Interesting thread... seems there are a handful of guys with some real issues, then a lot with just minor stuff. I must admit, mine is perfect! About the only thing I'm not happy about is the last 'upgrade' to the IQ system - I think it's worse than it was originally! Drove to Bathurst and back last month and got 8.6l/100 which is like 33mpg - awesome!
For those that think their stereo sounds crap - you're absolutely right! I replaced all my stock Korean made door speakers (made by a company called iMoss who also make them for those well known prestige motoring brands like Daiwoo, Kia, Tata, Gelee etc.) a week after getting the car - sounds really nice now and still looks stock standard.
For those that think that Japanese cars might be better, think again. Take Honda for example, they are actually made in Thailand. And I just could not quite see myself driving a Camry or Corolla - such rivetting driving dynamics! Not... An let's face it, they just don't have any style about them... How many 6 litre Mazdas do you see out there? How many Aurions towing caravans or boats? How many Sportivo Camrys that really mean 'Sports'?
Even the Euro stuff is not always made in Europe - the BMW M3's come out of South Africa. And they all have their own 'unique' quality issues. Like a guy I know with a 4WD passat wagon - dropped a cam screw out of warranty - dealer wanted $12K to fix it. Got it done by a local mechanic for $6.5K and was told they see heaps of these with the same problem! Or another guy with an Audi that kept cutting out. $2400 later they found it was the spark plugs the dealer fitted the previous service... and another friend who ended up selling her 2 year old Merc after the trans was pulled for the 3rd time for repair.
To summarise, I don't think the Commodore is any worse than the imports as far as problems and quality goes and considering how many are sold each year, the number of problems per 1000 cars is probably better than imports in a lot of cases. When you look at how much car you get for your money, the Commo also represents pretty good value and is a damned good drive.
At least one comsolation if you do have problems, a Commodore is a truck load cheaper to get fixed than an import and the dealer network is pretty extensive.
