Estate and manual petrol. Probably a 1.8 or 2.0.

What are the gummings like- i.e. suspension bits etc?

I’m abit wary of diesel (dpf) if I’m honest as I don’t want the mpg £ savings wiped out by one big bill 🙁

Anything to really look out for on them?

worn rear suspension from towing is a biggy ime

How old?

Circa 05-07 <80k

petrols much more reliable than diesel by all accounts. DMF has a habit of failing which is really pricy. Sagging rear suspension/sagging rear bumper are ones to look out for.
You’re looking between two versions there I think. They facelifted in 07 I think so you might get a new shape one..

you can buy mine if you want….!!

ST220? Is it pre or post 2006 VED increase?

Leaving aside the DMF/DPF issues, the diesel’s a lot nicer to drive. Certainly the 1.8, which I’ve driven a fair bit, is gutless in the extreme, and pretty thirsty. I got 30mpg, and that was with relatively gentle driving.

agreed on the 1.8 being gutless in petrol.. mine is dull….

But with 40mpg average and the cost of diesel taking that to a diesel equivalent of 46mpg pricing, i’m more than happy.

Spares availaiblity and prices is amazing and servicing costs low compared to most.

i like mine lots… especially the heated front screen this morning 🙂

Had the st 2.2 diesel for 4 years and piled 175k miles on it. Had a a few egr valves on the way but nothing else. Great car. Rattled a bit towards the end mind. Miss it still. Very versatile and worked hard.

Power steering hoses seem to be a Ford weak point (just had mine done on the focus). Which is odd as they’re branded goodyear hoses so even the garage was at a loss as to why they seem to fail on the fords as it’s not even linking 2 moving parts.

Not something you can look out for (unless the owner is a reall numpty, in which case heavy steering and vibrations through the wheel, lots of noise and abig puddle of oil under the engine), they just go.

+1 for avoiding the 1.8, by all accounts it’s got no more power than the 1.6 and drinks as much as the 2.0.

Ok, I see the thinking the 1.8 needs revving so it drinks more- will look at the 2.0

I’m abit wary of diesel (dpf) if I’m honest as I don’t want the mpg £ savings wiped out by one big bill

My 53 plate Mondeo 2.0 TDCi went through its MOT last Saturday week, for £100.

Still gives MPGs into the 50s and runs lovely.

Oh, and its now got 238K motorway miles on the clock, with no major dramas.

I bought it with 72K on the clock.

Drive em nice, change the oil regularly and your made.
😉

Oh, and its now got 238K motorway miles on the clock, with no major dramas

WOW!

I’ve got a 54 plate 2.0 TDCi 130 bhp, bought it 2-3 years ago with 38k miles, now 75k miles and nothing has gone wrong with it, other than air con recharge, new exhaust section etc.

Mondeo’s are known for rear suspension bushings wearing out quickly. Mine havent had to be done yet, but my Father in Law paid £150 for it to be sorted.

The 2.0 TDCi is chain driven too so saves on expensive serivce costs.

Drives really well, no rattles, lots of toys, 50mpg at 85mph. Cheap to buy second hand. 1.8 petrol is a bit gutless for the size of the car.

Worst thing I can think about it is under hard acceleration every Mondeo diesel I have ever seen leaves quite a smoke screen behind.

The 2.0 TDCi is chain driven too so saves on expensive serivce costs.

Bullseye !.

Thats exactly why I bought one.

Not so good news for the dealers, but not having to stump up for cambelt changes has been a mega saving, esp in light of the mileage I have had to put in.

Ok. Two questions:

Roughly how much is it ‘if’ the EGR etc goes on the TDCI
and
Any signs that you can ‘spot’ when testdriving/looking at ones to buy? Signs that they are on the way out.

…. and they are probably the best handling fwd family car around, huge inside, well finished etc. They will eat an Audi A4, so you can feel smug when you leave the badge snob in a cloud of black smoke (they do smoke a bit, ’tis true). I did 100k in a 130 BHP tdci and it didn’t miss a beat. I’ve now done 35k in a new model one since March. It has the 163 BHP engine, but it’s not significantly quicker than my old 130 BHP one. Not as economiocal either, but it tows better, it’s quieter and better finished inside. In fact, my last car was a BMW 3 series touring and the big ford is nearly as well finished. It’s probably 95% of the BMW (120% of the space, though) for 70% of the price. What’s not to like?

What’s not to like?

I hold drive dynamics way above a badge. Cars are designed to transport and steer (well) principly. As such I wouldn’t go near a Audi as the Ford does this soo much better.
Even an old Ka has better steering feel than a A4 😆

Can’t speak for an old Ka, but I test drove a good few cars earlier this year and the A4 was the least fun to drive. Even a Freelander was better.

I’d deffo avoid the 1.8, the 2.0 much better. I had a 2.5T (petrol) until recently and it was ace, really smooth, if you don’t do many miles they are well worth considering.

We have the ST TDCI and it has been brilliant. No problems at all, good economy great power.
Perfect do-it-all car.

We don’t need such a big car anymore and don’t do the mileage, so its up for sale if you are interested. Regardless though I’d recommend them to anyone.

I don’t think they have a DPF either?
EGR can be cleaned to keep it going fine and only really an issue if you use it on shorter journeys all the time. I think it is about £200 for a new or refurb unit. Not the end of the world.

I have an estate 2.0 TDCi 130. it’s done 80k and the only thing that’s broken on it is the cig lighter/charger!

Love it and I can get 50+ mpg with careful planning!

driven to the alps in it and it swallows kit (and bikes) for fun!

get the Diesel, you’ll not regret it – you can buy mine if you want as i’m selling it!

ST TDCI Estate here

Great car no issues yet done 40K in it. Just regular service.Done several blasts to France in it.

EGR can be blanked off on the earlier diesels (I think Euro 4).
You can buy the EGR from Jaguar and it is cheaper than ford.
diesels suffer from Aux belt tensioners rattling which you can hear on start up (sounds like a bag of spanners but nice and quiet above 1000 rpm)

Done the A4 thing while i liked the car the mondeo is bigger, better equiped and a good steer and the same MPG as the Audi