Do I dare get a VY/VY II Calais as my first car?

[holdencallous]

Hey guys, I've researched a fair bit into my first car, and I've settled on a VY/VY II Calais. Are there any drawbacks to this?, I was thinking of getting a VZ but those early rattletecs are cactus over 230,000km (or so I've been told). I'm also in the nanny state of Pricktoria, and I'm not really fond of only 305nm from the ecotec. Any good mods I can do that old mate mick mccran won't be able to ogle and say "yeah nah your car is getting crushed"?, I'm thinking a stage 2 comp cam from mace along with some extractors, 2.5 inch catback with a high flow cat and high ratio roller rockers for that little bit of extra grunt to push the 1.6 ton boat that the Calais is (honestly it makes up for its weight with those ******* sick cup holders).
So yeah any tips would be greatly appreciated
Cheers

 

[EYY]

Get a clean vy2 calais. Body is much nicer than s1 imo. Just make sure the front bumper and grille are in good condition - they're pretty much the only hard to get parts, and when you do find them, they're very expensive.

Leave the ecotec stock and save for an ls conversion later on if you like working on your own cars. It's just not worth spending money on the ecotec. Only things worth bothering with would be high ratio rockers and catback exhaust.

 

[holdencallous]

Get a clean vy2 calais. Body is much nicer than s1 imo. Just make sure the front bumper and grille are in good condition - they're pretty much the only hard to get parts, and when you do find them, they're very expensive.

Leave the ecotec stock and save for an ls conversion later on if you like working on your own cars. It's just not worth spending money on the ecotec. Only things worth bothering with would be high ratio rockers and catback exhaust.

I've got to wait until I'm 21 to even think about an LS. But yeah I get where you're coming from, I'm just trying to make the four years I'm going to spend with it as fun as possible. How would you recommend obtaining a fair amount of torque with the fewest mods?
But cheers for the VY2 body type tip mate, much appreciated.

 

[Sandman]

Don't bother wasting you're time on modding a V6. Keep you're money and spend it on something worthwhile. By all means grab a calais as a daily but save/spend you're money on something worth while. V8 daily for once you're off P's/project car/race car etc.

 

[holdencallous]

Don't bother wasting you're time on modding a V6. Keep you're money and spend it on something worthwhile. By all means grab a calais as a daily but save/spend you're money on something worth while. V8 daily for once you're off P's/project car/race car etc.

Thanks for the tip mate, but im gonna mod it reguardless purely because I couldn't drive it for 4 years without getting bored of it. I'm definitely not going to put all of my income into it as I will be saving for a project car that actually has balls, I'm just wondering what kind of mods I should do to keep it interesting until I get to that stage where I can purchase said project car.

 

[the_boozer]

Your 18 the car will most likely be rooted in 2 years time or before you get off your P's anyways don't spend too much modding it. Drive it spend the money on fuel go places some of my mates modded there cars to the point they couldn't ever go anywhere apart from drag it up and down the hwy. They would never have any cash to do anything and when they did their cars would break down regularly. If you have the rocker covers off the high ratio rockers might be worth it .
I once brought a new set of rear tyres smoked them up , brought another set the next day , rebuilt the diff a week later , got another clutch and gearbox a month after that . Spending money on cars is money down the dunny get yourself a 2nd car to play petrol head with. In reality my hotties spent most of their time idling in traffic. If Id hotted a 2nd car I may still have it today.

 

[Calaber]

IMO, the Series 2 VY Calais was the most attractive model in the VT-VZ series. Check my Avatar, actually a Berlin upgraded to Calais specs. It had a slightly more sporting flavour than earlier models, with FE 1.5 suspension, 17's, SS sill panels, great equipment levels and well sorted mechanicals. Definitely my choice and a terrific first car. Just don't stuff it up.

 

[gtrboyy]

Whatever you change keep stocker parts in case get defected or want to transfer parts over to next car....you will want a v8 if bogan at heart.

v6 just doesn't sound as good & no matter what you spend or people say you will wish you'd wasted your dosh on a v8 in the end haha

 

[losh1971]

Your VY will go ok stock, my V6 goes plenty fine. Set of Pacies, cat back and tune will make a small improvement. Mace rockers are around 650-700 IIRC plus fitment. If you want some more launch you could regear the diff. Guess what you need to figure out is what you want to acheive? You can mod the V6 but after a while you will want an LS then when that gets boring you will want a bigger LS. If you can find happiness in what you have then you will find the V6 is quite adequate. If you want to go fast get a cams licence and learn how to race. Or get a bike racing licence and build a race bike like i have. Realistically on the streets you're limited to 100 or 110 if you're lucky. Dragging people at the lights just ends up in fines, eventually. Much more fun in comp and you'll meet a great buch of blokes who share the same passion.

 

[VSHeaven]

Hey guys, I've researched a fair bit into my first car, and I've settled on a VY/VY II Calais. Are there any drawbacks to this?, I was thinking of getting a VZ but those early rattletecs are cactus over 230,000km (or so I've been told). I'm also in the nanny state of Pricktoria, and I'm not really fond of only 305nm from the ecotec. Any good mods I can do that old mate mick mccran won't be able to ogle and say "yeah nah your car is getting crushed"?, I'm thinking a stage 2 comp cam from mace along with some extractors, 2.5 inch catback with a high flow cat and high ratio roller rockers for that little bit of extra grunt to push the 1.6 ton boat that the Calais is (honestly it makes up for its weight with those ******* sick cup holders).
So yeah any tips would be greatly appreciated
Cheers

Since you asked, here's my reply for what it's worth. You're young and looking for your first car, that's an exciting time in any persons life. A VY Calais V6 is more than acceptable as a first choice of car and I hope you find one that makes you happy. Having said that, you should learn to drive properly first, gaining experience is THE priority. You should be putting your hard earned into making sure the car is mechanically sound rather than go-faster mods. You're interested in a 15 year old car, chances are it will need a safety and reliability makeover - suspension, brakes, oil leaks, tyres, steering for starters. These are far more important than your suggestions. If you keep it completely stock and don't drive like a dick ( yes, it's hard to resist) then you will have a decent chance of avoiding the cops attention and making it to 21. I'm sure not much of this will sink in but I'm talking from experience. There was a suggestion by losh1971 to get a cams licence and play on a race track. Put you bucks towards that...….the lifetime rewards will be far greater.