We all love our MX-5’s, obviously!, but one of the legends of practical family motoring and sales reps is being phased out… “Mondeo-man”, another victim of a changing market place…!
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I’ve never gone for Fords ever since I bought a Cortina and found the tops of the front wings full of newspaper, wire mesh and filler.
Obviously I bought a rotten one, the rear doors weren’t much better.
Must say, I think over the past few years Ford ( had to) pull themselves together quality wise, but I also think they got greedy price wise. You can PCP more interesting cars for the same or less.
So saying, my son paid cash for a mint 1 owner 1.25 Fiesta Ztec with 7k on the clock when it was 2 years old 4 & half years back. Or rather, I bought it unseen from a trusted 5 OC member who worked at the dealership. Well below book too 
, they had so many in with the new look coming out they needed rid. It’s got 40-oddk on it now, and apart from new front discs, head bulbs, & 4 recent tyres it’s been 100% reliable and cheap to run as it had to be given it was his first car. The paint is even and thick, shut lines bang on, and the interior is perfect still but he really looks after it. Doors close with a bank vault thud…wish mine did. All leccies perfect. Zero niggles so far. He’s loath to part with it now.
Flies it’s MOTs, and gets great MPG. As reliable as a new Datsun 180b estate I had in the 70’s and that is saying something.
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Their demise is due in part for the demand for SUV’s apparently, 99% of which are only used in urban/suburban situations, the very places that you don’t need them, with their drivers intending to intimidate smaller vehicles! Round here it’s “one upmanship” so it’s a parade of top of the range VW/Audi/Merc/BMW/Porsche/Jaguar/RangeRover/Bentley going from home to Waitrose and the gymn. Maybe you should be required to justify your need for such Stupid Unnecessary Vehicles and get a permit before you can buy one. Something along the lines of the Japanese requirement that you have the off-road parking necessary prior to authorisation to purchase your car.
PS: All in all the Mondeo was a pretty good car, it did set the benchmark for that type of car, as so many Ford models have done over the years!
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My father in law had a 2 litre mk1 Mondeo automatic for many years, said it was the best car he’d owned. The first generation was a nice size, but as with most other makes it grew bigger with each generation. Fords usually drive well and the Mondeo was no exception. It’s sad to see the rise of the SUV at the expense of the saloon car, which almost without exception drive and look better. Apart from a higher ride height I really can’t understand why they have been so successful. The Mondeo was a fine family car and the mainstay of the company rep. I’ve had a few different makes over the years, including Fords (Fiesta and my current Focus) and would recommend them.
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The best Mondeo was about 10 yrs ago, then they restyled it and made it smaller and the Focus bigger. Idiot marketing men… The police are now using the Hyundia i40 which looks like a Mondeo should
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Are you sure it got smaller? As far as I know, the Mondeo has only gotten bigger, which is why it’s no longer as good to drive as it was 10 years ago.
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Preach!
I do find it interesting the cars that a dying out and being replaced, the options now are:
- Hatchback
- Crossover (lifted hatchback platform)
- SUV (big hatchback)
And almost everything is a 5 door too!
I can’t remember the last time I saw a TV ad. for a car I’d like to buy…!
Last time for me was the Alfa-Romeo campaign a couple of years ago, for their Giulia.
Not a TV ad but the only car I released recently that I would like (besides my MX-5s obviously) is the GR Yaris
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Yes, very much agree with you - Have read a lot about the GR Yaris elsewhere. Brilliant little 4wd…! Would sit nicely alongside my ND 
Agreed, although I must admit one of the first things I looked for was a rear seat delete, just to remove any practicality it might have had… 
I am rather tall so no one would fit anyway and, when you think about it, you could say it makes it more practical 
Oh, and yes, one already exists:
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I got close to buying a GR Yaris before the MX, although they are very different cars.
Two things stopped me, delivery was quoted as Oct/Nov ‘21, and I really wanted out of the 140 sooner, and I cannot get my head around the noise 3 cylinder engines make. Inline 4’s aren’t great compared to the IL 6’s (cars) and V4’s (bikes) I’m used to, but to me the 3 pots just sound wrong.
There’s no denying the performance and fun aspect of the GR though, and I love the ethos and engineering behind it.
I don’t think we’ll ever see the likes of it again.
Yes I had the Estate and they made it narrower and lower
Not really a thought about comment when you look at the space an MX5 takes up for 2 seats compared to a 7 seater.
It’ll be interesting ( if you live long enough!) to see how prime examples of ST prices hike up.
Have a laugh? Sure. Just check out cherished or decent Cosworth/ RS500’s , Capri Brooklands, and pretty much any small “fast Ford”. I’m thinking it may not take long at all for the best “performance” Mondeo prices to start stabilising this year.
I would say that looking around you may have thought that they stopped selling the Mondeo some time ago. When was the last time you saw a new one? I saw an insignia (ie the Vauxhall equivalent) a couple of days ago and it really stood out - rarer than a Ferrari around Cheshire these days. Considering the Ford/Vauxhalls were omnipresent a decade ago, all the way back to the 60’s, it is interesting. But i agree that sort of car is just not bought for the reps anymore. BMW/Audi/Merc have done a great job in taking over that sector, even though a new BMW 320 is ridiculously expensive now. However as most are on lease deals, there is little difference in price and so the German prestige cars are chosen instead.
Many years since I had a Mondeo, but from memory it was just about the most reliable car I ever had. I don’t recall anything ever going wrong, which is not something I can say for most of the German cars I’ve had since.
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On a car I agree 100%, and they feel wrong too.
BUT, many years ago I was lucky enough to ride a friend’s Triumph T160 for a couple of days. It was so very much better than my old Thunderbird or Flash or even his Beemer, so smooth and five gears even if the lever was on the wrong side.
And the sound of that triple was glorious. Happy memories.