Mondeo Zetec thoughts....

Ricekrispie

ANy thoughts on Mondeo 2.0l petrol Zetec, new model (2007), approx 54Km and E11K. Seem like decent value at that price? Aware diesel might be better, but wouldn't be planning on huge mileage (circa 12Km pa), and allowing for fuel economy of approx 28-30mpg. It seems priced ok, but what kind of discount should I push for? No trade in, cash, no finance.

Any thoughts much welcomed.....

Ricekrispie

Meant approx 54,000 KM.... for clarification....

si_guru

Offer them 10K - mention that the "2.0 petrol is limited appeal".. be prepared to walk away.. tell them to ring you if they change their mind.

bazz26

Yes, negotiate hard with them, a 2.0 litre petrol Mondeo has a very limited market in Ireland.

Ricekrispie

Thanks a lot
.... I imagine that trade-in value for it three years from now might be, what, E5k? And five years from now maybe 3.5k? Assuming avg mileage and no issues with car? Is fuel economy just too woeful really even only doing about the 12k km p.a.? I expect it to be only about the 29mpg but could it be even worse? Just diesel versions are a lot pricier with significantly more mileage generally..... Figure cheaper price for petrol zetec is offset by more expense at the pump and that it might balance out over a two-year time frame for example, when compared to buying more expensive diesel version and paying less for fuel....

macroman

If I were in your boat I'd buy a TDci diesel Mondeo. You've not only the higher MPG, but it's a stronger engine with more torque and a nicer motorway drive. They also hold their values better and are often higher spec'd. The diesels will do high mileage, but service history is a must.

The petrol will get 35MPG on a good day.

EPM

My dad's got an 08 2 litre Mondeo petrol. For the size of the car it's pretty light on juice to be honest. 40mpg easily on a run (even with the air con on) and low to mid 30's about town. He was going to buy a diesel but does tiny mileage about town mostly and a petrol would probably be more reliable in that case.

I'd try search out a titanium x spec though rather than a zetec. Much nicer interior

bazz26

Ricekrispie wrote: »

Thanks a lot
.... I imagine that trade-in value for it three years from now might be, what, E5k? And five years from now maybe 3.5k? Assuming avg mileage and no issues with car? Is fuel economy just too woeful really even only doing about the 12k km p.a.? I expect it to be only about the 29mpg but could it be even worse? Just diesel versions are a lot pricier with significantly more mileage generally..... Figure cheaper price for petrol zetec is offset by more expense at the pump and that it might balance out over a two-year time frame for example, when compared to buying more expensive diesel version and paying less for fuel....

If you are concerned about future resale values then you really shouldn't be looking at a 2.0 litre petrol Mondeo. Generally Mondeos depreciate heavily but there is so little demand for a 2.0 litre petrol version that you would be better off keeping it till it dies. If you plan on changing it after a year or two then it might not be such a good buy. Unfortunately Ford did away with the 1.8 litre in the current Mondeo which was popular here and replaced it with the weedy 1.6 litre. Would not recommend that as it is too small for such a big and heavy car and the 2.0 litre petrol probably would not be much worse on fuel either as it has less work to do.

Doing only 12k miles per year it is hard to see how you would get value from a diesel car, it will initially cost more to buy, diesel engines are complex these days with alot of potential big bills for failed injectors, dual mass flywheels, turbos or partical filters. Replacing any one of these components would blow away any small savings you make at the pump.

So to sum up if you plan on keeping the car for a good few years then buying the 2.0 litre petrol Mondeo would make more sense. If you plan on changing after a year or two then it doesn't as a 2.0 litre petrol Mondeo will be hard to sell.

Maybe an alternative would be the Mazda 6, comes in 1.8 litre form and has similar driving characteristics to the Mondeo:
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=201009197147376
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=201019197995958

Leonard Hofstadter

Unfortunately 2.0 petrol Mondeos are a very limited market, and I mean very.

I can't understand why, way more power than the "specially detuned for Ireland" 1.6(the Irish 1.6 has less power than the UK 1.6) and none of the considerable added complication of a diesel; no DMFs, injectors or turbos to worry about.

A 2.0 will be a lot more economical than the 1.6 unless it's all town driving, 1.8s struggle a bit in this size of car so a 1.6 will be crucified by the weight and consequently all the 1.6s will have had the living crap driven out of them because they are so underpowered.

As the others said, definitely do the "2.0 will be completely undesirable" etc line and pretend you are not that interested because of the "big engine"(even though 2.0s are the norm elsewhere for this size of car, it's just that Irish people are incredibly dumb when it comes to these things and are terrified of anything bigger than a 1.6 for no apparent reason other than road tax, which is easily balanced out by fuel savings due to a 1.6 being hopelessly underpowered), a 2.0 petrol Mondeo would be a great secondhand buy and yes it won't be worth much when you want to trade it in in a few years time, but if you buy it cheap now then you're actually not paying any more for a much better car in the first place;)!

Henry Ford III

Not sure I agree with all this.

Yes the 2.0 petrol is a limited market. It should be relatively inexpensive to buy now surely?

The 1.6 petrol actually copes ok in a Mondeo. Yes it's only 110bhp but it pulls well enough due to the Ti-VCT setup and is fine when at cruising speed. Overtaking is slow enough mind you. It's power delivery is acually better and more linear that the "on/off" 1.8 TDCI.

Ricekrispie

Thanks for all this guys. Not quite sure what to do now though really. Mazda 6 a good alternative? One of reasons for Mondeo was it's massive boot for kid's stuff - prams and whatnot and having more space generally, as well as a good drive. Mazda 6 1.8 exec compare well on this front?

Leonard Hofstadter

As long as it's a petrol Mazda 6 then yes you definitely should look at it. I like the fact that most people pass by them thinking they are just another box on wheels when they are much better than that.

If it's a diesel though just don't even consider it.

Anything, even a Laguna is better than a 6 diesel(the diesel tends to implode in them far too often).