Ford Mondeo Vs Volvo S60 Vs Vw Passat

TheFlyingFox · September 8, 2013

Hey Guys, Last week i parted with my Suzuki Liana and now im hunting for a euro again. the vintage im looking at is 2001-2003. I am confused as to what to get. I have looked at all three models and leaning towards the Passat for it is German. A good Mondeo will set me around 15-16 lacks. A Passat will be about a lack or two higher. The Volvo on the other hand will come to 2Mil+.

What are the ups and downs? Maintanence ? Reliability. Coming from a background of Peugeots i am skeptical about going in for yet another euro If the Volvo is worth the extra money i dont mind going in for one.

.

Thanks in advance.

VVTi · September 8, 2013

Ford Mondeo, if you can get hold of parts, bullet proof car.

Crosswind · September 8, 2013

No experience with Passat or Volvos but I would opt for a Mondeo anytime.

But I doubt if you can find a well maintained specimen for 15-16. about 18 is my estimate for a good one.

Things to look for: If you hear suspension sounds - don't buy the car. If you see the suspension is messed around with - don't buy it. If you notice the auto gear shifting is not smooth - don't buy it. If the tyres are worn, keep at least 75000 to replace them (due to its uncommon tyre size), If power shutters and/or central locking is not working properly, don't give to a random bloke in darley road.

Last but not the least, don't expect softlogic to take care of mondeos. They don't even know how to do a basic service for a focus. I can't imagine what nightmares they will cause for a mondeo. Take it to David Pieris instead. Mechanic Caldera there knows Mondeos a bit.

Jay Serasinghe · September 8, 2013

Mondeo comes with 215/ 16 tires which is not so uncommon. And having owned a Mondeo and driven a Passat, I would also suggest a Mondeo. Parts are not so difficult to find if you know where to look. Volvo's doesn't age so well with our climate. Thats what i have seen. No idea how they drive though.

Crosswind · September 9, 2013

oh another point in favour of mondeos.... there are lot of guides on the internet on how to maintain/repair/modify them.

I once did a climate control conversion (normal A/C to climate control A/C) successfully on a Mondeo, using parts off eBay. try that with a volvo or a passat or even a japanese car for that matter

kush · September 9, 2013

Mondeo, a close friend owns a 2.0 Ghia.

Excellent vehicle, mechanically reliable compared to the VW and the Volvo.

There were couple of electrical issues in the radio and climate control.

He sought parts down from ebay.

TheFlyingFox · September 9, 2013

Thanks a lot for the input guys. So the mondeo seems to be the best and it is the most economical on price as well. I will be buying one before wednesday will keep you all posted

Again thanks .

Jay Serasinghe · September 9, 2013

Before buying a Mondeo, try to convince the seller and take the car to David Peiris, get it checked by Caldera. You will not regret that decision.

Supra_Natural · September 9, 2013

To add a differing opinion, I would vote for the Passat. Has some reliability issues but there is a dedicated specialist and generally good parts availability.

The Mondeo on the other hand really does seem to suffer from parts availability problems as well as lack of people who know them well enough to fix them right.

Just IMO..

Edit: Of course this is with the understanding that none of these cars will provide boring Japanese standards of reliability and trouble free running.. Old Euro cars in general will always give you a few surprises!

Edited September 9, 2013 by Supra_Natural

Crosswind · September 9, 2013

agreed with supra about spares. Out of the three, Mondeo probably has the least amount of parts available in Sri Lanka.

So if you are going for a Mondeo, you should note that

Some (not all) engine spares are compatible with Mazdas, particularly Mazda tribute. Also some parts are compatible with Jaguar X-type.
There are few guys who are advertising on the net and in h*t ad on Mondeo spares
eBay UK (not ebay.com) is the cheapest and easiest way to get most of the smaller spares. You can actually put up a list of consumables like coil pack, injectors, brake pads, plug leads, CV joints, CV boots, rack ends, internal switches, electronics, t-belt, drive belt, adjusters, remote keys, bushes etc. and use a service like jetshopper to get them down at once.

Edited September 9, 2013 by Crosswind

TheFlyingFox · September 12, 2013

Thank you all for the input. I finally bought a Volvo S60. It is just better than the other two. Ride is so smooth and plenty of power from the 2.0 5 cylinder turbo. Got the model with the space ball gear shifter. the factory audio system blows the other cars out of the water. Will post some pics soon. Totally worth it.

Thanks again for the input guys.

carboy2011 · September 12, 2013

congratulations ,do post the pics!

On 9/12/2013 at 3:05 PM, TheFlyingFox said:
Thank you all for the input. I finally bought a Volvo S60. It is just better than the other two. Ride is so smooth and plenty of power from the 2.0 5 cylinder turbo. Got the model with the space ball gear shifter. the factory audio system blows the other cars out of the water. Will post some pics soon. Totally worth it.
Thanks again for the input guys.

Thilina007 · September 13, 2013

Congrats Bro.....

GTAm · September 13, 2013

What's the mileage on the Volvo?

Sampath Gunasekera · September 13, 2013

On 9/12/2013 at 3:05 PM, TheFlyingFox said:
Thank you all for the input. I finally bought a Volvo S60. It is just better than the other two. Ride is so smooth and plenty of power from the 2.0 5 cylinder turbo. Got the model with the space ball gear shifter. the factory audio system blows the other cars out of the water. Will post some pics soon. Totally worth it.
Thanks again for the input guys.

Congrats Mate.

Very spacious and luxery car. Very much comfortabe even when 3 passengers at back seat.

Please post some pics.

Edited September 13, 2013 by Sampath Gunasekera

TheFlyingFox · September 15, 2013

Here are the pics, I cant post it the normal way it says "unable to use this extension on this community" or something.

@ GTam : 120,000 KMs

http://imageshack.us/a/img571/299/j1hg.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img13/8377/nxux.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img5/6362/ck7z.jpg

TheFlyingFox · September 15, 2013

I took part in the Mercedes Pageant today and thought of sharing some snaps. Went there at 7.30 and i have to say there were priceless classics which i didnt think existed in SL.

http://imageshack.us/a/img716/3391/z9r3.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img594/8992/0ihj.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img593/3664/cg38.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img198/1094/cm5t.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img833/4415/2s1w.jpg

Crosswind · September 15, 2013

On 9/15/2013 at 11:13 AM, TheFlyingFox said:
Here are the pics, I cant post it the normal way it says "unable to use this extension on this community" or something.
@ GTam : 120,000 KMs

http://imageshack.us/a/img571/299/j1hg.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img13/8377/nxux.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img5/6362/ck7z.jpg

Sweet. The best part about it is the interior, which seems to be well looked after.

Devinda_Z · September 15, 2013

On 9/15/2013 at 4:33 PM, Crosswind said:
Sweet. The best part about it is the interior, which seems to be well looked after.

Love the space ball shifter

GTAm · September 16, 2013

Nice. Congrats. I always liked the styling of the S60. And the ride comfort must rank very high too.

Devinda_Z · September 20, 2013

so what has the first week of Volvo ownership been like?

at the risk of sounding like every other thrift monger, whats the fuel economy like?? just curious to know first hand how feasible/viable running an S60 would be as daily driver....

TheFlyingFox · September 21, 2013

It has been wonderful. The key point of this thing is the quality of the ride. I wish i had 16" wheels. These 17" ones are good to look at but i think it you lose some of the confort. 16" wheels will be the sweet spot. Turning radious is very small and it takes quite a lot of practice to get used to. The seats are the best i have sat on and they are Electric!. The rear headsets drop down on a touch of a botton if you find it difficult reversing. The built in car phone works with a ordinary SIM card . You have a liberty of choosing between a loud speaker and a didcated phone reciever. Only thing i found not working is the light on the sun visors mirror.

I had to spend like 25k to fix the small small things like Sump guard, one tie rod, rear suspensiton link and full service. This thing eats two SAE40 cans btw :S. There are some minor scratch marks on the body but i just dont feel like doing them because the car has 100% original paint. Not even a buffer has been painted. Oh and i sent the factory radio for replair. It has a 4 CD stacker and 3 CDs got stuck inside. Apperently a common fault as the unit is now close to a dacade.

I run mostly in colombo during the day time and i get about 6-7 . Drive about 40-50 Kms a day.

I am very satisfied with the car. I used to own peugeots and this really really shines. It is not the most easiest car to drive but boy once you know what you are doing it is fantastic! If you are looking for a city car i would not recomend this. the fiesta we have at home is much more managable in these roads. The Volvo is much longer, heavier and bigger. I bought it because i just fell in love with it. eventime i park it somewhere i always turn back and look at it .

Clark's son · September 21, 2013

On 9/21/2013 at 12:23 PM, TheFlyingFox said:
I bought it because i just fell in love with it. eventime i park it somewhere i always turn back and look at it .

That's what choosing a car is all about.

Best of luck for you'r new ride and take care of her.

Devinda_Z · September 21, 2013

On 9/21/2013 at 12:23 PM, TheFlyingFox said:
It has been wonderful. The key point of this thing is the quality of the ride. I wish i had 16" wheels. These 17" ones are good to look at but i think it you lose some of the confort. 16" wheels will be the sweet spot. Turning radious is very small and it takes quite a lot of practice to get used to. The seats are the best i have sat on and they are Electric!. The rear headsets drop down on a touch of a botton if you find it difficult reversing. The built in car phone works with a ordinary SIM card . You have a liberty of choosing between a loud speaker and a didcated phone reciever. Only thing i found not working is the light on the sun visors mirror.
I had to spend like 25k to fix the small small things like Sump guard, one tie rod, rear suspensiton link and full service. This thing eats two SAE40 cans btw :S. There are some minor scratch marks on the body but i just dont feel like doing them because the car has 100% original paint. Not even a buffer has been painted. Oh and i sent the factory radio for replair. It has a 4 CD stacker and 3 CDs got stuck inside. Apperently a common fault as the unit is now close to a dacade.

I run mostly in colombo during the day time and i get about 6-7 . Drive about 40-50 Kms a day.

I am very satisfied with the car. I used to own peugeots and this really really shines. It is not the most easiest car to drive but boy once you know what you are doing it is fantastic! If you are looking for a city car i would not recomend this. the fiesta we have at home is much more managable in these roads. The Volvo is much longer, heavier and bigger. I bought it because i just fell in love with it. eventime i park it somewhere i always turn back and look at it .

is that the Dynaudio unit?

hmmm i was desperately hoping for better fuel figures but it sounds like quite a nice daily runner you've got yourself there

That last line there, of turning back to look at the car when walking away, is the simplest measure of how pleased one is with ones own car

TheFlyingFox · September 21, 2013

I dont know much about the unit, It says HU-803. Clarity and soundstage is just stunning (Before it gobbled up all my CDs lol)! Oh and i got into the hidden advance menus which can change EQ settings and more. It even has a setting to automatically increase the volume gradually to match the car's speed.

Im hoping to change all 5 plugs next month, Will post if there is a change in fuel figures . I doubt it though , The car is pretty heavy. However you dont need to rev as much as a normal 2L engine. I rarely rev above 2500 to keep up with anything. The low pressure turbo does a good job i guess. It doesnt have peak power like a normal turbo but it has more usable power within the rev band. Anyway keeping my fingers crossed