Hello everybody.
Firstly a bit about me. I LOVE Granadas. My all time favourite is the MK2 pre-facelift which was actually my 2nd car purchase at 19yo. Unfortunately not actually having passed my test at the time most insurance companies wouldn't touch me and even those that would wanted in excess of £2K third party only. That was a lot of money in the mid 90's (Now you have an idea of how old I am lol)
I've owned several, pre and post facelifts plus a few MK3 grannies and even a frog eye and if I could find a decent one that didn't cost the same as a small Caribbean island I'd be in there like a shot. That's not the case any more. I only wish I'd held on to half the Granada's I've owned. I'd be rolling in it by now.
I generally prefer cars with more than 4 cylinders, auto gearboxes and petrol engines but sometimes you have to make sacrifices, even if only for a short while.
This is my first post on here although I have also had a Mk2 Mondeo as a company car years ago, a MK2 1.8 Zetec in the past and more recently 2x MK3 V6 Ghia X Auto's. Unfortunately the first one developed HGF and after a brief sojourn into the world of Volvo S80's, Renault Lagunas and Vauxhall Signums (bought a 2.0DTI (I know I know lol) my heart was still on the lookout for a replacement MK3. Thankyou Ebay for bringing me an 06 plate for just £540. I am still currently driving her and to be fair she has been a relative pleasure to own and I am not planning to get rid of her any time soon (don't tell the wife).
Long story short, a pending house move will mean my daily commute will increase to a 35 mile daily round trip (whereas currently it's 5 miles) and I'm afraid the 2.5L V6 is not exactly what you would call economical. Therefore I've bought a 2012 2.0L TDCI Manual with 209K at what I thought was an absolute bargain price of £750. (Doesn't fit any of my preferred criteria but hey ho, economy is the key word here)
Before you start thinking of the old adage "if it seems too god to be true it probably is" I know, I know. As luck would have it I was lucky enough to receive a windfall that very night which ultimately made the car cost £100. Can't refuse that right?
Description was as follows....
This car needs an engine mount, front brakes, and I think an axle bush or two, as it wallows on the behind.
Slightly different shade passenger wing and sill pushed in.
Short mot.
Where to start? Let's look at the positives.
Ok, wing and sill are not really a consideration. They won't affect the MOT (hopefully).
Car had only done around 2K since it's last MOT
Brakes are cheap and easy enough to replace.
On the down side.
Bushes can be a bugger, especially on the MK4 if it's the trailing arm bushes (and (t was)
MOT about to run out although not on an MOT extension due to the dreaded Rona.
Top engine mount is a hydro bearing and about £170 from Ford (although pattern parts are a a fraction of that price)
In any event I have bought literally thousands of things on ebay and I believe if you bid/buy it now you should pony up.
Seller was reasonable enough, accommodating on collection and explained that the car was actually going to be broken for spares but he felt it was too good for that and with a few quid spent on it could be back on the road which is where it should be.
That "few" quid turned out to be almost as much as the car again.
Please bear in mind a few things in the following list could have been bought more competitively had time not been a factor but when you're in the middle of a job and you find you need another part it sometimes calls for a less "Scrooge" attitude.
I have had to change the following...
Necessary for MOT
injector seals
rocker cover gasket
glow plugs
egr cooler gasket
brakes
top engine mount
top gearbox mount
lower gearbox mount
front drop links
tie rods
rear anti roll bar bushes
rear upper arms
rear link arms
rear lower arms
front wishbones
driveshafts
Total cost for all these parts was another £750 making the total spend £1500
I have spent another £500 on aesthetic/servicing/broke whilst removing parts as follows
fuel rail
egr bolt
door cards
steering wheel
wing
gearbox seal
gear knob
engine covers
oil and filters
2nd oil and filters
gearbox oil (x2)
Total spend so far is around the 2k mark for a 209K car.
I could have bought one for that but the only saving grace is that all those parts are new and therefore should not need replacing again in the near future. Also, I have polyflexed the trailing arm bushes so they should easily last the life of the car.
My time and muscle deterioration are obviously not included in the above and believe me after 7 weekends/early starts/late nights the only thing that keeps me going is the thought of how much I've saved in labour charges
She's booked in for an MOT on Tuesday (8/12/2020/ and I have everything crossed that all the money and effort will have been worth it.
I couldn't actually get the lower arms off on the floor and didn't even get the chance to try the uppers but the link arms (which were completely shot) have been. All 4 new arms are in the boot so if they do need to be changed at least I only have to pay for the labour to change them.
If you've managed to read this far then thank you for your interest. I will be making another post about a pipe I have managed to miss off so if you think you can be of help please feel free to look at that too.
Warmest regards,
Homer
Firstly a bit about me. I LOVE Granadas. My all time favourite is the MK2 pre-facelift which was actually my 2nd car purchase at 19yo. Unfortunately not actually having passed my test at the time most insurance companies wouldn't touch me and even those that would wanted in excess of £2K third party only. That was a lot of money in the mid 90's (Now you have an idea of how old I am lol)
I've owned several, pre and post facelifts plus a few MK3 grannies and even a frog eye and if I could find a decent one that didn't cost the same as a small Caribbean island I'd be in there like a shot. That's not the case any more. I only wish I'd held on to half the Granada's I've owned. I'd be rolling in it by now.
I generally prefer cars with more than 4 cylinders, auto gearboxes and petrol engines but sometimes you have to make sacrifices, even if only for a short while.
This is my first post on here although I have also had a Mk2 Mondeo as a company car years ago, a MK2 1.8 Zetec in the past and more recently 2x MK3 V6 Ghia X Auto's. Unfortunately the first one developed HGF and after a brief sojourn into the world of Volvo S80's, Renault Lagunas and Vauxhall Signums (bought a 2.0DTI (I know I know lol) my heart was still on the lookout for a replacement MK3. Thankyou Ebay for bringing me an 06 plate for just £540. I am still currently driving her and to be fair she has been a relative pleasure to own and I am not planning to get rid of her any time soon (don't tell the wife).
Long story short, a pending house move will mean my daily commute will increase to a 35 mile daily round trip (whereas currently it's 5 miles) and I'm afraid the 2.5L V6 is not exactly what you would call economical. Therefore I've bought a 2012 2.0L TDCI Manual with 209K at what I thought was an absolute bargain price of £750. (Doesn't fit any of my preferred criteria but hey ho, economy is the key word here)
Before you start thinking of the old adage "if it seems too god to be true it probably is" I know, I know. As luck would have it I was lucky enough to receive a windfall that very night which ultimately made the car cost £100. Can't refuse that right?
Description was as follows....
This car needs an engine mount, front brakes, and I think an axle bush or two, as it wallows on the behind.
Slightly different shade passenger wing and sill pushed in.
Short mot.
Where to start? Let's look at the positives.
Ok, wing and sill are not really a consideration. They won't affect the MOT (hopefully).
Car had only done around 2K since it's last MOT
Brakes are cheap and easy enough to replace.
On the down side.
Bushes can be a bugger, especially on the MK4 if it's the trailing arm bushes (and (t was)
MOT about to run out although not on an MOT extension due to the dreaded Rona.
Top engine mount is a hydro bearing and about £170 from Ford (although pattern parts are a a fraction of that price)
In any event I have bought literally thousands of things on ebay and I believe if you bid/buy it now you should pony up.
Seller was reasonable enough, accommodating on collection and explained that the car was actually going to be broken for spares but he felt it was too good for that and with a few quid spent on it could be back on the road which is where it should be.
That "few" quid turned out to be almost as much as the car again.
Please bear in mind a few things in the following list could have been bought more competitively had time not been a factor but when you're in the middle of a job and you find you need another part it sometimes calls for a less "Scrooge" attitude.
I have had to change the following...
Necessary for MOT
injector seals
rocker cover gasket
glow plugs
egr cooler gasket
brakes
top engine mount
top gearbox mount
lower gearbox mount
front drop links
tie rods
rear anti roll bar bushes
rear upper arms
rear link arms
rear lower arms
front wishbones
driveshafts
Total cost for all these parts was another £750 making the total spend £1500
I have spent another £500 on aesthetic/servicing/broke whilst removing parts as follows
fuel rail
egr bolt
door cards
steering wheel
wing
gearbox seal
gear knob
engine covers
oil and filters
2nd oil and filters
gearbox oil (x2)
Total spend so far is around the 2k mark for a 209K car.
I could have bought one for that but the only saving grace is that all those parts are new and therefore should not need replacing again in the near future. Also, I have polyflexed the trailing arm bushes so they should easily last the life of the car.
My time and muscle deterioration are obviously not included in the above and believe me after 7 weekends/early starts/late nights the only thing that keeps me going is the thought of how much I've saved in labour charges
She's booked in for an MOT on Tuesday (8/12/2020/ and I have everything crossed that all the money and effort will have been worth it.
I couldn't actually get the lower arms off on the floor and didn't even get the chance to try the uppers but the link arms (which were completely shot) have been. All 4 new arms are in the boot so if they do need to be changed at least I only have to pay for the labour to change them.
If you've managed to read this far then thank you for your interest. I will be making another post about a pipe I have managed to miss off so if you think you can be of help please feel free to look at that too.
Warmest regards,
Homer