BUYER’S GUIDE MONDEO MK4 2.5T
WHY YOU WANT ONE…
■ Who doesn’t hanker after a James Bond car? For 2006’s Casino Royale, Daniel Craig drove a Tonic (metallic blue) 2.5T in a blatant scene of product placement.
■ Few modern cars offer the practicality or space of a Mk4 Mondeo – they’re enormous – and 2.5s tend to be particularly well-equipped. They’re astonishingly smooth mile-munchers.
■ The five-pot motor is shared with the Focus ST225 and Mk2 RS, so it’s extraordinarily tuneable and would make an epic sleeper.
WHY YOU DON’T…
■ Ford sold hardly any Mk4 2.5s, so you could be searching forever to find the right combo of bodystyle, colour, trim and spec.
■ Mondeo Man isn’t exactly a cool image: you’ll not fend off mates’ minicab/pensioner jokes by repeating ‘it’s the same engine as the Focus RS, you know’ at every show…
■ The five-cylinder engine doesn’t half like a drink, and you’ll be lucky to see 30mpg. It’s also prone to suffering from split cylinder liners, so it’s far from cheap to run.
HOW MUCH TO PAY
PROJECT: PROJECT £1000-£2000
Breakers with blown engines can be picked up for less than £500, but complete running cars fetch four figures if needing work. Don’t be surprised to spend £1500 on a 2.5 with 200k on the clock.
GOOD: GOOD £2000-£3000
You’ll need upwards of £2k for anything useable, although there’s no reason why a highmileage (150,000-plus) Mondeo won’t go on for many years. Expect to spend more cash on an estate than saloon or hatch.
CONCOURS: CONCOURS £3000-£5000
Any Titanium X without intergalactic mileage is in this budget; look for lots of service history – especially cambelt and water pump changes. Titanium X Sports can cost £5000 or more, but you’re getting into (newer) EcoBoost territory.
IDENTITY
Mondeos aren’t prime targets for theft and fakery, but a history check is vital to ensure it’s
