Sold 1985 Ford Granada mk2 estate. Sold and collected.

[Guest Breadvan72]

The conversation with Junkman after that happens would be worth televising.

[beko1987]

The conversation with Junkman after that happens would be worth televising.

But can only be shown after the watershed

[dome]

Great save, well done to all concerned. The estates do look ‘right’ somehow, and given that it’s basically an early ‘70s design it aged pretty well.

 

I look forward to seeing it at FOTU this year. I hope by that time it will have some of the obligatory chrome wheel arch lips and 7-spoke RS alloys (or something off a Mk3/Scorpio).

No m9 u need some wel sik Merc aloys for it dontcha?

[Junkman]

But can only be shown after the watershed

 

But I love to traumatise children.

[beko1987]

This is a wonderfully fantastic car! Ace inside, probably has more gadgets than my goona does (more that work anyway), even the leccy seats are silky smooth! The gearbox is also lovely, compared to the autobox in my xm its amazing, knows what gear it should be in, doesn't Rev up for fun and is generally a really nice drive!

 

Shame about the exterior, but it shows that a fuck ton of love was given everywhere else. Sort the pas belt occasional squeal and I felt the steering was slightly grabby when turning at speed, but fuck me you could use it every day couldn't you!

[danthecapriman]

This things becoming a bit of a celebrity on here!

 

This is a wonderfully fantastic car! Ace inside, probably has more gadgets than my gonna does (more that work anyway), even the leccy seats are silky smooth! The gearbox is also lovely, compared to the autobox in my xm its amazing, knows what gear it should be in, doesn't Rev up for fun and is generally a really nice drive!

Shame about the exterior, but it shows that a fuck ton of love was given everywhere else. Sort the pas belt occasional squeal and I felt the steering was slightly grabby when turning at speed, but fuck me you could use it every day couldn't you!

Glad you like it too beko!

I did a shit load of work to it over the years. The basis of a good car was always there but it just needed some tlc to bring it back round again.

The outside has had a lot of attention, just not in the cosmetic department. It's solid as a rock though. If someone wanted to spend a bit on getting the paint done and maybe some of the brightwork it could be a really really nice car...

As it is it's still lovely and I personally liked its shabby looks!

[Guest Breadvan72]

I like the shabby look, too.  It just needs those few areas of visible bleb to be monitored and attended to.  The interior is in good nick - good carpets, seats, headlining and so on.  I had always thought that Fords were cheaply made mass market cars, but I can see that I was wrong.  This one, with the added bonus of being built in Germany at a time when German cars were well built, feels really solid and well put together.

 

Your Mercury also exudes good build quality - Detroit heavy metal at its seventies best.

[Guest Breadvan72]

Do the cigarette lighters work?

Does it have your pic on the sun visor - illuminated?

 

Front lighter works, haven't checked the kids' cig lighter in the back.

 

It has Mrs BV's picture on the passenger side sun visor, but the light ain't working.  

[Guest Breadvan72]

Is the wire still attached to the dipstick?

 

Yep.  Nice clean looking oil on the dipstick as well.

 

Dan really looked after this car.  It doesn't feel at all old, wheezy, clonky etc.

 

We should buy that gold one on eBay, and maybe the white one too, and have one each. LOADSAGRANADAS.

[Captain Furious]

I'm fortunate* enough to own both a Mk2 and a Mk3 Granada and can testify that the Mk2 is by far and away the better car to drive. The Mk3 has it hands down on power (the BOA really is a sweet engine when it's not borked) but the Mk2 feels solid and reliable and the auto box is an absolute dream

 

This may be due in part to the fact the mk2 has only done 70k and the Mk3 is nearly at the moon tho

[danthecapriman]

This may be due in part to the fact the mk2 has only done 70k and the Mk3 is nearly at the moon tho

This one is at about 190k miles now...

It's done well tbh! Apparently it was owned by the owner of a print/sign writing company from new, carrying a private plate (from memory it was 395 DPC or something similar). It had done 70k odd miles by its first mot. All the old mot certificates are with it, the early ones having the private plate on. it must have been loved before I got it to have lasted so long and stayed feeling so good to drive and to even sit in! It doesn't feel it's age in that respect.

 

 

 

Yep.  Nice clean looking oil on the dipstick as well.

 

Dan really looked after this car.  It doesn't feel at all old, wheezy, clonky etc.

 

We should buy that gold one on eBay, and maybe the white one too, and have one each. LOADSAGRANADAS.

It wasn't that long ago I serviced it, easily less than 1000 miles ago, It's got a genuine Ford filter on it too, no expense spared!

[Guest Breadvan72]

News of awesomeness from today's Dawn Patrol is that the heated seats work and my butt got toasty.   The front fog lamps don't work, but the rear one does.

 

I have volunteered to do that wheel collection gig in Swindon that NigeBickle fils is advertising, purely so that I can drive the Granada for a longer journey, because it's ace.  Anyone want a pint of milk collected from, I dunno, Marrakech?

[beko1987]

What a top excuse! Have a lovely waft to swindon and back!

[Royale80]

Looking good!

I've had a mk1 3.0L manual (RTG 260R), mk2 2.8 Ghia auto (PWD 484W) and a mk3 2.8i Ghia auto (C391 TLK) the mk3 was only a couple of years old when I bought it. Nostalgia says the mk1 was the best-as a 17 year old passing my test in a 1.3 Allegro , then having to drive a 3.0 Granada-it seemed the Granada had warp drive! In fact the first time I drove it-it frightened me with the available power. Replaced this with a Mk 5 Cortina (crap) and then the mk 2. Think the Mk2 was slightly borked had it a few years then bought the Mk3 which I had for nearly 10 years.

 

So in my nostalgic eyes- Mk1 first, Mk3 second, Mk2 third (but only because the Mk 2 was not the best example-gave it to my brother who promptly blew up the engine).

 

Steve

[Guest Breadvan72]

Mk3s look all blobby and meh to me.  Mk1s are coolio, especially the Coupes.  I think that the Mk2 Estate looks better than the Mk1 Estate, but prefer the Mk1 saloons to the Mk2 saloons.

[Junkman]

MK3s ff. are cheaply thrown together McPherson strutted shitboxes that have no class, or any other redeeming feature, unless you find

excessive body flex and deceitful handling redeeming. They also have ABS fitted as standard, so effectivley they have no brakes.

In short, they are exactly what you'd expect in the post 1986 World, namely complete tosh of the highest order.

 

When they came out, neither an estate nor a saloon were available, thus millions of alienated Granada customers had to shop elsewhere.

That the entire MK3 and Scorpio production combined was less than half of the MK2 production should tell you pretty clearly

a farce to what degree on the road to public bailout they were.

 

The MK2s were so obviously the last Fords ever made by car guys, it's downright scary. I had two MK3s, one of them to try and another one

to confirm how woefully pathetic they are. I then ruefully returned to MK2s.

 

 

I can't say a thing about MK1s. I never owned one because they never were on my 'to own' list.

But in my perception, they neither have the class, nor the panache of the MK2s.

 

I have heard once or twice before that someone managed to destroy a Cologne V6.

Well, there are people out there who manage to destroy everything you hand them.

You know, them guys you showed your new toy car when you were still a kid and they somehow managed to give it back to you broken in half.

They are few and far between, thanks God.

[Junkman]

Great save, well done to all concerned. The estates do look ‘right’ somehow, and given that it’s basically an early ‘70s design it aged pretty well.

 

You are Uwe Bahnsen AICMFP.

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

I find the Mk1 reasonably attractive in a brutish sort of way, but I find the Mk 2 (and particularly the facelifted cars) to be genuinely elegant and something of a styling high point. I prefer the saloon to the estate, but the estate is also a good looking car. After all these years I still find myself desiring a Mk2 facelift 2.8 Ghia. I don't feel that way about many cars.

 

I have never liked the Mk3,  though I have known people who have been very pleased with them.

[danthecapriman]

I love the mk1, the saloon is my favourite. They're really lovely looking cars.

The mk2 is a very close second for me, prefer estates myself. The estate mk1 and 2 are actually pretty much the same car with different front ends and interiors.

I like the mk3 too. I nearly bought a J reg 2.8 Ghia x saloon in silver years ago. It was an immaculate 1 owner trade in at a local garage, it had no rust at all either. Should have bought it really!

[Junkman]

The estate mk1 and 2 are actually pretty much the same car with different front ends and interiors.

 

They are exactly the same cars, save for the reskin from the windows down.

This was done, because Uwe Bahnsen decided that there is nothing that could be improved above the beltline, not because of cost cutting.

It's this that prompted my comment above.

 

.

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

They are exactly the same cars, save for the reskin from the windows down.

This was done, because Uwe Bahnsen decided that there is nothing that could be improved above the beltline, not because of cost cutting.

It's this that prompted my comment above.

 

.

 

 

I didn't know that.

[Junkman]

MK1 Turnier:

 

 

MK2 Turnier:

 

 

Note how even the rear wings were retained, although cleverly disguised.

Also retained was the kick up at the rear corner of the rear door windows.

 

The very similarly styled Australian XE and XF Falcon Wagons did not have that kickup:

 

 

This was initially also planned for the Granada MK2 Turniers, but Bahnsen nixed the idea

because he found the original design much more graceful.

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

With the two together, I am amazed how similar they are. I am even more amazed that I have never noticed it!

[Guest Hooli]

With the two together, I am amazed how similar they are. I am even more amazed that I have never noticed it!

 

Snap. I knew they were similar, I'd never noticed they were the same!

[Captain Furious]

The Mk3 is a bit of a weird compromise, it's lost the old car simplicity of the Mk2 which makes it so easy to work on, but without having the advanced technology of modern cars which makes them easy* to diagnose

 

It's the worst of both worlds, all the complexities or modernz, but before they got good

 

The 24v 'cosworth' engine (which is a cologne with some fancy heads) really is lovely when it's on song though

[Guest Breadvan72]

Granny is having a few days off, all cosy like -

 

 

[Guest Breadvan72]

eBay shoppage bonanza -

 

 

 

[beko1987]

Granny is having a few days off, all cosy like -

 

WP_20170321_07_02_38_Pro.jpg

 

WP_20170321_07_02_18_Pro.jpg

 

Gah, you'll ruin the paintwork with a car cover!

 

 

Ah wait, carry on!

[Guest Breadvan72]

Car covers are sub-optimal, but despite living in an area replete with old sheds, I cannot find anyone willing to rent me an old shed in which to keep old sheds, and so the heaps live outdoors. Hence covers, as a least bad option.  The big barn next to my house is already rented out to a bloke who stores mega-posh cars in it.  It is all mucho frustrating.

[Guest Breadvan72]

The Dolomite has a posh tailor-made cover with a soft interior.  The XJS (which needs welding and a full re-spray anyway) has a cheap-ass generic plastic cover. The Rover has a semi-posh cover that is SD1 specific but not tailor made.  The cover on the Granny, which Dan kindly threw in with the deal, is old, but is a good quality and tailor-made one with a soft interior.  

 

All except the cheap-ass Jag one are alleged to be breathable, but all allegedly breathable fabrics are bollocks, as anyone who hikes, climbs, skis or sails will know.