VT II SS or VX SS?

[demuck]

In the near future I'll be purchasing my first V8 which I hope to be either a VT II SS or VX SS (series I or II) with a manual transmission. I actually like the look of the VT SS better than the VX SS and seeing that they are a few grand cheaper I'd prefer the VT II SS.

As I've researched the differences, a lot of people say to spend the extra money and get the VX as it is better. Fair enough, but what makes it better? I'm not talking about exterior/body differences, just everything else.

Some differences I have read about so far - the VX SS has an LS6 intake manifold (I'm sure this would take much to install on a VT SS), the VX's doors are designed differently making them lighter but also safer (something like a total of 50kg lighter from the VX II to VT II), the camber/suspension issue was fixed in the series II VX (could a VX series II suspension be put in a VT?).

I also read that the tail shaft is actually stronger in the VT SS though?

Is there any other differences? Would I be better buying the VT SS (seeing as I like the look better) then spending the extra cash fixing the above issues and/or other modifications?

[jakstas]

Vz has black interior trim, VT has grey.

[juiceie vh sle]

series II vx ss had a different manifold series I still had the LS1 manifold... not hard to swap over just hard to find at a reasonable price(might as well go after market)

i just finished putting a VZ rear subframe assembly in my VX SS and is a good upgrade suspention wise(no more camber issues).... the frame assebly only cost $550

unless your chasing 10th of a second down the quarter mile i wouldnt worrie about the 50kg lighter doors.

i know they had a lot of issues with the series II VT LS1's burning oil.. problem got fixed in VX

wouldnt worrie to much about the tail shaft as i have 310rwkw and hammer it everyday and never had a problem.(never heard of anyone else have trouble either)

hope that helps

[Johnsy]

^^^ He is asking about VT-VX not VZ...

I would go the VX as you said better side impact ( also standard with side impact airbags i believe ) plus being newer is always a good thing....

[calais24/7]

this is my personal theory, whenever they bring out something new, its not going to be as good as the refined models, eg a series II. Your suggesting buying a vt ss and using the vx ss series two camber upgrade and the intake and that, would it be worth spending the extra how ever much and knowing its already there and you dont have to worry about fiddling later on? my theory could be complete bs by the way lol.

[demuck]

Vz has black interior trim, VT has grey.

Do you mean VX? or do you actually mean VZ...
I used to have a VT and currently have a VX and didn't notice any colour change but maybe I just didn't notice it...

[demuck]

this is my personal theory, whenever they bring out something new, its not going to be as good as the refined models, eg a series II. Your suggesting buying a vt ss and using the vx ss series two camber upgrade and the intake and that, would it be worth spending the extra how ever much and knowing its already there and you dont have to worry about fiddling later on? my theory could be complete bs by the way lol.

Yeah your right, obviously the newer models/series would have improvements but currently on car sales for a black VT SS II they are around 4-5k cheaper than a black VX SS II. Also if I got a VX I'd be spending money on it to get a VT rear bar (hate those reflectors) and probably get the full VT rear lights/garnish (I actually like the look of a clean rear VT) so that's a bit of money there.

I'm trying to work out what will be better overall for the look I want.

[demuck]

i know they had a lot of issues with the series II VT LS1's burning oil.. problem got fixed in VX

hey thanks, never knew about this. how did they fix it?

[juiceie vh sle]

not sure how they fixed it but they had a lot of teething problems with the first of the LS1's

[feg]

I have exactly the same opinion as the OP. i think the look of the series 2 vt is much better. ( IMO )

I think the ls1s that had oil issues were mostly fixed on a recall back when the issue happened.

A mate of mine has s vx series 1 ss and to tell the truth, it is a much much nicer car. Everything in the interior just feels newer. very hard to describe, but getting into my series 1 vt s, was not pleasant, after seeing how nice his looked.

The Black interior seems to have been an option on the vx series 2, as not all seem to have it, but I think it is well worth it. If you think you can get used to the look of the front spoiler being slightly different and the tail lights and rear reflectors looking odd, i would say go the vx series 2. The camber issues were meant to have been fixed up in the series 2, with control arms on the rear k frame.

i think this simply got the camber issues " under control".

The Vt series 1 and 2 seems to have matched the original design that the shape of the car was meant for in my opinion. I think every step after this was a step towards the VT squared off design. If you buy the original, starting adding up how much you will spend on it to get it to where you want it, and even though the parts are relatively inexpensive, you may be surprised at the cost.

the one other thing I should mention is somethings are just not worth trying to upgrade from all that I have read on here. IE climate control. You will find this in a vx s2, but try to find someone that has done the upgrade to a vt and recommends doing it. Some of the add ons, are simply worth having to put up with the look of the reflectors in the bumper bar. perhaps Calais vx taillights have the reflectors on the unit them selves?

[calais24/7]

Yeah your right, obviously the newer models/series would have improvements but currently on car sales for a black VT SS II they are around 4-5k cheaper than a black VX SS II. Also if I got a VX I'd be spending money on it to get a VT rear bar (hate those reflectors) and probably get the full VT rear lights/garnish (I actually like the look of a clean rear VT) so that's a bit of money there.

I'm trying to work out what will be better overall for the look I want.

i agree on you with the reflectors, i had no idea they where that much differant in price though. you would have to be one of like 3 people who prefer the vt rear end lol. Is it worth spending that extra 4k, although when there 10 years old if they had major problems when first introdcued you would think they would be fixed by now anyways, maybe you could spent that 4-5k on mods. And lets be honest, im sure you could almost straight swap someone for a vt rear end, normally everyone wants the vx ones so really you could get out of it cheaply.

[RvtRvx]

All Series II VX Commodores have the Black interior and the cluster needles are clear instead of yellow. Also I believe the indicator and wiper stalkers are a different shape.

Honestly you can spend heaps of money and time putting VX SII parts in the VT but by the time you have chased up the parts and have them installed you would have been better off getting the VX SII.

IMO the VX SII is the better option.

[GenFree]

So VX11 gets the ls6 manifold,does the VY also carry this manifold over?

[VY Rossi]

All ls1's from vx onwards got the ls6 manifold

[Verynice]

+1 for VX II

[goose202]

As mentioned, main thing is the extra rear suspension link in the VX2. If your budget doesn't go that far I'd be more tempted just to go after the best condition LS1 you can get for the money. I've only spent any real time driving my VX2 so I can't comment about how it compares to the earlier models.

The indicator stalks changed in the VX2, the earlier ones are horrible IMO, but I believe that can be changed easy enough.

[nzBrowny]

i could be waaaay wrong, but couldnt you fork out for a vxII and then if you really still like the vt style then change the panels and such? surely if they fit or can be made to fit it would be cheaper than buying a vt and swapping suspension and engine bits over?
dunno myself, as i said could be completely wrong...
as per most of the others, a vx has got to be a better buy at the end of the day.

good luck with it mate.

[ucwepn]

Newer is better.

[Reaper]

VXII all the way. They were a ton better when they were new and the bodies seemed to have aged a lot better than the VT's. I think they look better too.

Reaper

[demuck]

A mate of mine has s vx series 1 ss and to tell the truth, it is a much much nicer car. Everything in the interior just feels newer. very hard to describe, but getting into my series 1 vt s, was not pleasant, after seeing how nice his looked.

The Black interior seems to have been an option on the vx series 2, as not all seem to have it, but I think it is well worth it.

the one other thing I should mention is somethings are just not worth trying to upgrade from all that I have read on here. IE climate control. You will find this in a vx s2, but try to find someone that has done the upgrade to a vt and recommends doing it. Some of the add ons, are simply worth having to put up with the look of the reflectors in the bumper bar. perhaps Calais vx taillights have the reflectors on the unit them selves?

Thanks for the reply. Not really worried about climate control though. Yeah I upgraded from a VT series I to a VX series I S-pack and I noticed it to be a lot nicer but I just figured it was because it was an S-pack... The VT SS II interior looks quite nice from pictures I've seen.

All Series II VX Commodores have the Black interior and the cluster needles are clear instead of yellow. Also I believe the indicator and wiper stalkers are a different shape.

I haven't noticed this black interior change before. Maybe I'll have to check out a few series II VXs and see the difference. Thanks for pointing it out though.

Newer is better.

Gee thanks...

VXII all the way. They were a ton better when they were new and the bodies seemed to have aged a lot better than the VT's. I think they look better too.

Reaper

Do you actually mean the bodies, or do you mean the paint? I've noticed the paint on the VXs seem to be a lot better in general than VTs but with the SS most of them seem to be looked after and just as good as each other.




The thing is though, in the end if I get a VX II SS, I'll be spending approx $4k extra and then possibly even more if I want to get a VT SS bodykit... That's the reason I'd rather get a VT II SS and fix the problems/differences compared with a VX II SS. Thanks for all the replies, if there is any more information on differences of issues let me know I still haven't decided what I'll do in the end, I guess it'll also depend on the price range in the market when it's time for me to buy the next car.

[demuck]

i could be waaaay wrong, but couldnt you fork out for a vxII and then if you really still like the vt style then change the panels and such? surely if they fit or can be made to fit it would be cheaper than buying a vt and swapping suspension and engine bits over?
dunno myself, as i said could be completely wrong...
as per most of the others, a vx has got to be a better buy at the end of the day.

good luck with it mate.

Yeah that's pretty much what I'm trying to work out. The panels and whatnot are all the same, the bumpers would change over easily. The engine differences sound very minor (only the intake manifold) and I could always just get a camber kit to fix the camber issues. But I need to work out which is cheaper and what will be better in the long run.

[MikeCuzzy]

By series II of the VT's they had solved a good deal of the problems but there were heaps left. I would get the VX if I were you, Holden had been through 3 years troubleshooting with the VT's, the VX's are better in everyway.

So you really like the look of the VT? I myself do love my VT, but they are plagued with problems to be honest, especially with trim. I'll disagree with the paint comments, mine doesn't have a clear coat, but with proper care, the paint is in excellent condition. Whichever car you get, find one in good nick.

If you want a VT mate, buy one, it won't matter to you if it's got the odd issue - cause it's the car you want.

[demuck]

By series II of the VT's they had solved a good deal of the problems but there were heaps left. I would get the VX if I were you, Holden had been through 3 years troubleshooting with the VT's, the VX's are better in everyway.

Yeah alright you say there are heaps of problems left but what exactly? Everyone has that general idea that VX has solved many issues but nobody has really listed many at all.

So you really like the look of the VT? I myself do love my VT, but they are plagued with problems to be honest, especially with trim.

What's wrong with the trim?

[MikeCuzzy]

Ok, well here is the full list:

Faults - VT

I can say from personal experience the following:

* Drivers seat falls apart pretty bad, I have a March '98 VT. Which allegedly has the newer foam, which isn't prone to damage, but my foam is split in 2 places along the metal frame work of the seat base. The side trim then gets torn off the seat. The seat backing can also break away after that happens.
* The map pockets on the back of the front seats break off very easily, for example when you put maps in them...
* The drivers seat on VT's can have a good deal of movement in it, mine does. Basically the seat rocks a bit or under heavy braking/acceleration it will move forward or back slightly on the rail. This can be reduced, but not really stopped.
* The centre console trim can lift and warp when exposed to heat, Holden realized this after the first summer the VT's were on sale. According to the faults page they put a revised clip in during 2001.
* I've noticed this particuly because I live in a rural area, but on rougher roads the dash can make a decent bit of noise (buzzing/vibration), sounds like it's behind the vents, and can be worse with air con on. Apparently this can be reduced with a bit of work to the dash.
* The little plastic covers that live at the end of the runners can come off a little to easily and over the years we've had this car, now they just fall off during normal movement.
* The cigarette lighter/12v power source can come loose behind the dash, it is an easy fix but you must remove the center console to do it, and it can move itself loose again.
* The hazard light switch has a habit of disappearing into the dash, the plastic used is rather small and becomes brittle with age, however can be jerry rigged back in with a cable tie and it will hold very well.
* The roof lining by the age of the VT's now will be starting to come away, mine has, will be looking to replace it. It's a very common fault.

Other stuff:

* Driver and passenger windows have a habit of rattling a lot, this can be a few reasons and can be reduced.
* Power steering pump and rack leaks are very common.
* The auto gearbox is a bit rough to use, however is reliable.
* Camber wear on the rear tyres can be VERY bad, especially if you've lowered your car. Myself I've found that if you don't fang it, and you rotate your tyres regularly, it isn't much of a problem.
* Brakes disks warp and get funky really quickly, and need to be machined, tbh it is very annoying and I am debating going aftermarket and upgrading the brakes cause you get a lot of vibration and squealing brakes very quickly after getting them sorted - they work fine but it is irritating.
* The boot seal is appalling and the drainage holes are blocked, if you get one make sure it's the first thing you look at fixing, in reality it was just a poor design and when it rains it pours... in your boot when you open the lid.

I can go on, there are many, many faults. But on the whole the VT's were decently tough cars, mine may be in need of some work now, but it has done 455,000km. For reference, most issues weren't noteworthy until it hit 250,000km.

I hope that helps, remember some of these issues are inherent to the design of the car, particularly the base models. But the VX solved some of these issues.

[wrx884]

id pick the VX 2 and swap over the the cosmetics so it looks like a VT, that was my plan not long ago wen a VX SS 2 i had in mind came up 4 sale. i dont seem 2 have the problems that listed in my current VT but only decided that since the car is an LS1 and has supposed 2 have all bugs ironed out by that stage, is slightly newer and i wanted the same look as i have now.