Mazda 6 estate?
Er .... Starsign: Spock.
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If you need the space of a Mondeo Estate as a minimum you have a choice of Mondeo, Vectra or M-B E-class - other estates and 4x4s just don't have that sort of space - it's a reflection of the way that Mondeo and Vectra have upscaled to fill the gap left by Scorpio and Omega as well as older large estates, like Volvo V70, not growing in size.
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The vectra estate is the most sensible option, and the most likely. Not keen on the shape of the Mazda6. Would quite fancy a V70 but then again, Mondeos and Vectras do 90% of what a V70 does. I'd love an E class but not many in my price range and I'd always have a nagging doubt about having to replace a part at a massive cost.
Come on chaps, you are meant to be saying, "Just go for the Pathfinder. Cracking vehicle. Fits the bill for all your needs..."
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I would keep the Mondeo until 200k ( easy peasy ) and chuck the 8 grand at your mortgage !
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I would do as Shoespy says or get another Mondeo, what year is yours, if a MK III is it worth more than 1200 in good order, many a minicabber would snap it up.
Re Vectra, I had various Vauxhalls from 93 to 02 but for a troublesome 96 2.0 Vectra the cars were fine and I loved the SRi V6 estate though Ford dealers are soooo much better and the Mondeo MkIII drives so much better than an equivalent Vectra.
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My mondeo is 2001 on a Y plate. The aircon is OOC, as is the heating, and the car runs cold on open roads yet gets to normal temperatures in traffic/town. Had the defunct fan replaced over the summer as the car had started to overheat. I got the £1200 valuation from Glass's guide.
Re my mortgage, I am on a lifetime fixed rate of 5.65%, with strict rules for when I can overpay, and I can't at present.
Cheers for the advice on Vectra, now I am not at all sure what to go for.
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My mondeo is 2001 on a Y plate. The aircon is OOC as is the heating and the car runs cold on open roads yet gets to normal temperatures in traffic/town. Had the defunct fan replaced over the summer as the car had started to overheat.>>
Sounds like thermostat not fan, the thermostat on the 4cyl petrol engines is not the most straightforward job though not expensive.
This may also cure the heating and aircon, if the latter is still playing up then an aircon health check / gas recharge can be had for under £50 and the high speed fan relay in the rad shroud is easy to change if required.
Edited by cheddar on 29/11/2007 at 15:58
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>>>Ford dealers are soooo much better
The Vauxhall dealers must be terrible if this is correct, it's the Ford dealers that have put me off Fords, after having quite a few. (Fords that is)
If you have been pleased with your Mondeo I suggest you get a newer one. I reckon they are better than a Vectra.
Have you considered a Passat estate? they are very nice IMO.
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I have been very happy with the Mondeo, though on reflection I think it this was in part due to the fact I bought it quite cheaply in the first place. The fuel consumption is not great, so would shy away from having another petrol engined one, and am not prepared to get a diesel Mondeo due to persistant reports of injectors/misfuelling etc.
Re Passat. Can't afford the current shape one and feel the older examples available are pricey. I had been thinking about a Honda Accord Tourer but in NE England they are like hens teeth. Having said that, I am not averse to travelling longer distances to get a car and have been thinking about using an auction buyer, as has been mentioned in the backroom before.
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not prepared to get a diesel Mondeo due to persistant reports of injectors/misfuelling etc.
There are so many Mondeo diesels on the road some will suffer issues and those that do will naturally gravitate to a site like this. If you Google "TDCi problems" it is this site that you find so it is not the tip of a bigger iceberg. Also there no evidence to suggest that other diesels are more reliable, in fact the Reliability Index (see link right) suggests that Toyotas (renown for reliability) suffer a higher percentage of both engine and fuel system problems than Ford, have a higher average repair cost and a longer average time off the road.
On the flip side my TDCi has saved me £5k in fuel over 5 years and 124k miles and like the petrol Mondeos (though unlike the Mondeo IV diesels) is chain cam so has saved perhaps £1000 in belt change costs compared with something like a Passat TDi.
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I see your point and have done that exact google search recently. My main concern is when the tdci problems do occur they seem to cost lots and lots. A tdci Mondeo estate was, until recently the only car I would have to replace my current one...
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Vectra and Mondeo will do more than a V70 - the Volvo is no longer large by modern standards - it's hasn't grown while the others have.
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you are not happy with petrol economey?, but beware of seemingly cheap diesels that cost you a packet in repairs, look at lifetime costs.
Any the 2l Zetec is so quiet, unlike many diesels. I have a 2L petrol estate and i reckon average of 35mpg if fine for what you get.
I'd stick with a newer Mondy 2l estate
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I don't get that high an average, I reckon on closer to 30mpg, maybe a little less than that. You re right though, the engine is quiet and very smooth.
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Pathfinder was one on our list.
Did a lot of reading up, seems the engine's and fuel system can be problematical.
During our test drive Georgeous pulled away smartly (thats when she's taking it easy) and the blasted thing died and went into limp mode....not inspiring.
Personally, i liked it, she hated it .....we bought a Hilux.
Three guesses whose in charge in our house.
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I have a one exactly the same hogging the remote control for the tv. Instead I have come online to look at Pathfinders and E class estates and ponder early onset of male pattern baldness.
Had been thinking about a Touran as an alternative but am still being led by my heart.
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How about an old shape Octavia Estate with the old 1.9 TD 110 lump, no common rail/PD to worry about and plenty around
Or you could probably get a new shape with the 1.9/2.0 PD if you think that is any less a risk than a TDCi
A taxi driver pt of mine just had to spend a grand on getting his dual mass flywheel, clutch and starter replaced on his 2.5 yr old 100k mile Mondeo TDCi.....
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OK I've bitten ! -
In an, I'm sure, vain attempt to defend the honour of Mondeo diesels. I have conducted my own wee bit of research / straw poll / call it what you like.
As it happens, ( have I mentioned this before ? ;-) ) I am delighted with mine. By pure coincidence, I, and 3 friends run Mondeo diesel estates as workhorses in our businesses. Spurred on by the doom and gloom mongers I thought I would gather some facts. Now between us we have had 9 of these cars, the joint mileage to date is over 1 million. Problems to date ? None...at all. Would we all buy another ? Absolutely ! ( Oh and for some inexplicable, undoubtedly "twaddle" based reason we all seem to prefer to fuel them with Shell's standard issue diesel. Funny that.
It would seem from the "we're doomed" brigade that we have all been astonishingly lucky.....9 times. Latest plan is to form a Lottery syndicate !
So if I may borrow some sentiment from "Stratford Bill" is it perhaps a case of "much ado about nothing" ? Or for those of Caledonian persuasion. "awayanbileyerheidyerhaverin" ( Tr. Your information may be flawed )
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You can add me to that, thats 1.125 million miles then .......
........... oh no two issues, I needed an injector reprogrammed at 70k miles - goodwill from the dealer - so one problem in 1,125,000 miles ........
............. and mine's a hatchback - damnation!
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You are still welcome to join the "syndicate" Cheddar ( despite your loadspace shortcomings ! ) Perhaps it would be best if we choose the numbers tho' ? ;-)
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Y'know on reflection ..... maybe we should encourage the "dissing" ( is that really English now ? ) of Mondeo diesels. Those of us who are happy to buy them may enjoy the benefit of bargain prices as a result ! So to start the ball rolling ... I forgot to mention that I did in fact have to replace a headlamp bulb on one of them when it had only done 120K. ... Disgusting ! ;-)
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You are still welcome to join the "syndicate" Cheddar >>
To the contrary S, I was advocating the TDCi message on here long before your 1st set of Contis were half worn, so welcome to the club one (TDCi estate) and all - fortunatley we do let estates in ;-)
( despite your loadspace shortcomings !)>>
Well I have a roof box when I need it ......
... we choose the numbers tho' ? ;-) >>
Numbers?
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Sorry for confusion - I mean Lottery syndicate / numbers ( see above ).
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Sorry for confusion - I mean Lottery syndicate / numbers ( see above ).
Aha, count me in!
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Had been thinking about a Touran as an alternative
Stop it.
------
< Ulla>
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Ok, Touran thoughts have stopped. They seem quite costly second hand anyway. Diesel engined Mondeo estates are edging their way back onto the wish list. This time I fancy one with leather...
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Good call PE ! Mine's a Ghia X and on some of them you get a sunroof too. Ideal for checking if your surfboard is still there ! Maybe that could make five in the Lottery syndicate ?? Question is..... if we win... would we all buy Mondeo estates ?? :-)
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Good call PE ! Mine's a Ghia X and on some of them you get a sunroof too>>
Mine's also a Ghia X and has an elec sunroof, nice to tilt occaisionally, open infrequently though it is the light it lets in that I really like.
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Ah - yours is also a Ghia X Cheddar ? That will probably be why you guessed correctly further back up the thread that I would have Conti's on ? That size, 205/50/17 are unfeasably expensive IMHO for such a workaday car. The Conti's have always been my choice due to them being one of the few "branded" tyres which were (sort of) sensibly priced. However, I got a good deal on two Pirelli P7's t'other week. Don't really like mixing brands ( probably only superstition ) but it won't be long until the other two need to be changed so we'll see how they go.
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Using Falken FK452s currently, very good, premium brand in much of Europe, US and Japan, not so well known here.
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