What were the main reasons you jumped ship to a Holden ?

[Rodge]

They free up noticeably from about 2,000 km's and then some more by 5,000 km's mate.
The extra torque of the GTS (740nm's) is something that hasn't got much airtime even if the rwkw's are fairly similar to a SC GT but its the trick adjustable suspension / adjustable DSC, bigger wheels and the extra tech fruit and quality stereo that has me pondering what I might do next spring once the asking prices have got a bit more realistic.

[stazza]

It hasn't crossed your mind to get adjustable suspension, bigger wheels and a better stereo for the GT?

[jimmyxr6t04]

Originally Posted by Rodge

They free up noticeably from about 2,000 km's and then some more by 5,000 km's mate.
The extra torque of the GTS (740nm's) is something that hasn't got much airtime even if the rwkw's are fairly similar to a SC GT but its the trick adjustable suspension / adjustable DSC, bigger wheels and the extra tech fruit and quality stereo that has me pondering what I might do next spring once the asking prices have got a bit more realistic.

Is the stereo that much better? Has anyone done a comparo on stereo of the GT/GTS?

Reason i ask is; my 2011 caprice was fitted with apparently 'top of the line' bose. And i much prefer the shound of my GT stereo! The bass on the caprice was useless.

[Rodge]

Originally Posted by stazza

It hasn't crossed your mind to get adjustable suspension, bigger wheels and a better stereo for the GT?

Yeah it has and would be a lot cheaper than buying a GTS.

Originally Posted by jimmyxr6t04

Is the stereo that much better? Has anyone done a comparo on stereo of the GT/GTS?

Reason i ask is; my 2011 caprice was fitted with apparently 'top of the line' bose. And i much prefer the shound of my GT stereo! The bass on the caprice was useless.

Interesting feedback, thanks.

[desGT]

October got my HSV R8 SV Tourer to replace the FG GT (had a BF GT before that).

Two "main" reasons:
- The "wagon" was on my list. No Ford.
- The interior of the VF (Gen-F) is just so superior to the cheap GT interior.

While I miss the GT for pure driving pleasure (the HSV only has 800k, so have not really "driven" it yet) and am not a fan of all the new electronic gizmos's in the HSV, nor those thick pillars, the Tourer really is a nice piece of work. Tinted, sunroof and replaced speakers (added a sub) this car as a package is much better to sit in than the GT.

[mcnews]

Originally Posted by Rodge

Yeah it has and would be a lot cheaper than buying a GTS.

Interesting feedback, thanks.

Seriously Rodge. Sometimes for an accountant you must do some silly thinking.... Throw away what 50k in depreciation on your current car, and an instant what 30k depreciation on a new purchase.... Or put 2k in to the stereo to make it stupendously good, 2.5k on suspension and you now know what a different the tyres you put on have made if they are anywhere near as good as what I put on mine. You have the rubber, spend 5k now and you can fix the suspension-sound issues in your current ride... For less than what the tax will cost you on a new one, let alone the huge moolah you throwing away selling this one and buying another one to throw away another huge amount of moolah on depreciation.

[Rodge]

^^ Yeap Trev the tyres have made a HUGE difference, very happy indeed, I just need another really good blast, this time around the Corommandel loop and I think I'll have enough therapy in me by then and yes I have a bad history of wasting far too much money on cars.

Replacing the sub, (weakest point in the stereo system in my opinion) and getting some better shocks, (had a look at the stock shocks when it was up on the hoist at my mechanic last time it was serviced and they are really girly looking things), makes compelling common sense, thanks mate.

Sometimes I just need to hear this from someone else, dunno why
I guess its like the plumbers plumbing or the builders house, sometimes one is one's own worst customer...

Time to get some adjustable Koni's I think. I think that's the optimum solution for the goat tracks that pass for roads around here.

[stazza]

Rodge, have you tried reversing the polarity on the sub? You do know all FG's with premium sound come with the sub wired wrong. It makes a huuuuge difference.

[mcnews]

Yep he has done that, even doing that it makes a small difference but it is still crap. 2k will get you complete new set of high quality speakers throughout the car, installed along with proper sub. Also, the installer I used said that every time he has put a sub in the standard place in an FG the customer has come back and said do it properly. Thus he doesn't use the standard enclosure any more. Mine cost me about 2k all up including dynamatting all doors, boot, direct wiring stinger kit to sub, and an Optima yellow top new battery to ensure it is all powered well. If you are going to do it, do it once and do it properly.

[Rodge]

Yeah I've done that mate and it has improved it a reasonable amount but it could still do with more bass I reckon, but that's not irking me too much at the moment. I'd like to get a really good system fitted in due course.
Shocks are the main thing I need to focus on, the new rubber has really shone the spotlight on how poor the standard shocks are but I'll probably have to wait till after Xmas now, too many Xmas and holiday costs to pay for now.

[MercurySilver]

i jumped ship twice
one i got out of before it sank
the other was half way down

camira wagon 5 speed and had the cv joint things done $1500...was good to cart amps and speakers about

vs series 2 ute
why?
it went like stink
i drove it hard then **** stopped working on it
so i decided on the spur of hte moment to trade it in on an xr8 ba

never looked back and ill prob never go aback

[chopstar87]

Thats something in my eyes ford really need to improve, the quality of their "premium" audio set up... I use to think it was ok and acceptable... till I heard the HK system that is factory fitted in my 300c.

[duaned]

I must say that I have been wanting to upgrade to an XR6T for some time. Here in Newy there is sweet FA available to test drive but I found a new one of the showroom floor and I have to say I am "disappointed". Compared to my XR6, it felt a little loose and was clunky from the rear of the car. And it had 18kms on the clock. Ford have screwed this up for sure, just like they have done to past customers.
So we opted to look at a VF SS. I'm not a Holden man but damn these things are nice! But we were ****ed that the trim on the seats is "sportec" which looks like some type of easy wearing vinyl, not partial leather as we expected. The suede inserts looked fine. A SS-V is just out of budget. The missus & I were ready to sign the dotted line until we established this. Can any SS owners report their findings?

[b0son]

Are you buying a car, or a lounge?

[stavros68]

Just jumped ship and got a wm caprice 2007 v8 fully loaded, always have been a ford man with a few fords in my time. A few things I was looking for when buying a car was cost and options and couldn't go past a caprice for the price range , 2 things I'm trying to get used to is the clumsy 6 speed auto just doesn't know what gear to go in and the thick front pillars but other than that goes great , upgraded the speakers and amp lowered it and put grange wheels on

[Express]

Originally Posted by stavros68

I'm trying to get used to is the clumsy 6 speed auto just doesn't know what gear to go in

Gear the transmission tuned and it’ll make a huge difference to how it performs.



.

[jimmyxr6t04]

Originally Posted by stavros68

Just jumped ship and got a wm caprice 2007 v8 fully loaded, always have been a ford man with a few fords in my time. A few things I was looking for when buying a car was cost and options and couldn't go past a caprice for the price range , 2 things I'm trying to get used to is the clumsy 6 speed auto just doesn't know what gear to go in and the thick front pillars but other than that goes great , upgraded the speakers and amp lowered it and put grange wheels on

the wm caprice is a nice car, i had a series 2 and it didn't take too long to get used to the A pillars. I actually found the gearbox to be quite good, not ZF good, but still pretty good. Might have been slightly revised though being a series 2.

If you plan on lowering it, or putting an exhaust on... be warned! Mine was lowered on SSL with a twin 3" cat back... the exhaust literally hung 50mm from the ground. The front of the car easily cleared standard height gutters, so it's not like it was slammed. It's just the design of the exhaust. Basically scraped on any bumpy roads or country roads... hated it and ended up wanting to return it to standard.

Also, the exhausts tend to drone bad too, so do your research if you do plan any exhaust mods.

[stavros68]

I mite just put extractors and cats and leave the rest , I'm just about to put brembos up front kit cost me 899 complete delivered to my door, I find the parts for Holden's are plentiful and easy to get.

[Express]

Originally Posted by jimmyxr6t04

I actually found the gearbox to be quite good, not ZF good, but still pretty good. Might have been slightly revised though being a series 2.

Yes the Series 2 had the revised tune, way too many complaints.

The Series 1 VE constantly hunted and scavenged for gears and was terribly slow to change up when accelerating. All up it was a real shocker.

I complained so much about my Calais the dealer sent it out and had an aftermarket tune put in.
The improvement was out of sight
They changed the shift points, it changed very quickly, increased the rev limiter, ran to the redline and would easily spin the wheels under acceleration as it changed from 1st to 2nd, 2nd to 3rd & 3rd to 4th, something it wouldn’t do stock. It also stopped looking for a qear and started to blip properly as it changed down.

No exhaust system will fix that, in fact if you are adding an exhaust in particular extractors and cats, a complete tune is a must to take advantage of them. The tranny tune will be thrown in with it.



.

[blueoval]

The only Holden I bought was a 2005 AH Holden Astra (basically an Opel) and it was for the mrs. She didnt like the look of the Focus/Fiesta in the same price range at the time, nor any other Euro model I suggested to her, so I bought her the Astra and still have it. It's been a decent car (albeit with it's qwerky faults)

Im not as brand loyal as I used to be. I respect all brands for what they are. But that's just me. I just took my blinkers off.