HaX said:
I've been looking on Honest John and it seems that the MKIII Mondeos aren't quite as reliable as the MK I and MKII.
Incidentally, is there anyway to tell what kind of work a car has been doing, other than take the word of the person who is selling it?
Depends on the car - with Mondeos which have fixed servicing intervals, it can be quite difficult. But you can look for clues:
a) Stonechips. If the seller claims its all original paint, the car has 100k miles and the bonnet and bumper is battered to death with stonechips, it's done a lot of out of town work. You don't get stonechips in town. This is why my Mondeo's front is immaculate (I had it resprayed when I got RSAP) yet Dad's 530d, which we've had less time, is covered in stonechips.
b) Dealer stamps. Sometimes, all the stamps can be a dealer quite some distance away. This was the case with my Mondeo - all the stamps were from a Ford dealer in North Wales. The guys story was that he used the car to commute to work - he had an office in North Wales. It made sense.
c) Steering wheel. If its totally shiney, it's probably spent its life in town. You don't shuffle the steering wheel like mad in the outside lane of the M6.
d) Serious wear in general - You get in and out of the car less times in one 250 mile Motorway trip than in 10 25 mile trips around town. So, if the drivers seat shows a bit of wear on a bolster, fine. If its battered to hell...
e) Rest of the seats. Are they in excellent condition? Most company cars used for motorway miles never carry anyone but the driver. Towncars often have people in.
Etc.
[Edit] One other thing - I'm loath to do it - would I see much of an MPG increase if I got a 1.25 fiesta ghia?
Probably not, but even if you did, is it even worth it? It's like staying in a 1 star hotel to 'save money'. Cheaper, but nasty.
What is your annual mileage?
For most people, the need for cheap insurance and cheap petrol is pshycological - when you sit down and do the maths you find out that actually, the differences are small and can be offset by either the fact larger cars tend to cost less anyway used, or by spending a bit less on the car.