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Dust off the cassettes with Ewan MacColl, recover the beaded car seat covers form the attic and take a sit on the folding fishing chair: today we are talking about the Ford Mondeo II, the largest functional car you can buy with a budget of 50 pounds or less.

I also focused on the first generation of Mondeo because the Ford Mondeo II is essentially a facelift of one of the most legendary cars of our era. And I say this because you still see the Ford Mondeo II, usually as a station wagon filled to the brim with potatoes, rusted so badly that you can run your hand through it, driven by someone long past his prime. Surely you have already outlined this image in your mind: with a broken exhaust, with smoke worthy of an medium sized colliery and with the rust that parts away with a piece of bodywork at every traffic light. And yet, with all this negligence, the Ford Mondeo II continues to survive heroically on the more or less paved roads.

I have a lot of respect for this antique that costs as much as a mid-range phone. Most people who buy such cheap cars generally do not have a fantastic budget for proper maintenance. The term “service book” is an American fairy tale and / or conspiracy rather than a reality. All these elements put together build the testament to the Ford Mondeo II’s endurance.

Launched at the same time with “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York”, the Ford Mondeo was an important car for the americans who wanted a slice of the European saloon cake. The result was decent, but many things could be improved, so in 1996 the Ford Mondeo II was launched, just a few months before Eminem would release his very first album: Infinite.

What improvements does second generation Mondeo bring?

A bit of work on the exterior so that it got closer to our era, a bit of work on the interior space, a bit of work on reliability. It was not a Donatella Versace grade facelift, but rather a minor improvement in every aspect of the car.

Ford Mondeo II Engines

Petrol

• 1.6 Zetec of 90 or 95 horsepower – An engine that made its debut on the itself debuting Ford Mondeo, this engine has been an exceptional engine for a long time. It’s only issue however is that if you up the budget by 50 euros you can buy a bigger version of this engine. And if americans taught us something, it’s that there is no replacement for displacement.


• 1.8 Zetec of 116 horsepower – Finding itself halfway between 1.6 and 2.0, this engine is more undecided than a woman in a purse shop. Again, a very balanced engine, but for an extra 50 euros you can buy the responsible version.


• 2.0 Zetec 136 horsepower – The most balanced petrol engine that no one will buy. Because it’s on petrol and petrol costs and the fuel consumption is far too big for the sort of chap that is in the market for an Ford Mondeo II in 2020.


• 2.5 V6 Duratec of 170 horsepower – A Ford Mondeo II with a 2.5 V6 engine is cheaper to buy than the taxes will be on such an engine. Does it still make sense to talk about it?

Diesel

1.8 TD Edura-D of 90 horsepower – The only diesel that was fitted to the Ford Mondeo II, this is the father of the 1.8 TDDI and the grandfather of the 1.8 TDCI. Much noisier than the two descendants combined, your only solution to not hearing the gravel falling on the wheelbarrow is to turn up the tape recorder and listen to some lovely children’s books, narrated by Vinnie Jones. Yes, the timing is on belt and must be replaced every 3 years or 50,000km. Also, occasionally a injector fails, but we are talking about a Ford from 1992 so you have to take some repairs into consideration.

Ford Mondeo II Reliability Issues

• General problems with the front suspensions, valid for all engines and especially for the 2.5 V6 version. From sway bars to bushings and control arms, there will always be some replacing to be done there.


• The water pump of petrol engines has a lifespan of “only 100,000 kms”. Anyway, a water pump will cost the equivalent of 2 packs of cigarettes, because anyway you maintain the car with a thinner budget than the bikinis of a summer band composed exclusively of girls.


• Most petrol engines aren’t compatible with an LPG installation, except for a 1.8 version. It is good to ask before buying, in the unlikely event that you are interested in a petrol engine. Or if it has rust. Or if it has documents.


• Rust is another sensitive point for the Ford Mondeo II, although it is expected for a 1992 car, regardless of brand. Anyway, I saw some Mondeos that were so rusty that you could put your hand through the bodywork, and those cars were still full of life from an mechanical standpoint. Touche Audi A6 C5!

Ford Mondeo II Verdict

This article will probably not be too popular because the target audience of this car does not have an internet connection in 2020 either. But because it withstands so much abuse and because most of these cars actually refuse to die, I will always respect the Ford Mondeo II. Good luck still carrying pigs and schnapps from places where the car from Google did not dare to approach. Good luck and may your bodywork be light, when your duty will finally end. That’s somewhere around 2150 AC (After Crypto).