I'm an inch away from buying a VP commy executive wagon

[morespect]

I'm going for an inspection to buy a 92 vp executive wagon with 245K on the clock and I'm pretty

sure that I'm gonna finish the deal that day if it's not too disappointing. Are there any commonly

known faults I should look thoroughly? Please help me not waste a fortune after the purchase

[Krisp]

buy yourself an excel , commodores that age are a money pit

[pow3rslave]

buy yourself an excel , commodores that age are a money pit

says the guy with a vh.

what's the deal with the car? is it a v6 or v8? auto or manual? VP's are nice (but i might be biased). ditch the clear grill and whack on a skirt if you can get one, they come up tidy.

[Krisp]

says the guy with a vh.

what's the deal with the car? is it a v6 or v8? auto or manual? VP's are nice (but i might be biased). ditch the clear grill and whack on a skirt if you can get one, they come up tidy.

Lol , he said something about not wanting to spend money. the vp is at the age where if it hasnt been replaced yet it will need to be ie money pit

[Rusty]

I have owned vh's, vl's, vp's and vr's both 6cylinder and 8. Anything later model than vt is just about guaranteed to cost a fair bit to keep running.

Unless you find a magnificent example that has had just about everything replaced, get used to having an empty wallet.

All that said, i would much rather pay more for an old style commodore than the ve etc (do not bother flaming as i have also owned ve and vy)

[bogan_vk]

buy yourself an excel , commodores that age are a money pit

and excells arent, theyre normally a smokey rattly pos after 10 years

[crazyspoon05]

Rust in the tailgate, water in the taillights, rooflining and door seals in terms of the exterior/interior

Also look for the usual Commodore power steering and oil leaks

Great thing about the VN-VS wagons is there area lot of interchangeable so you don't have to get parts specifically for a VP wagon when fixing interior pieces, etc

If the price is right and there isn't much wrong with it then I'd go for it as they are pretty easy to work on anyway

[Brett_jjj]

The good thing about the older commodores is that the parts are cheap and plentiful and they are easy to work on for the DIYer.You can pick up whole cars for a couple a hundred dollars.Its the best way to buy spares.Most wreckers in my area are expensive,they would offer you $100 at the most for any unregistered commodore ,but will then charge $50 or more for taillights etc.

[morespect]

Well guys I'm not saying that I won't be spending a nickel for the car or anything LOL I'm aware that cars with that age will definitely need certain amount of services in most cases. What I'm saying is, I don't want to go screaming at night cursing the seller and the whole holden manufacturers for making me pay as much as I actually bought the car. I like my car to be fully functional and drive smooth so 500~1000$ is ready for the service. Won't that be enough?

[Krisp]

to be more realistic i would never buy a car if when you remove the oil cap all you see is chocolate fudge. the car will only cost you as much as your degree of tolerance can handle the inperfections

[lemusa]

parts are cheap, drive train fairly bulletproof, easy to work on and the common problems are more an annoyance than a problem.

But like any car that age if it hasnt been replaced it will probaly need to be as far as bearings, shocks etc etc but one thing at a time and itl look after you

[Lost_Pete]

While we "love" our VN/VP Commodores, what people are saying is realistic. It is a 20 year old car and is likely to need work.

On the plus side parts are cheaper now and it is easy to work on and doesn't have too much electronics to baffle you.

On the minus side major things such as power steering, new tyres or even just a full set of brake pads and rotors can be more than 10% or 20% of the value of the car in just the parts alone. Plastics are brittle and break easily so every time I fix something I often break a bit more of the car. Rubbers and foam parts are worn and / or perished and you will be surprised how many rubber parts are in a car, fuel lines, cooling hoses, suspension, power steering hoses, door seals, brake lines, brake piston boot, steering boots, belts, harmonic balancer, seat padding, roof linings, steering wheel, etc. And I think we are assuming you can fix it yourself!

More importantly crash safety, handling, brakes are well below your average new car.

Unless you really "love" VN / VP or it is a collectible model I'd tried to buy a younger model car with an airbag or two.

[VRV666]

If the car is in good nick and you have a fair amount of mechanic knowledge, there really isnt much to and old vp. The reason I race the early v6 commys is because they are strong, cheap and easy to get parts for and after a little tlc very reliable. If you know how to use this forum just about every problem you can imagine has been covered from start to finish so it isnt hard to start to diagonise any issues. If you have 500-a grand sitting there for a service and the car is good ill say you shouldnt go wrong. BUT I havent seen the car so I cant guarentee that.