Well, I've finally been and gone and done it. At 10.00 tomorrow morning dear old Betsy is leaving us. A Ford Mondeo Ghia X diesel estate which has been an absolute delight to own for nearly 6 years. A gem of a car but it was time.
The replacement ( for my wife ) is a Qashqai. Bright red, charcoal trim, 1.6 petrol manual 2wd. Two years old with 25k. One owner, fsh, tip top condition. Cost to change £9k.
She doesn't know yet...
I'll let you know in due course if it was a good decision.
:-)
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I'll phone Leighton Hospitel later, Humpy.....which ward will you be in ?
Ted
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.....which ward will you be in ?
Bit of luck I'll be in for a hip replacement....
:-)
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you will miss tourque of the diesel engine and the economy.I tried going back to a smaller petrol engine from a 2ltr Diesel and it was a rude shock ! no power and small trips the fuel just dissapeared.
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We await your misfuelling thread in due course........
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Humph, what spec level is it? Still get confused with my Visias and Acentas!
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It's a Visia ( entry level ) Not too shabby though. Alloys, AC, 4x leccy windows, bluetooth. Better than her old Ka anyway!
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I'm shocked re the Mondeo going. It has set a used car discussion benchmark for a long time.
Hope you've asked they put a new set of winter tyres on the Qashqai in the deal.
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How could you do that to Betsy?
Pat
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>> How could you do that to Betsy?
Don't start !
:-)
Actually, it's GB I'm worried about....I wonder if he will show any mercy ?
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I'm looking forwards to gb reading this :-)
At least he's left his options open and when he realises next Spring of his French folly he can get his Betsy back...I reckon that's his plan to avoid the salt.
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It exceeds even my skill set to get diesel into a petrol
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It's possible.
I was once filling a van with eighty-odd litres and watched a guy struggling with his car. As I finished, I walked around the back to make sure he didn't have a D badge before I asked him if he knew it was a diesel pump. ;>)
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>>The replacement is a Qashqai. Bright red, charcoal trim, 1.6 petrol manual 2wd. Two years old with 25k. One owner, fsh, tip top condition<<
Nice.
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sounds nice in red
what will she do mista?
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18 mpg around towns in snow...
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Well done Hump, for some time now you've been showing signs of excessive sentimentality towards the faithful old girl, or have you, is the real Hump the Dr Jeckyll, are you unfrocked?
When you and Betsy take the final trip to the dealer tomorrow take no notice of the tears in her eyes, the sobbing from her mortally wounded heart, her trembling shouldn't pierce the steely determination of dumping her...many other unwanted loyal uncomplaining stalwarts will be similarly unceremoniously discarded in the coming weeks so she won't be alone, just dump her and don't look back and don't listen to the pleading cries from her broken heart.
The sneering dealer has probably already alerted some evil hearted Cruella's henchman and by Monday she'll be chained up out in the cold, neglected, pining soulfully for her family that she loved so dearly and seflessly all these years safe in the knowledge that she always had a home.
Never again will she be washed and pampered, never again will she feel the cool soothing passage of fresh oil and anti freeze in her belly or the delight of having her underbelly hosed clean of the winters salt after she's done her loyal duty of caring for her young Hump charges.
I can't bear to think what the rest of her forshortened miserable life will be like, but don't you worry about her, the harlot in the red dress has taken your fancy and there isn't room for sentimental claptrap.
I'm glad that i couldn't bring meself to let my lovely old retainer go, she still sits proudly on the driveway..i'd like to be hard of heart and tough like you but i can't and i'm the first to admit that i'm too soft to wield the executioners axe, but secretly pleased that the spark of humanity lives on in Northants.
Well that's it from me..for now...but here is the first ode to Betsy from She Who Must, there could well be some follow up verses when sh'e stopped weeping and had time to compose.
'Poor old Betsy's going to the knackers yard in the sky
After years of faithful service her replacement's a Qashqai!!!
Hump you rotten scoundrel your shouts of hip hoorah
Can only sadden Betsy as you drive away in your new car
Innuit's sick puppy is what you said to me
At least mine is still on the drive unlike poor old Betsy'
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Cost to change 9k, on a 2 year old
entry level cashcow?
Seems to me they gave you next to nothing for Betsy then
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Good buy and Good-Bye then Humph. Sounds like a nice car. On the subject of re-fuelling I accidentally put a petrol nozzle in the filler on the X1 - reassuringly it wouldn't go in ! It has protection !
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Humph had better be careful. The diesel pump won't fit the petrol but it will work the other way around.
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Thanks GB, I just knew you'd have a word or two of encouragement. I'm trying very hard not to look at the old girl on the drive. I shan't be able to drive her to the dealer tomorrow. My wife will have to do that. I simply couldn't. We've had such adventures together. I've lost count of the fast night drives to and from Italy, the business meetings which led to success, the ones which didn't, the holidays, the way I can place her inch perfect on the apex...
Never mind, the decision is made and my wife is delighted so there it is.
End of an era really.
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Oh Humph, I think we're all going to miss valiant old Betsy - she's been an honorary forum member in her own right!
I suspect that when your (neuter) QQ comes up for replacement a big Ford of some sort will find its way on to your drive. And Betsy II will join us.
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Despite my diatribe above i'm quite sad really, the long lived durability of this fine beast could put some cars of supposed quality to shame, my beloved MB among them.
Is there really no chance of changing this to a cash deal and giving Betsy a semi retirement role, go on take a peek at her forlorn eyes through the crushed velvet curtains.
By the way if i read the OP correctly this was arranged as a surprise for LadyH, would that be her Christmas pressy H, if it's not then and this is just another weekend then goodness knows how deep the pockets of the Cheshire D'Bouts really are..;)
Think the mental picture your posts form could by a bit misleading, a true romantic after all, keep it up there's few left.
Last edited by: gordonbennet on Fri 3 Dec 10 at 23:28
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Humph this seems like a very expensive justification of the two new bikes - i.e. your wife has a new car so surely she cannot deny you the bikes. And didn't you find it easier with bikes on Betsy anyway? You'll be needing a clip on rack for the back of the Cashcow.
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You can't do it Humph. The way things are going round here Volvo are going to have the stereotypical longest owned cars...
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Not while I'm around, GMac !
Ted,,
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Is it a daily runner though Ted ?
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>> Bright red, charcoal trim,
Good choice. Bright enough outside to be easily visible by other road users, and dark enough inside to not show the dirt as much.
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Well, so far so good. She's suddenly found a need to urgently visit her sister, her parents, her friend...
She loves it and I've got major brownie points.
I'll miss Betsy though. Ah well.
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Good luck with the new car, Humph.
What are the bike transport arrangements now going to be?
I wouldn't fancy lifting one on to the roof a Qashqai, particularly if I was trying to look after the paintwork.
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Thanks, it's a stretch alright but it's do-able. Perhaps I should get some platform shoes.
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I have a stubby set of folding steps in the caravan.
Quite sturdy, about two foot to the platform.
You could do worse than use something like that, easy enough to carry in the boot for unloading and loading at t'other end.
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Not a bad idea. My cunning plan version of that is to source one of those toolboxes you can stand on for my bike tools.
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...one of those toolboxes you can stand on for my bike tools...
Good idea - more stable on uneven ground than steps.
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Well, "she's" tickled pink. This is a good thing.
Had a shot of the car myself this AM. Just a quick trip down to the paper shop etc. Couple of miles max. Roads were pretty rubbish, lots of ice, but anyway it was enough to get a general feel for the car. It's sort of the same as my 4x4 auto diesel but quite different too. Much lighter feel in general to the petrol manual. Of course nothing like the grip in the slippy stuff as the 4WD but very easy to drive. Given that this is the base model, it's very well equipped. Alloys wheels, parking beepy things, bluetooths to your phone, AC, height adjustable seat, reach/rake steering wheel, centre armrest thingy, in fact, plenty of toys. Only a short run but feels nippy enough. Trip computer thing showing average of 41 mpg at the moment. Might be right or wrong, we'll see.
So far so good.
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So the bikes are still on order then ? :-)
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>> A gem of a car but it
>> was time.
Why? Worried something would go wrong, or pressure from other sources? It still starts, handles well, easy to change a headlight bulb remember :-)
I seemed to remember this line ' It's nice the Squashy but it's good to get back in the Mondeo and flick it around a few corners.'
I don't know, after all that teasing GB about his Merc, and this...
Last edited by: corax on Sun 5 Dec 10 at 18:12
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I know, I know..., not proud, but she's happy and that matters.
:-)
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Serious question and I think someone may have asked before, after such sterling service by Betsy and the fact your local man appears to know what he is doing with a Ford, why was a Kuga not the replacement ?
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>> why was a Kuga not the replacement ?
Ah well, that would require logic and the female brain to be in sync. She wanted a Qashqai.
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>> Ah well, that would require logic and the female brain to be in sync. She
>> wanted a Qashqai.
>>
So, using logic, the replacement for your co. car will be a silver Mondeo estate with a 2.0 diesel engine and Mrs D'Bout will be driving a Ford Ka in 6 years' time which is where we came in ? Jnr D'Bout will have a seven or eight year old old pink 1.6 Qashqai as his first car :-)
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I'll let you know if you have some of that right in due course !
For now we have a "matching jumper" issue. At least we don't have a caravan...
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>> For now we have a "matching jumper" issue. At least we don't have a caravan...
>>
That's on my list, get a towbar fitted so I can get a trailer for the motorbike rather than having to ride it 1000kms to wherever I'm meeting up with my mates.
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>> I know she's happy and that matters.
Betsy?
:-)
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>> Betsy?
Enough GB, enough !
:-)
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Well, I've just had my first "proper" drive of her Qashqai. As previously mentioned, I already have one but mine is a 2.0 4wd automatic diesel "Tekna" model. In other words, a mobile toy shop. My wife's one is from the opposite end of the trim range, an entry level 2wd "Visia" with a manual box and a 1.6 petrol engine.
She's done 300 miles in it so far on almost exclusively snow and ice hampered "A" road commuting duties in fairly heavy traffic. She'd brimmed it when she got it and I've just topped it up again to find that it has achieved just under 41 mpg which seems acceptable given the conditions it has been used in so far.
It is of course similar in general feel to the one I'm used to but in some ways quite different. A lighter feel to the controls is the first impression. The humble 1.6 is willing and smooth enough and has more torque than I expected. Gearchange is a bit notchy but it's perhaps unfair to compare that to the rifle bolt action of the Ford which preceded it.
The halogen headlamps are very good but literally pale by comparison to the xenons in the Tekna. I prefer the simplicity of the ancillary controls in the Visia though. For example, I decide when the wipers should wipe, the lights should come on and the mirror should dip. It has a proper key too rather than the silly remote fob thing which I constantly lose in the cabin of the upspec model. The 16" wheels do cope much better with the speed humps than the lower profile 17" ones on mine and do so without any noticeable handling penalty.
The 2wd system is perfectly fine on normal surfaces but the 4wd was a real advantage in the recent bad weather. The cloth upholstery is pleasant enough but I am a bit of a leather fetishist and prefer the heatable leather seats in the Tekna. One notable omision in the Visia is a lack of lumber support adjustment. I like that area pumped up quite hard in preference.
All in all though it's a very nice car and my wife adores it so that's good. It fails to excite me but I can't dislike it either. It'll do fine for the purpose it was bought for.
One more little thing which amused me, despite the nominal value of her new car being some ten times that of the old one, she got a refund of £22 on her insurance when she changed them over. Go figure, as they say !
Last edited by: Humph D'Bout on Sat 11 Dec 10 at 23:11
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...it has achieved just under 41 mpg which seems acceptable given the conditions it has been used in so far...
The consumption of fuel may have been reduced because the weather forced Mrs D'Bout to drive steadily, but I reckon 41mpg is very good for a petrol engine in that size of car.
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>> , but I reckon 41mpg is very good for a petrol engine in that size of car.
Well perhaps not surprisingly but certainly ironically, it's much better than the 38 mpg or so I get from the diesel auto 4wd. Just goes to show doesn't it ?
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>>I am a bit of a leather fetishist
That'll put a new slant on the 'what does he look like' forum.
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Occupational hazard I'm afraid....
:-)
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Went to a forest to buy a Christmas tree today. Usual 7' size eventually identified, approved and purchased. ( aren't they a sore price now?! ) A large estate car wouldn't half have been handy mind...
:-(
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I reckon a year from now, there will be something with an blue oval badge taking pride of place on your drive.
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Not so sure about as soon as a year but I imagine you might well be proven correct in the fullness of time. I mean, I do quite like the Qashqai, it's alright...really it is... I suppose.
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>> Not so sure about as soon as a year but I imagine you might well
>> be proven correct in the fullness of time. I mean, I do quite like the
>> Qashqai, it's alright...really it is... I suppose.
>>
BUT..... its not a Mondeo!
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Was Betsy Manual or Auto Humph?
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Have Nissan improved the Cashcow or can you still not fold the back seats flat? That put me off completely when it first came out, and I haven't looked at one since.
It would seem an obviously needed facility in that sort of car.
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Well, no they don't fold completely flat intentionally but it does sort of depend on how heavy the things are you put on top of them and indeed who's car it is....
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Bye Bye Betsy and Hello.... - Ted
