Second-Hand Sense: During a day's driving you will see it by the score, but perhaps the only time you take any real notice is when it appears in your rear view mirror with a blue light on top.
It's the Ford Mondeo, a car which has become embedded in the motoring world as few others have. It could even be said that there are so many Mondeo cars on Irish and British roads that it must represent the biggest ever ongoing mass road test for any car maker.
In fairness to Ford, the newer version of the car, which hit the roads in 2001, does have a more cutting design edge than the model it replaced, but you don't sell as many cars in this sector as Ford does by being dramatically different.
The Mondeo is still by any standards a conservative car. It is also, however, an excellent one that's very difficult to fault and one that has traditionally been to the forefront in safety. Believe it or not, the Mondeo was the first car with an airbag as standard - and that was only in 1993 !
There are thousands of Mondeos on the second-hand market, but it seems logical to look for the newer model, unless you badly need a bargain. The older model is dull but worthy and has a history of problems ranging from pulling to one side when braking to a heater that often smells like it's going on fire. The newer model has an excellent track record and hasn't been the subject of complaints as the pre-2001 car has. Even with a list of faults, the older Mondeo was actually a good strong car which served many a sales rep and farmer well.
The newer car is a pleasure to drive. It comes in three versions - saloon, hatch and estate, all fine cars. Ride is firm and handling good and you really don't feel you are driving the vehicle of choice for so many safe betters.
A choice of two 1.8 litre petrol engines, a really good 2-litre diesel and even a 2.5 V6 are on offer. The smaller petrol units and the diesel engine all perform well and the 1.8 petrol should give you well over 30 mpg and has a 12,500-mile service interval.
The Mondeo shines when it comes to safety features. It really allowed Ford to put it up to the competition. Front airbags, side airbags and side airbag curtains are complemented by ABS with anti-skid technology.
The car also has excellent build quality and a really reassuring clunk when you close the door.
The interior is certainly a good deal less drab than the older model. This time we have a mixture of brushed aluminium to offset the black plastic of the moulded dashboard. The designers also managed to achieve a good overall balance between controlling costs and making the car's interior feel a good deal warmer than several competitors. In fact, the Mondeo interior comes nearer to that of a Saab when one thinks about a competitor such as the VW Passat.
The car has a good rating on both the European crash tests and JD Power satisfaction tables. Big sales volumes, however, tend to depress second-hand prices, which is obviously good for the second-hand buyer but not great if buying new.
A 2002 1.8 litre petrol model with 25,000 on the clock has an asking price at one garage of €16,645, which should translate into a price near €15,000 with some intelligent haggling. A 2000 model, with 49,000 on the clock, has an asking price of 12,500.