VT for first car, good idea?

[thomassekay]

Hey guys i couldn't find a better place to post this question.

Im currently on my L's in SA and will shortly have my P's. I plan to buy a car early next year. I would like to get a VT wagon, would i be able to get decent one with my budget of $5000? I've looked around a bit online but im not a genious when it comes to cars considering i have never owned one.

Are the VT's good reliable cars?
Are they relatively cheap to maintain?
How are they on fuel?

Thanks heaps
Thomas

[graham7773]

First, there is not a car on the road that has no problems. Having said that, I own a VT Acclaim wagon and find it a good comfortable car that drives and handles well. got enough power unless you are a rev head, it has very good brakes and looks good. Mine has abs and traction control. Helps a lot. No car is cheap to maintain unless you learn to do most work on it your self as mechanic labour charges push servicing costs through the roof. If you talk to someone at center link, they may be able to put you in a car maintenance course. If not, your local Tafe will have those courses. As for fuel, it depends on how heavy your right foot is and how well you maintain the car. I am seeing claims of as low as 8 litres per 100Ks hwy. That makes a lot of Japanese cars look very thirsty. If you are carefull, $5000 will get you a very nice VT Wagon.

[1SIKR8]

mate my first car was a VT, my secound car was a VT lol there a nice car and if you don't flog the guts outta them, i've herd of them doing 500,000km without a rebuild on anything. but in saying that, there not gonna blow up straight away if you give them the occasional booting

[calais24/7]

5k should get you a nice wagon, not sure how much more (if any) the wagons are over a sedan, becuase in all honesty you can pick up a vt sedan for like 3-4k. All cars will have problems, it just depends on how well it has been treated and the service intervals etc. When looking try and buy off older people and if you can get one that shows the service history. IMO never buy a car off a P plater.. no matter how cheap or fully sick it is. Like graham said it's a lot cheaper to maintain a car if you can do it yourself, things like oil changes, spark plugs and small things like that. And for a vt wagon i wouldn't buy anything that has over 250 thou on the clock. Good luck and if you have one in mind post it up here for all of us to have a look cheers

[T-rex]

One thing to remember is in most cases, no one sells a good car. So really have a good look at it and nit pick while talking them down because that can save you money for what may be wrong with it that you don't know about yet.

[MikeCuzzy]

5k should get you a good VT, they have common faults (like all cars) depending on what series you get. If you can try and get a Series II, Acclaim, that way you get some of the options like ABS and Traction. As for parts, well they sold 300 000 of them, so parts are A) easy to get and B) just about all mechanics around in the last 10 years have a good knowledge of them. Make sure that you buy one with a complete service history, and that it was serviced every 10,000km or so, if they are looked after they will keep going forever (mine's at 429,xxx km- no issues beyond basic maintenance).

Depending where you live in SA, your fuel usage may be reasonable or not so much. The wagons do use more fuel, especially in the city where you can't expect much below 15L/100km, that said with country driving I've heard as low as 8 or 9L/100km. Premium fuel might help this somewhat, you'll have to experiment with it yourself. Personally the best I have managed is just below 10/100km in my sedan, though it's not exactly a new injection system... or engine :P

Also, the price of comprehensive car insurance on a VT for P-platers can be... ridiculous, just bear that in mind and make sure you shop around.

In short they are solid, powerful, comfy, reliable Aussie cars. And I will let mine go when someone pries it from my cold dead hands

Regards, Mike.

[Chilly]

Also, the price of comprehensive car insurance on a VT for P-platers can be... ridiculous, just bear that in mind and make sure you shop around.

In short they are solid, powerful, comfy, reliable Aussie cars. And I will let mine go when someone pries it from my cold dead hands

Spot on, full comp for me was about what the car's worth (if not more) so it wasn't worth getting. In short I'm extremely happy with my VT hasn't had any problems as yet and is great to drive, only down side is that if you drive it hard it uses ALOT of fuel (same as any other car in the world :P). GET IT!

EDIT: It's also worth going to auctions, you can get some great deals there as long as you take someone with you who knows what they're talking about i.e a mechanic.

[graham7773]

Re insurance, NRMA and other ins companies will do a third party property, pay by the month policy that won't hurt your wallet so much and you can get one that covers you also, as long as you are not at fault. Peace of mind if you are involved in a smash.

[Chilly]

Re insurance, NRMA and other ins companies will do a third party property, pay by the month policy that won't hurt your wallet so much and you can get one that covers you also, as long as you are not at fault. Peace of mind if you are involved in a smash.

Yes agreed, this is what i have and am very happy with it, also got discount because we used the same company that insures both home, my parents business and dad's car. Ended up being quite cheap, as long as you are sensible enough on the road then 3rd party alone will do.

[MkyHnly]

i have a vt s pack for my (technically) 1st car (i had a vc for a few months and a truck took it out)

anyway, i reckon they are really good and reliable, as people have said there are parts everywhere - your local wreckers will be full of vt's

for me, i only pay just over $60 a month for 3rd party fire and theft which doesnt hurt the hip pocket too much and gives you more cover than just 3rd party - however if you do a deal with your parents and put it under their name and they nominate you as a driver, you will pay next to nothing for comprehensive.

ive heard that the only things that normally go wrong with vt's is the fuel pumps, but if you get a decent aftermarket one they will go forever

hope this helps mate and good luck

[11gothevt11]

5k should get you a good VT, they have common faults (like all cars) depending on what series you get. If you can try and get a Series II, Acclaim, that way you get some of the options like ABS and Traction. As for parts, well they sold 300 000 of them, so parts are A) easy to get and B) just about all mechanics around in the last 10 years have a good knowledge of them. Make sure that you buy one with a complete service history, and that it was serviced every 10,000km or so, if they are looked after they will keep going forever (mine's at 429,xxx km- no issues beyond basic maintenance).

Depending where you live in SA, your fuel usage may be reasonable or not so much. The wagons do use more fuel, especially in the city where you can't expect much below 15L/100km, that said with country driving I've heard as low as 8 or 9L/100km. Premium fuel might help this somewhat, you'll have to experiment with it yourself. Personally the best I have managed is just below 10/100km in my sedan, though it's not exactly a new injection system... or engine :P

Also, the price of comprehensive car insurance on a VT for P-platers can be... ridiculous, just bear that in mind and make sure you shop around.

In short they are solid, powerful, comfy, reliable Aussie cars. And I will let mine go when someone pries it from my cold dead hands

Regards, Mike.

note: series 1 accailm wagon has abs and traction control

[MikeCuzzy]

note: series 1 accailm wagon has abs and traction control

Thanks for the note, I wasn't sure about the Series 1, didn't want to say it in case I was wrong.

[TonyJZX]

what does it mean that "no-one sells a good car"?

the reality is that people grow out of cars... perhaps they want something smaller? newer? there are obviously many reasons people sell a car, not all of them ulterior

i personally think a commodore is NOT a good car for beginners... you only have to see how many fatalities there are in VTs... it's not that they're inherently unsafe... just that most people can't seem to understand an unassisted RWD sedan

[alpha_au]

what does it mean that "no-one sells a good car"?

the reality is that people grow out of cars... perhaps they want something smaller? newer? there are obviously many reasons people sell a car, not all of them ulterior

i personally think a commodore is NOT a good car for beginners... you only have to see how many fatalities there are in VTs... it's not that they're inherently unsafe... just that most people can't seem to understand an unassisted RWD sedan

I disagree with that statement, a VT commodore (even a base model with no ABS) still has good brakes, power steering, Independent rear suspension and overall is a "safe" car.... MUCH safer than an older VN/VP etc.. Also I'd argue its safer than most 4 cylinder smaller cars (of the same era due to the fact that most of them don't have good brakes/suspension/steering and offer very little crash protection. The only reason there are a lot of fatalities in VT's is because they're probably the most common car on the road and young "hoons" like to drive them. My advice: Buy one that is either a one owner vehicle or has full history and DO NOT buy off someone under the age of 30.

[BPX-31H]

I disagree with that statement, a VT commodore (even a base model with no ABS) still has good brakes, power steering, Independent rear suspension and overall is a "safe" car.... MUCH safer than an older VN/VP etc.. Also I'd argue its safer than most 4 cylinder smaller cars (of the same era due to the fact that most of them don't have good brakes/suspension/steering and offer very little crash protection. The only reason there are a lot of fatalities in VT's is because they're probably the most common car on the road and young "hoons" like to drive them. My advice: Buy one that is either a one owner vehicle or has full history and DO NOT buy off someone under the age of 30.

ill second this, i previously owned a 1994 corolla, and so far the vt is alot safer, the doors were thinners, suspension sucks and the vt has better steering wheel, every brand and model has a under 30 year old hooning around in it, so to say as on my greens the vt is a excellent one for a first car.

[BPX-31H]

I disagree with that statement, a VT commodore (even a base model with no ABS) still has good brakes, power steering, Independent rear suspension and overall is a "safe" car.... MUCH safer than an older VN/VP etc.. Also I'd argue its safer than most 4 cylinder smaller cars (of the same era due to the fact that most of them don't have good brakes/suspension/steering and offer very little crash protection. The only reason there are a lot of fatalities in VT's is because they're probably the most common car on the road and young "hoons" like to drive them. My advice: Buy one that is either a one owner vehicle or has full history and DO NOT buy off someone under the age of 30.

ill second this, i previously owned a 1994 corolla, and so far the vt is alot safer, the doors were thinners, suspension sucks and the vt has better steering wheel, every brand and model has a under 30 year old hooning around in it, so to say as on my greens the vt is a excellent one for a first car.

[MikeCuzzy]

i personally think a commodore is NOT a good car for beginners... you only have to see how many fatalities there are in VTs... it's not that they're inherently unsafe... just that most people can't seem to understand an unassisted RWD sedan

I don't think that just because some people can't wrap their head around basic physics, the rest of us should suffer. The first car I drove was the VT, it has no ABS, no Traction Control, and yet I haven't crashed. In fact I would argue the opposite to you, it's the perfect first car, because it teaches you how to really drive the car. My brother is learning to drive in my Dad's VE SV6, so it has safety features to rival any car out there, consequently my brother doesn't understand how brakes lock up or how you can get wheel spin. If people want to drive in an unsafe fashion, the car they are in won't matter, whether it's a VT or Suzuki Liana, if you hit a tree at 160- you'll be just as dead. If we teach people to drive safe from the get go, it isn't a problem.

[jazza15]

The VT is quite a robust car. A large portion of its sales were aimed at fleet sales, where company reps etc. would not maintain the car much, if not at all. they were designed to withstand this sort of harsh treatment. So when compared to other cars such as subaru's, nissans and mitsubishi's etc. I believe they will generally last much longer than these cars.

As for the VT being a great first car, I believe this is a double edged sword. While it has great safety features compared to other cheaper and less powerful cars, the power it has does cause a lot of crashes for younger drivers. I've heard people say learn to drive slow cars fast and then gradually build up in power, however I would not recommend the 'drive fast' part.
Basically, drive carefully and don't be a #$%@head early on, give it time to completely get used to the car and maybe even do a defensive driving course so that you know what the car will do when the shit hits the fan. Get through that first year or two safely in your VT and you have proven that you have made the right choice.

I agree that servicing is much cheaper for VT's in terms of parts availability and relative simplicity of the servicing compared to some other more complex engines. If you can learn to DIY, it will save you heaps and save you just as much coin. Get ahold of a VT workshop manual and it will tell you how to do everything.

[Chilly]

People keeps saying it's dangerous how much power it has. I have to say I disagree, it's your driving style that counts, as the above person said you can kill yourself just as easily in a small car (i.e hyundai excel) at high speed. There's been times when I've been driving that the extra power was needed, bottom line: Don't drive like a lunatic then you have a pretty good chance of not crashing.

note: was on the freeway yesterday in the left lane sitting just under 100 and people were flying past me, even.....a ford focus

[feg]

One thing to remember is in most cases, no one sells a good car.

Not sure I agree with that. Some people are so impressed with their car they want to buy another and upgrade. But you do say in most cases, so I understand what you are getting at. IE be carefully and ask ( and wonder ) why the seller is selling.

Also as far as safety goes, I second the defensive driving course as a recommendation. The VT can be fun and it handles the way a car should. But it can be a bit to get used to and with the wrong tyres can be dangerous. If you have to hoon, do it on a dirt road where no one else is around and there is run off. Then you will understand you are just maintaining control of the car for the time being. anyone can lose control of these cars, and this is part of the lesson that makes us all safer drivers.

Having said that, the OP wants a wagon, so it sounds more that he is interested in carrying capacity then horsepower. I think go for it, VTs are a great first car. You may end up owning it a lot longer than you plan to initially so find a good one with features you want for your budget.

[T-rex]

Not sure I agree with that. Some people are so impressed with their car they want to buy another and upgrade. But you do say in most cases, so I understand what you are getting at. IE be carefully and ask ( and wonder ) why the seller is selling.

Yeah that's probably a bit closer to what I meant, I just said that because my VS looked fine and they said it was fine but when I went to get it road-worthied it had stuffed engine mounts and that was a very costly bargaining chip to miss.

I've driven a few mates etc. VTs and I rate them on brakes and reliability, one of my mates parents one is on like 300k and I swear it doesn't even blow smoke, and I'm skeptical it has been serviced as often as it should but it does get serviced. I'm not really a fan of their visibility but, I find the A pillar (I think) just blocks a lot of vision but thats my opinion.

[schrinky]

the only thing i can say is...get an acclaim if you can, you get the benefit of a passengers airbag and traction control, my exec has the passengers airbag and sometimes in the wet with an LSD it can be a bit of a handful if i boot it, i know you shouldnt be doing that but im just saying the traction control cant hurt for us younger drivers out there! and i am pretty sure that there will be people on here who will back me up. If i was to go and get one myself rather than buying of my dad i would have tried to find something with traction control...for the just in case one in a million occasion!

[11gothevt11]

the only thing i can say is...get an acclaim if you can, you get the benefit of a passengers airbag and traction control, my exec has the passengers airbag and sometimes in the wet with an LSD it can be a bit of a handful if i boot it, i know you shouldnt be doing that but im just saying the traction control cant hurt for us younger drivers out there! and i am pretty sure that there will be people on here who will back me up. If i was to go and get one myself rather than buying of my dad i would have tried to find something with traction control...for the just in case one in a million occasion!

but don't rely on the traction control 100% in the wet
With traction control on i was going around a roundabout in the wet... For a split second the whole rear end went sideways...Don't know if it didn't work that one time but normaly works great..

[CV60VE]

hey buddy had the same boat as you lol recently on my L's bought a very nice VT wagon and am now on my P's My car was an ex telstra car picked it up for $4500 no problem at all with mine so far only thing iv had to do was get a new radiator but if your willing to fill her up for around $70 then yer go for it lol
I guess it also comes down to who has owned it and how they have treated it. Also insure could be expensive and rego to and green slip recently just payed min cost me just under $1000 but am trying to save so hard so that when I get of my P plates ill have the money to buy a VE ute I have always wanted lol or maby the newest model thats out then if I like it hahahaha
But good luck in search of a car mate.

[11gothevt11]

hey buddy had the same boat as you lol recently on my L's bought a very nice VT wagon and am now on my P's My car was an ex telstra car picked it up for $4500 no problem at all with mine so far only thing iv had to do was get a new radiator but if your willing to fill her up for around $70 then yer go for it lol
I guess it also comes down to who has owned it and how they have treated it. Also insure could be expensive and rego to and green slip recently just payed min cost me just under $1000 but am trying to save so hard so that when I get of my P plates ill have the money to buy a VE ute I have always wanted lol or maby the newest model thats out then if I like it hahahaha
But good luck in search of a car mate.

how many km on the wagon?????