Hope everyone's had a good and safe Christmas.
My sister is looking to change her (troublesome) '03 Vectra for something which will not have niggly little faults. We have drawn up this shortlist, any comments / experiences / additions to shortlist that we should be thinking about? Main requisites are auto box, reasonably economical (do the 2 go together?!) reasonable servicing but mainly reliability. Looking for 2nd hand, with trade-in on the Vectra.
On the Mondeo front, I have one and love it and my wife has a Focus. Slight concern that when we all get together it will look like a Ford showroom!
Thanks in advance for advice!
Yoby
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Nothing wrong with a ford showroom, they're all excellent cars in their class.
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If you can stand the badge/image you might consider a BMW 3 or 5 series diesel. Economical, plenty of automatics to choose from, don't seem to break easily, cheap(ish) to sevice, nice to drive.
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I don't know about the Mazda 6 but I have owned a Mazda 323 for 6 years with zero trouble. It just hasn't ever had any trouble. If the 6 is as good that is the one to go for. The only problem could be the auto box. I believe it is a Ford fwd one with a bad reputation.
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Hi Yoby, to be honest you could be in for just as much trouble with the Ford as with the Vauxhall. I've owned 2 Mondeos (mk2 and mk3) but now own a Mazda 6 facelift. There are many common problems with the Mk3, Ford let the car down with many design flaws and shortcuts. Don't get me wrong the car drives well and was well priced with plenty of gadgets. The trouble is the faults seem to affect almost every Mondeo so when you read about someone with rusting doors, you find yours are affected, or someone complains about knocking from the rear sub, you find many other people have had this. I have also found the servicing is getting too much so they are not as cheap to run as some other brands (Mazda works out cheaper for me).
Another big prob with the Mondeo are water leaks behind the interior door trims (door cards), its poor quaility sealant, after heavy rain I found puddles in the foot wells. I sorted this myself but a real pain.
Also the car was a poor starter if driven a short distance, the trick is to blip the gas pedal when switching off (like with old carb systems). Again affects all cars at some point (petrol)
Here is a brief list of some faults I have had with my mk3:
Sticky throttle plate
Knocking from steering wheel
Rusting around bottom of doors, drainage holes and weather strape
Nosiey heater system
Fuel filler cover not opening fully
Car stuggles to start if driven a short distance (filling up, pop to shops)
Water leaks behind interior door cards on all doors
Another big problem which did'nt affect me was that the rear subframe bushes perish, the rubber rots and you start getting a knocking. It means a full sub frame replacement at over £300.
Things may have improved with the latest build...but then again..
All I can say is I'm very happy with the 6, got it new in Sept and had no trouble. Found the handling and interior much better and seems better engineered. I have a MTX but the ATX is not shared with Ford, I've not heard of any problems with these. I don't have a heated windscreen anymore but at least I'm drivening something less common which feels a bit more special. Plus a Mazda holds its value!
James
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If you want reliability then it has to be the Mazda or the Accord. My Type-S hasn't put a tyre wrong in the 18 months I've had it.
You can pick up a new shape '03 2.0iSE Auto with 14k for around £12,000 or an '04 Exec for £12,500
Andy
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you need to test the mazda. It noisy and has a very harsh ride. THe new one is better bit still bad enough to be dumped from mylist depsite its devlish good looks.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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I've just swapped my 02 Mondeo TDCi for an 05 ST TDCi. Only problem I had with it are the rear bushes went but that was fixed by Ford under warranty. They have now introduced a repair kit which means this problem is now much quicker and cheaper to fix. The rusty doors was due to faulty sealant and has now been fixed. I've not come across problems with water leaks on the Mk3 on any forums I visit.
I looked at the Accord and didn't think the interior was very nice and Honda servicing is expensive - colleague of mine recently paid over £250 for a major service on a Jazz, I never had a bill more than £170 for the Mondeo.
The Mazda 6 looks good but as TVM mentioned it does suffer with noise and the ride is firm. I discounted it because the diesels weren't much good but I know a few people with petrol versions who are very happy with them.
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Honda Accord 1st year service cost me £154 and this included them picking the car up from my home and delivering back 4 hours later gleaming inside and out.
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Honda Accord 1st year service cost me £154 and this included them picking the car up from my home and delivering back 4 hours later gleaming inside and out.
That's really nothing more than an oil & filter change (and a wash & vacuum). They probably actually had your car in the workshop for about 30 mins.
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I found the ride in the Mazda6 to be much less harch and less choppy than the Mondeo, it seems to ride over pot holes and bumps better, and I've got 17" rims!
Can't say I've found it to be all that noisy inside, suggest you get a test drive of the current facelift model and see for your self.
Also look at fordmondeo.org and do a few searches or even a post, you'll soon get a feel for the sort of common troubles.
I have heard the Accord is a bit naff inside but I've not viewed one cos they don't do 5 doors! However they are also extremely reliable just like the Mazda's.
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I had the same dilema about 18 months ago. I test drove all the cars and was really keen on the Mazda 6 TS2 but finally opted for the Honda Accord diesel. For me it was a great choice, the car ticks all my boxes apart from the published economy figures for the diesel that are a little optimistic - I average 42MPG which is OK.
Incidently, my wife has a 5 year old vectra and it has never let us down. (Luck of the draw I guess)
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Thanks for thoughts - think that it is down to the Mazda and Honda. I have had no problems with my Mondeo apart from the windscreen washers packing up a week after the warranty expired. As you say netlang, luck of the draw!
Will report back with the final decision ......
Yoby.
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Just because I got one and love it-new shape Toyota Avensis? Is there a reason why its not on the list? Go on, give it a look!
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Out that list for me would be the Accord. However have a go at a Primera too, as well as the Alfa 156 which in diesel form is not as troublesome as some people would lead you to believe.
Alternative - what about a good used/demo Lexus IS200???
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