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So I’ve noticed that AU falcons seem to be trending at the moment online and especially with the younger crowd
Why?
The AU falcon is a shitbox?or am I wrong
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AU Falcons aren't that bad.
Most of the bad press was because of the ugly series 1 Forte grille and the small (series 1) brakes. All this at a time when the VT was selling well & had better brakes.
The series 2 had the larger (VT size) brakes & a better looking grille. As with most series 2 things a lot of smaller items were also improved.
For young blokes these things are cheap & plentiful & offer good "bang for buck".
Strangely enough I have found that the AU styling, while hard to swallow at the time, has now 'aged' better than the VT.
Dr Terry |
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In addition to what Terry wrote (which I completely agree with - and I had an AU2 for over 100,000km as a company car) they are popular with young guys because they still have a live axle, and can do burnouts easily, with enough poke from the SOHC 4.0L. Whilst the BA got the DOHC version, with significantly more power, the IRS under them gives better grip - ie, much harder to light up the rears & keep going.
Add to the fact that the driveline in them can do 500,000km with very little to maintain it (and very cheap maintenance), and you've got plenty of high km cars out there that people think are worthless because of the "high mileage stigma" so they are extremely cheap, and you get a lot of good car for your money.
I'm also noticing the trend lately of not only young guys getting into them, but young mothers too. I see a few different ones on the freeway with 2 kiddy seats in the back, P-plates on, and a young woman driving. If she's a single mother, it's probably one of the best, cheapest cars she could buy that will comfortably fit 2 kiddy seats, with enough room to get kids in & out easily. Only the Fairlane and Statesman would top it - you can actually crouch in the rear footwell of them to strap a baby in - great when it's pouring rain. |
Cheers,
Mick
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The AU Falcon just cheep runabout I would think and easy to repair I would think.
I looked at one when they were new but I could not sit in the back seat of the sedan as they have no head room at all, one would have to be under 6ft to sit in the back for sure.
I have seen some AU with rust but never a VT Commodore with rust.
A VS to VY V6 Commodore would be the best cheap car to drive and if anything goes wrong it will not cost huge money, the VZ on Aloytec V6 will sting ya.
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Vn commodore is better than the AU falcon, and skids harder too
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Originally Posted by: Liquefaction  Vn commodore is better than the AU falcon, and skids harder too I'm a Holden man thru & thru, but I do have trouble with that statement. Also since when did burnouts get re-named "skids" ? Isn't a skid when you lock up the brakes ? Dr Terry |
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Originally Posted by: Dr Terry Originally Posted by: Liquefaction Vn commodore is better than the AU falcon, and skids harder too I'm a Holden man thru & thru, but I do have trouble with that statement. Also since when did burnouts get re-named "skids" ? Isn't a skid when you lock up the brakes ? Dr Terry Having owned a few VN calais, I’ve found then to be very good cars with an excellent 1st gear “burnout” (otherwise known as skid)at the lights The term skid can be applied to more than one type of event.
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Is the ability to do burn-outs a good method of judging how "good" a car is ? Don't get me wrong, I like VNs, but they have their shortcomings, I think that that an AU being over 10 years newer in design would handle & drive better than a VN. One of the VN's problems was its narrow front track, which was fixed with the VR re-design & the early V6 was a bit rough. I'm a big bloke & one area that the VN kills the AU is with ease of entry & exit & the amount of interior space. In the XD/XF days the Falcon was superior in this area to Commodores but the later Fords lose out. My daily is a VY & it is much better than the equivalent Ford especially in this area. Dr Terry P.S. I just checked the dictionary for the word "skid" & burn-outs don't get a mention. They talk about locking brakes and uncontrolled slides, but no burn-outs. Edited by user Wednesday, 11 September 2019 3:50:59 PM(UTC)
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Originally Posted by: Dr Terry Is the ability to do burn-outs a good method of judging how "good" a car is ?
Don't get me wrong, I like VNs, but they have their shortcomings, I think that that an AU being over 10 years newer in design would handle & drive better than a VN.
One of the VN's problems was its narrow front track, which was fixed with the VR re-design & the early V6 was a bit rough.
I'm a big bloke & one area that the VN kills the AU is with ease of entry & exit & the amount of interior space. In the XD/XF days the Falcon was superior in this area to Commodores but the later Fords lose out.
My daily is a VY & it is much better than the equivalent Ford especially in this area.
Dr Terry
P.S. I just checked the dictionary for the word "skid" & burn-outs don't get a mention. They talk about locking brakes and uncontrolled slides, but no burn-outs. In NZ doing a skid is the same as doing a burnout If you are judging what car is the better bogan car, then burnout ability would be important, also cost and cool factor Therefore I would like to suggest the VN commodore as the ultimate bogan car My daily is a VS berlina Edited by user Wednesday, 11 September 2019 4:02:01 PM(UTC)
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Skid. Yes I agree it will be in the urban dictionary Dr Terry. If I had to guess the crossover of terms may originate in the skidpan also being utilised by the burnout crew
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I thought a skid in NZ would be a skud? Skids are what you do on a BMX when you’re ten. Burnouts are what townies do because they don’t have room to get stuck into some proper circle work. There’s nothing better than a WB with a 253 and 9” hot dogs being flogged at full noise, cutting hoops in the car park after a B&S. Edited by user Thursday, 12 September 2019 2:52:32 PM(UTC)
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Well there is, a HQ-HZ 308 doing similar! |
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A mate's old man called such a skid or people doing skids up his road and he hated it. I loved that road and would cut loose on it, ya could not help you self as it was a good mix for doing just that when you only had a 202.
There was a marble road as well that we would go to and that sorted out the men from the boys.
But doing burnouts is not my cup of tea at all and I hated the wheels spinning mainly as I wanted traction, bloody LSD not working as it should would drive me up the wall when overtaking, my SL/R 5000 would axel hop at 100KM/H going back to 3rd with a 3.08 LSD and 235 x 14 so I would just use 4th yet I would cut loose when the tyres got worn out, not with the SL/R tho never did burnouts with a Banjo diff and a 308 but I did cut loose with the 308 Sandman and just having a bit of fun, mainly turn a corner and light it up type thing. I had busted aussie M21 boxes just driving along in 2ed and nailing it and bang and another in 3rd that was the input shaft teeth gone and another just the bearings in the lay shaft bearings gave up the ghost.
I believe it was due to old gears and new lay shaft that is not a good combination with that sort of power, but with a 253 you may get away with such, I learnt the hard way, I would of insisted on all new gears when reco a box for a healthy 308 that's going to be driven hard or punch the prick in the face.
The VN V6 Commodore is a horror of a car chaff cuter V6 and they are as ugly as inside and out, I went to have a look to buy one once tossing up on a VL I thought well I will look at the V6 VN and I was like WTF no way ! good reliable and punchy off the line and went well in the day but not my cup of tea.
AU Falcon ugly as a hat full of arseholes horror doors that you bang ya head on getting out of, Good engine.
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