WHAT WE SAY THE FIVE TO BUY

James likes... THE XANTIA When the most interesting thing about this Ford I could think of was the (admittedly useful) pen holder, it’s clear I’m just not a ‘Mondeo Man’. It’s a great drive but the rest of it sends me to sleep. For me, the 1993 choice would have to be a Rover 600 (or its Honda Accord sister) or a Citroën Xantia. The French car may not be as sporty to drive as a Mondeo, but it’s handsome, comfier and marginally more interesting.

Matt G likes... THE BARGAIN ONE My dad had a silver Mondeo 1.8 TD as a company car between 1993 and late 1997. It clearly made a big impression on me, as I bought a 1994 1.8 GLX, also in silver, for £350 when I needed a cheap runaround in 2015. I serviced it, then drove it here, there and everywhere over the next 11 months, racking up 5500 miles without fault in that time. It was a great motor that just did ‘car’ really well.

Matt T likes... THE BIG ONE Contributor Clive Jefferson’s Mondeo estate has been sitting outside the PC workshop for a few years – it just needs a final welding push to get it back on the road. In its time there, it’s served as a useful parts shed, swallowing loads up with ease. The leather arm chairs offer comfortable contemplation zones where tea can be supped in luxury, too. Imagine how good it would be on the road!

Danny likes... THE BEST ONE The Mondeo (code CDW27) was a Richard Parry-jones engineered car and that means one thing – it is a drivers’ car. The car that is featured in the pics, the ST200, is pound for pound, the best value performance saloon of the Nineties. You would be mad not to try one. Forget the ‘Mondeo Man’ jibes, these are serious cars for real enthusiasts. Oh, and World Car, Car of the Year etc, etc.