Transmissions

Manuals were by far the most common choice and, depending on the engine, it’ll be an IB5 or MTX-75 unit shared with a number of other Fords. Neither has a reputation for being troublesome and the MKII was renowned for its slick, positive gearshift action (later improved by using the low-viscosity oil from the Econetic model), so any issues should ring alarm bells. With so many to choose from, there’s no reason to lumber yourself with a duff gearbox. Likely to be more troublesome is the dual-mass flywheel, which gained a reputation for failing at low mileages, so listen out for rattles and grumbling at idle – a quality replacement is £300 before fitting.

As for automatics, there was a conventional four-speeder (the 4F27E), shared with Mazda that is largely reliable. The 1.6 diesels had the option of a Durashift CVT developed with ZF, which allowed fully automatic shifts or manual changes through seven stepped ratios and claimed an 8% improvement in economy over a conventional autobox; it’s neither the smoothest nor most reliable unit, so be wary if a test-drive reveals any issues.

The final option arrived in March 2008: the Powershift six-speed dual-clutch transmission that Ford developed in partnership with Getrag. For this, ensure the fluid and filter have been changed every three years and watch for any thumping shifts or delays in selecting gears.