If I were you I'd buy another Mondeo. I wouldn't even give any of the others a second thought!

For around the £1K mark you should be talking about an exceptional Mark 2 or a nice Mark 3.

The only way the front wishbones would need doing twice in 4 years is if non-manufacturers parts were used for the job. Yes, it's true, you can buy a pair of Mondeo wishbones on Ebay for £22 but there's a reason for that!

In case you think I might be biassed, then, I have to say, I am! My Mondeo is also 13 years old and has done 198,000 miles. Wishbones changed just once, both front springs changed (both snapped, quite common on a whole range of cars these days) water pump changed, cambelt done once, nothing else has ever really gone wrong with it. Just regular servicing, tyres when needed. Changed the battery for the first time last summer, exhaust is still original!

B5 Passat or B5 Audi A4 are good choices IMO. I have an A4 with about 140k on it and its doing very well. Go for a 1.8 20v non turbo petrol and they can go the distance with ease. Watch the cambelt every 4yrs or 40k miles, 6month oil changes with such a low mileage and everything else they need will be stuff everything needs, tyres, brakes etc. Octavia with the same engine is also a nice choice but not as nice a place to sit as the others, and based on Golf style archictecture so not as 'premium' for want of a better term! If you fancy something larger, how about an A6 with the 1.8 20v Turbo....Cambelts are dearer on Octavia etc due to the transverse layout aswell, at least they are when I am charging for the work!

Older C and E class Mercs rust too much for me to go near, and E39 5 series can suffer with rust issues too. Also 6cyls can blow headgaskets and tend to have weak cooling systems as they age. Mondeo however is always a solid choice and they will always have a loyal following. Its a myth they are cheaper to maintain than an Audi or VW though.

Edited by countryroads on 02/01/2013 at 21:19

For £1,000 condition is more important than make or model: try to find something that appears to have been well looked after and has some evidence of being serviced.

Avoid diesel; you could do a lot worse than another Mondeo, and there will be lots around to choose from. Look also at the Toyota Avensis, Mazda 6 and Skoda Octavia, all of which will be cheaper than a Passat, let alone a 'prestige' make which will be knackered at that price.

Just wanted to say thanks for the replies so far.

I went and had a nosey about a couple of used car dealers. Some cars were clearly over priced, others seemed not too bad. I saw a 1997 BMW 523i for ~£1300. Couldn't see a spot of rust on it and interior was quite tidy albeit fabric, not leather. Didn't have time to organise a test drive however. It was an automatic, which was a bit off-putting as I both prefer a manual and also because it seems that BMW autoboxes are sealed for life and thus harder to repair.

For the same money in the same dealers was a 2002 Primera. Externally very nice, internally the interior was all a bit stained. Or a 2003 Vectra, which seemed nice enough. There was also a Mazda 6, but it was already rusting. Heart is definitely saying BMW, head is saying Mondeo or something Asian.

I've looked out for larger Kia or Hyundais, but not really seeing many come up near me to go and look at it. One that appeared was a 2005 Hyundai Elantra CDX CRTD 2 litre diesel for £1350, MOTed until April with 100K miles on it. Pictures look nice and the CDX has leather interior and fancy stuff, but what would you estimate it to be worth? Also, does anyone know what sort of size the boot is? That's one of the important factors for me and what rules out small cars.

Interesting problem, the Japanese route seems the most sensible but a Volvo is a recognized long term option if you get a good one. as mileage is low you could geta larger one, S70 maybe.

A further update having trawled around today looking at lots of cars.

Went to a user car dealer that had a number of family size cars at seemingy reasonable prices. However since most of them had dampness inside that had grown mould, I reckon they've been sitting for rather a long time and that sets off alarm bells for me. Moved on.

Next place had a couple of Passats - a 1998 1.8T at £800 and a 2003 estate at £1000, albeit with a aftermarket dent in the side. Also had a couple of Accords and a 626 that was ok, but with the first signs of wheelarch rust.

Next place had a few Vectras which were mediocre - one was rusty, one was high mileage, one was an Opel Vectra saloon. Prices all reflected that though, being between £700 and £900. What I did like at this place was a 51 plate Avensis 1.8 VVTi for £1300 - main dealer service history for the first ten years and last service at a garage that I've used myself. Only 71K miles. Test drove it, seemed pretty nice. I think it's probably a tad overpriced, but I was fairly happy with it and unless there's something I should be wary of, it's on my shortlist. I also took an 02 plate Mondeo mk3 for a spin. Same price (£1300), but service history not as complete. 82K miles. Having had a Mondeo mk2, I was impressed with the improvements in the interior - much nicer looking and OMGXBOXHUGE boot. There was only one thing that bugged me about the car and that was a weird rubbing/scraping noise when turning the wheel. I'm pretty sure it was the steering wheel itself, but it only occurred to me afterwards that it probably is an adjustable steering wheel and maybe it was something to do with that. Would quickly be irritating however and definitely didn't seem right. I'm not totally sure, but I'd be leaning towards the Avensis, even though I enjoyed being in the Mondeo more (noise aside).

The final car I went to see was a slightly different direction. It was a £500 1997 Volvo S70 2.4 10v. It's high mileage, as in 220K. Body is in perfect condition, no rust, no dents, no scratches. Worst thing I could find was a slight mark in the lacquer near the aerial. Interior is clean and shows no signs of heavy use, just a little bit of age. I never got a chance to test drive this as it was getting late, but when I started the engine it seemed to sound ok. It was a bit loud, seemed to be exhaust. With aircon on there was a noticeable droning hum in the background. Actually I didn't realise the aircon was on when I started it and thought that was the weirdest engine noise I'd ever heard and couldn't really figure it out at first, but that was just me being an idiot.

Now it's not got a long MOT, only until April. I'm going to go back and test drive the car and take a mechanic I know along with me to give it a quick once over to see if he thinks the mechanical side is ok. If it is, I'd be interested if the dealer would put a new MOT on it. If he won't do it, even for extra cash, then it's clearly got something major ready to go in which case it's not worth it.

Tomorrow I try finding decent private sales on Gumtree...

There are plenty of sound old Volvos around, but one with 220k miles is a bit more of a gamble. The newer Avensis will probably be a safer bet.