I am at present looking to buy a new car to replace my 1994 rover 218d. But im stuck between a 1998 rover 420sdi and a 1998 mondeo 1.8.td any good bad points about these cars will be apprieated.
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So are you buying from Rock Motors Ltd or Hard Place Car Sales?
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Hey, lay off the Mondy! It may not have the pinacle of Diesel engines, but the rest of it's a much better car than the Rover! :)
Blue
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I had a 98 rover 420sdi for 3 years.Bought it with 26000 on clock-sold it with 60000 on clock last year.The car never missed a beat.Nothing-not even a bulb failed in it.A most underated car-engine imo a little"agricultural" but would cruise all day at 80 and return 50mpg.On advice from my mechanic friend i changed oil and filter every 3000 miles.It never used any oil.I've no experience of mondeo diesels but i'd have another 420 .Good luck in your search and let us know what you decide
Regards
Derek East
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Seriously Tone (and I must go to bed now) I don't know what your budget is, and what kind of mileage you're looking at, but...
With a budget of £5k, usedcarsales.net in Stockport have a '99 Passat and a '00 W 406, both with 110 bhp direct injection diesel engines that will be faster, more refined and more economical than the Mondeo, in cars that are streets ahead of the Rover as a package.
Both are a bit leggy, at 90k, but these cars should top 200k if they have received regular maintenance and continue to do so. My preference would probably be for the Passat, but the 406 handles better and is plusher (if not necessarily more luxurious).
I know someone will show up shortly and say "Buy a Japanese car," but I actually like these two and think that a car should inspire at least some positive emotions even if it's not a Lotus Elise.
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Both will be noisy. The Mondeo will be pleasant to drive if you have earplugs. The Rover will not.
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>>Mondeo will be pleasant to drive if you have earplugs. The Rover will not.
Not sure about that. Depends on the useage and how the driving position suits your shape.
The Rover can be more sporting feeling with a more classy cabin look.
The Ford may be better for a larger driver or rougher roads...but the engine is so agricultural.
I'd go for a 406 and cross fingers on the niggly faults not happening to you.
MM
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that would be the 406 with the papier mache cabin and the vibratory pedals, dash and steering wheel and the most uncomfortable seats this side of a Golf?
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>>would be the 406 with the papier mache cabin and the vibratory pedals, dash and steering wheel and the most uncomfortable seats this side of a Golf?
If you say so but nice engine, nice handling, refined feel, nice ride, nice styling...oh and the seats are OK if your bum is the right shape.
MM
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We'll have to agree to differ then. I hate the way that French cars float all over the road and I lost two days of work after a 200 mile taxi journey (thank you BA) in a 406 - those must be good seats eh?
And as for the engine? Tractor like or what?
I drive a Ford, it has no pretensions to be anything other than a Ford. Peugeots are at the same level, so are VWs. But quality cars? No.
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Thumbs down for the pre-historic Mondeo/Transit van like diesel engine! And thats when its brand new never mind high mileage...
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>>Mondeo will be pleasant to drive if you have earplugs. The Rover will not. Not sure about that. Depends on the useage and how the driving position suits your shape. The Rover can be more sporting feeling with a more classy cabin look. The Ford may be better for a larger driver or rougher roads...but the engine is so agricultural. I'd go for a 406 and cross fingers on the niggly faults not happening to you. MM There is already one mondeo in the family and i find it quite comfy to drive and being over 6ft 5ins tall comfort is a main factor i know the mondeo engine is an old design but how reliable are they any ideas?
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DavidHM thanks for the reply,my budget is £4000 and i would like to keep the mileage under about 75000k which narrows down my options, i would prefer a late audi 80 or a4 but my budget wont allow these im afraid.
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Am I allowed to mention the word Xantia? Plenty of TD's around and you might even get a low spec HDi - not a bad engine and quite a lot of car for your money!
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A Xantia is worth considering. At auction, a 96 Audi A4 TDi should be within budget but there are very few with that kind of mileage; a 7 year old diesel car will have usually done 100k+. If you do less than 15k a year it's rarely worth paying the premium that a diesel engine attracts.
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I have found a 1993 Audi 80 1.9 TDi with 65k on the clock the car has been hpi and RAC checked and these reports will be shown to me when i view the car along with most of the old M.O.Ts. Only prob is the 120 mile round trip, but could well be worth it.
Buy the way did consider a xantia but local garage put me off all they would say was dont touch a 4 -5 year old citroen.
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Presumably a local garage that knows nothing about Cits?? but not the one that did (and passed) my last MOT on my 12 year old BX who commented " They go on forever don't they? - be thankful you don't have a Ford or a Vauxhall"
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My local garage told me at the last (passed) MOT (12 year-old BX Diesel), "If someone had said this morning that a 12 year-old BX would pass its MOT I wouldn't have believed it." When I replied that mechanically it was running very well too, the mechanic actually said: "Well, there's not much to go wrong is there?" Wise words indeed.
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I have a Rover 420sdi, and I'm very happy with it: good looking cabin, air, 50mpg even at my speeds over some of the worst roads in the country (well, Sheffield, anyway!) and it's fast enough for most things. Better boot space than you might imagine as well. Seats are not bad, though I'm not sure I've yet found the optimum position. IMHO it beats the xantia (and I drove 2 because I couldn't believe the first one was so bad, but the 2nd one was worse!)
Not sure whether you're as rotund as me, but for a 6'4'' fat boy like me, it's ok. Reading HJ's car-by-cars, he says the engine is well-regarded...
O
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