The demise of the Mondeo

[mointainwalker]

Well, there it is. The last Mondeo will be built in Valencia in 2022. I feel rather sad about this, which is unusual because i don't think I have ever driven one. It was however on my preferred list of cars to buy whenever I needed to change (Vectra being the other ) but fate decreed that over 25 years, whenever I needed a car, there was never a (petrol) Mondeo in the vicinity.

How do the rest of you feel?

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Meh!

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Never had any desire to go anywhere near one.

 

[Mottie]

I had a 2.5 V6 one once. Drove okay. I thought they’d already stopped making them!

 

[Burnerman]

Despite the repmobile status, a well made and well equipped motor......never owned one though, just the odd rental.
John

 

[frutbunn]

I had an R reg estate, I bought it mainly for its size and the Volvo's were considerably more expensive. The only criteria was that it had to be capable of holding a complete Lambretta. Most expensive car I've had in the last 27 years and the longest owned all for a massive 600 quid!! In spite of the fact I bought it purely on function I was actually reasonably pleased, I'd have to say its the least disliked modern bland car one I've owned out of the 30+ cars I've had in the last 34 years since I got rid of my last Mk2 Escort. I do not of course include any of the Suzuki LJ/SJ's, Morris minors or Lada Niva's I've owned/still own in parallel to the everday mode of transport.
The clutches are a bugger to do on Mondeos as well.

 

[sxturbo]

I had an st200, superb car

But It were built to a price point and shelf life.

The reason for the demise of the Mondeo is not necessarily that there isn't a market, there is a couple of things...


Government greed which meant the company car is almost now a bygone era, when they introduced huge tax levies on company cars the market almost folded over night, the likes of vauxhall and ford relied on these quite heavily, let's face it few people go out and actually "want" a Mondeo.

The likes of BMW 3 series and Audi A4, VW Passat, were by the previous Mondeo model run around the same price point and with better prestige and significantly better build quality (though imo the ford had the better more reliable engines).

Why would someone spend there hard earned cash on a Mondeo when they can have a BMW for say another 2-3k.

The cost of cars these days means that no one pays for them cash, I think this suits the manufacturers more than it does the consumer, with PCP deals now, there is no need to fork out £450 per month on a Mondeo when you can have a Merc or BMW for the same monthly amount?

Manufacturer locking in PCP deals also ensures that every 3-4 years they are likely to automatically get another sale as few people actually pay the remainder of the finance off so they can keep the car and because they have had it 3 years want a change anyway.

The used car with the mileage limit set in the PCP terms then gets sold as cash as by the 3 year period they become affordable

It's a shame the Mondeo is disappearing but it is another show of the times. Where people require to have everything on finance... Very few people own things out right these days, even mobile phones are on 3 year lease plans now days.

 

[frutbunn]

BBC news channel just did a feature on the demise of the Mondeo about 2mins ago, even featured a Mondeo estate same model and colour as mine driving through the "suicide" walls at Castle Howard.

 

[MMarve]

This thread is a bit like one of those times when they announce someone famous is dead and you can't help but think to yourself "I thought he died years ago!"

 

[johnny2007]

One of the most bulletproof cars ever built.
My neighbour still has his and he proudly says that he will run it until it dies or doesn't pass mot.
He simply changes oil (by sucking) once a year and filter every 3 years and washes it every couple of weeks.
Car never missed a beat and passed the last mot without advisories.
He changed spark plugs 10 years ago.
A strong work horse.

 

[ericmark]

When Ford owned Jaguar seem to remember one of the Jags were based on the Mondeo, but the big problem with the Jags was fuel economy and shortly after splitting from Ford Jaguar developed some new engines, and as often the case they went from one of the worst to one of the best for fuel economy.

Each manufacturer seems to do the same, they get known as the worst for some thing, like in the 60's Vauxhall for rust, and then they either get their act into gear and become one of the best, or they go bust.

But then gradually the others catch them up, 20 years ago Kia did a no extra cost option for diesel, and were one for the best cars for economy, but don't seem to have improved so have been over taken.

I do think of my old cars, and yes I thought the Morris Minor was one of the best cars made, but back then 60 MPH was considered fast, and they did not need to carry around the weight of side impact panel's etc. So the Reliant 3 wheeler and the Citroen 2CV where showing 60 MPG and the Morris Minor was doing 40 MPG but they carried no weight, and had a top speed of around 60 MPH.

What I have never worked out was motor bikes, OK I had a Honda moped P50 which was claimed to do 254 MPG at 16 MPH on a level paved road, so there have been good ones, and the Lambretta scooters claimed at one point all models did over 100 MPG, even the Bonneville did 60 MPH, but today it seems they all are rather poor, when you consider the weight we should be looking at over 100 MPG for all motor cycles.

But it seems the Mini is still being made, really? It is nothing like the original mini, same with Nissan Micra, the car today is nothing like the original, Ford did it a lot the names prefect and anglia seemed to cover a whole range of cars, if some one says to me I have got a C5 I think wow would love to have one of them, then I find not a Sinclair C5 it's a Citroen C5 and I feel a bit of a let down.

So I think it is good to drop the name and come up with a new one, even if similar we all know the Jaguar E type and XE type are very different cars, even if similar name it's not same name. With C5 already used with was wrong with Cit5? Well sounds like a cleaning fluid but.

 

[ReganAndCarter]

My brother had a Mk1 2.0 GLX 1995 (M) for a number of years. Brilliant car. Good to drive, reliable, not overly thirsty, cheap parts - not that it needed many, reasonable looks, plenty of space, easy access tailgate (saloon) and capacious boot especially with rear seats down. Managed to carry a washing machine in it once.

Never really spent any money on it, except for servicing, tyres, exhaust. Except that one time when my brother parked the car at a cricket club. As he was manouvering near the edge of the pitch, the front bumper must have just ridden over a short wooden post in the ground. As he reversed away, it tore the whole front bumper off. A new, pattern bumper and quick cash job spray from a panel beater we knew and it was good as new.

Nice car to drive, especially on long motorway journies. Only time it let him down was when we went to Devon in it and it came to a grinding halt on the Launceston road out of Tavistock. After our trip, had to recover it home with Green Flag - turned out cam belt idler had broken up. Luckily no damage, and new belt/tensioner/idler sorted it. Unlike his Sierra Sapphire that he had before, the Mondeo was well rust-proofed. After a few years, you could see the Sierra vanishing before your eyes. When the Mondeo was sold, it had 176,000 miles and was still on original clutch.

I will miss the Mondeo, and would have another early one if I needed a car and a tidy, low mileage example came up for sale. Ford have always done large family saloons well, going back to Sierra, Cortinas, Consul/Zephyr/Zodiac.

 

[mointainwalker]

Never had any desire to go anywhere near one.

Really! Tell us then what the magnetic draw of the Megane was.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

I like big butts!

It wasn't nicknamed the Mundano for nothing!

 

[EddieM]

When Ford owned Jaguar seem to remember one of the Jags were based on the Mondeo, but the big problem with the Jags was fuel economy and shortly after splitting from Ford Jaguar developed some new engines, and as often the case they went from one of the worst to one of the best for fuel economy.

Each manufacturer seems to do the same, they get known as the worst for some thing, like in the 60's Vauxhall for rust, and then they either get their act into gear and become one of the best, or they go bust.

But then gradually the others catch them up, 20 years ago Kia did a no extra cost option for diesel, and were one for the best cars for economy, but don't seem to have improved so have been over taken.

I do think of my old cars, and yes I thought the Morris Minor was one of the best cars made, but back then 60 MPH was considered fast, and they did not need to carry around the weight of side impact panel's etc. So the Reliant 3 wheeler and the Citroen 2CV where showing 60 MPG and the Morris Minor was doing 40 MPG but they carried no weight, and had a top speed of around 60 MPH.

What I have never worked out was motor bikes, OK I had a Honda moped P50 which was claimed to do 254 MPG at 16 MPH on a level paved road, so there have been good ones, and the Lambretta scooters claimed at one point all models did over 100 MPG, even the Bonneville did 60 MPH, but today it seems they all are rather poor, when you consider the weight we should be looking at over 100 MPG for all motor cycles.

But it seems the Mini is still being made, really? It is nothing like the original mini, same with Nissan Micra, the car today is nothing like the original, Ford did it a lot the names prefect and anglia seemed to cover a whole range of cars, if some one says to me I have got a C5 I think wow would love to have one of them, then I find not a Sinclair C5 it's a Citroen C5 and I feel a bit of a let down.

So I think it is good to drop the name and come up with a new one, even if similar we all know the Jaguar E type and XE type are very different cars, even if similar name it's not same name. With C5 already used with was wrong with Cit5? Well sounds like a cleaning fluid but.

The Jaguar x type was a jag skinned Mondeo.