It's been too long...

GVstu · Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2015 9:14 pm Post subject: It's been too long...

Hello Lads,

I hope everyone is well!

It's been a long time since I logged in, didn't seem like there was any reason to talk about my broken Pajero which has been languishing in our yard since I broke the damn thing then left it to sit there rotting.

Well recently (last Thursday) a considerate motorist decided to pull out from a junction in front of me and I had no option other than to write the car off. It wouldn't bother me that my wrist is fractured (held onto the steering wheel) but my kids were also in the car at the time... They're OK - my son who's only just turned 5 got an airbag in the face which grazed (or burned) his forehead and he also got a bloody nose, my daughter (who's not even 2) was more scared than anything, she was in the back behind me, both of them were in their kids seats.

I imagine we all still love pictures so here's the best I could do with a naff camera phone:

Damn those little Fiat Panda's must be made of Volvonium!

So anyway (to cut a long story short) the insurance agreed that I was blameless in this matter and have coughed up the cash for a replacement vehicle. That knackered Bravo will be the last car we ever buy, time for another truck!

So having winkled out a little silver lining from this steaming pile of crap I could do with some opinions on suzi grand vitaras (the second gen?) the ones with the 2.0 diesel. I think maybe a 5 door will do everything I'm going to need to do for a while. I'm going to spend just over 3k on one which I'm hoping will get me something half decent. Anything I need to be looking out for? My checklist is:

- less than 100000 miles
- 5 doors
- diesel

I'm open to suggestions for other vehicles but I'm kind of in a tough spot as I need a vehicle and I need one quickly. The vit attracts me as the 2.0 seems (from what I've read) like it will return a decent MPG and it's not 'too big'.

Anyway, hope you're all doing well and there's no funny knocking sounds coming from anywhere, trucks or otherwise!

take care!

stu

Big Dunc · Just got MTs Joined: 09 Aug 2010 Odometer: 134

Cannot help with the recommendations, but glad you are OK.

My kids, which are a bit older than yours, always travel in the back because I have heard too many horror stories about children and airbags.

cynic-al · Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2015 11:34 pm Post subject:

I thought you were supposed to turn the airbags off for kids? Or is that only up to a certain age or weight or something?

Can't do it in my car so I only put them in the back but the Mrs can so she will move the eldest in the front if she ever needs to use the middle seat.

Glad your all ok anyway?

Big Dunc · Just got MTs Joined: 09 Aug 2010 Odometer: 134

Legally thats only when they are very young.
However, it sensible for any age up to the size a small adult.
A lot of people keep them in the back as that is better still.

With two, its definitely better with both in the back. They can talk and play (or fight).

If one of mine goes in the front there is always an argument about who's turn it is and then the one in the back gets board and moans

Edited to add, I wasn't trying to have a pop at the OP.
There could well be a perfectly good reason why his land was in the front on this particular journey.

w3526602 · Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2015 7:22 am Post subject:

Hi,

Remember to ask the other driver's insurance to pay for the 15% increase in your premiums, that your insurers will load onto you, even though you are not to blame, and will retain your NCD.

If your insurers deny that they will load your premium, ask them to deny it in writting.

My SWMBO's car has a black mark on the off-side corner of the front bumper ... it should polish out. Overtaking car took the next exit off the roundabout, straight across her bows. About par for the course nowadays.

602

GVstu · Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2015 1:51 pm Post subject:

Hi Lads

Don't worry about upsetting me I'm not easily upset Smile

You are right it was unusual that my boy was in the front, both the kids were in child seats but I just didn't think to turn off the airbag on the passenger side.

If I had done it might have been worse as that side of the vehicle took the brunt of the impact... It'll be something that I take better notice of in the future as I cannot hold myself blameless in this regard.

If my mrs hadn't been doing a training course which led to her working full time weeks and led to me needing to take her and her mother to work at the same time these last couple of weeks we would never have been there and none of this would have happened.

I suppose that's fate, or bad luck or something.

602 I didn't know about that whole getting it in writing from the insurers about premium increases thanks for pointing that out.

Looks like I've found a suitable GV that I'm going to take a look at down in Leeds tomorrow so I might have sorted us out a vehicle, we'll see what it looks like in person.

Big Dunc · Just got MTs Joined: 09 Aug 2010 Odometer: 134

Hope it turns out to be a good car for you.

You cannot blame yourself and as you say, it may have made it worse.

We will never know.

Important thing is, none of you had life changing injuries

RichardD · Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2015 2:57 pm Post subject:

The car did its job and absorbed the impact.

You can't blame yourself for simply being there, that way leads to madness. It's the other guy's fault for not looking.

Glad you're all okay.

** GED ** · Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2015 12:19 am Post subject:

write off?

pah....

GVstu · Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2015 6:37 pm Post subject:

Lol hello ged mate!

You're right guys I do myself no favours thinking 'what if'

Well the vit I went to look at today (my birthday!) was a complete lemon, can someone chime in and tell me if the 2.0 TD should do extremely poorly at building revs? The thing sounded sweet as a nut but i had my boot planted to the floor and I felt like I needed to change down from 3rd going up a small bank. It seemed to lack any power at all. 60k on the clock I had hoped it was going to be a nice one but I dropped it like a turd and fled back to Northumberland.

On the way home i visited a few more dealers, the RAV4's seemed OK for a more family oriented vehicle but then I realised there was no transfer box lever and that put me off. Might keep looking for GV's as I do fancy one but I'm starting to have doubts after todays debacle. Laughing

** GED ** · Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 12:58 am Post subject:

stuuuuuuuuuuuu!

GVstu · Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2015 7:53 pm Post subject:

So nobody has any thoughts on how well the old GV 2.0 should pull? Come on guys!

TBH too late I'm probably going to sell out and get one of the newer type GV's which might as well be a car.

Shame really. Sad

GVstu · Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2015 9:26 pm Post subject:

I got over my huff about the grand vit being overly soft Very Happy

I toured around the North East last friday and after visiting a load of lemons (one of them stank of dog so badly It took my breath away Shocked

) I managed to find one with only 50k on the clock and in near mint condition down in Wetherby. I got the diesel version which I'm finding pretty nippy and returning a good mpg. Let's hope it stays that way.

Sadly I don't think the muddies on the pajero will fit on this thing but that's probably for the best.

The garage I bought it from were very good and I felt at ease dealing with them, all their stock was good quality, they had some of the second generation grand vitaras in stock, one of which was absolutely mint condition it looked excellent. I was tempted for a while but I had to bear in mind that this vit that I've got now has to be used as a daily driver and it needs to be reliable for us.

My biggest gripe is that there's no aux input on the stereo, it supposedly plays mp3 cds but i burned an experimental few to a disk and the screen eventually reads that there's no file or something, maybe if I make them .wma that might help... I read about a way to hack an input by plugging in some adapter on the back of the stereo meant for the cd changer so there seems to be hope that way.

Twiss · Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2015 8:08 am Post subject:

Worst case just get one of those radio transmitters....

jeremy · Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2015 10:32 am Post subject:

I've seen those adapters for sale on aliexpress so I would imagine there on fleabay as well somewhere.

GVstu · Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2015 11:38 am Post subject:

lol I got one for a fiver from maplin and its... Well it turns on...

Damian · Posted: Mon May 04, 2015 11:23 am Post subject:

I had one of the last press Grand Vitara's for a fortnight last year, it was a diesel LWB and I absolutely fell for it, a cracking little car. As well as off roading I took it along the Evo Triangle where it held the road like the Supercharged RRS I borrowed the week previously!

IMO, the only thing that let it down was its ground clearance, but that's easily sorted...

** GED ** · Posted: Tue May 05, 2015 8:53 am Post subject:

wow, its a lesser spotted Damian Shocked

Damian · Posted: Tue May 05, 2015 1:54 pm Post subject:

Imagine seeing you here Ged(i), it's a guilty pleasure, you can't keep away can you?

** GED ** · Posted: Tue May 05, 2015 8:57 pm Post subject:

i was missing Richard. Shocked

Damian · Posted: Tue May 05, 2015 10:29 pm Post subject:

You did say he has a lovely smile... Shocked

RichardD · Posted: Wed May 06, 2015 7:35 am Post subject:

** GED ** · Posted: Wed May 06, 2015 10:07 pm Post subject:

you wanna try it from this side.......