Do i or dont i buy this car?

Question

A friend of mine is selling his Mondeo ST24, its done 115,000 miles, and is a T reg (1997). He is selling it for £1900.

Do i or dont i?

T reg is 1999 (just reliably informed by the seller!)

Answer 1

he is taking you for a ride
never buy cars with that mileage

Answer 2

There are anumber of pros and cons in this deal. Good points are that you should know if your friend has looked after the car, whether he has had any probs with it and if he is areal friend, he wouldnt/shouldnt sell you a heap. Against that is that if any thing goes wrong, there is a distinct possibility that you,ll end up falling out. As for the car itself, the ST24 is a nice car and it is not excessive mileage providing the car has been looked after and not flogged. Get a professional to check the car over for peace of mind It sounds a bit too expensive, more realistic price is 1200 to 1400.

Answer 3

Hi,

The best way is to see for yourself. Here are 10 of the key things to look for at the dealership or private sale:

First, check out the body of the car, looking beyond the styling and paying attention to the details.

1. Look at the seams. Check the gaps between body panels. Are the gaps uniform throughout? A well-engineered and constructed car will show the same body gaps around the doors, the trunk and the hood. Pay particular attention to this on vehicles that have been significantly redesigned or are all new to the market. Although the old adage about not buying a redesigned model in the first year generally no longer applies, varying body gaps may indicate the assembly process needs some adjusting.

2. Match colors. Pay attention to the places on the body where different materials are used, such as where a nose made of a composite plastic material meets the steel of the rest of the body. The paint should not noticeably change hue from one surface to another.

3. What lies beneath? Look under the car to see what protrusions, particularly at the front, could get hung up on parking berms and rip free. Most cars have some sort of air dam underneath the vehicle at the front to aid in cutting aerodynamic drag. But such air dams should be mounted far enough back so parking berms won't rip them off or should be mounted in such a way as to bend rather than break when encountering an object.

4. Under the hood. Even if you're no mechanic, closely inspect the engine bay. Most cars have a cover that surrounds most of the top of the engine. Make sure it's mounted securely -- you shouldn't be able to shake it. The same test should apply to any battery covering. Look at the wiring. It should be either covered or tightly bound together to prevent anything from coming loose. Check for engine and transmission oil leaks.

5. Eye the glass. Look at the window glass and see how the side windows fit against the rubber gaskets when closed. Anything less than a perfect fit will result in wind noise that will only get worse as the car ages.

6. Door "thunk". Open and close the doors, looking for how many so-called "stops" are built into the hinges. A vehicle's door should have two settings so that it will stay open in a half-way position and fully opened. Shut the door and listen for any sort of hollow boom, which could indicate there's less sound-deadening material in the door, which will mean greater road noise.

7. Interior design. Check out the finish on the interior panels. While plastic is the industry norm when it comes to door panels and dashboards, there's a wide variety of grains and finishes applied to the plastic. The dash and panels should have a rich-looking color and have a textured feel to the casual touch. As with the body, the gaps between interior panels should be close and uniform. Look especially where the air bags are hidden.

8. Exposed wiring. If the car you're interested in has power-adjustable front seats, feel under them to see how the wiring and motor coverings are secured. Loose wires or coverings could lead to problems in the future.

9. Little things mean a lot. Pay attention to things like seat latches. They should work with minimal effort and all handles should feel secure, not prone to bending or twisting. Check the stitching and seams of the seats for any loose threads or less-than-straight sewing. Open the trunk and see how the floor covering is secured and whether it's made of a material that will stand up to carrying heavy or dirty cargo.

10. Serious test drive. Lastly, when you've all but settled on the vehicle you want, take an extended test drive, not just a spin around the block. Drive at freeway speeds and pay attention to wind and road noise. Pay attention to how the automatic transmission shifts. It should change gears smoothly and quickly. On a manual transmission, feel where the clutch starts to engage and how long or short the pedal travel is. It should engage gradually and not have any abrupt lurches. Find a safe area to test the brakes. You're not so much looking for what the car will do in a panic stop, but rather how the brakes feel when you apply the pedal. Depending on how far the pedal travels, the feel of the brakes should inspire confidence that the vehicle will stop in a relatively short distance.

All of this may sound like a no-brainer step to buying a car, but according to a recent study, more than 40 percent of new car buyers closed the deal without even taking a short test drive.

Smart buyers will pay attention to every aspect of a car in order to get a vehicle that will deliver value.

Good Luck!

Mike

Answer 4

The mileage isn't anything to worry about to much most cars these days are capable of 500,000 plus.you could certainly use it as a bargaining chip but anybody who knows about cars wouldn't worry about the milage.You need to check if the cam belt has been done recently if it hasn't get it done immediatly and use it as a bargaining chip.

As it's from a mate you probably know a bit about the car any problems etc...But beware sometimes buying from friends can cause trouble if there are any problems, he may not know of any but if it does breakdown it might be at the back of your mind he knew.

Good Luck

Answer 5

not a chance I saw a V reg mondeo for sale with 110,000 on the clock for £750 and that was the Ztech engine, and full package..... I would say your mate is trying it on, don't touch it with a barge pole!

Answer 6

Definately not - the mileage is too high - if you do buy it, you will probably need to replace the cambelt as soon as you get it - before you know where you are, the costs of repairs on the car will be more than what you actually paid for it!! Steer clear my friend.

Answer 7

Woah thats a lot of money for a car with that amount of mileage. I say don't mix business with friendship too, if problems arise with the car (and it look like it might with that mileage) it might cause problems in your relationship.

Answer 8

Definitely not for that money, it's way too much, the car may be ok even with high mileage but it's never worth £1,900

Answer 9

TOO MUCH!!!! value £1200 or less is an old vehicle and most go for newer model mondeo

Answer 10

I'd try and knock him down on price due to the high milage

Does he have a full service history for the car?

Answer 11

Offer him £1400 (Kind of depends how good a friend he is - if something goes wrong straight away he still has to see you - a stranger could just disappear.)