23 replies to this topic

[Neils LX]

I own a VY V6 for 3 years and had no problems with it, father in law has a VZ V6 and has had no problems with it.

[S pack]

Getting a new daily driver soon looking at vy/vz commodore utes with either the 3.8 ecotec(VY)or 3.6 alloytec(VZ) im leaning towards the ecotec(VY)atm as i know my way round them better then the alloytecs wil be used a daily wont be getting flogged or modified in anyway im over not having luxuries like A/C and a heater and wipers that work

Also auto or manual opninions aswell please

cheers dennis

G/day Dennis

I've got a VZ tonner 3.6 alloytec and my wife has a VS sed 3.8 ecotec both are the TH 700 auto.
Personally I prefer the 3.8 ecotec engine, it feels torquier and more responsive and can easily hold 80 kmh in 4th gear (even with the boot loaded going on holiday) up the Gateway bridge .
The 3.6 alloytec on the other hand feels like a slug on initial take off, sometimes it's like you push the accelerator and the engine management computer has to think about it before the engine responds. The alloytec is supposed to have approx 20% more torque (and more power) than the ecotec but it doesn't feel like it at low revs, maybe the extra torque comes in higher up the rev range. I also find it has trouble holding 4th at 80 kph going up the Gateway bridge.

The shift points for the auto in the VS also feel better than the VZ but they were probably changed to suit the different engine characteristics.
Fuel consumption wise the ecotec shits all over the alloytec, however the VZ 1 Tonner will most likely have a lower diff ratio than the VS sedan, so my comparison is probably not a fair one.

The TH 700 seems to be a reasonable box. I think the choice of manual or auto is more a personal preference thing, but you might find it hard to find a car with a manual box.

Hope this helps
Cheers
Dave.

[S pack]

Cheers Dave once again you have supplied me with some very useful info cheers mates

The sluggish takeoff in the vz may be due to the cableless throttle setup they run ive driven a couple and i know what you mean about the computer having to think for a second while with the ecotec you have better throttle feel with the cable

cheers dennis

No pobs Dennis

Another thing you might like to know is the thermostat, I've been told, on the alloytec is at the back of the engine not at the front like normal engines.
Apparently about a half days work to rip the intake and fuel rails off the engine just to replace the thermostat and put it back together.
Have been quoted approx $500.00 to have this done. Fk me what a brainless design.

Also I still haven't found the spark plugs yet (not on the exhaust manifold side of the heads), they must be hiding somewhere under the intake plenum or fuel rail. One day I'll buy a workshop manual, LOL.

Cheers
Dave.

[S pack]

Thanks guys for the info on the spark plugs,
I thought they must be somewhere there under the inlet plenum.
As for the fuel consumption, i regularly get an average of 16 litres per 100km, mostly around town mileage. How does that sound???
The wife does more mileage per week (also mostly around town) in her VS than I do in the VZ and she spends less on fuel each week.

Edited by S pack, 23 May 2011 - 08:51 PM.

[S pack]

This is one ive being looking at price may be a little high but might be able to knock it down

http://www.carsales....words=&__N=1216 1247 1252 1282 4294965857 4294964873 410 900 1466&silo=1011&PriceTo=410&seot=1&tsrc=allcarhome&__Nne=15&trecs=76&__sid=12F8C94F1B77

Nice looking ute, but I agree a bit pricey for 117,000K's.
3yr/175000km warranty, remember your paying extra for this. Exercise caution and make sure you read and understand it before you part with your money.
Maybe get an RACQ inspection & report if you are serious.

My Mum bought a secondhand 2002 Barina with 53,000K's (yeah right) from a well known Dealership on the Northside of Brissy.
The car came with the abovementioned warranty, the dealer made the warranty conditional that only they can service the car. She took the car back to them for the next service, due some months after buying the car and they found over $500.00 worth of repairs needed and not covered by the warranty. Needless to say she told them not to do the work and has not gone back to them since. We had a look at the things they reckon needed fixing/replacing and found the only thing wrong was the drive belt was deteriorating.
This car was touted to be in A1 condition throughout and fully serviced before it was put up for sale.
The rear drum brakes decided to fail (fluid leaking from wheel cylinders) at 76,000K's. When we pulled them apart we found both drums looked like they had done 250,000 K's.
New Drums, shoes and wheel cylinders fixed that problem.

Not intending to paint all car Dealers with the same brush but just be cautious with your hard earned cash.

[S pack]

swapping out dashes and failing to notify the new owner is illegal
well over here anyway
winding back the clock has always been gray everywhere
but totally illegal now
we even have to put down the k's on our transfer forms

Apologies for the thread steal.

Fraud here as well for altering speedo readings.

I don't believe the Dealer had anything to do with swapping a speedo or anything like that, but the previous owner????
The log book has a period between two services when the car didn't do much mileage.
Possibly the speedo stopped working and wasn't fixed straight away.

I also believe the rear suspension arms, shocks and brakes are from another car. The suspension bolt heads appear to be spanner marked and the brake line nuts to the wheel cylinders were a bit chewed.
Wouldn't expect a car with only 53,000K's would need any repairs to the rear rear suspension or brakes.

[S pack]

if it had been in a crashed/slid into the gutter it may well have needed these

We thought that, but if it had been in a crash they did a fantastic job fixing it, we can't find any signs of body repairs.
And if it had just been gutter hit damage, how come both sides appear to have been affected.

Anyway it doesn't really matter now if and what happened to it, water under the bridge.
It's only a piece of crap European made Barina.

[TerrA LX]

Have a good look for water damage (computer, carpets, exhaust etc) when buying QLD cars.