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Few questions about buying a 2011 VE SV6

zersys

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I'm in the market for a new car. I wasn't a fan of the VE for a while, was going to buy another VY. But driving my Dads VE around for a night, it's definitely grown on me. I figure I should stretch my budget for a newer nicer car anyway, as it will be a daily work horse and I need it to be pretty reliable.

Budget is a max of 25,000 (haven't fully crunched the numbers yet, but I think I might be able to work with 25k). So it will be used, somewhere between 40,000km-80,000km mileage for that sort of money from a dealer.

I'm wondering about a few things though, should I extend the warranty to five years/175,000km? I hear it isn't worth the paper it's written on, but I like to have some knowledge on things then make my own opinion. What does this warranty actually cover? Why do people generally bad mouth it? I've read a few shocker stories about VEs (although not always clear about which particular model), so I figure the warranty wouldn't be such a bad idea.

Also, should I wait until the VF comes out? Will they dramatically drop in price? Should I buy before end of financial year, or will it make little to no difference? Sorry if these seem like silly questions, this is the first time I'm buying a car this young. I've only ever bought much older cars which much higher Ks.

Cheers.
 

WazzaV8

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V8 or 6? If only a 6 you could get almost new for $25k, or no kore than 20,000km on the clock. Warranty all depends on how much it's costing you, check the history of the car (service records) the reality is if its done 20,000km and hasn't had any troubles chances are it won't, my last car was a VX and I bought it at20,000km on the clock, I owned it for 8 years and only had to do the alternator in 100,000km. .my VE now had 500km on the clock, 3 years old and 30,000km in December and no warranty claims.
 

rx2_freak

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i can see how you could miss the thread title: Few questions about buying a 2011 VE SV6

there isnt anything wrong with buying an SV6 or any car for that matter, it all depends how its been treated and if it has been serviced regularly. All the cars at my work are ve utes and have had no dramas with any of them[some get flogged hard]. 25k should get you a decent VE
 

zersys

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Mate if it were up to me, it would be an SS I would be asking about; but unfortunately I'm a P plater for another year.
 

WazzaV8

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Mate if it were up to me, it would be an SS I would be asking about; but unfortunately I'm a P plater for another year.

Stick V6 badges on it, the cops would never know:rofl2:
 

Sean880

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I'm in the market for a new car. I wasn't a fan of the VE for a while, was going to buy another VY. But driving my Dads VE around for a night, it's definitely grown on me. I figure I should stretch my budget for a newer nicer car anyway, as it will be a daily work horse and I need it to be pretty reliable.

Budget is a max of 25,000 (haven't fully crunched the numbers yet, but I think I might be able to work with 25k). So it will be used, somewhere between 40,000km-80,000km mileage for that sort of money from a dealer.

I'm wondering about a few things though, should I extend the warranty to five years/175,000km? I hear it isn't worth the paper it's written on, but I like to have some knowledge on things then make my own opinion. What does this warranty actually cover? Why do people generally bad mouth it? I've read a few shocker stories about VEs (although not always clear about which particular model), so I figure the warranty wouldn't be such a bad idea.

Also, should I wait until the VF comes out? Will they dramatically drop in price? Should I buy before end of financial year, or will it make little to no difference? Sorry if these seem like silly questions, this is the first time I'm buying a car this young. I've only ever bought much older cars which much higher Ks.

Cheers.

1. Don't rush to buy as there are going to be plenty of these VEs on the market when you are looking.

2. If you buy from a dealer do NOT buy an ex fleet car. Beware as many of the used vehicles in dealer stock are 2.5 -3 yo ex fleet vehicles from many different sources including ex rentals. Buy the lowest km and youngest vehicle you can afford. More kms mean more wear and tear on mechanical components.

3. Consider buying a one owner vehicle from an enthusiastic private owner that has cared for his car. There is no substitute for quizzing an owner about his car. This is not to say you will not find a good ex private one owner car through a Holden dealer but there are plenty of people trying to sell their own cars because the dealer trade in values are so bad. Just do not waste time with owners trying to sell cars they still owe money on and thus are financially encumbered.

4. If there is an incomplete service history or no service history on the car do not buy it. It is usually a sure sign of a neglectful owner.

Unless you are a whiz mechanic - nearly all buyers are not - always get a competent professional pre-purchase inspection done. Yes these cost money but these guys are seeing dozens of VEs every month and know what faults to look for. (Or you can be one of the many guys that buy used cars without checks and then come on this forum a few weeks later complaining about expensive problems with their car that a professional inspection would have shown up pre- sale. Yes obviously people do dump their problem cars on the market so they can get a newer and better one.) If a dealer or private owner tries to talk you out of having a professional pre-purchase inspection done on the car then walk away. So always tell them up front that is what you are definitely going to do. If there are problems with the car they know the pros will most likely pick them up.

5. Do not buy a car that has had crash repairs carried out on it even if only body work. If you look closely you will be able to pick these quite easily yourself as much repair work is done for a price and is far less than perfect. It is easy to spot if you know what to look for. There are pleny of VEs on the market that have not had a scratch on them so why buy a repaired car.

6. Extended warranties. If you are buying a warranty you need to look carefully at the cost and importantly just who you are buying this warranty from because if you claim that is who you will have to deal with. Secondly, you need to read the fine print very carefully so you have a clear understanding of exactly what you are covered for and what is excuded and what conditions you must fullfil. Personally I would not consider buying an extended warranty unless that warranty was being offered by and purchased from Holden and unless I was happy with the cost and terms and conditions of that Holden cover.

7. Do some reading here to acquaint yourself with some of the problems with these VEs - like this thread..........https://forums.justcommodores.com.au/threads/your-ve-what-problems-have-you-had.171604.
There are more.
This should help you in your search and hopfully enable you to pin point some problems yourself during your own inspection and move on to another car.

8. Take your time and good luck with it.
 

Fekason

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Look for a V6 Calais. So much better than an SV6.

Disagree. If you want leather seats, the three window instrument cluster and a few tizzy bits, then maybe. But from the MY11, the differences between the Calais and the SV6 reduced markedly to not much of significance beyond the leather seats and instrument cluster. In my case, I wanted the three window instrument cluster, so I had it retro-fitted to both my previous 2011 MY11 SV6 and my latest 2013 MY12.5 SV6 Z.

With regards to mileage, I agree that in general a lower mileage is better, but it is difficult to quantify. I have seen low mileage cars with engines past their best because all their lives had been very short trips, with most driving done with a cold engine. On the other hand, I saw a couple of two year old cars with 200K on them that were surpisingly good. These cars worked for an insurance company, and on Monday drove outbound from Sydney collecting/delivering paperwork to major population centres along the way(i.e ending at Albury), and returning the next day via a different route. Then repeated the process Wednesday/Thursday and Friday/Saturday. They apent almost all their time with the engine warm and only travelled on good roads. Therefore, I think it is a plus if you can find out the history of the vehicle. If it a one-owner and been serviced by a Holden dealer, then the original service handbook should be available. Consider contacting the owner listed in the handbook.

However, the best insurance is a lengthy manufacturer's warranty. If you were to buy a 2011 SV6, then it would still be under Holden warranty. If you want to be doubly sure, have a look at the following link for extension to the factory warranty (not insurance):

Holden Car Warranty Australia - Holden.com.au

Now they may reject an application if the car has not been serviced correctly or maybe even not by a Holden dealer, but if you buy a car with service history through a Holden dealer and the original warranty is still running, you should have no troubles.

I read with interest the comments above (and regularly claimed) that dealer trade-ins are woeful. My last two cars, a 2011 MY11 SV6 manual and a 2008 MY09 SV6 manual were traded for an effective annual depreciation rate of 18% and 11% after 30 and 21 months respectively. The latter was then advertised on the internet by the dealer, but sold the next day even before photos appeared. Now I understand that there are differences between dealers. It just takes a little effort to research Red Book and visit a couple of dealers until you find one playing the game.
 
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WazzaV8

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1. Don't rush to buy as there are going to be plenty of these VEs on the market when you are looking.

2. If you buy from a dealer do NOT buy an ex fleet car. Beware as many of the used vehicles in dealer stock are 2.5 -3 yo ex fleet vehicles from many different sources including ex rentals. Buy the lowest km and youngest vehicle you can afford. More kms mean more wear and tear on mechanical components

1. I agree, never buy the first car you see and have a few you like before you buy and take your time.

2. Don't always agree, fleet cars are usually well maintained and companies don't care about maintenance expenses they just fix everything that needs to be done because if they skimp it can be an OH&S issue. I wouldn't buy my companies fleet cars that the workers have driven because they are rough but mechanically they are good, but some are managers cars, you can usually tell a fleet car that has been abused. My last car was a fleet car, it was owned by Assemblies of God so I think it was blessed, no trouble in 8 years apart from alternator replacement.
 
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