SF695

The MK1 Camry 2.0 had the 2S, not the 3S-FE, that the MK2 had. However i'm told that the 3S-FE is none interference. I had my cambelt changed at an independet garage, but a mechanic at the Toyota dealers told me, that they usually changed the waterpump when changing the cambelt

Sorry, i forgot to add that the 3S-GTE Caldina was AWD, like the Celica GT4. You said it yourself, you wanted a car that was different. A turbocharged Celica is nothing new. A turbo charged petrol Avensis on the other hand is very rare indeed.

Why not install a 3S-GTE? The Japanese domestic market Caldina was identical with the MK1 Avensis Wagon. Except that in addition to the 7A-FE and 3S-FE we got in Europe it had the 3S-GE and the turbocharged 3S-GTE that we know from the Celica. Just saying

Just curious, what are the most popular or common cars in UK. Ford and Opel/Vauxhall?

Dealership aside the Audi A4 would be in my shortlist. The Passat is probably a good car too, but i always found it boring, so although the 2 are build on the same platform, i would rather spend the extra buck for the Audi. That said, i would rather buy the Passat than the Mondeo.

Well, i don't know. Never been in an Auris, but heard the interior is not first class. My mother tried out a Yaris and fell absolutely in love with it, but ended up buying a VW Polo, that she got very cheap. You can't just ignore figures like less than half of the price and lower mileage. Yet the Yaris was her dreamcar.

Well you said it was the same in neutral. That would suggest that it is not engine or transmission related. BTW do you original tyres on the car?

The plug leads should never be disconnected whilst the engine is running. Unburnt fuel is passed into the catalytic convertor and can cause serious damage to it. Fitter Ehm, it does so anyway if one of them isn't working as it should.

If memory serves me correct and it usually does, their services weren't that great here either. As you probably guessed, the Mondeo isn't on my short list, or for that matter on my long list. However, the Avensis lacks a performance model. Yes i know, i've said so numerous times in the hope that someone from TMC would read it and take it into consideration, but offering a 177 hp diesel as the fastest version, just isn't good enough. Even the Carina E GTI had 173 hp back in the 90s and the Japanese market Caldina, which shared platform with the MK1 Avensis, even had a 260 hp version. 3S-GTE.

hi agree about the press, as i suspect that some of their opinions are based own choices and preferances also prejudices wich i suppose we make before buying. we must be gratefull thast we have a choice,it would be a poorer world if we all drove the same vehicle. though it may be be cheaper by the volume produced. Indeed. The world would be a boring place if we all drove Avensis's or Mondeo's or S60's. Funny, one of the previous posters said, that he bought the Avensis because there were so many Mondeo's on the road. Here, it is the other way around. My aunts husband bought a Mondeo because there were so many Avensis's on the road, even though he liked the Avensis better. Another reason was that Ford had reduced their prices to increase their sale and also offered low interest loans.

Regarding the motoring press, there may be a couple that actually know what they are talking about, but personally i never took the majority of them too serious.

What Ford was sometime in the 40's tells nothing about what they were in the in the last 30 years. After having a couple of Fords in the family, i promised myself never to buy one. The previous version of the Mondeo only comfirmed my opinion. It is however no secret, that Ford has used technology from both Mazda and Volvo and the platform for the present Mondeo was developed in collaboration with Volvo. They also use some Volvo engines i their cars, most notably the turbocharged I5, as well as Volvo have adopted some of Fords engines. Nothing wrong with that. If a company can improve their product by adopting technology from others, that the same company happens to be the owner off, i salute that. Personally, i would rather wait for the Volvo S60 to hit the dealers, than buy a Mondeo. If Toyota's quality isn't as good today as it used to be, it's not really that difficult to figure out why. Increasing volumes and especially fast increasing volumes rarely go hand in hand with quality. The previous Toyota management had one main objective, to beat GM and be number one in volumes, sacrificing the quality that used to be Toyota's trademark. Some of that management has been replaced. I only hope they will all be replaced and Toyota will find it's roots again.

I didn't ask what handling, bodyroll, cornering or feedback was. I asked in which of them the Mondeo was as good as some of you claim. BTW, you forgot highspeed stability. And build quality can be a lot of things. Some, myself included would way that build quality is judged by reliability and strength of the chassis, which doesn't really have anything to do with the material used in the cabin. Forgive my scepticism, but i'm trying to understand how a company, that not too long ago couldn't make a decent car, now suddently is supposed to be a benchmark. Ok, they may have learned a few things from their relationship with Mazda and Volvo.

Tyres are the most frequent cause of vibrations. But what about the brakes? If they are hanging or there is rust or dirt it could cause vibration. Doesn't sound like an engine or transmission problem, since it's the same in neutral.