I've heard of Jack Ford as a supplier of ex police cars. But I don't like his practice of not advertising the mileages of the cars he has in stock. No way of telling if they're value or not without the mileage.
HJ
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For £3,995 Pat can get an S or T reg Mondeo 1.8 or 2.0 with 40 - 50k miles. She'll need to change the timing belt at 5 years or 80k whichever comes first (£250 at a Ford dealer) but most Mondeo components, especially brake discs and pads, are very long lived and even Ford dealer maintenance is cheap.
HJ
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Patricia,
You can have my Renault Laguna 1.8 RT Sport 1998 (R) (which is for sale by the way) for £3450 ono, with 56k on the clock and I am the 2nd owner, it also has a warranty until March 2003, and has all the usual spec, Elec windows, Elec Mirrors/heated, Elec Sunroof, PAS, FSH and in immaculate condition. However I need an automatic car for the missus, hence this reluctant sale! Give us a shout if your interested.
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Well i bought my 406 diesel at jack ford in january so i feel i have a lot to say on the matter.
I won't comment on your circumstances, just my experiences.
I bought a 406 98S for £4750 in january with 110k on the clock, i didn't read the warranty as i trusted them cos my friend had had a rover 600 petrol for 2 years without a single problem apart from new discs and pads.
i was a little nieve as i didn't check the car over and just wanted to get it asap.
to cut a long story short in bullets:
1. it needed 4 new tyres and they put remoulds on, lasted about 9 months and shockingly bad in the wet, hence 4 new tyres £180
2. noiticed cooling fan wasn't cutting in when it should, phoned jack ford and it wasn't covered under the warranty £100
3. Noticed a coolant leak (radiator hose) phoned jack ford and again wasn't covered under the warranty £100
4. noticed a cable tie hanging from under the car, looks like a smash of some kind as 2 pieces of plastic under the car are being held together by it, phoned jack ford they say theirs no way the can find out what happened as it came from a big company.
5. front discs and pads changing after 6 months £150
6. steering wheel shakes at high speed, its been looked at but nothing fixed so far.
7. New full exhaust because of hole in cat, not covered again £250
8. creaking over bumps i think the shocks are on their way out not covered under warranty £100
9. a hose from the top of and injector went and leaked diesel everywhere, not covered again but the new hose was only £1
i think thats it apart from dash lights being out and a door rattle but that was all in 10k miles, so i just await the next problem.
tried to part exchange it for at a dealer, got offered £2000 without them even looking at it, i said no when i should of said yes to get rid of it. tried to sell in the papercouldn't even get £3000.
My final conclusion it may well be a one off dodgy car but, never buy from jack ford, never buy a peugeot/citroen, and never buy a high mileage car.
I can't wait to get rid of it and try a different manufacturers car to see how it fairs.
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Andy
Sorry to hear about your experiences, I have always bought company/fleet cars with around 90k on the clock, and I actually like them, go for the usual 'rep mobiles', the only thing I have ever done to them on a regular basis was an oil change every couple of months, and kept an eye on brakes/tyres etc which I had replaced/serviced as and when required. Most of my driving is motorway and have usually changed the car within 3 years, dont bother with expensive servicing, just so long as the car has had a full rock solid service history BEFORE i buy it.
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forgot to mention it has a full service history.
I bought it because i didn't want any problems and trouble free motoring and boy was i wrong.
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I don't know how anyone can say that Mondeos are expensive if they go wrong. I found that my older Ford was filthy cheap to get repaired even at a main dealer. Try fixing a Pug or Citroen on a budget and see how far your money goes! ;)
Patricia - Unless you buy a badly maintained dog I don't think you'll go wrong with the Mondeo.
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THANKS for your replies - Im still into finding a mondeo but have set my heart (and funds) on a diesal.
I have found one - 89,994 miles, 1.8 LX, R 98, one owner from "demo" dealership and I've done all the cam belt/even tire wear/window washer lead checks as it recommends on this site in "what to look out for" and its passed with flying colours.
However, its purple! Well, the sales man said "aubergine" but it looks b***** purple to me ...
Seriously, though, he's got it on for £3995 and from what you have said, that sounds pretty high (but he's a local, small (15-20 car forecourt) dealer, and I know several people who have purchased from him in our village with good results).
Im thinking of offering £3,500 plus £100 warranty: what do you think?
Again, thanks for your replies - you, and this site, have been a Godsend and I know SO much more about cars now than I did before - you know, the dealer guy said "b***** hell, she knows her stuff" when I asked him the billionth kwestion and its all down to coming on here! Cheers!
Patricia
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If you are looking for the cheapest Mondeo and don't mind a base model, check out the Ministry of Defence sales at British Car Auctions.
97-98P's and R's 70-80,000 miles £14-1800.
The vehicles will require re-registering, as they will be on MOD number plates, but all the paperwork should be with the car for you to pop along to your friendly local DVLA office for a proper number.
You will probably need the auction to deliver the vehicle for you to save confusion over insurance/tax implications.
Some of these cars are a bit rough others are absolute minters!!
Mark.
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I would make sure it's got air conditioning/CD if you are going to use it so much. The retail price of this car should be £3500 so you should definitely pay no more than that, especially in that colour. It's probably worth your while asking an auction buyer to get one for you (see info on this site). If you happen to live near me in the Thames Valley I could even look out for one for you as I'll be at the auctions again for myself over the next couple of weeks. Just don't tell my wife.
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I think you're making the right choice Patricia, a Diesel will be good for even more miles than the petrol...
About the dealer, if you've got a small trusted dealer that people have recommended, then IMO it's worth paying the little extra. My mate bought a much older Mondeo for over the book price at a trusted garage and it has been perfect since he got it, requireing only routine maintence etc. Plus people like this have a name to protect ;)
About the equipment: If you can, air con is ideal, my last car didn't have it and long journeys were awful, but now when I'm sat in traffic I don't mind as much 'cos I stay very comfortable, if you can get A/C at all then it is DEFINATELY worth a little extra. A CD player is nice, but I wouldn't pay a lot more for it, you can get one added after you buy the car for about £160, even the proper Ford CD players go for that on e-bay.
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Go for it! A car from a well respected local dealer would suit your circumstances more than a cheaper car from an unknown source. Do try and get the price down due to the colour though and negotiate an extended warranty. Might be worth looking into warranty direct as advertised on this site. A/C is a mixed blessing for used car buyer on a budget as expensive repairs can be required - see A/C threads in technical archive.
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Thanks! Its got both - A/C and a CD Player - although Im not too sure about the need for A/C, zooming along the M62 in the middle of winter ;)
I think I'll go for it and keep him down to the level of £1,500/600 with a 12 month warranty.
Again thanks - priceless advice!
Patricia
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Duh! Of course I mean £3,500/600! If only, huh?!!!!
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Definately go for it!
Let us know how you get on.
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" --- although Im not too sure about the need for A/C, zooming along the M62 in the middle of winter"
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It is a very common error/assumption/misconception that air-conditioning is only useful on hot days. It is extremely useful all year round - as it helps de-humidify the air and in winter that stops your windows misting up. Once you get used to the comfort of being able to finely contol the cabin temperature and humidity, you will probably never wish to drive a car without a/c.
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P: Just one point because you seem to have covered all the major isues: make sure you drive it first, as you'll be in it for a long time every day!
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Got it! Purple and all!
Settled at £3,600 with a 12 month warranty. The only frustrating thing is waiting for it to be MOTd and serviced. GRRRR I want it NOW, not Wednesday!!!!
I took it for a test drive on my first viewing - went for a uick spin on the motorway to check for speed, accelerated, de-acelarated, E-braked and speed bumped, it was lovely! The only thing that I wsa unsure of was the power steering as the "thing" I drive now doesn't have it and its SO heavy - but Im going to enjoy getting used to not almost dislocating my elbows every time I have to do a 3 point turn!!!
Hopefully, a happy ending to the drama of buying a car - fingers crossed!
Patricia
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Pleased to hear you got a good deal I'm sure you'll get a lot of miles from it. :)
Don't gorget to let us know how you get on with it.
BTW, in case the guy doesn't tell you, to help maintain the life of the A/C it's best to use it for at least 20 - 30 minutes a month if you can. Don't know why but everyone tells me it's true!
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to help maintain the life of the A/C it's best to use it for at least 20 - 30 minutes a month if you can.
Even better, at least once every 2 weeks, if not once every week. Summer & Winter.
Don't know why but everyone tells me it's true!
Its got something to do with stopping the rubber seals on the motor shaft from drying out, or the compressor seizing up through lack of use.
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