Purchasing VE questions

[kizza50]

Id avoid 06 and 07 VEs personally.

-1 also, BILLION DOLLAR BABY

 

[M500]

As a sef confessed "noob", I suggest paying for a qualified mechanic to do a pre-purchase inspection to better inform you on your purchase. Especially as a car with 95000k's will enevitably have some maintenence to do that may not be immediately obvious to you.

Simmarly, I would leave the speaker upgrade, Calais headn, tints & lowering until you are satisfied with the base car that you buy, your upgrade money may well be better spent on buying a better car ine first place.

 

[monkeys437]

Do some reading on this site about VZ and Early VE's with stretched timing chain issues. I would make sure the car your looking at wont have the same problem or it might already be fixed under warranty.

 

[RiCeY]

Hey Im only a Holden mechanic what would i know right?

06/07 had a lot of issues, stretched timing chains, water leaks, electrical issues etc etc.

Not every single car had this but the chances are a lot higher than if you buy 08 and newer.

 

[The 10th Doctor]

Do some reading on this site about VZ and Early VE's with stretched timing chain issues. I would make sure the car your looking at wont have the same problem or it might already be fixed under warranty.

Hmm, there are quite a few threads now I search for it :/ Is there anyway I could tell that it's had it replaced? I looked through the log book, it's been serviced by the logbook regularly but not by a Holden Dealer... If I were to get a pre-purchase inspection done, would the RAA guy be able to tell me if it was or not?

 

[Zerone_V]

Calais Head unit will set you back around $1K to $2K after fitting and programming.
They pop up on eBay from time to time. (There is one on there now for $700, but you will need to get it programmed to work on your car, which can cost anything from a couple of hundred dollars or more.

A 06/07 Model with close to 100,00Kms should have most of the issues sorted on it by now (with exception to timing chain).
Check electrics such as switch gear, warning lights, etc. Holden's switch gear is terrible and you may notice problems with the power window switches, steering wheel controls and interior light switch gear which may indicate replacement will be due shortly.
Likely replacement bits are fairly cheap, so this will be an annoyance factor rather than bankruptcy.

 

[UFO]

Id avoid 06 and 07 VEs personally.

^this!

There's a couple of comments above that disagree with Ricey's post, but there's a very good reason to avoid the first releases of a new body shape. Even though Holden spent million's developing the VE (as every car maker spends releasing new cars), there will always be imperfections... imperfections that are improved upon a few years into a new model. Rattles, squeaks, engineering improvements to mechanical parts, etc. are all improved upon in later models as the first 2 years tick by and warranty repairs (or complaints) start coming through and being dealt with.

There's nothing 'wrong' with 06's and 07's, and this isnt a swipe at the above owners who are obviously very happy with their cars, but it's a valid golden rule when buying a new car regardless of make. Stay away from new releases! Wait a year or two before buying a completely new shape. It's commonsence that issues will naturally arise and be fixed, because no amount of testing will 100% cover actual real life use.

 

[Drewie]

Hey Im only a Holden mechanic what would i know right?

06/07 had a lot of issues, stretched timing chains, water leaks, electrical issues etc etc.

Not every single car had this but the chances are a lot higher than if you buy 08 and newer.

RiCeY seeing as you work on these cars how are you finding the newer SIDI motors, I have been thinking of updating to a VE like the OP and wondering if it is worth spending that bit more for the SIDI versions, is there much difference in the way the 3 litre drives compared to the 3.6 litre?

 

[RiCeY]

They all feel similar to me but I only drive them for 5 mins at a time.

Best bet would be someone thats had a non SIDI VE and moved up to a SIDI, they would be able to give a good comparison.

 

[greenacc]

Next Question for Ricey, Are you talking about 06 and 07 build dates, or MY06 and MY07 ? I've got an 2007 MY08 Berlina and happy with it.... aside from the near 2 tonne of lard it carries.