception are the Mustangs).

Personally I would support going for a Mondeo than a 406 or definitely over a Passat, but that's because I've used one and currently use a Focus. On the other hand, Supra had a bromance with a Passat sometime ago so he still loves them.

1.9 million is way too much for a Mondeo. A fully loaded Ghia version with leather seats, climate control A/C and sunroof should cost a maximum 1.5 mill nowadays. A non-ghia version should cost even less (around 1.3 maybe).

totally agree with you.. I bought one resonantly and very comfortable car. When i went in the southern highway to galle (to & from), hardly you can notice it is going around 100-120 (as still you feel like as if it is going around 50-60 ! Average petrol consumption is around the rate you have mentioned in traffic (I may be able to give some proper figure soon )

Yes you will have to depend on ebay (UK) for most parts (as per the previous owner as well ) but general stuff like vipers, bulbs etc you can use common once available in market in most cases. things like brake pads, plug leads & injectors you can order at low cost from ebay uk rather than getting from local shops which will be bit costly.

(Experts, pls correct me if i`am wrong !)

Edited December 1, 2015 by rajia