SOME of you might know that BMW shift more of the 3-Series than Ford do the Mondeo. It’s remarkable but true.
BMW has somehow been able to remain premium whilst outselling the traditional mainstream competition.
This brand voodoo is all the more remarkable when you consider the sheer quality of the Mondeo, brilliant though the 3-Series is, it’s no better than the Ford.
But which is the best secondhand buy?
Does the BMW’s marginally better on road dynamics offset the Fords superior accommodation or is the BMW’s superior badge a greater draw than the Mondeo’s cheaper dealer rates and repair costs?
Well, here at UsedCarExpert have used our extensive knowledge and plentiful data to answer this very question, and the results are rather interesting.
In terms of actual faults to check for in our fault guides the Mondeo is marginally ahead with only 19 faults to the 3-Series’ rather poor showing of 20.
The most expensive problem comes from the German car with a crazy £5,500-plus to replace a broken folding roof on the convertible model.
Rather more representative is the cost of replacing the bushes in the front suspension, a common fault on both cars.
That’ll be a mere £130 in the Ford and no less than £250 in the BMW. Similarly a new turbo for the German car will be £500 more than the Ford.
When it comes to dealers BMW claws some kudos back. We award points to a dealer from 0 to 4 with marks gained for honesty, knowledge and general helpfulness.
Out of 15 dealers we called the BMW total was 39, Ford made a rather dismal 29.
The real killer for BMW is the cost.
Imagine you have £10,000 to spend on a car. As the two examples below show, the BMW’s premium badge is going to cost you an awful lot of money. Or it’ll mean you get a much higher mileage car, that is a fair few years older.
BMW 3-Series
It’s hard to argue against the BMW in any other way than in comparative terms. As a means of transport it is utterly brilliant. Stylish yet subtle and with BMW’s superb engines and transmission, the 3 is the definitive car in its class and it’s hard to imagine a time when that won’t be the case.
UsedCarExpert.co.uk Cars for sale: An extremely tidy three year old 325i SE petrol car with only 60,000 miles on the clock can be had for £10,000
Ford Mondeo
The Mondeo defines the mass-market family car. It’s just very, very good indeed. The ride - handling compromise is sublime, the accommodation generous and the maintenance and servicing is a cheap as it gets. Pretty much the ideal second hand car.
UsedCarExpert.co.uk Cars for sale: The same £10,000 get’s you a nearly new one year old 2.0-litre petrol car with only 28,000 miles on the clock.
To conclude, you can get a much newer, much cheaper to run Mondeo but you won’t enjoy going to the dealer as much.
Motors.co.uk value verdict:
