Were you a Mondeo man?

[Chippy_Tea]

I had a Sierra but downsized to the Fiesta when i got rid so have never owned a Mondeo.


A car that became the byword for a certain type of British motorist will be phased out next year after 29 years in production.
Ford says farewell to 'Mondeo man' as car to be phased out.

The Ford Mondeo was launched in the UK in 1993 and has sold five million since on the back of popularity with both families and executives.

But demand has shifted towards SUVs and lower-emission cars.

So production of the Mondeo will stop at Ford's Valencia plant in early 2022, the company said.

The American car giant has been re-evaluating its business model as the motor industry shifts moves towards zero-emission motoring.

Ford plans that all its cars sold in Europe and the UK will be fully electric by 2030, with every model having a hybrid or electric option by 2026.

"Today is another step on Ford's electrification journey, providing a bridge to an all-electric passenger vehicle future," said Kieran Cahill, vice-president of manufacturing at Ford of Europe.

'Mondeo man'

But for a generation of motorists it will signal the death of an icon, as the Mondeo was always more than just an executive saloon and estate vehicle.

On hearing the news the BBC's business correspondent Simon Jack tweeted: "This feels like the end of a political era."

That was a nod to the concept of the "Mondeo man", popularised by Tony Blair at the Labour Party Conference in October 1996.

It was a reference to the centrist, no-nonsense, hard-working voter that Blair hoped his then new vision for the Labour Party could attract.

While politics long ago moved on from Blair's vision, the Mondeo remained popular, but with dwindling sales each year.

Almost 40% of Ford's sales in Europe of passenger vehicles in the past year were SUVs or crossovers, compared with 31% just a year earlier, the company said.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-56526468

 

[The Baron]

Lost count of how many I have had when I had my Garage/Car Lot in a pre-retired era. I also used to run them when they were bought/traded in by customers

 

[marshbrewer]

Yep, back in the day, I had a silver ST. It was a MkII. Handled really well and was nice and quick.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I always fancied owning one but parking is tight round here and they were a fair bit more expensive compared to fiesta, they also had/have a bit of a bad reputation for flywheel failure i know a couple of lads who have had this happen i am not sure which years were effected.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

I had the estate in the mid eighties as a company car, prior to that I worked for British Leyland and had the wedge Princess as a company car in chocolate brown. Cool.

 

[VW911]

Had both Sierras and Mondeos (estates) in the past.
Will hopefully be getting another Mondeo (Titanium X) estate very soon...

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Ah I had the Sierra estate not the Mondeo.

 

[The Baron]

If I remember as newer models came out they had Dual Mass flywheels fitted which were notorious for not lasting at the time- or did I just dream that?

 

[hughjamton]

loved my Mondeos, although the model before last was the best car.
The clutch on the newer model went after 27,000 miles and it took me ages to get them to admit it was a fault and not driver error.

 

[Thatscold]

Had two (these aren't mine but these colours and models). Needless to say I was a sales rep at the time. I enjoyed both of them.

I now have a Tesla....

 

[Chippy_Tea]

If I remember as newer models came out they had Dual Mass flywheels fitted which were notorious for not lasting at the time- or did I just dream that?

I am not sure which versions of the Mondeo had these flywheels but I have been reading a lengthy thread about them, apparently the flywheel starts to break up metal gets into the starter then the starter doesn't engage properly ruining the starter ring and starter by the time the owner realises there is a problem they are facing a £1000+ bill.

 

[The Baron]

Sounds about right Chippy If I remember the dual mass fly wheel cost on average at the time £400 plus then all the labour and that was not main dealer price. I always gave them a good test drive before buying one for that reason all said a nice car to drive though

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Sounds about right Chippy If I remember the dual mass fly wheel cost on average at the time £400 plus then all the labour and that was not main dealer price. I always gave them a good test drive before buying one for that reason all said a nice car to drive though

The thread did mention diesels were more prone to it and people not choosing the right engine for what they were going to use the car for didn't help, i guess the more strain you put on the flywheel the shorter its going to last.

There must have been millions of Mondeos that were fine but we only hear of the bad ones as is the nature of forums.

 

[cushyno]

I am not sure which versions of the Mondeo had these flywheels but I have been reading a lengthy thread about them, apparently the flywheel starts to break up metal gets into the starter then the starter doesn't engage properly ruining the starter ring and starter by the time the owner realises there is a problem they are facing a £1000+ bill.

We had exactly that on our 1.8 tdci, cost £750 to replace but was great after that. Good car. Usually my wife's daily driver, but I used to drive it regularly on our longer journeys including 3 summers camping on the continent and 4 more towing a caravan. Sadly it gave up the ghost on us when one of the timing belts went. However, some local mechanic took it on as a project and replaced the whole engine. We still see him driving around our neighborhood in our old mkiv. Brings a smile every time.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Looks like they brought out a solid replacement peace of mind for those who got stung the first time.


Transmech Solid Flywheel Conversion Product Code: 633590041
In Stock FREE delivery available*Next day delivery available (Order before 4pm Mon-Thur)

 

[simon12]

I had a 1999-2000 ish one in about 2006 I got for £650 2 weeks later someone went into the back of it and I got £800 from there insurance and drove it until the MOT ran out, was a great car though the boot leaked from the accident. I then got another for £500 on ebay which seemed to somehow have the wrong gear ratio, scrapped it after MOT ran out and bought a focus for about £3000 that needed endless repairs in only 9 ish months. In 2008 bought the Fabia VRS which was great until someone drove into that in November.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I had a 1999-2000 ish one in about 2006 I got for £650 2 weeks later someone went into the back of it
In 2008 bought the Fabia VRS which was great until someone drove into that in November.
got another for £500 on ebay which seemed to somehow have the wrong gear ratio, scrapped it after MOT ran out

You don't have much luck with cars.

 

[Haggerma]

Always wanted one, but had an orion as my first card and now back to Ford after a few years with an smax

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Always wanted one, but had an orion

Now that has brought memories back, i had a non turbo diesel Orion years ago it was slow and had no power steering so was a bitch to park but it did loads to the gallon so i put up with it.
(not my car below but same colour)

 

[Haggerma]

I was in the 'car enthusiast' category and turned my standard 1.6 ghia into this 2.0 rs2000 conversion.

I always wanted the st220