1. This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Learn More.

Motors Car options? Mondeo? Passat? A6?

Discussion in 'General' started by genesisofthesith, 25 Feb 2007.

  1. genesisofthesith

    genesisofthesith complete spanner

    Joined:
    4 Dec 2004
    Posts:
    566
    Likes Received:
    2
    How do mk3 mondeo's compare to mark 5 passats ?

    I don't like the look of mark 2 mondeo's, so I'm overlooking the relative bargains they might bring.

    But for a 22 year old with no NCB (had licence for 2 years without driving), with a budget of roughly £3500 (ideally less, but perhaps more if there was a better value for money option at that price range), whose general driving would involve shortish trips to work and town, but the occasional longer distance drives for weekends away etc, what would you reccomend?

    In order of importance I'm looking for:

    Reliability (ideally just replacing consumables and general maintenance)

    Reasonable cost of ownership (covering cost of maintenance/repairs, fuel economy, depreciation)

    Build quality and comfort


    I'm not sure if I'm going to go down the larger car route yet, and may go for a hatchback, but I'm hoping some of you could tell me a little about the relative merits/demerits of bigger cars.
     
    Last edited: 10 Mar 2007
  2. Krikkit

    Krikkit All glory to the hypnotoad! Super Moderator

    Joined:
    21 Jan 2003
    Posts:
    23,925
    Likes Received:
    655
    Generally bigger cars cost more to service, but they are much better for long-distance driving, as they tend to be a lot more refined.

    A diesel-engined anything in the saloon class will bring great economy - they have to or they wouldn't be good as company cars. In the Mk.3 Mondeo, the 2.0 TDCi is a pretty good number; it's a diesel, so very reliable if well-kept, and there're a billion parts for them, so fixing them will be pretty cheap too.

    Passats are likely to be a lot more expensive, as you pay for better build quality inside, and a nicer interior, but either is a reasonable car tbh. Again, if you can get a common-rail diesel'd model, that'd be best for economy.
     
  3. Fod

    Fod what is the cheesecake?

    Joined:
    26 Aug 2004
    Posts:
    5,802
    Likes Received:
    133
    uh, passat, every single time. they keep their value far, far better than fords (which are pretty much the fastest depreciating car out there).
    plus i mean come on. vw vs ford? there's no contest!
     
  4. peteone

    peteone Minimodder

    Joined:
    5 Jun 2002
    Posts:
    716
    Likes Received:
    0
    Im with the Passat too, or Bora perhaps :thumb:
     
  5. GiGo

    GiGo was once a nerd.....

    Joined:
    12 May 2002
    Posts:
    2,313
    Likes Received:
    1
    Skoda Octavia if your looking down that route, Skoda are owned by VW, my brother has one and hes very happy with it, never had a problem with it in 3 years.

    I will say Passat! Mondeos are to common and plus if you have a problem with the electricals (im mainly talking ECU) it costs a lot, as my friend found out last week!
     
  6. padair

    padair Inebriated

    Joined:
    20 May 2004
    Posts:
    624
    Likes Received:
    12
    TBH there's very little to choose between them - it's down to personal choice, the Passat is saloon or estate and the Modeo is a Hatch, saloon and estate - If you need to carry large loads a hatch or estate will be more practical. For reliability the TDCI engine is as reliable as the TDI, both are capable of doing a couple of hundred thousand miles with ease. Plus they were both designed by the same person...
    It's the little things can make the difference - the VW has far better OEM support for software and diagnostics, a VagCom compatible OBD cable costs around a tenner, if you use the shareware version of Vagcom you don't need to visit a dealer for almost everything. You can buy a full Vagcom kit with the full version of the software for around a hundred squid.
    With the Ford you have to use a OBD2 compliant unit - about £50 and then you have to use generic software - this is fine but not as nice as the VAG solution.

    My advice - buy a Audi A6 TDI, you'll be surprised at how cheap you can pick up a 1.9TDi
     
  7. Krikkit

    Krikkit All glory to the hypnotoad! Super Moderator

    Joined:
    21 Jan 2003
    Posts:
    23,925
    Likes Received:
    655
    That's a point - those Audi 1.9TDi engines are phenomenally good, only bettered by the new 2.0TDi. My dad has an A3 Sportback with one of those (and a DSG 'box), and for a diesel, it's pretty nice. And it gets 60-65mpg on the motorway...

    A couple of years ago the (then) new shaped A4 estate was the car to have, big boot and seriously frugal on juice.
     
  8. Jamie

    Jamie ex-Bit-Tech code junkie

    Joined:
    12 Mar 2001
    Posts:
    8,180
    Likes Received:
    54
    My parents had a Modeo estate 2 litre petrol and the engine did over 170k miles without missing a beat. The car never went wrong and didn't cost a penny other than the usual wear and tear bits.
     
  9. peteone

    peteone Minimodder

    Joined:
    5 Jun 2002
    Posts:
    716
    Likes Received:
    0
    Woot where from? Ross-tech? Ive been using the shareware version for a few years and agreed it is a marvelous bit of kit but I could do with the full version. I thought the full version was more like £300?

    Soz that was a bit off topic..

    just checked and its $99 without the cable, absolute bargain. :)
     
    Last edited: 25 Feb 2007
  10. Will

    Will Beware the judderman...

    Joined:
    16 Jun 2001
    Posts:
    3,057
    Likes Received:
    2
    The Passat *will* break more than the Mondeo, of that I can almost guarantee

    To be honest the word 'Passat' tends to make me and my dad angry, him having owned two absolute lemons, both brand new (T reg and V reg, both 1.8T petrol models).

    Why did he have two, you may ask, since they were rubbish - = well the first had so many things go wrong with it that he was on the verge of legal action to get his money back, so VW UK offered him a brand new one as replacement, so we got a new one, which was only marginally more reliable! He sold it after three years, with numerous electrical problems, and the sound of water sloshing around inside both passenger doors as the seals to both had gone and they were slowly filling up :jawdrop:

    The Mondeo will be more reliable (Fords are generally pretty damned solid in recent years, the Focus has been Germany's most reliable car for the past few years), and parts will be cheaper and more readily available. The Passat will have much greater 'perceived' build quality, in that the materials used in its interior will feel nicer and so on, but generally the Mondeo will cause you less problems. In terms of comfort, the Passat might be a slightly more comfortable cruiser, and its cabin will feel comfier, but then the Mondeo handles nicer so its tradeoff.

    £3.5k will get you a much newer and better specced Mondeo than Passat too...the aforementioned faster depreciation of the Ford is something of an advantage really, when buying second hand.
     
  11. Simmy

    Simmy Minimodder

    Joined:
    16 May 2004
    Posts:
    553
    Likes Received:
    5
    I was looking at either a passat 1.8t or mondeo st24 just over a year ago and in the end I went with the Passat. I couldn't be more thrilled with it :D I haven't had any problems with it yet, apart from a flat tyre. Servicing is around £150-200 and I get around 30mpg combined or 35-38mpg on the motorway. The build quality is fantastic.

    With the 1.8t model, 200bhp can be had from a simple/cheap remap :D I got mine remapped with upsolute for £300 or so and the difference is astounding.

    The only downside is the handling. Even though mine is a 'sport' model, having come from a modified clio 16v, the handling leaves something to be desired! It's probably a good thing though, as the poor handling means I drive more sensibly.

    Will - sorry to hear your Dad had a bad experience with both of his Passats! Strange considering mine hasn't flinched once yet *touch wood*
     
  12. xen0morph

    xen0morph Bargain wine connoisseur

    Joined:
    30 Jun 2002
    Posts:
    2,925
    Likes Received:
    1
    Skoda Octavia. Same platform as the Passat, cheaper, probably more reliable (as Skoda are trying to build a name for themselves) and is available with a VW 1.9 or 2.0 TDi.

    Having said that, the new Mondeo is quite nice.
     
  13. grungedead

    grungedead Minimodder

    Joined:
    8 Dec 2005
    Posts:
    741
    Likes Received:
    0
    if you must go for the two then id say the passat as im a dubber at heart, however you really can get smaller cars with a similar amount of room inside that will be cheaper on petrol, insurance and slightly nippier due to less weight.

    i dont agree with the fact that bigger cars are more expensive to service as its an engine at the end of the day and as long as its looked after reasonably well then they should last for years
     
  14. padair

    padair Inebriated

    Joined:
    20 May 2004
    Posts:
    624
    Likes Received:
    12
    Though the Skoda Octavia is similar to the Passat in size, it is built on the Audi A3/VW Golf chassis, it's the Superb that's based on the Passat/A4 platform.
     
  15. sk8phreak88

    sk8phreak88 Minimodder

    Joined:
    8 Aug 2004
    Posts:
    388
    Likes Received:
    0
    One of my buddies just got a 99 VW Passat, for a seadan it's a fairly quick car (His does have the 1.8T in it though. But all the options are nice and its a nice ride.
     
  16. Pookeyhead

    Pookeyhead It's big, and it's clever.

    Joined:
    30 Jan 2004
    Posts:
    10,961
    Likes Received:
    561
    OK.. you want the opinion of someone who's lived with both?

    The Passat is DULL! and from 05 onwards, the handbrake is bloody useless. You pull a lever on the dash, and some electronic servos apply the brakes about a second later. Hill starts are a nightmare! Older ones have a normal handbrake tho. They're quite noisy compared to the Mondeo, and the driving position is awkward, with the seat needing to be raised to the max unless you're over 6ft tall. Model for model, you get less toys than the equivalent Mondeo, and they just look so DULL.

    The Mondeo will depreciate faster tho... everyone's right about that.

    It depends what age you're talking about really. Older Mondeos are not as good as the newer MkIII ones, so if you'e talking about a Y plate or older, then Id say drive both before you decide because the interior of MKII Mondeos is a little bit "90s" compared to the passat.

    Mechanically, the Mondeo is a superior car tho: Handles better, drives better, and is far easier and cheaper to maintain and service.

    Neither is a bad car. Drive them both and decide yourself.
     
  17. genesisofthesith

    genesisofthesith complete spanner

    Joined:
    4 Dec 2004
    Posts:
    566
    Likes Received:
    2
  18. Krikkit

    Krikkit All glory to the hypnotoad! Super Moderator

    Joined:
    21 Jan 2003
    Posts:
    23,925
    Likes Received:
    655
    Bit of a big car to be dragged along by a 1.8T, even so, it's a nice car, Audi's are always pretty good imho. Maybe an A4 with the same engine would be better? Same size as the passat and mondeo, but a bit classier.
     
  19. big ally

    big ally What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    27 Jan 2007
    Posts:
    24
    Likes Received:
    0
    hey mate, if your budget is £3500 foget about passats and a6's, they hold there value really well. of your 3.5k is for insurance as well, the only passat or a6 youll get s a banger with 4 billion miles on the clock. ive always been a die hard Vauxhall fan but i now driver a Renault Megane salloon 1.9 dti, its a 2000 model, electic windows, sunroof, mirror, air con, its got a cavernous boot and driven gently it gets at least 65mpg and its reasonably quick, i cant fault it, just kept the oil and filters changed and never had a prob
     
  20. genesisofthesith

    genesisofthesith complete spanner

    Joined:
    4 Dec 2004
    Posts:
    566
    Likes Received:
    2
    My budget is pretty flexible, 4.5k excluding insurance would be OK, as long as the car wasn't going to significantly lose value over say two years ownership.
     
Tags:

Share This Page