help buying ea-ed 5l v8

[radtoolman]

i am finally able to upgrade to a 5l ea-eb fairmont preffered
just wondering what should i look for when i an looking at a car what has a habit of going wrong with them
i dont want a lemon been waiting tooo long any help would be greatl;y appreciated

[gthofan]

well you will be lucky to find a 5lt ea, very rare almost extinct now ey.
but just look for the obvious, noisy engine, rough tranny, noisy diff. and always look at the condition of the oil. it will give u an idea if it has been cared for

[Jason[98.EL]]

dont buy an ea 5ltr as they never come out with them lol

[XR8Chic]

First of all - the EA never came out with a 5L.

Things to look for would be standard stuff.... leaks, caramel goo in the engine, rust, accident damage etc etc.

[Philaddis]

Concern yourself more with the body I think.

Especially rust in the sills (expensive) infact any rust is bad............ Bad paint, or rough panels.

A respray and rust repairs are expensive (a half decent job with some rust repair will set you back $5k). Money you could better spend on some performance mods on the motor etc.

[BENT_8]

Ok for starters you cant get EA 5.0l's they didn't become available to EB but dont worry coz EB's were way better handling so thats a plus already.
Rust shouldn't be a problem but check around the top of the windscreen as they do tend to start rusting there.
If its a fairmont you are getting make sure all the options that were ticked when new are still working.
Don't be scared if you find brake shudder. Its common on these things especially a good original example coz it will proberbly have factory spec rotors and they were average at best. Use it as a bargaining point.
Try to avoid silver as the paint can be thin if not looked after(mind u any paint will turn crap if not looked after but silvers and reds are the worst)
I hope that helps a bit

[EF302]

Originally Posted by radtoolman

i am finally able to upgrade to a 5l ea-eb fairmont preffered
just wondering what should i look for when i an looking at a car what has a habit of going wrong with them
i dont want a lemon been waiting tooo long any help would be greatl;y appreciated

not alot goes wrong for the 5 litre. but check the cooling system( make sure theirs no water leaks or oil leaks). make sure the gearbox is smooth, listen for any diff whining or any other noises(this can get expensive).
just look at the overall condition outside and under the bonnet,interier is also a good way of seeing how its been looked after. u'll be prety luckey to get one under 250,000k's.
ef' xr8s are getting alot cheaper, but it depends on how much ur spending.

[Philaddis]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

Rust shouldn't be a problem but check around the top of the windscreen as they do tend to start rusting there.

seems we disagree!

[radtoolman]

cheers for the help fellas the stuff about the rust etc is very much taken in just trying to get a idea of what tends to go wrong 5-6k i what i am looking at for price i would rather get a expensive low mile eb-ed than a higher mile ef

[EF302]

xr8chic ur ED sounds like an awsome car, have u ran it down the strip?

[BENT_8]

No i dont think we disagre mate im just saying that a good low kms example thats been looked after is what i would be looking for .
I dont think one that has been kept in a garage most of its life will show much rust but front windscreen seals are notorious on these things and not many people notice it.
Ask a window fitter about it.

[BPXR6T]

If you get an ED watch the auto's. They are four speed like the EF aren't they. I know they are in the 4.0 cars. I had to replace my 4 speed recently and it cost just about as much as the value of the car.

You could get an XR8 and maybe try to pick up a manual. EB-ED XR8's can be had for about $3K nowadays.