Evenin' all,
Brief bit of history... I've now had my very early Mk.II (Oct 1996) Mondeo Ghia X for just a shade over 5 years, and had very good service out of it. It's never been near a Ford Dealership for service (except for a year when I was out of the country, travelling Australia, and my Dad kindly 'looked after' it for me! I purchased it as a private sale at the end of the Summer of 1999, whereupon it had 24,000 miles on the clock.
Five years later on, and its now got 125,000 miles on the clock. Numerous services and a cambelt change done by my own 'fair' (!) hand, and its still going, but starting to show signs of wear.
I've now decided that it's now due for replacement, but the question is, what to replace it with? Normally I have a go in someone else's company car, and decide that I 'want one of them'! But at the moment, I don't drive much for work, so don't really get the chance anymore.
My first instinct was to replace it with a Mk.III Ghia X, probably around
2003 - but this time, a 2.0 TDCi. Having also had a brief dalliance with a 2.9 Cosworth Scorpio, I can honestly say that the fuel consumption gave me the fright of my life. With the ever-increasing cost of petrol, I'm now seriously thinking that diesel is the way to go.So I guess I'd like opinions on which vehicle people rate the most highly. I'm considering:
- Mondeo TDCi, 5 door hatch, Ghia X
- Passat, TDi - no idea about trim levels
- Audi A4
I'm fairly certain that if I want the hatchback, it has to be a Mondeo. I'm also intending to fit another (excellent) Witter towbar to whatever I buy, as I occasionally have a requirement to pull a trailer and a boat.
Whatever I buy - having enjoyed the Ghia X equipment level - I would like the same high specification. Is the TDCi Mondy the way to go? Budget is about £12K.
Thanks for all opinions.
Cheers
Alan