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Are there any issues regarding these vehicles I should be aware of before purchsing? The one I have my eye on has 132K on it, and 2 owners nz new. Just waiting on any service records regarding the water pump, considering the ks? However I have had 2 mechanics tell me to stay well clear of mondeos in general, and one say the 2.5 v6 ghias are fine? More advice would be much appreciated.

These are nice to drive but don't enjoy a great reputation for reliability and cost of maintenance.
Personally, I think you'd be better off looking at a similar era Mazda6, which is also a great driver's car but enjoys a better reputation for reliability and overall cost of ownership.

Thanks for that, are the 2.0l versions any better? Is the Mazda Atenza similar to the 6 for reliability? The only other car I liked was the Camry Sportivo, but the ones I can afford are up around 170Ks and I felt that was too high?

Actually, according to our AA Roadservice team, the 2.5 is likely to be more reliable than the 2.0 litre, but the 2.5 is not very common in NZ.
Camry Sportivo would be a good choice, but as with any high km car, with those sort of kms, it becomes quite high risk.
And yes, Atenza is the Japanese import equivalent of the Mazda6.