Ford introduced the Mondeo to replace the Ford Sierra and Sapphire range in 1993, it was the first of the modern Ford era, I remember as a young child I really wanted my dad to trade in his burgundy Sapphire for a new silver Mondeo.
It was a good thing he didn't always listen to me; the 1993 Mondeo was a lemon. One of the problems I remember is that they all use to pull to the left, after numerous recalls Ford just said it was the "characteristic of the Mondeo". I interpret that as "we don't really know how to fix this, or we can't fix this"
The mark 2 Mondeo was a slight improvement on the initial one, Ford modernised the original Mondeo and changed some internal mechanical parts but at this point consumer trust in the Mondeo was heavily dented and a slightly revised version was not going to cut the mustard.
In 2000 Ford released the all new Mondeo, it inherited very little from the old Mondeo and Ford made sure consumers knew that. Two of the old car's biggest weaknesses, the modest rear legroom, and uncompetitive diesel version were addressed by a longer wheelbase and the new Duratorq diesel engine.
In 2002, it was the fifth best selling new car in the UK; it was pushed down to third place in the large family car sector by the Vauxhall Vectra and Peugeot 406, not claiming top spot until 2005.
If you are looking for a used Mondeo I would recommend not going any older than the 2000 model, these models have acquired a reputation for excellent build quality and reliability. If you have the budget then the new Ford Mondeo is probably the best in its class.
