Cheap diesel smokers

[sierraman]

Doing the usual man thing of perusing Autotrader with a fictional £750 budget. Looking at mk3 Mondeo 1.8/2.0 petrol a lot of them are suffering the inevitable duratec habit of borked oil control rings. There's a fair old few TDCIs though for the money with plenty of test on. Given that you would bin it at the first sign of injector/dmf/pump trouble, are these worth a punt to run into the ground in the hope it will last a few years?

[Cavcraft]

IN B4 THE YESES

[320touring]

TDCI= Top Deck Cunt Installed;)

 

injectors turbos and dmfs are not good news regularly(much like most modern turbodiesels) and common rail so not veg friendly

 

for 750 i'd be looking for a clean 1.8 petrol with good service history

[doobietoo]

TDCI = typically dense c*nt inside.....

[willswitchengage]

I thought the Duratec was meant to be a fairly well engineered engine, especially the 2.0. Quick, cam chain actuated, no complaints...

[stripped fred]

I would say they've got to be worth a gamble if cheap enough. There are so many on the road that they can't all break every year! At least you don't need to worry about timing belts either.

[Cavcraft]

If you're looking for a Mondeo, then sack the idea of a TDCi off and buy PurpleBargeKen's 2.0 pez one off here.

[Asimo]

I don't like them 'cause when I hired one once, I found it couldn't be bump started. "Ignition" on, roll down long hill to good speed, into gear, let in clutch: nothing.

 

You have to use the starter, or the ECU sulks and won't play.

 

Petrol or walk.

[purplebargeken]

Yeah, mine is available for your motoring pleasure! It is rather a nice car in all honesty.

 

£395 and it's yours.

[purplebargeken]

OVNO

[dollywobbler]

If you want a cheap diesel, go older. Common rail is shit. A Mk2 Mondeo would be a better bet. Or that Rover 600 diesel that Lord Sterling spotted.

[Cavcraft]

Aren't the Mk2s that God awful 1.8TD shit thing as found in Escorts etc?

[JohnK]

Yeah they are. I had both a MK1 and MK2 Mondeo 1.8TD, surprisingly the earlier one was better (bigger turbo IIRC) but they're still majorly underpowered. In comparison with say the XUD 1.9TD it's a night and day difference.

[PiperCub]

Just buy something XUD-powered and save yourself alot of pain! 

 

You can keep yer common rail, DMF'd units unless under £200 running with long ticket! 

[forddeliveryboy]

Sir, £750 is a lot of notes to spend on one car, especially a Ford with common rail diesel. I'd be finding a Volvo 70, the older 850 boxed-shape versions - the 5-cyl Audi TDi is frugal, swift, strong and long-lived, like the rest of the car it's in. The first year of the replacement carried the same engine over before they went common fail, but the wiring's designed to go wrong once into its teens.

 

As well as all the necessaries for a daily, they're a pleasant place to be and have a little character left in them to charm you into changing the oil and filters. These do seem to be the very last half-decent diesels for £5/6/700 which don't rot and could be expected to last 5 years without anything significantly expensive dying. I wouldn't chance my luck on anything with CR or canbus, there's enough to go wrong as cars approach 20, without all the added complication.

[320touring]

Sir, £750 is a lot of notes to spend on one car, especially a Ford with common rail diesel. I'd be finding a Volvo 70, the older 850 boxed-shape versions - the 5-cyl Audi TDi is frugal, swift, strong and long-lived, like the rest of the car it's in. The first year of the replacement carried the same engine over before they went common fail, but the wiring's designed to go wrong once into its teens.

 

As well as all the necessaries for a daily, they're a pleasant place to be and have a little character left in them to charm you into changing the oil and filters. These do seem to be the very last half-decent diesels for £5/6/700 which don't rot and could be expected to last 5 years without anything significantly expensive dying. I wouldn't chance my luck on anything with CR or canbus, there's enough to go wrong as cars approach 20, without all the added complication.

An exceptionally astute post!

 

I know Richard's 850 td auto is admired by all who have driven it, even though it is slower than the rank taxi;)

[Bren]

At this money any diesel that shits itself is going to be euthanised.

 

I had the mk3 with the TDDI, it went very well ( ford quote 115 hp but experts reckon it's nearer 125) and it has a chain as opposed to a belt. It went better than my 120 vectra and didn't fail to proceed.

 

A tidy well looked after one is deffo worth a punt.

[mrbenn]

Isn't the 1.8 the one that has the piston ring/oil consumption trouble? AFAIK the 2.0 doesn't seem to suffer so much. Get rid of the swirl flaps, change the oil regularly and you should be fine.

 

IMHO a 2.0 Zetec is the one to go for - lovely smooth engine, the diesels just sound terrible.

 

My neighbour has an 03 plate 2.0 Ghia "resting" on his driveway due to a broken spring. I'd take it on but he wants too much money for it.

[purplebargeken]

My 2.0 is quite cheap

[mrbenn]

I was sorely tempted by yours when it was in Chester (about 40 miles from me) - looks a decent one!

[Lacquer Peel]

I got a lift home a few years ago from a taxi driver who was sworn off diesels after the first common rail Mondeos, his was a 2.0 petrol model which was super smooth and not much less fuel efficient than the diesels, while needing less ongoing maintenance.

 

Not sure what the point of modern diesels is, unless you do lots of miles or need the torque.

[PiperCub]

Or it's a company car and you aren't paying the bills when it goes into FUBAR mode.

[Honey Badger]

Surely the cheapo dizzler of win is this fine* automobile

 

L series disesal with Honda body and electrics, makes this a poor mans 620 TD

 

https://www.gumtree.com/p/honda/honda-accord-tdi-2.0-turbo-diesel-9-months-mot-d4d-avensis-tow-bar-i-cdti-/1142693946

 

[Cavcraft]

Speaking in behalf of everyone* on here, get a Vectra, after all WCPGR?

[rantingYoof]

FYI, I sold my 2005 Mondeo 2.0 TDCi with dodgy turdo for £700. If you can buy one with full or lon test that's in decent nick and has lots of paperwork for other normal non-TDCI stuff done for around £800, you could probably fleece it to someone for £500 or £600 if it were to self-bork, if you had the arsed.

[Joey spud]

I don't like them 'cause when I hired one once, I found it couldn't be bump started. "Ignition" on, roll down long hill to good speed, into gear, let in clutch: nothing.

 

You have to use the starter, or the ECU sulks and won't play.

 

Petrol or walk.

 

If you go ignition off then back on again just before you lift the clutch up then they do bump start.

[rantingYoof]

Will'a do-er-uppa do yer?

 

Smokey barge.

 

What about RWD slushybox goodness?

 

Risk the MOT for a biscuit?

[sierraman]

That rover is a pearl isn't it!

[forddeliveryboy]

An exceptionally astute post!

I know Richard's 850 td auto is admired by all who have driven it, even though it is slower than the rank taxi;)

I try and post at least one a year! They're not zippy in auto form but do well above 70, pulling hard over the ton and outdragging a lot of supposedly quicker cars. The six speed manual in the A6 marries well but you're forever changing gear. I love 'em, on the want list - there's a manual box estate near Oxford with lowish miles for £120, sheared glow plug and with some test remaining.