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Malibu Underestimated?

Not_An_Abba_Fan

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Not the most inspiring vehicle. But surely Holden could have sold more if they had done some marketing instead of relying just on Commodore sales. Think the last decent medium/ small Holden's were the Torana/ Gemini!!!!!

Surely the Camira was the last decent small Holden.
 

Noeleter

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Well it was car of the year I suppose!!!
 

Smitty

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Malibu was Holden's answer to a question nobody in Australia was asking. Are they still on sale?
.. no AFAIK (seem to recall a recent press release or article that they had been withdrawn)
but they may be the odd one left around the country in dealer stock
 

Calaber

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The Camira was the most vilifued but under-rated Holden. I had four of them. One of each model. Wagon and sedan, manual and auto.

For their day they were roomy and comfortable. Extremely economical and handled well.

They were ruined by being thrown together by an uncaring workforce and being initially fitted with an engine that was too small.
 

Noeleter

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The Camira was the most vilifued but under-rated Holden. I had four of them. One of each model. Wagon and sedan, manual and auto.

For their day they were roomy and comfortable. Extremely economical and handled well.

They were ruined by being thrown together by an uncaring workforce and being initially fitted with an engine that was too small.
The torque steer was also atrocious and compared to the Camry of the day they fell well short.
 

Reaper

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The Camira was the most vilifued but under-rated Holden. I had four of them. One of each model. Wagon and sedan, manual and auto.

For their day they were roomy and comfortable. Extremely economical and handled well.

They were ruined by being thrown together by an uncaring workforce and being initially fitted with an engine that was too small.

Gotta say I agree. Compared to it's peers - Mazda 323, Ford Laser and the like they drove exceptionally well. Unfortunately the early motors had soft rings and literally pumped smoke out before they were rebuilt. Rust was also terrible in the early JB's as well. By the time the JE's were released most of the problems were well and truly sorted however the stigma of the early models pretty much sealed their fate.

There are a few little known features about JB Camiras however:
1. They skim like stones over water if you go fast enough
2. The sign in the Jameson state forest that says 4WD only should read 4WD+Camiras
3. Broken engine mounts could be rectified by small branches and other wildlife
 

Calaber

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The torque steer was also atrocious and compared to the Camry of the day they fell well short.

Noe.

Can't agree about the torque steer being excessive and certainly not when power steering was fitted.

The JB didn't develop enough torque to cause any problems. The first JD with MPFI was torquey but PS nullified any issues. The JE wasn't a problem either.

The second series Camry was a nice thing to drive at the time but couldn't match the Camira's handling. I had quite a bit of experienc with all these cars and enjoyed driving them all. The JD multi point 1.8 with the clise ratio 5 speed was a lot of fun. Plenty of grunt, good ratio soacing and taut handling. It's a pity they were so poorly made because the basic design was very sound.

Okay. Enough about Camiras. Back to the Malibu. Does anybody have an idea how many have been sold?
 

Noeleter

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We had a small fleet of Camrys and Camiras for general staff use. Used to be funny to watch all the Camrys disappear from the car park and all the Camiras sit around with no one wanting to drive them. They would even wait for someone with a Camry to return rather than take a Camira out.
 

Calaber

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It's very much a matter of personal preference. I used to drive departmental JE Executive autos and rental Camrys during the same period in 87 to 88.

Both were good to drive by the standards of the late 80's. The Camry was bigger and roomier but the Camira was more of a driver's car as the suspension was firmer.

I had my four Camiras later on based on my experience during that time.

Camrys might be better built (well, we know they are) but they are pretty unexciting and there is no way I would ever own one of the bloody things. The car you buy before you die. And every truly shithouse older driver I experience on the road is driving a Camry.
 

Brettly-2008

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A friend of my partner's has one and I've spent a bit of time in the passenger seat and while I agree the ambient interior lighting is a nice feature, it's an otherwise plain Jane form of transport in my view. Just another four-wheel appliance a notch or two above a Hyundai.
 
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