A new car for MB
Well since the other thread got closed, ill start this one thats more spefic. so no flaming, or male chicken fighting or eye sight tests.
im after a SS commodore, it has to be automatic due to my busted shoulder and crook back, and able to tow a caravan. although im a good mechanic and always do all my own stuff, it will struggle for atleast a year with just 1 arm.
Ive been wanting something special to keep for 10+ years as a 2nd car for a while, and have been looking at various other cars for a while but since caravaning, i think a v8 would be more appropriate.
i was looking at rally art magnas, hsv's and things of sportyness interest
Been looking at VN-VT ss commodores.
I like the shape of the VR/VS commodores my self, but have always liked the vt series so too does my wife, as it was the brand new car when i was a teen ager driving, you know the car to have.
have found a white vt ss 1999 with a 5.7l in it locally which im going to inspect today.
as well as a 94 hsv senator although this you cant tow with.
idealy id like to enter the local motokanas with one for a bit of fun, maybe go to the track to refresh my skills.... i dont expect anything competativly, but really it will be used sedatly most of its time, doing the speed limits, driving economically, or towing a caravan. etc
whats your budget.
For an auto SS you should be able to get a VX Series II for less than $10k. This would be my advise as they had fixed the rear suspension by this time.
Obviously newer is better, and the VR-VTS1 will be the 5.0L V8, while the VTII+ will be the Gen3 V8. This is a much better engine in every regards except engine note (the 5L has a much better sound).
Remember, you could also go a Berlina or Calais V8 (same physical engine etc) which will have better features/options (not saying dont get the SS, but it might be worth considering).
Personally i wouldnt buy one with a big tow bar etc (while it might save you the tow bar install costs, it probably means its towed a caravan half way around the country, and could have stuffed the car).
Test drive, and spend a lot of time looking around till you find the perfect model.
Good luck.
Cheers,
well, whats a budget, the difference between getting a loan and buying it out right, the vt ss 5.7l was going to look at today got cancelled on account its hailing and flooding outside atm.
these things seem so cheep, vn ss 5k, vt ss 7k, wtf is this all about...
i have considered a v8 wagon though, since we currently have a wagon due to kids...
well i just test drove a white 1999 vt ss commodore series 2, 5.7l v8, 160,000km they are after 7-8k for it. its stock standard, only a light duty 1200kg tow bar on it, which i may just get away with towing our caravan with at 1020kg. its got after market mags on it, needs two new tyres.
seemed quight nice, the front bar had a lot of chips, dings and scratches on it, but it seems all concentrated on the front bar, interiors not too bad, few mrks on the plastic etc, nothing too bad though, small few cm long dint above the fuel cap, which i recon paintless could get out easily enough.
SILVERFOX
Try to get it down to 5-6k and you should be happy.
'Ah well, I suppose it had to come to this.'
Tells it like it is.
1200kgs doesn't leave you much luggage/associated crap for the van which adds up very quickly. I can't remember what the max towing capacity of cars that old are but with a heavy duty haymen reese type bar you should find something suitable.
Reaper
yeah, id say id invest in a propper hd towbar, that brings it up to towing 2100kg, id have to put electric brake controler and auxillery wires in too. i guess i could put a clubsport or similar front bumper on this, that would fix 90% of the marks on the car... im told to put a decent set of extractors and exhaust onto the ls1's too, gives it 30 or so more kw strait up, that holden limited the power output by putting smaller extractors on to reduce compatition between this and the hsv's? that and cold air intake. its got an odd mag, the matching one is in the boot, as its got a puncture.
what do you guys think, is 160,000km going to lead to problems.
the owner said they just ptu a new starter motor in it as it wasnt turning over as fast, new belts, timing belts, new power steering pump and rack as the old one shuddered a bit. appart from that its all stock standard.
of course i couldnt drive the thing today, which id like too, but got my wife to drive it and scared her self in it with the power, then had a bit of a drive with me in it, gear box clunked a little bit from d to r and back again, no noises, did a few u turns both driectiosn at full lock and no shudderin gor noises what so ever, engine didnt have any noises in it what so ever, suspention was quiet, everything seemed in good order..
oh ps my caravan is 820kg only a small pop top, and we put it over the weight bridge and its 1020 with everything inside of it, so we may get away with it, with the skin of our teath. but our magna has 1500kg towing bar on it. heh, my wife said she loves the v8, but thinks the magna wagon is smoother, something shes use too i guess. but we can have both cars. magna family wagon, and a ss commodore,yay
cosmetics are piss easy to fix, so dont worry about teh scratches and stuff.
If you get serious about buying the car, i would have it looked at. RACV (not sure what its called in NSW) offer a full inspection for like $250 and written report... For a $6k+ investment its probably worth spending the money.
Its easy/cheapish to make big power from the LS1s... Mine is putting out about 330rwkw and 800nm torque. Should be enough to tow a caravan if i ever decide to. Fuel usage isnt bad, but it depends how you drive it.
Looks in pretty good/stock condition, so hopefully it hasnt been thrashed.
Oh and its probably worth installing a transmission cooler as well. I dont know how automatics work (i think their witchcraft and refuse to drive any auto car), but a cooler and oil change is recommended before any real towing. (good idea to do a full service as soon as you get the car anyway).
i dont think id worry about a nrma inspection, epseically since nrma here is the holden dealer, and thats where he works as a mechanic..
yeah, tranny cooler a must for towing - as for automatics, never been a fan my self, wife would only drive one, so thats why i brought a shitty old camry when we had 2 cars, and figured the peugoet i had broke down so much that we needed a 2nd car anyway. but when you only got hte use of 1 arm, you kinda need a auto :-( otherwise id love a manual too...
yeah i figure interior stuff, and exterior stuff i can fix up pretty easily my self, maybe jazzthings up a bit in doing so. nothing major though.
steering wheel was well worn, gear surround has a crack in it too. lots of things from kids in the car i recon, rear vents had a few things broken off them too, the flappy bits, like a kids put a foot through it.
id probably put a nice double din dvd playing screen, usb ipod mp3 sound system, keep the stock speekers if they sound good. put a propper full mandrel bent exhaust system on, extractors etc, bigger and sound nicer. otr cold air intake, idealy id like to put what the hsv enhancements came with it, so chip too i guess. put a red rocker cover onto it too for looks, maybe put a brace over the steering towers. atleast then it will still look all stock from the outside.
id like to keep the saftey features, but that steering wheel was a bit iffy in the hands, maybe a cover, or put a sports wheel on it, leather bound or something but retain the air bags somehow.
gear knob id replace, something grippy, maybe carbon fibre look?
uprate the tow bar to 2100 rating, maybe that rear brace over the suspention towers, add an electric brake controler and auxillery wires and a transmission cooler, for towing the caravan.
if it was this particular commodore, id get a club sport front bar for it, to replace the broken one...
well i found a vl commodore today, if i brought something like that, i could keep my bike...
i wonder what an old vl would be like, probably a bit of rust on the looks of this one, only seen it parked, but its automatic.
could always turn it into a vl turbo, later on, be someting different with a bit of work....
probably get it for 1500... can afford that pretty easily, with out selling my bikes. that way when i do return to riding, i still have my pride and joys. that ive had since new...
as long as the engine lasts for a year or two.. id start doing the rest up while i had it.
but it would need to be a good strait body as a base after all.. this ones interior looks decent, exterior has a few marks, scratches, some of the cowling has come away from the windscreen too..
not that it needs to be this one, just something i found down the road...
what are the odds of finding a good condition genuine vl turbo auto these days anyway, that hasnt been modified or thrashed..
Last edited by Mad-Biker; 17-12-2009 at 02:00 PM.
1987 HOLDEN COMMODORE VL for sale in New England, New South Wales on countrycars.com.au
found this one too,
what would a nissan 3l motor be like, non turbo?
and how hard would it be to turbo it?
id like a project car, so a good base.
vl turbo would be awsome.
i rang up the white one and its a lady whos owned it for the past 7 years, its got 160,000km on it, its auto, and they just put new tyres on it, her dad maintains it for her and she knows nothing about it. appart form it being reliable to drive from sydney to armidale regularly. yes its got a bit of rust in it, by th elooks of it, migh tneed a lot of tlc.
i called the blue one up, who lives out of town, it had a full respray under insurance 3 years ago, and he brought it off his mate then, and it sat in teh shed unregistered for 3 years. mmmm...
its manual though which is a + for later, buta negative for right now for me... its got 170,000km on it, no air conditioning though. im a little concerned if i can change a manual in my condition though. but it be adventagious to have one for later on.
if i got a vl, id end up when im all healed nd back on bikes, putting it out back and stripping it down totally, full respray, then a manual box and rb30et into it, maybe a later skyline motor. and tricking it up all round for a club car..
kinda getting excited about all this stuff again, its been a long time since i owned a car i can work on like this again...
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Originally Posted by skruba
