Hi guys, I've been bitten by the Gen3 grunt bug and am thinking of selling my VZ SV6 in favour of a VY V8, possibly a Berlina - I want some luxury but can't afford a Calais and I don't want the high(er) insurance (I'm 24 y.o.) of an SS. I don't really want to spend more than 26k or thereabouts. Anyone got a VY Berlina V8? Any good? Any problems I should be aware of? Or should I not touch one with a barge pole? Also, what does a Berlina miss out on when compared to a Calais? Both can have V8s, leather, sunroof, climate control, electric seats, parking sensors and large wheels - am I missing something here? Thanks in advance, Dave
i have a vy berlina,great car. Ive put ss body kit big wheels and so on it looks like an ss but a lot less on insurance 1 prob ive had and still having is the engine has a noise in it i think its the same prob they have with the older gen 3,they are gettin the manager from somewhere to come and have a listen to it seems like they are stuffing me round with it tho,it only had 20,000 ks on it when the problem started.if its got warranty with it buy it if not i wouldnt touch it just incase. my2c
I went out to buy a vy berlina ane ended up with a vy2 calais (having owned vs berlina). By the time i put the calais headlights (black bezzels) suspension (FE 1.5 i think its called) wheels etc which i wanted on the berlina, i thought the calais was the better bet. Depends what you wanna add. Apart from that the only other difference between them is duel climate control, fully electric seats etc. Hope this helps.
ive got a vy berlina international wagon and i love it its more like a calais ive had a ball with it it goes like the clappers and has all the luxury of a calais its a limityed edition of only 250. turbine in color dark headlights tinted windows it looks tuff as my kids even thinkits cooll
I own a 2004 VY Series II Berlina (5.7 Gen III) and I love it. Although I have had a few mods done to it. Had the exhaust redone from the cat's back with a 2.5" Dual System (so I could actually tell it's a v8), added VZ SS 18" Mags and had the suspension lowered 34mm, new shocks, new springs all by done by Pedders. So it sorta looks like a berlina/ss hybrid these days yet with all the interior luxuries that a berlina provides. Mine was an ex GMH demo car sold by a dealer it had only done 7,200 km when I got it. I am so happy with it. If you can find the right one the Berlina is a really nice car even stock and with a few mods there probably one of the best 2nd hand models to buy.
I have a Berlina Wagon and love it, nice and subtle, Calais have a few extra things like full electric seats i.e. forward and back is electric (and seat memory for each key), duel zone climate control, better stereo (which is still crap IMO) and a few other tweaks in the cabin. Neither come with leather interior though, it is an option which has to be ticked (but I cant remember how much it was). Only thing I dont like about our Berlina is the crappy fake wood grain trim around the shifter and gadget tray door under the stereo! would have rather had black or something, nothing I cant change if I had the motorvation!
Thanks for the info guys, I think I'll start counting my pennies over the next few months and look into buying a Berlina.
If your going to buy any model, the series 2 is the better bet. Compare the series 1 and 2 of the VY Calais, like chalk and cheese . Series 2 Berlina got the nicer wheels then series 1 also 16", foglights, leather wrap steering wheel, satin interior door handles, concealed mobile phone storage near centre console. Just a few little extras over series 1 but well worth it IMO. The series 2 Berlina has a bit more class and chrome to it now. Good Luck. P.S. And the vast improvement to paint on the series 2 is another factor.
Well one can't turn down a good deal. The local Holden dealer here have a big sale on this weekend. Traded in the SV6 on a blue '04 VZ SS with 36,000km, Holden certified so 4.5 years total warranty etc. They offered me enough trade-in to finalise the loan on the SV6 (a LOT more than I expected to get based on the values in redbook.com.au) and the SS was 36k reduced from 40k. I pick her up probably Tuesday or Wednesday. Eeeek more debt... but you only live once.
Talk about throwing a spanner in the works, Berlina turns into VZ SS, but I can't talk . Sounds like you did very well on the trade-in, manual or auto?
Auto. Easier to live with as I do a lot of peak hour crap, and I plan on keeping this one a lot longer than I kept the SV6 (9 months). And the Mrs can't drive a manual, not that I plan on letting her drive the SS in a hurry (big step up from an Astra classic).
second hand sv8 commodore anyday, cops have no idea if your worried about them they ask me all the time if its a v8 based on its sound only.
SV8's are good 'sleepers' Especially the ones before they started to share their body kits with the SV6...
