Vehicle ownership. Highlights and low.

[smoo]

Listening to a guy I work with saying his old Isuzu MUX is the best car he owned, how good it was and his regrets trading it on a new Haval.
I’m thinking fark me this bloke must have owned some heaps of shit prior, to hold an MUX in such high regard.

But it got me thinking, what are the highs and lows of your vehicle ownership.

For me,

Any of the 9 AU Falcon/Fairlanes I’ve had. For obvious reasons.

Porsche Cayenne Turbo.
330kw, most likely the best all round vehicle of the 2000s. Speed, handling, luxury, ride quality, interior build quality and feel, 3.5t towing, height adjustable air suspension, triple diff lock and low range.





Citroen C5 Hdi wagon.
5.5l/100km, huge load space, comfortable captains chairs, best ride quality I’ve experienced in a vehicle.


snagit


Mercedes E320 CDI
Superb open road driver. Solid build quality and felt like a Mercedes, unlike the the stuff post 2000. Smooth and torquey 6 cylinder diesel, 6.2l/100km highway.





BMW E34 535iS.
Minimal electrics, 155kw and 305nm. Manual and LSD, fun car to drive.






Mercedes W140 CL600. 290kw and 580nm V12. Peak 1990s luxury. Smooth and huge flat torque delivery. Could cruise in this at 160-200kmh and it felt like 80kmh.





The lows,

P38 Ranger Rover 4.6, Discovery 1 & 2 V8.
Slow, thirsty, fragile, poor build quality. Epitome of pommy shit. At least they sound good.

Mercedes W211 E320 wagon.
Mediocre car before taking into account the badge and original RRP. Average build quality, poor airmatic ride quality. Apart from fuel economy, a BA Fairmont Ghia is just as good as this.





VF2 SSV Redline.
Currently locked in garage behind the house.
Confined to short drives where its not left anywhere for fear of theft .

[Interceptor]

He cant be that bright if he went from a MUX to a haval and is surprised that its a P.O.S

[smoo]

Originally Posted by Interceptor

He cant be that bright if he went from a MUX to a haval and is surprised that its a P.O.S

He hasn’t said anything bad about the Haval.

[arm79]

Originally Posted by smoo

He hasn’t said anything bad about the Haval.

I think it's implied based on this...

Originally Posted by smoo

Listening to a guy I work with saying his old Isuzu MUX is the best car he owned, how good it was and his regrets trading it on a new Haval.
I’m thinking fark me this bloke must have owned some heaps of shit prior, to hold an MUX in such high regard.

[smoo]

Originally Posted by arm79

I think it's implied based on this...

Ah right, the way I interpreted that from him, is the MUX was so good, he misses it. As opposed to the Haval being bad (in his eyes).

[383hq]

Originally Posted by smoo

Ah right, the way I interpreted that from him, is the MUX was so good, he misses it. As opposed to the Haval being bad (in his eyes).

Watched a Ewwhhh tube video the other week where some grey nomads wrote off their kids inheritence - specifically a landcruiser and Caravan, with all contents for a lap (they had rented out their Sydney house for 6 months)

Insurance paid out what the contract said it would - wasn't enought to buy a replacement landcruiser so they purchased a Mux.

Surprisngly for me, the guy said he prefers it over the landcruiser....

so there are a few around that love em.

Low light - buttons and knobs replaced with tablets/ipads

[kevino]

2008 LT TDCI 2.0 diesel Ford Focus

Bought this as a demo and used this as a daily and work commuter GC-Bris clocked up 278000 kms.
Reliable -never broke down
5.2 litres per 100
Hills-what hills
Could still wheelspin the front tyres with four people in it
Clutch and manual gearbox never touched.
Super car.
Just shades a 76 VK Valiant I owned for reliability.

[Jack91]

I bought a px2 Ranger to replace my au2 xr8 ute years ago.
That was a big downgrade. For 60k I expected the Ranger to be worlds ahead but it was a pretty high maintenance boring shit heap. And I took a total bath on it just to get rid of it.
My '70 challenger is by far the coolest car I've ever had but it's only really a shed ornament because of its value, so I don't know if I really love it.
The best car is probably my 105 series cruiser. Modern looks with a proper chassis underneath. They do everything well.
The worst car for me is probably my '22 dmax. Its luckily not mine but a full use work car. I won't go into all its failings but every day I drive it, I'm amazed how someone could spend 50k+ of their own money on one. Youd only buy a current diesel SUV if you're stupid, rich, or not aware that anything else exists.

[smoo]

Originally Posted by Jack91

I bought a px2 Ranger to replace my au2 xr8 ute years ago.
That was a big downgrade. For 60k I expected the Ranger to be worlds ahead but it was a pretty high maintenance boring shit heap. And I took a total bath on it just to get rid of it.
My '70 challenger is by far the coolest car I've ever had but it's only really a shed ornament because of its value, so I don't know if I really love it.
The best car is probably my 105 series cruiser. Modern looks with a proper chassis underneath. They do everything well.
The worst car for me is probably my '22 dmax. It’s luckily not mine but a full use work car. I won't go into all its failings but every day I drive it, I'm amazed how someone could spend 50k+ of their own money on one. Youd only buy a current diesel SUV if you're stupid, rich, or not aware that anything else exists.

The FTE and 2UZ with the option of VX or Sahara spec would have been icing on the cake for the 105 chassis.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by Jack91

Youd only buy a current diesel SUV if you're stupid, rich, or not aware that anything else exists.

It couldn't possibly be that other people have different tastes and different requirements from their vehicles, could it??

[arm79]

High point would by my EL Ghias. Had 2 over about 10 years. Smooth, comfy, relatively economical, cheap and easy to repair and maintain. And personally I still think one of the best looking modern Falcons Ford ever designed, specially when accompanied with the Tickford body kit of the day.



Mid point would be the Force 6. Great car to drive, specially on long distances. Very comfortable with plenty of power when you need it. A superb tow vehicle for the stuff I towed. But it will always be overshadowed by how poorly built it was and the amount of effort needed to get Ford to do what they should do. Had somewhere around $36k in warranty repairs, spent about 4 months in dealerships for warranty repairs . New engine, trans, diff, turbo, diff bushes, repaint of all the plastics, etc, etc. And it doesn't help underneath it was no different than an XT Falcon. I'm still stunned its going today.



Low point is easily the POS BF Ghia that is my current daily driver. If we joke about Friday built cars, then this thing was the last car built before a 4 day long weekend where Ford were offering free booze on an unlimited tab before you went home that day.

Bought at 94,400km as part of a deceased estate. Old guy barely drove it and it lived in a garage all its life. Got it for $6k when most were going for around $10k at the time, thought I got a bargain. It's got a brake drag problem I cant seem to solve, even though the complete brake system has been replaced twice. Paint fade. Bushed that all fell apart at once. And severe rust in the passenger boot gutter that itself has just rendered the value of the car nil overnight. Will cost thousands to repair. My only hope is for it to be stolen and/or written off in an accident.



Honourable mention to my first car, a 4 door MK2 1.6 Escort. Apart from being canary yellow and having weird electrical gremlins that cause all sorts of issues, it was a room and reliable car. Got me everywhere I needed to go.

That was followed by an 87 XF Ghia. A car I very much lusted over and eventually managed to find a good one. It was reliable, handled OK after a suspension upgrade, but wasn't exciting or fun. It just worked. The savings on the fuel bill alone is what got me into my first EL Ghia.

[Sprintey]

Gee the E series is getting a good rep in this thread.

[Interceptor]

Originally Posted by Sprintey

Gee the E series is getting a good rep in this thread.

IMO its pretty much Ford Australia's sweet spot

[arm79]

Originally Posted by Sprintey

Gee the E series is getting a good rep in this thread.

If I could find another in the combo I last owned I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

I still regret selling it.

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by Sprintey

Gee the E series is getting a good rep in this thread.

Yeah Nah
The EL was a great car. Good Engine and Transmission, decent handling, nice interior, and beautiful exterior styling...
If only they'd released it 10 years earlier, instead of the turd-on-wheels EA, we might still be driving Falcons.

[Jack91]

Originally Posted by prydey

It couldn't possibly be that other people have different tastes and different requirements from their vehicles, could it??

The amount of people who use their diesels for what they were bred for is minuscule. They go into huge debt to tow a caravan twice a year and try to justify it to themselves with the "diesel reliable" wives tale.You might as well get something older and better built and save some money.
I think if so many people weren't always trying to keep up with the Joneses, we'd still be able to buy new versions of a lot of the cars we loved from this thread. Instead, people started buying garbage so they kept making it.
Noone could honestly say they'd take the looks/interior/feel/sound of a Ranger or similar over a HSV or FPV of the same value. Yes, there's a use case obviously, but in any instance it could be filled with a car 10+ years old.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by Jack91

The amount of people who use their diesels for what they were bred for is minuscule. They go into huge debt to tow a caravan twice a year and try to justify it to themselves with the "diesel reliable" wives tale.You might as well get something older and better built and save some money.
I think if so many people weren't always trying to keep up with the Joneses, we'd still be able to buy new versions of a lot of the cars we loved from this thread. Instead, people started buying garbage so they kept making it.
Noone could honestly say they'd take the looks/interior/feel/sound of a Ranger or similar over a HSV or FPV of the same value. Yes, there's a use case obviously, but in any instance it could be filled with a car 10+ years old.

Is ironic that if the govt try to influence what cars people buy the general consensus is that the govt should butt out and let people buy whatever car they choose....

And yet it's perfectly ok for individuals to suggest what is best for others.

I started in falcons. I'll never go back. I'm not stupid rich or unaware of what's available. I buy cars that I like and that suit my needs.

I don't have a lot of 'lows' in my car history but in general every car I've bought has been better than the last.

XF, EA, EB, EF, EL, BA, BF2, FG, Territory and now Everest, and yes, the Everest is the best I've owned so far.

I challenge anyone to name a ford that will suit my needs better than the Everest. It's an impossible challenge because guess what... How can someone else possibly know what my needs are except for me.

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by prydey

And yet it's perfectly ok for individuals to suggest what is best for others.

I started in falcons. I'll never go back. I'm not stupid rich or unaware of what's available. I buy cars that I like and that suit my needs.

Anyone would think you spent someone elses money

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by prydey

I challenge anyone to name a ford that will suit my needs better than the Everest. It's an impossible challenge because guess what... How can someone else possibly know what my needs are except for me.

Ford LTL9000

[Jack91]

Originally Posted by prydey

I challenge anyone to name a ford that will suit my needs better than the Everest..

Ok.

[Itsme]

Originally Posted by Jack91

The amount of people who use their diesels for what they were bred for is minuscule. They go into huge debt to tow a caravan twice a year and try to justify it to themselves with the "diesel reliable" wives tale.You might as well get something older and better built and save some money.
I think if so many people weren't always trying to keep up with the Joneses, we'd still be able to buy new versions of a lot of the cars we loved from this thread. Instead, people started buying garbage so they kept making it.
Noone could honestly say they'd take the looks/interior/feel/sound of a Ranger or similar over a HSV or FPV of the same value. Yes, there's a use case obviously, but in any instance it could be filled with a car 10+ years old.

I traded my FG XR in for a Ranger, no regrets at all.
Cheers

[DFB FGXR6]

I'm a very decerning vehicle shopper, so my vehicle ownership lowlights tend to be regrets rather than an outright disappointment or fault of the vehicle.

2008 - That I didn't beg, borrow and steal to spend the extra money on Turbo when ordering my FG.

I was stretching the budget as it was buying a brand new Falcon sedan at the age of 21 as it was. If I was to do it again, the car would be the exact same spec, Sensation with Streetwise Blue cloth interior, ZF auto, 18-inch Y-spoke wheels, Premium Sound and side curtain airbags...............but with the turbo engine. Even though my FG only has 34,000 km on the clock, if I'd stretched to the turbo, the car would be worth considerably more now. I also regret not experiencing the Barra turbo in any of its guises.



2016 - Buying a Ranger instead of a Falcon Ute.

Look, my current PX MK II Ranger has been a great workhorse. Compared to the brutally spartan and hard riding PK Ranger it replaced, the PX II has comfortable seats (the PK had a rock-hard bench seat that you sat on not in), the ride is brilliant for this type of vehicle, and it has just the right amount of tech to be useful but without being a distraction. I also feel safe in it, the PK was lethal in the wet and had none of the modern safety nets (not even ABS). But.........................



I should have bought a Falcon Ute, it would be the last opportunity to do so. The lack of ride height wouldn't have been the dealbreaker many people seem to think it is, I just don't need it. The Falcon would have had even more seat and ride comfort, not to mention having more cabin space, especially behind the seats. The Ranger has nowhere to store anything in the cabin such as a raincoat, a winter coat, tools ect. I would also have the choice to choose which gearbox I wanted, in which case I would have gone with an automatic, the single cab Ranger was a manual-only proposition.



But the single biggest advantage of the Falcon would have been having an engine capable of doing its job effortlessly. I'd most likely would have gone for the petrol I6 but would have entertained the idea of EcoLPi as well. The 2.2 Ranger is an exercise in frustration. It has ZERO torque off idle, where it puts along till it gets to 2,000 rpm and by 2,200 rpm, its falling on its face. It's so laggy that it can be downright dangerous in certain situations. Even in normal, everyday driving, you need at least 75% throttle to keep up with the traffic. I'm told vehicles with the 6-speed auto are even worse than this. And this is not me just being a led foot, the lack of power and torque combined with a very heavy vehicle (with the steel tray, mine would easily touch 2000 kg), its just too slow, how did Ford sign off on this thing?

Price? The difference between a Ranger XL single cab and a Falcon XL Ute wouldn't have been much. Fuel cost? Well, its not like diesel is that cheap these days, and I'd happily trade an increase in fuel consumption for superior drivability in ALL road conditions.

Highlights?

2012 - Owning my boyhood poster car..............................





2017 - Owning a Mustang! I couldn't have loved that car more if I tried.....................

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by smoo

Listening to a guy I work with saying his old Isuzu MUX is the best car he owned, how good it was and his regrets trading it on a new Haval.
I’m thinking fark me this bloke must have owned some heaps of shit prior, to hold an MUX in such high regard.

He bought a Haval ffs.

What I can't comprehend is the current generation of Millennials, who wouldn't dream of buying their undies at Kmart, but ill buy any old cheap peace of shit car from China.

[jakkes]

xy falcon 500 302w/toploader/bw diff... loved that car very reliable destroyed heaps of b/w diffs- mostly my fault.

xd svo ute 377c/toploader/9inch good muscle car driveline police tramp rods put power down well....BAD just had a flimsy chassis--no rust either someone put a pop up sun roof in it and it used to squeak and make noise.

BA falcon 5.4 3v, manual, m86, good: old skool type of car with no stability control, traction control just ABS goes well good torque

BAD every after market part that has gone near this thing has caused me trouble big trouble!! the latest is its destroyed 3 WAVE-TRAC LSD units
i actually love this thing but its sending me broke and mental at the same time

[arm79]

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

He bought a Haval ffs.

What I can't comprehend is the current generation of Millennials, who wouldn't dream of buying their undies at Kmart, but ill buy any old cheap peace of shit car from China.

I remember when Great Wall first came to Australia and all their models scored like 1 star in the crash tests and A Current Affair (I think it was them) did a report about why people were so in love with buying these pieces of trash.

One couple bought 2 people movers said their only motivation was they could get 2 of these things for the price of a Tarago or something similar back in the day. They weren't concerned for the safety or quality, only that they could get 2 for the price of 1.

I wonder how they are going? If they are still alive?

My uncle bought a Jolion Hybrid to replace his ancient and very rough VZ Commo. He thinks its the ducks guts. But is incensed it doesn't have a spare wheel, only a wheel in a can and a road side assistance plan. But still bought it anyways.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by arm79

I remember when Great Wall first came to Australia and all their models scored like 1 star in the crash tests and A Current Affair (I think it was them) did a report about why people were so in love with buying these pieces of trash.

One couple bought 2 people movers said their only motivation was they could get 2 of these things for the price of a Tarago or something similar back in the day. They weren't concerned for the safety or quality, only that they could get 2 for the price of 1.

I wonder how they are going? If they are still alive?

My uncle bought a Jolion Hybrid to replace his ancient and very rough VZ Commo. He thinks its the ducks guts. But is incensed it doesn't have a spare wheel, only a wheel in a can and a road side assistance plan. But still bought it anyways.

My local postie had one of those ~10 years ago, the Great Wall V220 or what ever the ute was called with the Mitsubishi engine,

I had to MacGyver the thing on the side of the road to cobble shit together to keep it going, couldn't get parts for it at all from anywhere.

[Sprintey]

Was that the asbestos gaskets one? Would've been hard to find those parts in Australia...

[Sprintey]

Lowlight: HZ wagon, got stiched by dodgy seller. The final country trip the 202 was straining on 4 cylinders, fibreglass lower passenger side door. Dad used it as trade in on his VR...

Lowlight: VR wagon (for Dad). Timing sender unit would go AWOL in the Perth heat, sent Dad with no power steer or braking over a roundabout. Failed to proceed on a country trip more than once. Dad used it as trade on his VY...

Highlight: VY Commodore (for Dad, now for Mum, loved in family). Saved Mum in head on smash in 2009 shortly after Dad passed away. Borderline write off, she was distraught and made the insurance company rebuild her husband's car. So it has a 2009 front end, and they did the job well. Now 130,000km and immaculate, we took it on a Nullarbor run at age 21 and it chomped it. Eldest child loves it too, he drives like the 'Grampa' trend Gen Z is into and it fits him like old slippers. So reliable too.

Highlight: ED Falcon Classic GLi. Fantastic car. So solidly built. More solid than the contemporary VR, comfortable, had space, loved highways, great gearing choices in 4sp auto box. Had a 'power' button so you know it meant business. Should have never sold it, bought at 50,000 and moved on thinking it was getting a bit old at 100,000. Replaced later with ED Sprint to fill the void but that's a different kettle of fish, like Jack said above shed ornament, being a glamour model it has downsides to something ordinary like stress of theft. For the EF mentioned above by b0son, our ED Classic was like that, you could drive it like a madman and it would entertain the whole way.

Highlight: AWD petrol Territory, ordered new. Grunt, space, handling, comfort. Had it all. We still have it.

Highlight: 60 series Cruiser. Not for it's excellence as a car, but because it allowed my career to take off and took us all over Australia in (good) paying work. As reliable as you preventatively serviced it. Kudos.

There should also be a category 'cars you owned but were indifferent to' - 2004 Echo, great car, fantastic build quality, chuckable in the city. However, I don't mind that I sold it.

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by arm79

I remember when Great Wall first came to Australia and all their models scored like 1 star in the crash tests and A Current Affair (I think it was them) did a report about why people were so in love with buying these pieces of trash.

One couple bought 2 people movers said their only motivation was they could get 2 of these things for the price of a Tarago or something similar back in the day. They weren't concerned for the safety or quality, only that they could get 2 for the price of 1.

I wonder how they are going? If they are still alive?

My uncle bought a Jolion Hybrid to replace his ancient and very rough VZ Commo. He thinks its the ducks guts. But is incensed it doesn't have a spare wheel, only a wheel in a can and a road side assistance plan. But still bought it anyways.

Everything is a Bargain, at the right price. But these things are never cheap ENOUGH.
With most of the Chinese crap, you're literally better off buying something decent that's a year or two old, and done maybe 25kk. It will be cheaper, more reliable, and a better long-term prospect.
I hired a car recently and opted for the smallest & cheapest which was a Suzuki Swift. They "upgraded" to the next level, which was a MG (HS?). I drove it back to the Hotel, got straight onto their complaints line, and demanded they give me the Swift.
I literally don't understand how it's possible, in 2020+, to make an engine and gearbox that terrible.

[kevino]

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

Everything is a Bargain, at the right price. But these things are never cheap ENOUGH.
With most of the Chinese crap, you're literally better off buying something decent that's a year or two old, and done maybe 25kk. It will be cheaper, more reliable, and a better long-term prospect.
I hired a car recently and opted for the smallest & cheapest which was a Suzuki Swift. They "upgraded" to the next level, which was a MG (HS?). I drove it back to the Hotel, got straight onto their complaints line, and demanded they give me the Swift.
I literally don't understand how it's possible, in 2020+, to make an engine and gearbox that terrible.

The engine transmission and turbo are just not coordinated on that older mg hs.

Tell me about the Swift-was it the new 24 model?