I have 15 year old Mondeo estate. I love it, it is battered and the central locking plays roulette with opening the doors every time you get in it but I love it more than any other car I have had, save my first, a Vauxhall Viva (triple hand in 1980). When I was in business I had a new car every other year on the company and I drove some great cars but this Mondeo is the dogs danglies. There, I am a Mondeo man.
I am looking to drive more cheaply, and I know this might sound utterly stupid to the experts, but my council, Lewisham, has 20mph roads all over, and you can't drive that slow in top gear in my current car, at least I can't without fretting over the gears. Sluggish is not an issue, or being slow anyway, had all my speed thrills with 14 years as a motorcyclist, going fast is less of a priority in the city, other stuff like pinch points, speed humps and parking is a more pressing thing, as is fuel consumption. If I drive to somewhere actual, like to Bristol say, then the Mondeo fuel consumption is twice as good as it is living in SE London.
Though no one bar learners and the odd granny obey the ridiculous 20mph all over limit, not even the police (without sirens on!).
There must be some kind of funny handshake knowing about cars thing going on that has passed me by. Which is why I started this thread with a question. I didn't know I needed so much apparently basic knowledge about cars before my enquiry. Mind you this thread has been unexpectedly amusing.
I have a focus 1.6 automatic 04 plate and its a beaut, I love it,the zetec engine is such a step up from the 206 I had!! I drive around lewisham borough as well and the car is great for it, most aitomatics are great for around town
They aren't my bag but if you get one a few years old (3) zetec engine, specced up you should get change out of 6000 but you want low miles, immaculate bodywork and every extra in the book for that
Go for a mini cooper instead mate, loads nicer to drive, the auto is the best of a bad bunch as far as automatic super minis go. Loads of driver space and load space
I got myself a second hand 1.2 fiesta a few months back. The zetec engine has been given on the most part great reviews which swayed me towards it. That and it looks pretty cool in black.
It's a manual though but it's still good for all the stop start/slow 20mph speed limits round town and it's quite nippy for the motorway. I'm sure the automatic wouldn't be too different. Then again like you I'm no real expert.
Very nice but hell would freeze over before I would part with that amount of money on a car. Even if I even had 70k to spend, I'd probably spend 20k on a nearly new Mondeo, the boots bigger and you don't feel so gutted when someone lets a supermarket trolley roll into the doors.
I'm not the slightest bit interested in cars so I bought a one-litre Ford Fiesta Zetec Ecoboost, last year, Seth. It's a manual so my contribution is probably not helpful but I'm very happy with it and have driven it to Cornwall and the Lake District and felt comfortable...but then that may be because my previous car was a Peugeot 206! I bought the Fiesta because of all the positive reviews online.
Is the one litre Ford Fiesta Zetec automatic any good?
Ford fiestas are one of THE motoring success stories over 30 years for a good reason. Reliable, great engineering, better performance than the other superminis. If you wanted a knob substitute to, you know, make up for things in the bedroom department you could always get a 10 year old BMW.
Seth. I'm with you all the way here. I'd happily drive the 1litre Fiesta. In fact we are getting one next week from my brother in law. It will be economical, reliable and what else does anyone really need. Being a 'granny magnet' is an added bonus.
Even a 1.0 super mini will be comparably powerful, quieter, and safer than a lot of vehicles that will have passed for full-size family vehicles 20 years ago. e.g a 1997 Mondeo 1.8 would have had 114 Bhp and 117 lb.ft or torque vs the 120 bhp and 112 lb.ft in the new Fiesta.
If its big enough to fit all the people/gear you may need to haul around in it then it'll be fine, and tbh, it's probably cooler than something like an M3 as way less people will think you're a wanker for driving one.
All that said, if you're just looking to save money on driving - you'll probably spend less in the long run just running the Mondeo into the ground - factor in the cost of the new vehicle and that you'll only get a few more miles per gallon out of it vs the Mondeo and you'll have to do a lot of miles to make up the cost of the car itself.
Autos are easier on the knees when driving in town. Out here in Canada anything above base spec in a cheap car has an auto but I have to say that I miss my clutch pedal. You do get used to it, but I always appreciated the extra bit of control you have over a manual.
I am looking to drive more cheaply, and I know this might sound utterly stupid to the experts, but my council, Lewisham, has 20mph roads all over, and you can't drive that slow in top gear in my current car, at least I can't without fretting over the gears. Sluggish is not an issue, or being slow anyway, had all my speed thrills with 14 years as a motorcyclist, going fast is less of a priority in the city, other stuff like pinch points, speed humps and parking is a more pressing thing, as is fuel consumption. If I drive to somewhere actual, like to Bristol say, then the Mondeo fuel consumption is twice as good as it is living in SE London.
Though no one bar learners and the odd granny obey the ridiculous 20mph all over limit, not even the police (without sirens on!).
I'm not saying most people don't ignore it, but a 20 limit is ridiculous on what grounds? Hit a pedestrian at 20, they're far more likely to live than if you hit them at 30. If you have a speed limit of 30, most people drive at around 35, so you need a speed limit of 20 to get them at around 25.
Cars have become more economical as well as more power for your buck over the last 10 years, I had a Leon Cupra for 10 years. 2.0L petrol with a turbo, stage 1 Map so had about 300BHP. Whilst I loved the car I made a more sensible choice.
I recently got a BMW 1 Series 180d, which has a 2.0L diesel engine and around 150bhp. It's not as slow as a first feared, has a few toys inside and is my first automatic car. I tell you now, best decision I made going Automatic. The technology has come a long way.
Though the best thing about the car is that I'm getting about 45mpg and in the Leon I would be lucky to get 25. Going from a car that will just about do 280 per tank to one that will do nearly 500.
The whole manual v automatic debate is quickly becoming obsolete
New cars now are nearly always better as a auto. The transmission these days allows the car to be driven exactly as the design team intended. They are smoother and you don't lose performance.
The 5 series BMW is one of the best value used cars on the road and if you can find an un-fucked example you will get a lot of car for your cash, always go top spec with BMW as the base level ones are a little bit bare as far as the interior goes
I have 15 year old Mondeo estate. I love it, it is battered and the central locking plays roulette with opening the doors every time you get in it but I love it more than any other car I have had, save my first, a Vauxhall Viva (triple hand in 1980). When I was in business I had a new car every other year on the company and I drove some great cars but this Mondeo is the dogs danglies. There, I am a Mondeo man.
Have to say that sort of echoes my sentiments on cars these days. I have driven some very nice and quick cars, but these days I get around in a beaten up old wipe-your-feet-on-the-way-out X trail. I never have to worry if it's been nicked, scratched or dented, and it was last cleaned by the rain Care free motoring
Comments
PS,
sorry i genuinely didn't know what a 5 series was.
About a Fiesta
Only on Charlton life
Sorry, can't afford one of those even if it is a cool thing to have.
Braking distance: 5cm
Which is why I started this thread with a question.
I didn't know I needed so much apparently basic knowledge about cars before my enquiry.
Mind you this thread has been unexpectedly amusing.
Go for a mini cooper instead mate, loads nicer to drive, the auto is the best of a bad bunch as far as automatic super minis go. Loads of driver space and load space
It's a manual though but it's still good for all the stop start/slow 20mph speed limits round town and it's quite nippy for the motorway. I'm sure the automatic wouldn't be too different. Then again like you I'm no real expert.
Hahaha haha.
If its big enough to fit all the people/gear you may need to haul around in it then it'll be fine, and tbh, it's probably cooler than something like an M3 as way less people will think you're a wanker for driving one.
All that said, if you're just looking to save money on driving - you'll probably spend less in the long run just running the Mondeo into the ground - factor in the cost of the new vehicle and that you'll only get a few more miles per gallon out of it vs the Mondeo and you'll have to do a lot of miles to make up the cost of the car itself.
Autos are easier on the knees when driving in town. Out here in Canada anything above base spec in a cheap car has an auto but I have to say that I miss my clutch pedal. You do get used to it, but I always appreciated the extra bit of control you have over a manual.
I recently got a BMW 1 Series 180d, which has a 2.0L diesel engine and around 150bhp. It's not as slow as a first feared, has a few toys inside and is my first automatic car. I tell you now, best decision I made going Automatic. The technology has come a long way.
Though the best thing about the car is that I'm getting about 45mpg and in the Leon I would be lucky to get 25. Going from a car that will just about do 280 per tank to one that will do nearly 500.
Hope that helps.
New cars now are nearly always better as a auto. The transmission these days allows the car to be driven exactly as the design team intended. They are smoother and you don't lose performance.
The 5 series BMW is one of the best value used cars on the road and if you can find an un-fucked example you will get a lot of car for your cash, always go top spec with BMW as the base level ones are a little bit bare as far as the interior goes
Care free motoring
I have always driven what would be called nice cars because I have a real interest in cars.
Some people don't care about a bit of metal on wheels and that's fine too. Each to their own.