VN SV3800 to buy or not to buy

[PaRaDoX]

hey guys, one of my mates is getting rid of his SV3800
its a 5 speed manaul, its all in good condition except the paint work

now ive put alot of money and time into my calais and its running awesome finally so im not looking to get rid of it, however id love a 5 speed manual..
hes asking $1000 for it (mates rates) id strip the car for parts and probbly sell most of it.. becasue i can get the manual conversion done for free (getting it fitted in exchange for giving my old tranny which is in good condition to my mate who needs it)

would have to go halfs with my brother on the car and strip it for parts we need/want

any diffrence between the 3800 and the SV3800 engine???
worth swapping engines???

anyway anyone know any features the sv3800's had over the calais??? or even exec??

like power windows
interior
bodykit
level3 clusters ect...
"factory tuned 3800" ect

[stocky]

sounds like a good deal for the manual. i think they have an ss bodykit, better seats, and possibly electric windows. they have no level 3 cluster. i think theyre based off a berlina. if its your mates car why dont you know what features it has already?

[PaRaDoX]

because i havnt seen it, just got word of it yesterday at tafe but im sick today so i havnt had a good chance

its more of a mates of a mates car but still i know the dude who's selling it.. just not well

[1991_Vn2nV]

They're like 130kw... they have a HSV chip and thats all I believe.

Dont strip a HSV man... thats sacrilege...

[blaze]

yer man thats hell rude strippin one of them.. There sick cars and hard to come by. if ur gonna buy it. drive it

[PaRaDoX]

hahaha

if it were a SV5000 then id agree, but not a SV3800

dunno if i can afford it, still gotta pay insurance and get LPG done, havnt been workin for a few weeks because ive been in and outta hospital soo :S moneys tight

[1991_Vn2nV]

hahaha

if it were a SV5000 then id agree, but not a SV3800

dunno if i can afford it, still gotta pay insurance and get LPG done, havnt been workin for a few weeks because ive been in and outta hospital soo :S moneys tight

A HSV is a HSV though Given they are nothing special, but they are a collectors item, including the SV3800

[PaRaDoX]

lol

Heavy Slow Vehicle????

[adam69]

I"ll get it for $1000.Any day.

[wes_v8]

yea i rekon u should get it and keep it as a 2nd car, My 2nd cuz used to have one it was still good, he's was auto and sold it for $4000 cause he needed to get rid of it for money, i would have got it but i didn't money at the time, hope u make a good decision

[flyen]

there worth way more than $1000
i actuall want one of these cars (in very good condition) and make it a super charged v6

they had
body kit
vnss body kit with different spoiler

engine
sports headers
VL group A exhaust system
recalibrated engine management
modified torque converter
adjusted shift points (holds shifts longer than normal)
LSD 3.08

interior
berlina interior pack
electric windows
central locking
electric mirrors & aerial
sports steering wheel
HSV sports seats with perforated leather and fabric inserts (these seats are awsome)

[JD]

i reckon strip your vn and put all your stuff off that into the sv3800 it will be worth heaps more when u sell it than the calais would.
and HSV= holden SICK vehicle.
but i do have a biased opinion

[greenfoam]

Yeah man the market value on the SV would be more than your calais, it would be ALOT faster too. I'll send you to a mental home if you wreck one, don't even think it. That said history has shown that second, third or forth best special edition cars are never worth much long term so don't buy it as an investment. But buy it as a go fast VN V6 manual that happens to be worth a bit more than the Holden version

[1991_Vn2nV]

Yeah man the market value on the SV would be more than your calais, it would be ALOT faster too. I'll send you to a mental home if you wreak one, don't even think it. That said history has shown that second, third or forth best special edition cars are never worth much long term so don't buy it as an investment. But buy it as a go fast VN V6 manual that happens to be worth a bit more than the Holden version

Very well said.

[Doctor Sodways]

They were never made in a manual, so it has been converted at some point, but it would be worth buying. Slap the level three dash in it, and its better than your calais, easily. The seats are supurb, and they are quicker than a normal 6. I was munching my mates slightly worked VR stock. The paint on most SV3800s is rooted or close too as its generally the original acrylic, if it hasnt been resprayed, so the sun has done a good job of it. Im not biased either:P But do it

[Doctor Sodways]

And at a grand, do it, respray it and your set

[PaRaDoX]

yeah... its also alot more complicated than that...

cant have 2 cars, dont have the room...
my car isnt insured because im soo poor.. been in and out of hospital and im not working at the moment due to a medical condition/s

im waiting for my tax return to come back for insurance... i do have some money saved in my piggy bank but that was going to go into lpg so i can drive more...

but hrm had some nice features... id have to sell my calais

how much do you think id get for my calais
it has

a good interior
270,000km
new coil packs
engines working good (compression is high)
full options

id strip the bodykit
as i'd transfer that over


i think i could get maybe $2000-3000 with RWC?? watchya think?
still alot of work...... dont know if i can be bothered putting all that work into another car... just got mine running the way i like it

[flyen]

They were never made in a manual, so it has been converted at some point, but it would be worth buying.

wrong
im sure the phase two versions were avaliable with 5-speed manuals

[PaRaDoX]

yeah... sif not have 5 speed as a option... even the exec was able to have a 5 speed in it

[Doctor Sodways]

Its HSV, they do some weird shit. Im not saying Mike is wrong in saying they were available, but the info i have and have found contradict it, but these things happen when a car gets this old. But nevertheless, buy it, you wont regret it

[Nikkojoe]

Always good to check redbook at times like this :P

1989 HSV COMMODORE

VN SV3800 Sedan 4dr Auto 4sp 3.8i
Trade in price guide* $4,600 - $6,300
National average price - private sale* $6,100 - $8,800
Price when new (RRP) $39,000
all prices quoted are GST inclusive


1990 HSV COMMODORE

VN SV3800 Sedan 4dr Auto 4sp 3.8i
Trade in price guide* $5,100 - $6,900
National average price - private sale* $6,700 - $9,500
Price when new (RRP) $41,900

Appears they only came in Automatic.

Standard Equipment:- Alloy Wheels, Body Colour - Bumpers, Body Kit - F&R Spoilers, Skirts, Rear Apron, Central Locking, Cruise Control, Disc Brakes Front Ventilated, Disc Brakes Rear Solid, Power Door Mirrors, Power Steering, Power Windows - Front & Rear, Radio Cassette, Remote Fuel Lid Release, Spoiler - Rear, Velour Trim

Power 132kW
Acceleration 0-100Km/h 8.1 secs

Weighs 1360kg

ALSO, since it's a 5spd, make sure its not just an executive with a SV3800 kit on it :P

[RobMooar]

They're like 130kw... they have a HSV chip and thats all I believe.

Dont strip a HSV man... thats sacrilege...

Too true.. buy it, do it up and enjoy the fact that you own an origional HSV

[89vncommy]

Bro you gotta buy it...

I got my normal VN for 2.3K with only 6 months rego ... Has a fair bit of rust, and it's fair share of problems ... You would be crazy not to move heaven and earth to get this car ...

[defa]

i would not wreck it at all. if that car was at the auctions it would make more. i saw one at pickles in melbourne. i don't think it had a motor in it and it made 4 or 5 grand. it was an sv5000 though. but still
if you don't want it. pass it on to someone else who will fix it up..

[Emackulation]

Your in a predicament arnt you Para. Hmmmm what to do, what to do. one grand is pretty good for a SV3800 I think, but have you already gone too far with you existing pride and joy? Is it worth it? I would have a good look at the car and then decide weather or not to buy.