Ford Mondeo LX TDCi 130 PS Hatchback 2003 Pre-Facelift Model - Used Car Review

Background

Replacing the Sierra in 1993 with a $6bn new car programme (one of the most expensive ever), the Ford Mondeo has become one of the most popular mid-size vehicles in the UK market. It?s no coincidence that its reliability has made the Ford Mondeo the favoured car for fleet owners of any size.

The current MkIII (mark 3) model Ford Mondeo was introduced in 2000 after the MkII (mark 2) mondeo was discontinued 3 years after its inception in 1997. The third generation Ford Monde was launched in 2000, and addressed the 2 main criticisms of its predecessor: the modest legroom and sluggish diesel engine. The legroom is noticeably bigger and the pull of the straight-four-cylinder, turbo-intercooled, 16-valve direct-injection TDCi engine is a marked improvement. The chain-driven camshafts also rectified a common problem in the earlier models.

The security of the Ford Mondo MkIII is also an improvement on its predecessors, including the Intelligent Protection System (IPS), anti-lock brakes and electronic brake distribution. No wonder it frequently featured as the most popular car in its class at the turn of the new decade and ranked as high as 8th top selling car in the UK.

Common faults
Injectors.
The review

We purchased the Mondeo LX 130 TDCi as a 3? year old diesel vehicle with 85,000 miles on the clock and full Ford service history.
To look at the MkIII (mark 3) Ford Mondeo is still a modern looking car, and with 85,000 miles on the clock, this Mondeo neither looks nor feels tired. The light metallic blue paint gives it a bright, happy look, and although the wheel trims don?t have the same effect of the alloy wheels (alloys) of the zetec or ghia models, this LX is still a great looking car. With the dash and centre console following the lead set by the 1996 Volkswagen (VW) Passat, and a nice dark charcoal upholstery, I was looking forward to getting behind the wheel for the roadtest.

On the road I wasn?t disappointed, and the extra 15 PS made the 130 PS TDCi faster than a lot of its petrol rivals I came across that tried to add an extra minute or two onto my journey time. The handling was fine, brakes sharp, and the increased torque was just enough to keep the ride ?pokey? without the slip-and-slide of a lighter competitor. And it even has lower emissions than its 115 zetec counterpart...

In summary, a good pedigree, good handling, solid build quality, generous equipment, roomy interiors and low cost servicing. And when you can get 200 to 300,000 miles from a well serviced TDCi Ford Mondeo LX 130 for only ?5495 on the road, you won?t be disappointed with your investment.

Please feel free to submit your comments and experience of your Ford Mondeo LX 130 PS 2003(03) 2.0 TDCi hatchback to the webmaster at the used car world website.

See also used-car-review-2-ford-mondeo-zetec-115ps-2004-04-2-litre-tdci-diesel-hatchback
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Non Surgical Facelifts - Two Options for a Natural, Youthful, Stunning Look

Before you take the option of going under the surgeon?s knife you should consider a non surgical facelift.

Because their natural they look natural and you will not encounter the problems that many plastic surgery patients have i.e it?s obvious they have had a makeover or they look totally unnatural in their appearance.

Today more women are taking the natural option and you should to. In previous articles we discussed Restylane and Mestotherapy.

Here we will cover the other two major natural facelift procedures. Lets look at them and there advantages.

1. Intense Pulsed Light (IPL)

This treatment works in a similar way to a laser and sends a nigh intensity pulse into the skin.

By heating the lower levels of the skin, it effectively destroys excess pigment and thread veins.

At the same time it will stimulate the growth of collagen in the skin itself.

The Result

The results are very good in terms of fading sun spots (a tell tale sign of aging) and also helps repair broken veins, pigmentation marks and plumps up the skin at the same time.

The Cost

The cost of the treatment is around $500 making it a very competitively priced option although depending on the skins condition a few sessions may be necessary.

2. Isolagen

This innovative treatment takes Fibroblasts from your own skin (normally behind the ears) and then clones them and they are then inserted into your face to improve appearance, targeting wrinkles are skin that is sagging or drooping.

It takes a couple of sessions to do of about 1.5 hours each and the insertions are done with needles and up to 80 injections can be done.

The Result

If done by an experienced and reputable salon then the results can be stunning and can lead to a fantastic reversal in the signs of aging, of skin tone and overall look.

Check out past cases your salon has done in the past as results can vary considerably depending on who is administering the treatment.

Cost around $6,000. Not the cheapest option, however one many women have used and have had great results.

In this series of articles we have covered 4 of the most popular procedures, so what is the best one?

Well, that really is down to what you need done and the skill of the person administering the treatment.

Do your homework and decide which natural facelift technique is for you before choosing. Keep in mind they are natural, safe and a great alternative to the surgeons knife.

MORE FREE INFO

On all aspects of health beauty and more on anti aging visit our website for a huge resource of articles, features and downloads and at http://www.net-planet.org/index.html