Buying a Falcon

Funnily enough, I did consider a Camry, as it's a Toyota, and everyone up here loves anything made by Toyota, (I'm starting to think they put something in the water), but it's too damn small for our travelling circus I mean family.

It just cracks me up that almost anyone who grew up in the 70s and 80s would have had a big wagon in the family, and for a good reason since you need the room, and here we are in the 21st century and what's normal? Expensive "SUVs" with less room! How was that conjob pulled off? :p

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Originally Posted by Davo

Funnily enough, I did consider a Camry, as it's a Toyota, and everyone up here loves anything made by Toyota, (I'm starting to think they put something in the water), but it's too damn small for our travelling circus I mean family.

It just cracks me up that almost anyone who grew up in the 70s and 80s would have had a big wagon in the family, and for a good reason since you need the room, and here we are in the 21st century and what's normal? Expensive "SUVs" with less room! How was that conjob pulled off? :p

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One of the design criteria for a family 6 seater wagon used to be that a standard sheet of plywood had to sit flat on the floor between the wheel arches with the rear seat lowered.

You'd have to buy a Chev Suburban if you wanted that these days though LOL, maybe a Defender but it would technically be on the wheel arches

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Originally Posted by bacicat2000

Geez, you must have driven a different one to me. I had to put up with one for 3 weeks while the Falcon was getting some panel work done - not my fault :p - and it was truly the most aweful car I have ever driven. It was just the base model, but my god, what a peice of ****. Why anyone would put an automatic transmission behind a weak, small ashmatic 4 cylinder engine is absolutely beyond me.

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I have never driven or owned any of them and never will, test drove yes for other people but only had LR products for last 18 years and that aint gonna change anytime soon- its just i dislike the local jobs just as much but thought i'd throw it out there as an option. I lie , i did restore a 66 XR fairmont with a 289 and toploader and i own a 58 FC sedan but thats it.

One thing I would not touch ism the current commode v6 the timing chains stretch and make the cam../crank angle sensor,s fag out and the thermostat is hard on the fire wall so engine out or box out to fix.. Makes a 6 banger falcon make sense blown head gaskets are a bad memory and if you can get one, with the zf 6 speed its. Match made in Heven

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Originally Posted by MR LR jnr.

You'd have to buy a Chev Suburban if you wanted that these days though LOL, maybe a Defender but it would technically be on the wheel arches

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I have driven and ridden in Chev. Suburbans in the USA. Bloody good things. Plenty of room, plenty of grunt. A mate has one for towing his historic race cars around. 500 cubic inch big block, Allison auto. Tows a huge enclosed trailer for two race cars at full speed (85-90 mph) on the interstates with the Passport fine tuned. Great seating and individual a/c ducting and adjustment. No wonder these, Escalades, Navigators, etc. are so popular there. Wish I could buy one here but not at the grossly inflated prices charged by importers/converters.

The fuel consumption for everyday use would do you in. The industry over there is still geared for lots of cheap oil. When I lived in Canada years ago, I couldn't believe that the only small, efficient diesel car available then was a VW Golf!

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Originally Posted by Davo

The fuel consumption for everyday use would do you in. The industry over there is still geared for lots of cheap oil. When I lived in Canada years ago, I couldn't believe that the only small, efficient diesel car available then was a VW Golf!

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Fuel price is not a problem for a man who owns and races a Kurtis Kraft Indy Roadster, a Reventlow Scarab, a 1952 ex-works Mercedes 300SL Mexican Road Race car, another 300SL gull-wing used for Bonneville salt flats, and a'59 300SL roadster for a Sunday driver. You see very few non-American cars outside major cities and particularly outside California, which is about the only place you see numbers of imported motor-cycles. In the north and north-east and Canada, the snow belt, they favour big pickups and SUVS for the ground clearace in snow. People there quite commonly have summer and winter cars. Twelve months ago, fuel was about $1 per litre and they complain about it.

Brian,

out of curiosity, what door handle problems did you have with the AU. That was an issue with the X series Falcons, but I don't recall the other design handles being a problem ??

My XH ute gets better MPG than a mates (4 pot) Camry on the open road.

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Originally Posted by pop058

Brian,

out of curiosity, what door handle problems did you have with the AU. That was an issue with the X series Falcons, but I don't recall the other design handles being a problem ??

My XH ute gets better MPG than a mates (4 pot) Camry on the open road.

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They break off when you are trying to open them. Three now.

My fuel economy is pathetic. I work in mpg. It does 18-19 around town lightly laden, 16-17 laden.
Up the highway the best I ever got was in ideal conditions, only me and an ovenight bag, cool damp weather, and was short of 25 mpg by a smidgen. Laden with around 750 kgs in the back it falls to 20-21. Add a trailer and it is down to 17-18. I complained repeatedly to the dealer who plugs in their computer and says "within guidelines, 11-13 l/100k's". Complete bull****, I know how much fuel I was pouring into it. The fuel injection guru at Capalaba says "11-13 impossible,14-15 normal. over 15 needs something fixed". I expected better from a then new modern car with individual port electronic injection. I have hired several Commodores with the 3800 Buick V6 and got over 30 mpg up the highway every time.