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Hi all,
My first post here, I'd appreciate some advice from people with more knowledge than myself, (which wouldn't be difficult!).
I'm looking for a family car - 2l petrol for £4000 or less with plenty of legroom as I'm 6ft 6l. I've narrowed it down to either the Mazda 6 or Ford Mondeo, 2008 onwards.
I would rather buy from a dealer for added piece of mind.
My questions are,
1) I prefer the Mazda 6 looks over the Mondeo but there seems to be a lot more Mondeos available, which car is generally more reliable?
2) I can get both cars for around £2500 for a 2008/9 model but they have approximately 100k miles or I can spend £4000 for the same year but have 60,000 miles, would I be better off spending the extra £1500 for lesser mileage?
Thanks
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Whilst the Mazda has the edge on reliability at this age you have to go on condition and service history. Sometimes a car with higher miles will be a better buy if they have been easy motorway miles. I have seen low mileage cars in poor condition because they have been used mainly on the school run with cold starts, short journeys, frequent kerbing and missed maintenance because of low mileage. You cannot leave oil changes for 3/4 years. Happy hunting!
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Mondeo has masses of space and ideal for a tall guy.Whatever you buy,at this age and budget,stick with a petrol engine model.
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Both good cars and very similar in many ways because they were designed and built effectively by the same firm. They use the same floorpan, suspension design and the 2.0 normally asperated petrol engines are both essentially the same chain driven Mazda L series unit. Ford didn't use the 1800, instead their entry level engine was the 1600 Yamaha designed Zetec SE which is underpowered in such a heavy car and best avoided.
To drive they're both excellent. Plenty of room, both handle and ride well but I'd say the Mazda is slightly firmer and a little more nimble in the twists but there's not much in it to be honest, both are top of their class as far as driver enjoyment is concerned and in petrol form both are very robust. I found the 6 2.0 TS I ran was surprisingly good on fuel too, able to exceed 40mpg with my usage thanks to the 6 speed gearbox no doubt. I haven't ran a petrol Mk IV Mondeo over any distance so can't compare but shouldn't be that much worse.
I'd choose by condition, history and mileage rather than the brand between these two. They're both good big cars but most buyers mistakenly want diesel in cars this size despite the likelihood of costly failures and faults so the petrol examples are cheaper and you're unlikely to be up against an army of keen buyers. Spend the most you can afford and buy the best car up front rather than saddling yourself with a money pit.
If you must buy from a dealer then look at larger franchised branches (not necessarily Ford or Mazda) where there's a high chance the car has came in as a part exchange whereas your typical smaller backstreet trader will almost certainly have bought it at auction and the only stock we sent through the ring around £3-£4K value was stuff that required too much work to be cost effective, the smaller fly guys buy it up carry out cheap poor quality paint or mechanical repairs then flog it. Some do have arrangements with larger dealers to take older stock direct but most cars I'm asked to view at small trader is simply junk.
I'd personally rather buy privately and get to meet the owner direct rather than listen to a salesmans lies. Look for a car that's been owned longterm (if they've had it less than two years it's likely been trouble) and has a full service history and by full I mean stamped every year not every other, this is absolutely vital on any chain driven engine so don't buy anything that's been neglected. The Mazda typically doesn't come with a service book (although they can request one) it's held online with Mazda if it's been maintained by a dealer, if it has been serviced elsewhere then you need receipts to prove it and not just the sellers word.
Any warranty you get with a sub £4K car is likely to be next to worthless anyway but yes you do have some legal rights. The added bonus of buying privately though is that there's no profit motive so there's a higher likelihood of negotiation. Just make sure you HPI the thing using both the reg no and vin no and take someone who knows what they're doing with you.
Here's an example of what can be bought for around your £4K top line. The estate is more useful and will be easier to sell on when you're done with it as there's always someone wanting a big old estate. Auto Trader:
www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20170301279...7
Edited by SLO76 on 13/03/2017 at 22:45
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Thanks for all the advice guys, I really appreciate it. It seems my thoughts on getting a petrol was correct and that both cars would be suitable. I'll update what car I went with in the end, I really hate looking for a car :(
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I have a 59 plate Mondeo Titanium X diesel and its been a fantastic car.I am 6 foot 4" and with my seat in the correct position another 6 foot person can sit behind me.The boot is huge and with the folding seats it can swallow massive amounts.The ride and refinement are much better on the Mondeo than on the Mazda.My Mondeo has been extremely reliable and in the Titanium X version,it has all the toys.Heated front windscreen,heated seats,cornering lights and voice activated Sony stereo are just a few of the excellent additions over lower models.
I looked at the Mazda when i was changing my previous car but found it to be lesser specced and hard riding.Parts and servicing have been cheap on the Ford and at 7 years old i have no intention of changing it any time soon.
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Update: I have just paid a deposit on a Mazda 6 ts2 2.0 petrol - 80k miles for £3800 with 6 months warranty, new service carried out with a full service history, comes with 12 month MOT with no advisories and 12 month breakdown cover, www.monkscrossusedcars.co.uk/used-mazda-6-york-yor...7
I feel I got a good deal?
I gave it a small test drive and it felt pretty intimidating to be honest, my 52 plate vauxhall astra feels a lot smaller and easier to control but I think that was mainly due to being nervous. I went round a roundabout at around 20mph and realised I was in 6th gear.. oops, was very impressed that it carried on going though.
I didn't have much time to play with it (fuel light was on), but I found it quite hard to change through the gears smoothly without the car jerking, I am use to having to really rev my astra between 1st and 3rd to get it to pull away properly, any advice from owners of this car please?
Thanks
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According to the advert it went three and a half years and 40k between services. Feb 13 to Nov 16! I wouldn't have bought a chain driven car with such a gap but I suppose there's a possibility the owner who had it at the time just didn't bother getting the book stamped. If they've sold it to you as having a full service history and there are no receipts to cover this 40k gap then it's been misdescribed.
As for the jerkiness when driving, I'd put that down to you being unfamiliar with it. My other half found our 58 plate 2.0 TS a bit jerky after her wee Peugeot 106 but the difference was down to her being used to the long travel clutch and gearbox in the Pug. She soon got used to it, just in time for me flogging it. Good big car though, but it is a big motor compared to an Astra. You'll soon adjust. I sold ours with 60,000 miles up and it's still running around 5yrs later so must be well into six figures by now.
Edited by SLO76 on 20/03/2017 at 18:20
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Thanks SLO76, the service history I mentioned was what was in the advert, you're right, it isn't a 'full' history. My knowledge of timing belts/chain belts is non-existant, is it likely the chain could be faulty then if it's gone for 3 years without a service? Would the new services not show that the chain is faulty?
Thanks for the reassurance on the jerkiness, I did think that it was most likely user-fault as it felt silky smooth driving on the dual carriageway. I've read that the gearbox is very 'precise' on this car, does that mean that I should be doing short, fast gear changes?
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You should always make sure you listen to a chain driven engine starting from cold before buying. If there's a rattle which doesn't go away instantly then there's a problem and the oil would be like treacle after that length of time. To be fair though it's not a common fault on these so you might get lucky.
Tell them you want to hear it from cold when you pick it up and explain your concerns. A decent dealer will be happy to check it for any undue noise and you'll soon notice it if there is a problem. I'd even contact the last keeper to see if they've maybe just forgotten to have the book stamped or were doing it themselves, for your own peace of mind. For future reference, study that service book carefully and walk if there's no proof of annual servicing.
It is an excellent and very precise gearchange often described as being like a rifle bolt. It's one of the best features on modern Mazda's and I've had the pleasure of many of them over the years without any major issues. It's very much a step up from what you had and I'm sure you'll acclimatise quickly.
Edited by SLO76 on 20/03/2017 at 20:04
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Thanks again, I've emailed the dealer and they have replied with,
"Yes the car has only part history, I expect it has been done but not documented as the Mazdas have a digital service record no service book for whoever carries out the service to stamp. I will check with xxxx tomorrow (he used to be after sales manager for my partners mazda garage), I'm sure there is a timing chain stretch check that can be carried out. Once I have spoken to xxxx in the morning I will come back to you"
Sounds reasonable and it echoes what you have said. I'll update tomorrow :)
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Sounds like a decent fella and he is correct that Mazda do not issue service books with their cars now, it's all held online but you can ask for a book. It's likely everything will be fine. There's good reason why there are so many old Mazda's still running around our roads.
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Great, thanks for your time SLO76, I really appreciate it
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I'd even contact the last keeper to see if they've maybe just forgotten to have the book stamped or were doing it themselves, for your own peace of mind. For future reference, study that service book carefully and walk if there's no proof of annual servicing.
Absolutely SLO.
The car is a local one to the OP, Yorkshire registered, so if you've seen the V5, you should be able to contact them with a little search. Best way is to study old invoices left with the service history.
Hopefully, the car was serviced by Independents in those 3+ years as the ad does refer to "Mazda history" only.
Good luck with it, looks a good car, nice colour and the better looking saloon too
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Unfortunately I don't have the relevant paper work yet, I will be getting that when I collect the car on Friday. The dealer has got back to me this morning with:
"The timing chain is not a serviceable item, in the whole time of working with the Mazda 6 since release xxxx has never seen a timing chain problem on the petrol engine. The problem with the timing chain was with the 2.2 diesel engine. The timing chain on this engine is a lifetime chain.
We have some old mot certificates for the car so will call the garages that carried out these MOT's and see if the service was carried out at the same time".
Through my own research, I haven't actually come across forum posts mentioning any issues with the petrol timing chain.. surely it must happen sometimes?
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It's very unusual for there to be any issues with Mazda chains, I've never encountered it but running any car no matter how robust for three and a half years and 40,000 miles without an oil change can do damage.
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Any Mazda dealer can provide you with a print out of the digital service record.
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