Tell me about the Ford Mondeo ST200

EDIT : This is a retyped reply.

I’ll reply more in a bit. I’m on my phone

Main points
-Great drive
-poor MPG is down to pooor maintenance. They should do 30MPG on a run.
-Rust will be a problem.
-Engines get a bad rap but a lot is down to poor maintenance

Right, on a Proper PC!

They're a great steer and a comfy cruiser. A decent amount of space too and dare I say, compared to a non E36 325i or 328i, the better car. I found my 323i quite lacklustre after my MkIII 3.0 v6 in alot of ways. Sure I could drift it easier, but for everyday and thrashing down the backroads, the Mondeo 3.0 won hands down.

The cars being spacious is a big reason why I like them. Our 1.8 TD Estate was a great lugger. These are rare in the ST200 format.

A friend had an ST24 in Java Green, and I had a MkIII 3.0 V6 Ghia X Estate. My dad had a Mk3 2.5 V6 5 Speed Auto, and that once sorted, was a decent car. But it didn't start off that way. It did however, allow me to see some problem spots early on, which I'll now comment on later. The interiors are long lived too thankfully.

So, that's the pros. But what about the cons?

-Rust ; These do love to rust. Biggest areas are the rear arches and the sills as a result of poor jacking point design combined with cheapo tyre fitters lifting them up on the sill without a protective pad, if they don't lift the car from the subframe points.

-Engine issues ; These engines are reliable contrary to popular opinion. My own V6 did 262k on the factory engine without it needing to be opened up. But you need to look out for the following:

;Coolant changes - Ensure the coolant has been changed on time. It should be ever 5 years and then every 10 years if using Ford Super+ Coolant or Glytasyn G30. If it's got cheap OAT in it or IAT based coolants, walk away. Trust me on this on ; That 2.5 I talked about? That had water in, and it was a pain from start to finish
;Leaks - These will now have the odd leak, especially from the heat exchanger pipes behind the front exhaust manifold. Many won't change these pipes as they are pricey from Ford and are formed to clear the manifold. It' a poor design. But the cooling fans don't cut in until 100 degrees centigrade. So with a leak, the HGs can definitely be at risk of going. The High speed fans won't cut in until 107 degrees. If you can get Samco hoses throughout, it's not a bad shout at all.
;Blocked 3rd cat. If this is blocked, it won't feel much faster than a 2.0 Zetec but destroy fuel, and be in the low 20s MPG. The issue is the cat never really fully warms up. Get rid of the 3rd cat, and the car flies! Emissions can become a problem however without a friendly tester, so maybe a Sports Cat replacement can be the way.
;HGs - IMHO, this is down to poor coolant being used and not dealing with leaks on time for the aforementioned reasons. The 2.5 had the HGs gone, but it also had sunk in valve seats as a result of severe overheating as well.
;Big ends - Everyone will say the big ends go. I think this is more down to a lack of checking oil levels on time or not changing the oil over an actual flaw. Again, both the 2.5 and our 3.0 didn't have such problems. The 2.5 had 200k on the second engine when we sold it, and the 3.0 262k.

With the latter, I think some engines use oil and some don't, simply down to the manufacturing process. Looking at how engines are built and working in the industry now, I can see why some engines do use oil and some don't, despite being the same engine.

As always, buy the best you can afford.