What to do, decisions decisions...

[davek0974]

Hi all, looking for some advice, i know the answer will be a little biased so i'll take it under advisement

We have three cars, the wife has a ford KA, i have a 2005 mondeo and the disco 1-1994 ES manual.

I am toying with the idea of getting rid of the mondeo and using the disco as a daily runner but its a hard decision, here are a few pros and cons...

Pro's.
Disco service yourself, mondy is garage only,
Disco service is about £100, mondy is £200-300
Disco insurance is £150 less,
Parts are cheaper but more are likely needed,
Will tow my trailer,
Is fun to drive,

Con's.
Disco does 30mpg, mondy does 55mpg,
Disco likes 55-65mph, mondy will eat tarmac at 80+ all day,
Mondy will not tow my trailer,
Mondy is like driving a 3-seater sofa, comfortable but boring,
Disco has ABS issues, oil leak at H/B drum, and needs timing belt doing,
Disco tax is £205, mondy tax is £186 ( i think)

I guess that both motors have about 5 years before the repairs get expensive/prohibitive. The disco has some minor rust on B+C pillar bottoms, the mondy is just showing some stonechip rusting. The disco is a very tidy car inside with grey leather in good nick and working aircon plus no leaks yet Mondeo's have a tendency to eat rear subframe bushes which is an expensive repair-i sold the last one due to this fault

So i guess the question is, is a 16 year old disco a serious daily runner, the commute is 25 miles each way, we also camp so the holiday mileage can be quite high too. I do have the option of borrowing the KA if the landy is off the road (but i'd rather not)

Answers on a postcard please...

Dave

 

[horse62]

Strange and spooky for me this one.

My wife has a KA

My 05 Mondeo is being picked up any minute as I have just sold it

My Disco (13 year old) is now my every day car

Flog the Mondeo is what I say

 

[Langers]

You mentioned you fancy a RRC - but said they love to rust... yes they do rust but nowhere near to the extent that first generation Discoveries do. A Tdi powered RRC would be a good balance between awesome looks, decent economy, driving fun and comfort. Don't write them off just yet!

 

[davek0974]

Strange and spooky for me this one.

My wife has a KA

My 05 Mondeo is being picked up any minute as I have just sold it

My Disco (13 year old) is now my every day car

Flog the Mondeo is what I say

Holy crap, thats wierd


Although i would like a RRC, I am just as happy with the Disco, its got looks, relative comfort, acres of space inside, my right elbow just fits nicely on the door trim for comfy driving and it tows like a bitch!

I really like the fact that its got very little electro-gubbins in it to go wrong, the engine is only a few steps up the evolutionary chain from a tractor so easy to fix and pretty solid if not thrashed.

I am currently using the Disco maybe two days a week to keep it sweet, i guess i need to move the usage up to see how it copes. Its just a matter of reliability i think at the end of the day.

 

[Langers]

The Disco will be a reliable commuter provided you are prepared to put in the effort maintaining her. It will cope easily with 25 miles a day provided it is well looked after and not abused.

Also bear in mind that with every mile you put on the Mondeo, you'll be further expediting the depreciation of the vehicle, so when you include that in your weekly/monthly running costs it might just tip the balance.

 

[davek0974]

The Disco will be a reliable commuter provided you are prepared to put in the effort maintaining her. It will cope easily with 25 miles a day provided it is well looked after and not abused.

Also bear in mind that with every mile you put on the Mondeo, you'll be further expediting the depreciation of the vehicle, so when you include that in your weekly/monthly running costs it might just tip the balance.

That sounds fine, as i got only to tow at present, i was looking at a full service each year, if used daily will that be sufficient?? Naturally, any bits that show signs will be dealt with as and when.

Yes, the point of depreciation is a good one, the mondy only has 55000 on its a pretty low mileage one.

 

[horse62]

My Mondeo I just sold had 46 k on the clock full history and it took me well over a month to sell it, only got 1 call and thats when the price fell to £3,300 that was on ebay and autotrader.

It was a Black 2.0 LX Auto with aircon and cruise etc but theres a glut of them and the price plummeted from what i paid for it last Nov.

My Disco has 114 k on the clock and i bet she wont loose me cash like the mondeo did in depreciation.

 

[davek0974]

My Mondeo I just sold had 46 k on the clock full history and it took me well over a month to sell it, only got 1 call and thats when the price fell to £3,300 that was on ebay and autotrader.

It was a Black 2.0 LX Auto with aircon and cruise etc but theres a glut of them and the price plummeted from what i paid for it last Nov.

My Disco has 114 k on the clock and i bet she wont loose me cash like the mondeo did in depreciation.

Bloody hell, i paid £9k for it three years ago :doh: I was hoping for £5k, maybe £4500 but £3300, that hurts!

 

[papasmurf123]

I would say run the Disco,I run a 93 200tdi with no real problems and I do anything up to 500m a week Just remember you will be saving the tax+ insurance on the mondeo which is a good chunk to any extra cost with running a Disco


Rob

 

[jasongtr]

how much towing do you do? whats the option if the disco goes for the towing? if the mondeo prices are dropping that fast maybe sell it now whilst its still worth more than the disco

 

[horse62]

This was my Mondeo and I sold it yesterday for £3300 in the end, as you can see it was a nice looking one.

2005 FORD MONDEO LX AUTO BLACK NOW SOLD on eBay (end time 13-Sep-10 19:49:32 BST)

I started at over £4200 about 6 weeks back and kept dropping the price each week until the phone finally rang on the last day the ad was running luckily. The Autotrader one ran out weeks back after spending over £80 with them advertising it.

Good luck with yours if your selling it, and dont try that "we buy any car" crap of the telly they offered £2200

 

[countrybumpkin]

i've just done a similar thing, i got rid of my series 2a and my 09 plate focus and got a 96 discovery, i spent ages working it out on paper and i recon i will actualy be saving money as i wont be paying out for the car every month i wont have to pay a couple of hundred servicing it and of course most things that go wrong on a landy and have a temp fix with string and gaffa tape

 

[oldskool]

Hi all, looking for some advice, i know the answer will be a little biased so i'll take it under advisement

We have three cars, the wife has a ford KA, i have a 2005 mondeo and the disco 1-1994 ES manual.

I am toying with the idea of getting rid of the mondeo and using the disco as a daily runner but its a hard decision, here are a few pros and cons...

Pro's.
Disco service yourself, mondy is garage only,
Disco service is about £100, mondy is £200-300
Where the fook do you have the mondy serviced at a stealer?
Disco insurance is £150 less,
Parts are cheaper but more are likely needed,
Will tow my trailer,
Is fun to drive,

Con's.
Disco does 30mpg, mondy does 55mpg,
Disco likes 55-65mph, mondy will eat tarmac at 80+ all day,
Mondy will not tow my trailer,
Mondy is like driving a 3-seater sofa, comfortable but boring,
Disco has ABS issues, oil leak at H/B drum, and needs timing belt doing,
Disco tax is £205, mondy tax is £186 ( i think)

I guess that both motors have about 5 years before the repairs get expensive/prohibitive. The disco has some minor rust on B+C pillar bottoms, the mondy is just showing some stonechip rusting. The disco is a very tidy car inside with grey leather in good nick and working aircon plus no leaks yet Mondeo's have a tendency to eat rear subframe bushes which is an expensive repair-i sold the last one due to this fault
Realy what do you call expensive? I wouldn't say they eat rear bushes.
So i guess the question is, is a 16 year old disco a serious daily runner, the commute is 25 miles each way, we also camp so the holiday mileage can be quite high too. I do have the option of borrowing the KA if the landy is off the road (but i'd rather not)

Answers on a postcard please...

Dave

I would be interested in knowing what you were quoted to change those rear sub frame bushes on the mondy.
My opinion on your dilemer (for what its worth) is get shot of the Ka cos they rust just as quick as a disco (if not quicker) give wifey the mondy and you keep the disco for your daily driver and towing, simples

 

[paul_c]

£100 is too cheap for a year's running a Disco even if you DIY - just adding up the fluids and filters comes to more:

2x oil filters
1x air filter
1x fuel filter

gearbox oil 3l
2x engine oil 6.7l
transfer box and diffs every 2 years
brake fluid every 2 years
coolant every 2 years



Also....ABS fault - that would need to be fixed to get the next MoT.

But even with the revised prices, I'd ditch the Mondeo and use the Disco day-to-day in your scenario.

 

[davek0974]

Thanks so far.

The 100 service cost was a bit slim and i didnt have brake pads etc on it of course. The last service i had on the mondy was full service, rear brake pads, wipers and a headlight bulb, plus MOT which i had done at same time, i think it was about £380 at a main stealer, i asked at our local indy garage and was told £150 cash for a plain service.

The rear subframe bushes on the previous mondy were quoted at £400+ as they had to drop the whole rear end, i didnt get it done and chopped it in for this one

The wifey was not comfortable driving the mondy due to its size.

I only need to tow the trailer for about 8 weekends a year and its for pleasure use, so no biggie if i was forced to miss one.

I think i'll try a couple of weeks in the landy only, see how it goes.

Is one good service per year sufficient for a disco???

Dave

 

[paul_c]

I'd want a good reason to depart from the manufacturer's recommended service intervals.

 

[davek0974]

£100 is too cheap for a year's running a Disco even if you DIY - just adding up the fluids and filters comes to more:

2x oil filters
1x air filter
1x fuel filter

gearbox oil 3l
2x engine oil 6.7l
transfer box and diffs every 2 years
brake fluid every 2 years
coolant every 2 years



Also....ABS fault - that would need to be fixed to get the next MoT.

But even with the revised prices, I'd ditch the Mondeo and use the Disco day-to-day in your scenario.

I take it thats the recommended service schedule??

The ABS has no bulb i think, it came with a years' MOT so i have 9 months to fit a bulb and start diagnosing, its one job i'm not looking forward to due to the cost implications of duff sensors, modulators etc. If it was simple i would have thought it would have been fixed before?? Is there a point in the wiring that i can easily fit a temporary lamp for test purposes??

Dave

 

[Pikey]

I take it thats the recommended service schedule??

The ABS has no bulb i think, it came with a years' MOT so i have 9 months to fit a bulb and start diagnosing, its one job i'm not looking forward to due to the cost implications of duff sensors, modulators etc. If it was simple i would have thought it would have been fixed before?? Is there a point in the wiring that i can easily fit a temporary lamp for test purposes??

Dave

Mot tester should?? observe the ABS lights and ensure it operates correctly. so unless you can figure a way to wire it so it replicates the correct sequence. The answer is NO!!

Not sure how it passed last MOT with no bulb in it..

 

[paul_c]

Engine oil 6000 miles/6 months
Fuel filter 12000 miles/12 months
Air filter 12000 miles/12 months
Gearbox oil 12000 miles/12 months
Valve clearances 12000 miles/12 months
Transfer box & axles 24000 miles/2 years
Brake fluid 2 years
Coolant 2 years

There's a few other bits & bobs too, so the above isn't a complete list but is the known spends.

 

[oldskool]

Thanks so far.

The 100 service cost was a bit slim and i didnt have brake pads etc on it of course. The last service i had on the mondy was full service, rear brake pads, wipers and a headlight bulb, plus MOT which i had done at same time, i think it was about £380 at a main stealer, i asked at our local indy garage and was told £150 cash for a plain service.

The rear subframe bushes on the previous mondy were quoted at £400+ as they had to drop the whole rear end, i didnt get it done and chopped it in for this one

The wifey was not comfortable driving the mondy due to its size.

I only need to tow the trailer for about 8 weekends a year and its for pleasure use, so no biggie if i was forced to miss one.

I think i'll try a couple of weeks in the landy only, see how it goes.

Is one good service per year sufficient for a disco???

Dave

FFS how do these garages come up with these prices i think the last set i did came in at about £140 incl parts and VAT you dont need to take the sub frame out if you got the right tools (which i have)

My wife said that when i sold her golf GTI and bought her a volvo 850R she got used to it and now won't drive a small car she's on her second mondy now.

Rip off coonts

Plain service? if you mean interim service oil/oil filter and pollen filter and a full check over there rip off cooonts anorl, we do that and a free service wash and free screen wash additive for around £90 but does depend on make model ect. Here's an example for you BMW 318 SPORT 2.0 all the above plus an MOT and 1 245/40X17 budget tyre all for....you sitting down £183 and a few pence. Parts/labour and VAT.

These rip off garages realy **** me orf coooonts all of them