Buying a second hand VR or VS

[MrCanno]

Hi all!

I'm looking at buying my first car in the next year and a bit (still on my L's) and I would love a VR or a VS!!!

Main question VR or VS? All I know is that the VS had the new V6 ECOTECH engine (I think) and that's what I'm kinda leaning towards but I could be well mistaken!
What do I need to look for?
Decent price? (I've seen a lot of them for about $5,500 to $8,990)
Any info would be most appreciated

 

[Vs_sharlene]

Hey bro,

Good choice on the VS, I bought one late last year and havn't regreted it.

That price range sounds OK. I got mine pretty cheap (VS Series II $3800) but thats another story...

Don't know what exactly to look for but i'll tell you general stuff + what was wrong with mine.

1. Get it REVS Checked (might be called something else depending where u live)
2. Get it NRMA Inspected.( They're often morons but its some assurance + Relativley cheap)
3. Get it fully serviced once bought ('bout $300 but at least you know that its been done no matter what the last owner said)
Also My VS had:

1. Sagging headliner
2. Bad fuel economy
3. Underbody Rust
4. Bad Headunit wiring (stock HU), generated heat)

I'll get back to you on anything else, prob alot more stuff but check that out

 

[kylegray]

Vr

I think a vr with low k's on the clock is a better choice. U can pick them up alot cheaper and they dont hav the electric sounding ecotech. Since there cheaper u can probably consider a higher luxury model instead of an exec aswell.

 

[Mopar]

G’day, MY wife bought a VR commodore about 9 months ago & when she was looking at buying a commodore my mechanic mate said to me if it’s got a towbar check the transmission fluid, just pull the dip stick out & have a look at the colour of the fluid on the bottom of the stick if it’s red in colour it’s good if it’s grey/black in colour you are up for big money either replacing the trans or getting a rebuild. Hope this helps & Commodore’s are a good choice when buying a car.

 

[mattman]

Yep VR/VS are a fab car... looking at my second shortly (first died a painful death into a stobie pole )...

The towbar tip above is a good one.. if it has a towbar and it towed alot, the trans will be under extra stress, and a trans cooler should have been fitted but not always the case.

Otherwise just check the usuals,, oil leaks, colour of fluids, etc, if anything is black have a decent look at it.

 

[evil_monkey]

well i own two vs's a sedan and a ute i used to have a vt sII it ran great but it didnt have enough power beeing a heavier car and just a v6 auto they need at least a 5L/5.7L id say. the vr/vs has been the fastest newwer v6 commy ive driven (i havent driven any older than vn) my step dad owned a vr and my first car was a 5spd vn berlina the vy i found very dissapointing as far as power and comfort

the vs has plenty of go and a cai and k&n filter makes em have just that little bit more.

i picked my 96 vs sII sedan up last september for $5500 with 159000 kms immac interior dodgy exterior eg dents scratches etc has been running fairly well since purchase just has very high fuel consumption which we have nearly sorted that out i just bought my 95 vs ute a week ago i paid $8000 for that its pristine with 109000 kms just a slight teething problem with the oil but i knew i was getting into that before i bought the car.

problems ive had
vs sedan high fuel consumption 220kms to a tank/black smoke (running rich) / rough start, rocker cover gaskets leaking (minor), grinding idler bearing

vs ute, rocker cover gasket leak (major), oil thickener mis-use from previous owner trying to stop rocker covers from leaking/ dirty cooling system / thermostat replace (for good luck ), sqeaky idler bearing

vs sedan replaced
idler bearing
rooflining
a/c switch
dash fascia (broke the vents off trying to replace the a/c switch)
oxygen sensors x2
fuel pressure regulator
spark plugs
spark leads
fuel filter
ECU (computer)

vs ute replaced
exhaust (stocky keep it nice and quiet for my music old one rusted out)
few bottles of oil and a couple oil filters
some coolant
rocker cover gaskets
a/c switch
instrument cluster (from level 1 to level 2, also sticking)
saggy rooflining (yet to be replaced)
broken sun visor clip (replace on the weekend)
idler bearing (replace on the weekend)

so ah yeah sorry for the whole life story im at work so i should be working !!!!!! hope this helps a little

 

[fitzy2005]

lol yea, the vs ecotec is the first of the ecotec were the vr is the last of the buick, for sum reason the vs seems to be a testing sorta thing in my imagination , but really its up to you, they are both the same body pretty much, just the motor is dif

 

[bloodylegend]

if your on a price limit you might be better off getting a VR Berlina or VR Calais rather than getting a VS Exec. VS Berlinas and Calais are usually a little more expensive.

 

[Vs_sharlene]

problems ive had
vs sedan high fuel consumption 220kms to a tank/black smoke (running rich) / rough start, rocker cover gaskets leaking (minor), grinding idler bearing

Yea I was getting bad economy (about 220\tank aswell!!) Changed oil, oil + air filters, spark plugs and using higher octance fuel now getting 305\tank.

What else do you rekon to improve on this?

P.s. I know there are other threads about this but I've got same model and problem so specific advice is good

Cheers

 

[mattman]

You put new o2 temp sensors in? a faulty one will have it run rich.