UK CAR Readers Comments Ford Granada 2.9 Ghia

Martin Reitsma <martin.reitsma@wanadoo.nl>

I have enjoyed your test drive.

I own a 12 valve 2.9 '95 Ghia and i love it.

It's more reliable than the 24 valve and cheaper to service.

With the pedal to the metal it accelerates quick enough and I have not tried the top speed, but you are in now time at 200 kmh.

The steering is a little heavy, but that's the only thing I can say.

Do you notice that the style of the car is coming back in modern cars ?

Kurt Ralph <mthead@freeuk.com>

I loved your write-up on the Mk 3 Granada. I thought that it was a little unfair to call the Mk3 fat and ugly, I think that they are great looking cars, but then beauty is in the eye of the beholder! Other than that your report perfectly summed up my sentiments on the car.
I have owned two examples over the past eight years. The first was an early 1986 2.8 Scorpio, the second was a 1990 2.9 Scorpio. The looming £1.00 per litre petrol price persuaded me to part with my beloved Scorp 18 months ago, a big mistake!
Since then, a Citroen BX estate has been and gone, and the Escort that replaced it is being traded in against.... you guessed it, another Granada this Thursday.
My latest Granny is a 1993 2.0L Ghia, which is a bit of a compromise against the 2.9, but it's still a Granada, and after my brief flirtation with alternative cars, it will still seem like coming home!!
Kurt Ralph

p.s I couldn't agree more with your closing statement!

Gavin Cotton  <gjcx@btopenworld.co.uk>

Galactic Hyper Herse................The name given to my black 5 door 1989 Ford Scorpio 4x4.

To describe it to anybody out there looking to buy one of these, well read on and I'll explain the what needs to be considered before you buy!!

First of all if your potential purchase has got Air con (Which it should have) check it carefully as i can promise you it probably WON'T work. Easy remedies are to take to a aircon specialist (not a ford dealer,as they cost a fortune) who will check it for leaks and then re-gas it, if required. The condensers are the weak spot and can be expensive to replace if you attempt to buy one from a a main dealer.

4x4 cars have two prop shafts, so (if you can) get the car up in to the air and check the universal joints for play (recognise fault by accelarating slowly and listen for mechanical clunk, 2 wheel drive cars won't make this noise) as they too can be expensive to replace.

You may find the heated driver seat element also does not work, this is due to the elements being quite fragile and with that seat being used the most it may be busted. Sourcing replacements is difficult and repair is awkward to perform.

Brake wear is reasonable (especially for a car of such size) and parts relatively cheap with a little ringing round.

The gearboxes are solid and the 2.9 V6 is made of what seems to be granite (so no problems there)

General reliability is fantastic and fuel consumption is reasonable, again due to the size or car and engine.

You may find problems with the  heated windscreen, as the elements inside (like the seats) are extremely fragile. But before you claim on your insurance and replace it, check the left and right relays located in the gloovebox, it could be them.

Of course the weak spot of the Granada/Scorpio (need i mention it) is of course the rear wheel arches. Can be easy to bodge or expensive to reapair properly (take your pick)

Well now it's verdict time....Would I buy another Scorpio, well yes i would. I've had my resplendant example for two years and it sticks to the road well, goes like stink and has never let me down. So if you fancy a performance car with a difference and you require loads of space and comfort and reliability, well you cannot go wrong with one of these. It's the daddy.