Kooji
New Member
I've been lurking on these forums for well over 2 months now, in the run up to replace an ailing Nissan Pathfinder. Last week, I paid for my first ever Holden - heck, first ever "relative muscle" car.
Hailing from the dunes of Kuwait (commonly referred to as Q8), I am hopefully taking delivery tomorrow of a Nickel 2007 Commodore SS Premium (read more below for what the heck that means). In this country (as elsewhere in the Middle East), the Commodore sells under the Chevrolet Lumina nameplate, so it's a Lumina SS. The reason why I constantly refer to it as SS-Vish will become apparent below - which is the entire point of the post. I just wanted to illuminate to you guys down under how peeps in the ME always get shafted somehow, particularly when the dealer thinks the customer is a total dimwit.
The Lumina S (the equivalent to the Commodore SV6) comes with the old-school, 241bhp V6 (the same as the one that goes in to the Omega). The Alloytec V6 isn't even an option. I haven't even started on the other options. But that's a totally different post.
Now, the SS comes in two trims: entry and premium. There is no SS-V.
The "entry" Lumina SS is identical to the Aussie Commodore SS minus the following:
1. Black cloth seats
2. No rear parking sensors
3. No passenger airbag
4. 18" rims that look like those on the SS-V
The "premium" Lumina SS is identical to the entry Lumina SS, except it has:
1. Two-tone leather seats
2. Rear parking sensors
3. Curtain and passenger airbags
4. 18" rims in the same style as the Commodore SS
5. Sunroof
The big blow came when I was told I could only have the S, SS entry or SS premium in 6-speed manual or - aghast - 4-speed slush. A little perspective: in Q8, manuals are unheard of. If you buy a manual, you risk not being able to ever fix it (even at the stealership), and you will certainly never be able to sell it. Both autos and manus sell at exactly the same price.
I opted for the premium Lumina SS (they only had a couple of entry 2008 SS, and a couple of premium 2007 SS for nearly $500 less). It cost me around AUD37,000 (how is that from a price perspective btw?). I'm extremely happy about my purchase, sans the 4-speed tranny which certainly put a damper on everything, knowing full well that I'm getting a slush box that is at least 2 years old (or does anyone know something I don't?).
My concern is: how is the 4-speed tranny likely to affect performance? I know it'll certainly affect fuel consumption, but fuel here isn't too much of a problem (we pay the equivalent of AUD0.27 per liter).
Also, the first thing I'd like to do to her is to convert my Lumina into a Commodore. I'd like to rebadge her in Holden colours (except the steering wheel because that may involve changing the whole steering wheel and voiding warranty). Where can I find the parts needed (grill, rear deck lid badge)?
Anyway, will keep you guys posted on my first impressions - pics to follow for sure.
Hailing from the dunes of Kuwait (commonly referred to as Q8), I am hopefully taking delivery tomorrow of a Nickel 2007 Commodore SS Premium (read more below for what the heck that means). In this country (as elsewhere in the Middle East), the Commodore sells under the Chevrolet Lumina nameplate, so it's a Lumina SS. The reason why I constantly refer to it as SS-Vish will become apparent below - which is the entire point of the post. I just wanted to illuminate to you guys down under how peeps in the ME always get shafted somehow, particularly when the dealer thinks the customer is a total dimwit.
The Lumina S (the equivalent to the Commodore SV6) comes with the old-school, 241bhp V6 (the same as the one that goes in to the Omega). The Alloytec V6 isn't even an option. I haven't even started on the other options. But that's a totally different post.
Now, the SS comes in two trims: entry and premium. There is no SS-V.
The "entry" Lumina SS is identical to the Aussie Commodore SS minus the following:
1. Black cloth seats
2. No rear parking sensors
3. No passenger airbag
4. 18" rims that look like those on the SS-V
The "premium" Lumina SS is identical to the entry Lumina SS, except it has:
1. Two-tone leather seats
2. Rear parking sensors
3. Curtain and passenger airbags
4. 18" rims in the same style as the Commodore SS
5. Sunroof
The big blow came when I was told I could only have the S, SS entry or SS premium in 6-speed manual or - aghast - 4-speed slush. A little perspective: in Q8, manuals are unheard of. If you buy a manual, you risk not being able to ever fix it (even at the stealership), and you will certainly never be able to sell it. Both autos and manus sell at exactly the same price.
I opted for the premium Lumina SS (they only had a couple of entry 2008 SS, and a couple of premium 2007 SS for nearly $500 less). It cost me around AUD37,000 (how is that from a price perspective btw?). I'm extremely happy about my purchase, sans the 4-speed tranny which certainly put a damper on everything, knowing full well that I'm getting a slush box that is at least 2 years old (or does anyone know something I don't?).
My concern is: how is the 4-speed tranny likely to affect performance? I know it'll certainly affect fuel consumption, but fuel here isn't too much of a problem (we pay the equivalent of AUD0.27 per liter).
Also, the first thing I'd like to do to her is to convert my Lumina into a Commodore. I'd like to rebadge her in Holden colours (except the steering wheel because that may involve changing the whole steering wheel and voiding warranty). Where can I find the parts needed (grill, rear deck lid badge)?
Anyway, will keep you guys posted on my first impressions - pics to follow for sure.