Newbie with a Mondeo Ghia

[MartW]

Hi all, I'm Martin and I'm an unashamed Ford fan. I've been meaning to start this thread for a couple of weeks, but I keep going down the rabbit hole looking at other threads and getting majorly distracted - some truly fascinating (and, frankly, heroic) shenanigans going on around these parts... 😀

Anyway, at the risk if feeling a little inadequate, here's my latest acquisition, recently "won" on Ebay for a quite reasonable (I thought) £995:

1993 (L) mk1 Mondeo 2.0 Ghia, 90K miles, MOTd till September this year, 1 owner from new (apart from the trader I bought it from).

Got it home to Dorset after a 4 hour train/tube/train journey to Essex and 3.5 hours drive back. Of course, the first thing I did was get a couple of side-by-side shots with my mk4 daily 😎:

So far, I've got it back on its alloys and give it a good clean, seems to have come up alright 👍:

Not bad for 30 years old, at least. There's a couple of nasty bits, nothing too horrendous though:

Aside from treating the little bit of rust, I likely won't do much with these, that'll be something for the next owner to tackle 😀.

I've done a few other little bits, given it a service, new boot struts, wiper blades, Ghia badges on the wings. Next job is replacing the thermostat and coolant temp sensor (the rad fan is on whenever the ignition's on atm, hopefully a new sensor and stat will help with that - I figure it's an easy and inexpensive place to start anyway). After that, new tyres and into the local garage to have the belts and water pump replaced.

Current plan is to keep it for a year or so, have some fun, do some shows and then try and move it on.

 

Updates to this thread may be sporadic - I'm a fair-weather tinkerer at best, and I'm known to suffer a lack of motivation at times, but if people are interested I'll do my best with it. Might even add a "car history" post when I get round to it... (It'll be mostly Fords, and mostly Mondeos at that, mind...)

[Uncleben]

Excellent! always wanted a mk1 mondeo, I remember when they came out in 93, i was 11 and thought they looked so futuristic!

seems a good buy at that price, can't be many left around now.

Oh, and welcome aboard

[kevins]

We had a mk1 special edition (I think it was a verona) which was passed around the family, it was a  1.8 and great, only issue it ever had was a broken spring, in the end at around 18 years old some yob walked over it and dented the roof, I could have popped the 95% of it out and made it perfectly usable but the insurance offered twice the market value and nobody was really using it so off it went.

[Me9]

Good looking old thing, had one many many moons ago a 1.8 LX bloody good drive from what I remember. 

[egg]

Hello - I have a K reg 1.6 base model, welcome onboad.

[AnnoyingPentium]

Lovely motor that, looks really smart.

[sutty2006]

Glad to see this getting some love. 
 

I once went to a banger meeting that had 99 mondeos and 1 vectra in for racing (England v Ireland). There won’t be many left in a few years to come! 

[danthecapriman]

Looks a nice one! No gaffer tape holding the bumper cases together either!

Interior looks in great condition. Definitely interested to see more…

[sierraman]

Belt is very straightforward to do on those. 

[MartW]

25 minutes ago, egg said:

Hello - I have a K reg 1.6 base model, welcome onboad.

I think I've read your thread - that's the bright blue one, right? Great to see one at the other end of the spectrum to mine also being preserved 👍. I've never had a Mondeo with a smaller than 2.0 engine, so never had the pleasure of the 1.6 experience myself... 😀 I imagine it's fine once it's up to speed, just takes a little longer to get there..?

 

Thanks all for the welcomes, this was one of those spur-of-the-moment, gotta-have-it purchases - there really cannot be many of these left, and, having very much missed the boat on Cortinas, Sierras and Granadas, I felt like it was now or never.

MrsW still hasn't quite forgiven me, but she understands why I went for it.....

 

 

(sort of... 😀)

 

[Dobloseven]

Didn't Slowsilver revive an even earlier one as a lockdown project?When the Mondeo was launched,Autocar magazine drove one non stop round the M25 for 12000 miles.

[tooSavvy]

1 hour ago, Dobloseven said:

Didn't Slowsilver revive an even earlier one as a lockdown project?When the Mondeo was launched,Autocar magazine drove one non stop round the M25 for 12000 miles.

Oil filter must have been gummed like a cough drop...

🚙💨

[egg]

2 hours ago, MartW said:

I think I've read your thread - that's the bright blue one, right? Great to see one at the other end of the spectrum to mine also being preserved 👍. I've never had a Mondeo with a smaller than 2.0 engine, so never had the pleasure of the 1.6 experience myself... 😀 I imagine it's fine once it's up to speed, just takes a little longer to get there..?

Yup, Rimini Blue. 1.6 is fine unless you need to overtake something!

[Dobloseven]

1 hour ago, tooSavvy said:

Oil filter must have been gummed like a cough drop...

🚙💨

Surely not.Would have been a new car from Ford with a 12000 mile service interval.Roads were a lot clearer 30 years ago too.

[Marshall2810]

What a lovely thing 😍.  I had an old mk1 in 2.0L guise a few years ago in a very similar colour. I've not seen seats that nice in a car so early tho, what a find! Welcome anyway Mart 

[danthecapriman]

I remember years ago working on a mk1 estate, it was a 2.0 Ghia, white body with a blue interior. Looked lovely inside. Comfy too. I can’t ever remember seeing one with leather like this tbh. I’m sure that estate was velour.

[Me9]

I had another keek on the bigger screen,  the seats remind of the Granny Ghia a guy that used to own the pub i went to years ago, it's very supple and quite luxurious for Ford. I bet they're not the same as that now even in the Tit x, it will be fake "leather" as with many things now.

[KWhite]

Welcome aboard! I remember seeing this up for sale. I'm glad this Mondeo has gone to a good home

[MartW]

Yeah, the leather interior is nice, definitely better quality than I've experienced in later Fords, very comfortable and cleaned up well with just a quick going over with some leather cleaner I found lying around in my shed. The driver's seat has full electric adjustment (working) and both front seats are heated (not working - the switches on both are borked, and replacements are surprisingly expensive - I've already ordered a couple of cheap repair kits in the hope that I can sort them out)

[Bren]

Those seats look fab. I was lucky enough to drive these when they came out - a huge leap from the sierra. But I really like sierras.

[MartW]

2 minutes ago, Bren said:

.... But I really like sierras.

Me too 😀. Weirdly, it was a Sierra that inspired me to buy this Mondy - I was at a Ford show at Gaydon about 4 years ago, saw a Sierra for sale, 2.0 Ghia auto estate in burgundy on a G or H plate, good condition. Sign in the window asking £1300. Astonishingly, my wife even agreed that it was probably a good buy. Agonised over it all day before finally passing on it (I already had two cars, plus my wife's car, and really had no space for more). Considered it "the one that got away" ever since - values started climbing shortly afterwards to unaffordable (for me) levels. When I saw this mk1 I knew I had to go for it 😀

[Wibble]

Brilliant. I also have a huge soft spot for Sierras, having driven loads of every spec when they were current. They always felt right for me. Had a Mk1 Mondeo company car back in the day and later, a brand new Mk3 Mondeo Zetec, which was peak Mondeo for me. Looking forward to seeing more, welcome aboard.

[stuboy]

well done for getting a mk1 mondy !!!

[RoverFolkUs]

Nice find, well bought!

[Pieman]

That looks lovely - welcome Mart  looking forward to following your adventures with it.

[MartW]

Thanks all again for the kind words of welcome.

I mentioned in my first post that updates may be sporadic - I never seem to have enough free time these days, and lack of motivation also takes its toll (like many others, I've suffered a few mental health issues over the last few years and motivation still occasionally suffers - it's something I'm working on 😀)

However, I got some time this morning to get a few more detailed pictures of this lovely thing. Under bonnet:

Pretty tidy under there.

Sills are alright too:

(Although, I've only just spotted that dent in the nearside rear door while taking this shot...)

This was a pleasant surprise, a proper alloy spare, I'd forgotten that Ford used to do things properly and not cheap out here:

 

Of course, being a Ghia it came with a torch. This one's not in great shape, doesn't work and seems to be missing a lens but a nice thing to have nonetheless:

Also got a promo video, although I can't play it, not had a VHS player in years 😀:

And a free pen from the supplying dealer (this was actually still clipped into the holder on the centre console):

 

You can just about make out the "Car of the Year" sticker in the back window:

 

I'll get round to sharing a more comprehensive list of the various jobs it needs later on 👍

 

[GeordieInExile]

On 22/01/2024 at 16:24, egg said:

Hello - I have a K reg 1.6 base model, welcome onboad.

Only on this place would the older, slower, less well equipped car be the more desirable version.

[Marshall2810]

4 hours ago, MartW said:

Thanks all again for the kind words of welcome.

I mentioned in my first post that updates may be sporadic - I never seem to have enough free time these days, and lack of motivation also takes its toll (like many others, I've suffered a few mental health issues over the last few years and motivation still occasionally suffers - it's something I'm working on 😀)

However, I got some time this morning to get a few more detailed pictures of this lovely thing. Under bonnet:

Pretty tidy under there.

Sills are alright too:

(Although, I've only just spotted that dent in the nearside rear door while taking this shot...)

This was a pleasant surprise, a proper alloy spare, I'd forgotten that Ford used to do things properly and not cheap out here:

 

Of course, being a Ghia it came with a torch. This one's not in great shape, doesn't work and seems to be missing a lens but a nice thing to have nonetheless:

Also got a promo video, although I can't play it, not had a VHS player in years 😀:

And a free pen from the supplying dealer (this was actually still clipped into the holder on the centre console):

 

You can just about make out the "Car of the Year" sticker in the back window:

 

I'll get round to sharing a more comprehensive list of the various jobs it needs later on 👍

 

This is a great forum for old shite perverts and since joining I've met some great people and overall found it a friendly place to be. None of the gatekeeping I've found on other "car clubs" which can be big put off for newbies. I hope your mental health is improving and you can enjoy your mondy when the weather improves

[MartW]

2 hours ago, Marshall2810 said:

.... I hope your mental health is improving and you can enjoy your mondy when the weather improves

Thanks, it's definitely improving as time goes on, just the motivation issue giving me trouble occasionally. And the old social anxiety/awkwardness of course, but I've always had that 😀. I've found having an old car around to fiddle with (and chinwag about with like-minded souls) has definitely helped in the past, another reason for taking the plunge with this one. The weather improving as we come out of winter will help too, I'm sure 👍

[danthecapriman]

10 minutes ago, Nyphur said:

Did you used to work as a mechanic in a previous guise then? I thought you worked for one of the utility companies from other posts. Or was the Mondeo for a friend or the like?

Yes. Worked as a mechanic for a number of years then changed trades after getting made redundant, and became a fitter for SSE. I’ve left that now too! Currently sitting on my arse doing nothing waiting to move house and area I’m living in.

I did used to do cars sometimes on weekends for a few people for a bit of pocket money too though! 

Funnily enough, in the shite in miniature thread I posted a pic a few weeks ago of a model I’d bought…    
It is Mondeo related!

When I was a mechanic someone actually booked a Contour in for some work. At the time I had no idea wtf a Contour was so imagine my surprise when a weird looking left hand drive Mondeo showed up! 
I always wondered why on earth someone would import one of these, considering a Mondeo in right hand drive was easy to get here already. Strange.