Advice on Buying a VQ

[RazzaCaine]

Hey all Im thinking of trading my VS for a VQ and was wondering if there is anything in particular i should keep an eye out for whilst looking at the stato. The stato has 310,000kms, has a hsv 185i engine, dual fuel, tinted windows, caprice bodykit, new exhaust system, lowered and has some new suspension components. It looks really mint but just want to know if theres anything specific to the model which goes wrong with them, particularly with the driveline due to the higher kms. Any advice would be great as Im really keen to get this car as it will be my first V8

[Nackerz]

Stay away from it mate. Too many k's....Shit will start going wrong with the engine and you will have to fork out more money then what its worth...

[RazzaCaine]

really? what sort of things go wrong with the engines in these? if its been looked after well will it be alright?

[Adds_05]

kms doesnt mean shit,my old vq had 185,000kms and i had heaps more problems with that than my 290,000km ss that i have now, if its been serviced/taken care of then i dont see it being to much of a problem

[RazzaCaine]

ok cheers for that

[Adds_05]

whats he asking for it? kms does come into it but dont just knock it back for that reason if its pretty clean and serviced like i said

[RazzaCaine]

$4000 but hes happy to trade for my vs v6. he reckons it has been looked after and serviced often but doesnt have any papers to show for it so im not too sure now

[Adds_05]

just make sure you give it a good look over and really check the drive line out. make sure you check the gearbox out,doesnt slip,goes into gear straight away etc. check for rubber up in the rear guards also

[RazzaCaine]

so its mainly just the usual drill as with any other car? nothing model specific? i know all the basic stuff when buying a car like checking all the electrics & lights work, checking theres coolant and its colour, checking the oil and its colour, seeing if theres milky stuff on the oil cap, etc etc. im either getting this VQ stato or an E21 BMW with a stack of spares. im feeling the E21 more but wouldnt mind a nice VQ

[Adds_05]

go with which ever you prefer..., i just mentioned about the gearbox as mine slipped slightly underload and they're meant to be a bit harder to find second hand in good condition from what i was told.
i do miss my old vq but i think because it was my first v8 and i had wanted a vq for years before that but it just gave me a few too many problems for a car that had only done 185,000kms

[RazzaCaine]

hmm yeah i would love one as i grew bored with the v6 in the vs very quickly and want a v8 but at the same time i wouldnt mind a little, lightweight bmw and doing some sort of engine conversion on it. i guess ill check out both and go with the gut instinct

[Adds_05]

yeah man take them both for a run and see which one you like

[RazzaCaine]

yeah, the guy with the VQ is keen to do the swap tomorrow and the guy with the E21 is keen to do the swap next week. i just got insurance quotes from aami for both and the bizarre thing is (3rd party, fire, theft & damage) the VQ is only $15 a month more than the E21 despite it being a 5L v8 and modified whereas the E21 is only a 1.8L 4cyl and is completely stock standard... how does that work haha?

[RazzaCaine]

heres the link to the VQ incase you want to have a look at it: Find Cheap Used & Second Hand Cars For Sale | Adelaide | Gumtree Classifieds

[STEALTHY™]

If any part of your 'wanting' this car is because of the motor, dont even bother. The motor is identicle to every other VN-S 5L. Unless he put the CAI/exhaust and knock sensor on the stato, it will be the same output as a normal one (and lets face it, aftermarket gear would be better than HSV gear...)

[RazzaCaine]

yeah the main reason i want it is because its a v8 and it would be my first v8 but im steering more towards the bmw as i dont really need such a big car at the moment and the bmw would be better suited to me i think

[STEALTHY™]

yeah the main reason i want it is because its a v8 and it would be my first v8 but im steering more towards the bmw as i dont really need such a big car at the moment and the bmw would be better suited to me i think

Sorry i should explain. I meant the 'HSV 185' part of it. If there are cheaper stato's out there with the normal 165 motor, just go for those since this one wont be any different power wise.

[RazzaCaine]

yeah i kinda figured thats what you meant, hence the part about aftermarket being better than hsv. the fact that is allegedly has a "185i" motor in it doesnt affect a thing for me, i figured itd make a 5hp difference if anything and woopy do about 5hp. the vqs are the only statos that i really like and this one does look fairly clean plus the fact that it has dual fuel would help reduce the petrol costs a bit. how much do the 5ls chew compared to the ecotec? im doing about $40 a week at the moment for around 300kms ish of city driving

[shnap2nd]

woulda looked alot nicer if the guy put the door moulds on straighter u can tell this has rather been resprayed or been in a stack!!!!!
i do love the statos though not too bad for $4000

[RazzaCaine]

well he sold it last night which is slightly annoying as were going to swap today. oh well, ill get the bmw instead and switch over to the euro forums

[MasterOfReality]

Prob a good thing, $4000 is too much for something with > 300,000km on it.

Body would have felt like it as well.