Hi guys, I been looking at trading in my old sensible car to get back into a v8. Got my eyes set on a ve ss. I have found a nice ve ss manual at a holden dealership with a nice colour, reasonable kms and unmodified. After speaking with holden i have found out that after it was sitting in the yard for a few days they went to drive it and the reverse gear kept sticking abit so they went to get it looked at and complete a rwc. Turns out that the gearbox had to be replaced. This has sent alarm bells ringing for me as this tells me that the car might have been thrashed or not treated well. Just wanting to know what else could be likely to be damaged or need replacing as a result of needing a new gearbox. And is this a tell tale sale that the car has been trashed? Thanks.
Yes exactly. To some people reasonable KMs is anything under 130,000. Some of the VE manuals have had gearbox issues requiring a replacement box, some early in their life and in the warranty period. Some owners have had more than one replaced. Now you know why the previous owner probably traded the car. Did not want to pay for a new box. But there may be other issues with the car which is why you need a professional mechanical inspection when you find a good example worth buying. There have also been some serious issues with the engines on some VE builds and there are one or two long threads on this forum covering that so I suggest you look that up. The gearbox issue does not necessarily indicate a thrashed car but unless you know the previous owner or owners you have no idea how it has been treated or how many times it has been taken down the drag strip or otherwise abused. There are no guarantees with an auto either. Personally I would steer clear of manuals unless you are buying privately from a one owner that you assessed is not the type that would thrash the car and there is good evidence that the car has been well looked after mechanically and otherwise. I would also preferably buy privately from a one owner if buying a VE SS auto or SSV auto. When you are test driving used VE V8s check carefully for any differential noises and if they are present don't buy the car. There are plenty of VEs on the market so I would not be rushing into it. Look for one owner cars under 90000 kms with good service records and late in the series, like 2012 builds. You are going to pay more for a very good car but they are still heavily depreciated from their new car price so in the long run you are better off paying a few thousand more for a premium lower KM car. If its the V8 you want then look at both the SS and SSV models. Whatever you buy get a professional inspection done. These guys are inspecting VEs weekly and know what to look for.
Yes i will definitely get an inspection done when Im happy with it. I dont want to spend more than 15k but i think i can find a decent ve ss for around that price with maybe a grand trade in on my car now. Ive had the 5.0, 5.7 now its only fair to get the 6.0
These days, you just dont know, low kms or high km's, you can really only tell if you know the previous owners and how they drive. A thorough mechanical check definately should be done. Mechanical Warranty is usually worth it going through Car Yard. My dad bought a VZ SV6, 6 or so months later it needed Timing Chains done. Luckily he had Warranty, the yard payed for the job.
Yeah it always a gamble buying used cars. Im gonna see it tomorrow morning and go through it before i book in and pay an inspection mechanic first
I asked my mechanic if there was anything in particular I should look for before I bought my SS recently. He said if possible buy one from an older owner as in general they are less likely to flog it as opposed to a young bloke. Listen for any clunks or in the drivetrain and just look to see if it's generally looked after ie no scratches, dings, stains on the seats etc as they are indicators someone has taken care of the vehicle but above all else a good service record is crucial.
In Victoria the dealer has to disclose who the previous owner was, probably also in the driver's handbook or maybe from the servicing dealer. We bought a used Subaru a year or so back for my daughter and the owners name and address was in the driver's handbook, tracked down a phone number for him and gave him a call, had a good chat to him and he told me all about the car, why he sold it etc, turned out to be a real gem of a car, very happy with it. I have done the same thing a few times buying used cars.
