New daily... skoda or mondeo?

i cant help but think this thread might not last long, due to the vehicles ages. However.

If I was in your boat I would lean towards German. I have had fords, many fords, only one that was any good was my ranger. I've had brand new fords that have been nothing but problems, thankfully covered on warranty. I've had newer (08/09) ST's, no drastic problems but enough to get your back up after paying out for a fairly new car. Like I say though my diesel ford ranger was as tough as nails and I would recommend to anyone, but maybe I was just lucky.

Personally I'd go skoda, but try and get a 1.9 tdi. I've had various, some at over 300k on the original engine and they have been brilliant in every way. Totally bullet proof, no issues what so ever. I think they even make the Octivial 1.9 TDI with the VRS pack? Nippy, safe, reliable and built to last, I've had a fair few and I can not in the slightest complain.

If it was me I would lean towards the skoda, but would advise a diesel.

Edit...

What makes you suspicious about the mileage when there is only 8k between them?

If you can get the V5 number you can trace the mileage back for free online, my van lost 1,000 miles one year haha.

I understand thread might be moved or deleted just not sure where else to ask as many here i feel have had various cars and is the place with plenty of petrol heads too .

Okay then, well i'm already swayyed over to the skoda as from the few things i've found on the net have only said good things really.

I'm not sure if a diesel would be okay for us due to doing small trips i.e i do 4'12 hour shifts and do a 12 mile round trip to work but still need a car for other things and think a diesel could throw up issues by doing such short journeys to work etc.

Are skoda or vw parts expensive ive looked on gsf and euro car parts websites and the prices there seem okay.

Are petrol skoda's just as reliable as the perrol variants?

I've had a few concerns over newer fords myself. I've had a few fords myself and find newer ford i.e built after 2001 appear to have common faults with dmf, injectors and egr valves and swirl flap issues to name a few. But these are just common faults i'm aware of... cant find much in way of common faults with the skoda.

I'm a little skepitcal about the mileage of the skoda due to it being so low. Many others in the budget i have, are 120k plus miles. Vw's are the same too. If its a reliable car and drives without any real faults why would someone px it at a garage when it has so much life left in it?... could just be me being a little paranoid.

Thanks
Rob

don't like singing mondeos praises because they lack any personality,but ive got a 51 plate estate, 2.0 petrol, 140ish thousand on it, and ive done a good ammount of miles in it and its never missed a beat, paid 400quid for it, got a couple of annoying noises, exhaust bangs slighly at the front, and the central locking has a mind of its own, but they don't go wrong.
diesel ones are a different kettle of fish, they work well, and some rack up monster miles, but imo after 150k ur looking at something going wrong that will either be a big bill or kill it, injectors, pumps, clutch/flywheel, although they hold there money alot better, i couldnt find one sub 500quid. hence the cheap petrol and accept il put a fiver a week more petrol in it than i would diesel.

I would go with the Mondeo out of the above even over the BMW which will surprise many ; The E36 is quite small inside, I'd say even smaller than a Focus TBH, and the driving experience is not "that" much better over a Mondeo without getting something fruity. They seem to like rusting as well or at least the ones I see seem to.

The Mondeos are not a bad steer at all, are spacious inside especially in Estate form when they can rival an E-Class in the space stakes and are generally reliable. I know some people can't stand them however, but then again I am not one to be swayed by a badge .

I would personally go with a V6 Estate as the engine really suits the car and changes how it feels. But 25-30 MPG may not be for everyone in addition to an engine bay that is a nightmare to work in ; my Dad's Mondeo MkIV 2.5T (the Volvo engine) has far more room to work with in comparison. On that basis I'd settle for the 2.0 petrol.

The diesels (Common rail) can be reliable but they need the following treatment :

- Genuine fuel filters are used - I probably would not touch a TDCI without evidence of this TBH. It is a documented fact that the Ford and only 10% of aftermarket filters are actually suitable for the job. They are £20 however versus £5. Bosch even sell two qualities of filter to confuse things. This is the main crux of why things go wrong on these and why the TDCis have a horrific reputation IME.
-Use V-Power only - the cheaper fuels seem to take their effect on the fuel pumps which are not the sturdiest (hence why Ford filters are a little finer than most, and also tend to potentially block up faster).
-Some use an addition of 2 stroke oil to the diesel to aid pump lubrication but that is up to you .

Basically, the issue stems down to dirt going past the filter, and throughout the entire fuelling system, breaking up the fuel pump and taking out the injection system with it (injectors, fuel lines etc.). Once this happens IMO it is game over for the car.

The V-Power thing will open a can of worms but on modern dervs it has always given me better IMO and cost savings over normal derv with the car in running order (or at least on my PD Passat it did once I fixed the car). Yes people will say "OMFG have you lost your mind, I'll keep my cash in my pocket thanks" to put me back in my box but not consider the alternative ; an injection system almost terminally ruined and wasting a fortune (thousands) to discover this due to swarf contamination everywhere in the system due to only a couple of issues and hassle

The proof is in the pudding as they say. When I used to drive taxis I don't think any Mondeo TDCi at work made it beyond 150k without seeing the following-

-Injectors (££)
-Fuel pump (££££££)
-EGR
-Boost pipes (these can go on any car to be fair)
-An engine from seeing prolonged detonation from iffy injectors (fitted many times before!).

A good number of them were also serviced by 'good mechanics' on time and some even saw over 6 sets of injectors and still haunted by issues.

I have seen 2 Ford 2.0 TDCIs (an 04 Mondeo and an X-Type) go in excess of 150k with "only" two injectors needing changing on the Mondeo and the X-Type by simply following the above ; the X-Type was also a 1 owner car owned by a well known Ford specialist in Derby where he claimed he had not really touched the engine, but used Jaguar parts only ; he suggested using 2 stroke oil to lubricate the fuel pump. The Mondeo owner was who suggested the above precautions with it seeming to work very well for him. He bought the car with 90k on it.

I guess the bottom line is if any car is not shown the right treatment it will suffer badly.

I have run around 4 Mondeo MkIIIs over the years with them seeing a total of 950,000 miles between them. My dad's Mondeo 1.8 is on 310k now and the only real surgery it has seen has been a head refurbishment at 210k and a flywheel/clutch/slave cylinder swap at 300k. It still does long journeys all over the country but for house moves and seeing family etc. It is a very cheap car to run on LPG .

If you want to talk about bad cars don't even mention the Passat B6 TDi I owned....

Friend of mine is a mobile mechanic and has had a few mondeo tdci's not one of them had done under 200k and to be fair (I'm not a ford fan) they actually drive quite nicely and as a passenger they're not a bad place to be. and you can get them pretty cheap (dearest he bought is a 2004 tdci ghia estate and that was under £500 with mot & fsh)

If I had my head screwed on I'd have bought another Mondeo. But as always I fancied something a little fruity as a daily, even if it has its pricey bills at times...

Mileage doesnt look suspect on the skoda, probably low because its the petrol. I have a seat Leon thats a year younger on 80K.

If you opt for the Skoda id go for a different engine, the 1.6 appears to be pretty pap (poor mpg, no ompf) but then again I've never driven one. You will get some good info on briskoda.

Through experience I now ignore any talk of certain makes being bulletproof as it's just not true. Of course everyone's experiences are different. Both 'indestructible' volvos I've had have been appalling.

French stuff seems to have a bad reputation...so that'll be next ;-)

I've got two VAG's atm and I've learnt that they are just as prone to issues as any other make... VAG seemingly can't make electric windows very well - snapped cables, plastic pins that snap off, switches that break, etc... and do also love electrical issues (aerials that don't work, corroded wiring, etc...), front wheel arch rust. Ok all cars have issues, but you'll also prob pay less for a same age focus/mondeo and throw it away when you are finished with it/buy another.

I had a mk2 mondeo ghia x which I ran for 4 years...stripped it in the end and made about £400 from the parts...