Personally I wouldn’t touch either. If I had to pick on it’d be the dealer one, at least there’s the possibility of some recourse should it go belly up, which it may well do with a petrol car that’s done 100k.

How much is the 100k one?

I wouldnt pay over 4k for it

neither, why the heck do you want a car like that for doing the school run?

Also sounds like your struggling to afford the car you want.

Good point. Compromising to get to a certain car.

Aracer – I’m not saying you will definitely need to replace those parts, but it’s something to bear in mind when you’re looking at a car that’s done a few miles.
I bought a BMW 520 a few years ago which was that sort of age and mileage and had to do the front and rear shocks, steering rods, front suspension bushes, gearbox oil cooler and water pump. I might have just been unlucky.
100k miles puts a fair amount of wear and tear onto a car, even if it’s mostly on the motorway, so if you’re looking at a car with that sort of mileage on it then be prepared for a couple of bills. At least on a Ford, Vauxhall, etc you know the bills probably won’t be too big.

How come nobody has suggested you get a Mondeo instead yet?

(at least think about it)

I had a Mazda 6 Sport 2.5L estate, from new, for a few years (sold on about a year ago). It was a very nice car (my only criticism was that road noise was higher than I would like). I got the 2.5L mostly because of the spec, which was only available with that engine (I don’t do enough miles to warrant a diesel).
The 2.5 is a really nice engine, but it is not that powerful or fast (so you might want to look at alternatives if that’s what you are after). The 2L is worth considering, unless you really want the sport spec. Economy wasn’t that bad, I used to get ~35mpg.

It’s the standard 2.5 Wrightyson, not the MPS.

Mondeo was actually my first choice, but wifey reckons it’s too big for her to comfortably drive.

I’m not struggling to afford anything, I just don’t see the point of spending over 5k on a car of this nature. I could walk into the bank this morning and come out with a 15k loan if I wanted to, but I don’t. The depreciation on these sort of cars is horrendous, both the Mazda and Mondeo are around £22k new in top spec, both can now be had for around £5k at 4-5 years old. Even something like a 59-61 plate is £8-9k territory, so why on earth would I want to pish that money up against the wall?

We bought the X-trail with 115k, at 5 years old for £5k, thinking we’d keep it for 18 months or so, 5 years later and now on 150k, it’s still probably going to sell for £2k.

The majority of Mondeos are TDCI models with all the associated problems that comes with them, the 2 litre petrol isn’t really a strong enough engine and the 2.3 is heavy on road tax and fuel in comparison to the Mazda. I would prefer the 2.0l but it’s not available in the spec I want and the Mazda diesels are problematic

Your wife thinks that the Mondeo is too big? I’ve driven a 58 plate Mazda 6 sport 150bhp diesel version and they are such long cars, reverse parking sensors work well however but the rear spoiler is a PITA at times (in the dark/rain).

Definitely a drivers car though, very fun to drive and seems to stick well. I had the 150bhp diesel topped out at 140 next to a Honda accord type s so the 2.5l petrol, 180bhp? will be very nice.

However, you’re clearly not worried about big petrol engines so why not give the V6 Vectras a look? Can probably pick up a 56/57 plate for £5K with fairly low mileage and nice spec, 190bhp too I think so will be quick enough.

I have a 55 plate 1.8 petrol that cost me £2K with part service history and 70K miles and had it serviced with new cam belt/water pump after I bought it and I’ve done 2500 miles since December and seems to be running beautifully.

Vectra VXR 320bhp

Maybe not your cup of tea but if I could afford the insurance and running costs I’d swap that for my 1.8 in a heartbeat, haha…

Mondeo was actually my first choice, but wifey reckons it’s too big for her to comfortably drive.

Haha, I am selling mine because my wife thinks its too big for her to drive.

And she does keep hitting things, so I’m not arguing.

At least nobody would mess with you if you drove that Vectra.

They’d be too worried you had a sawn-off shotgun in the boot.

I’m not saying that particular car…it’s typical VXR but it’s just showing you can pick up a nice Vectra for sub 5K with decent spec like the Mazda.

Sawn-off is too old school for me also, probably just a snub pistol for me in the glove compartment.