Most underrated car

[C.Moz]

Originally Posted by mad cow

the gold medal would have to go to the au falcon... so much value for so little dollars. great to drive to boot.

silver medal to the 2 series volvo,

gold to the magna, for the same reasons as the au

Two gold medals :

[bigdude1011]

Originally Posted by mad cow

the gold medal would have to go to the au falcon... so much value for so little dollars. great to drive to boot.

I would have to agree with you. The XR's, Pursuits and T3's especially.

[TURBOTAXI]

5 Years ago when I moved out here I was riding my CB1000 Big one Honda from Sydney to Dubbo each week. (Up Monday back friday) It was getting cold so I went on the scrounge for a cheap car as a stop gap. I found a volvo 264 with the PRV V6 2.7 engine. It had 5 months rego, and a bit of rust but it was solid enough. I paid $450 for it. I drove 8000k's over the next two months, then sold it on Ebay for $780. I punished the the poor thing, but it did not miss a beat. It was also reasonably quick through bells line of road or similar, and had the guts for overtaking etc

My family had a 244 and a 740 when I was younger, cant really fault them.

[SVD]

those volvo 850R turbos spring to my mind they are awesome and scarily quick for a volvo! otherwise the Nissan pulsars have always been good but i remember one story of an older model (1979/80ish) they were trying to blow the motor up before they threw it out and they couldnt do it, drained the oil ran sand in it and it still ran fine! how true that is i doubt however...

[ehast13]

Just about any old toyota's were pretty good.

My old man had a 1974 crown that went forever. SLOW off the mark but it was hard to keep up with him on the highway. He used to sit it on 80 - 85 mph all the way from brisbane to townsville and back.

Old corolla's were tops to drive and as tough as hell,

Cressida's could be flogged all day and were comfortable and smooth and had cold a/con.

SAAB 9000 turbo was a great car to drive but everything electric seemed to go. Rack and pinion needed to be replaced every 3 years, brakes faded after one hard stop, interior fell to bits.

The EA falcon was more reliable!

Old Datsuns get mad fun of by comedians and idiot schoolgirls but a 1600 is still a quick rally car. Even the 120y was as fun as hell to drive. Ugly as sin tho.............

[ehast13]

Don't wanna mess with the darkside but...

I didn't mind the holden gemini

[gtfpv]

Originally Posted by ehast13

I've seen a few threads around forums talking about the most overrated car. I haven't seen one talking about underrated ones. These cars can be good but often bagged out by the uninformed. Or they may be good cars that just fly under the radar.

I reckon the 2 series (1974 - 1993) VOLVO was a great car. Reliable, great brakes, reasonable handling, plenty of go from the stock 4cyl.

I've owned 5 over the years. My first was a 242gt. It ran 16.5 second quarter miles all day (1979). It was faster than any of the six cylinder falcons and commodores of the day. Quicker than a 323i beemer.

The only commodores to beat it over the quarter (until vl turbo) were the HDT cars. even vk efi manuals only matched it.

Had a stocko 1981 2.3 auto 4door. It ran mid 17's all day. In the late seventies, early eighties vb/vc auto commodores couldn't get within a coo ee
of it

The brakes were great. 4 piston calipers up front, twins up back. Way bigger than a commodore, more room inside than just about anything other than s class mercs and falcons. 30mpg on the highway in a manual. predictable handling that left the xa - xf falcons behind and wasn't shamed by commodore.

They did real well in production car racing and in 1979 a stocko one was entered at bathurst. it even ran road tyres(Uniroyal wildcats). it lapped in 2:57 and topped out 214kph down conrod. That was good pace for a stocko four cylinder - xt gt/327 monaro pace!
Many remember the 'bloody volvo' in that race, but it finished and (although it didn't have time to complete 1000kms) it completed over 500miles quicker than 1967,68,69 races. On time, it would have been just off the podium in the 1970 race - and by that stage those cars were using race tyres.

In production car racing, they left behind many v8 commodores, 280zx's and even v8 falcons. They usually beat the bmws and it was only the rx7s that consistenly beat them. I always had my ford but I have a certain respect for the 2 series volvo. I'd love to have one again.

For my wife/daughter I'd be happy to see them in one again. I never had a trouble with any of them. I once left one go 30,000k between oil changes.

My father had one too. It did 650,000 k and never had the head off!

To throw a spanner in the works, I had an ea s pac. It was a five speed 1988 model. I had a great run with it too.

I know that not everyone will have positive stories about volvos or ea falcons but, I'd love to know what cars are actually better than their reputation.

without a doubt the most under rated car would have to be " THE VALIANT"
they were way ahead of thier time . they were faster than fords and holdens ( stock for stock) and you still see them on the road around beach areas with surf boards and p plates on them today.

[ehast13]

Valiant?

I guess it's funny how many bag them out. In the 1990's it was embarassing to be seen in one. Thank goodness the revival in muscle cars has reinvigorated the interest in big engined aussie cars.

May I ask a serious (not sarcastic) question? In what ways were valiants ahead of their time?

[Zed7fiddy]

Must say, both my lancer ( 92 cb) and navara ( 95? maybeish) lasted the ks without major work needed, the navara lasted until i traded it in 04 for my BA on the original clutch, tha lancer is still kicking ont he orginal clutch, and both wnet forever without regular servicing.

Car makers these days dotn make vehicles to last, they want to make money on servicing and resupply!

[Sprint XR8]

Originally Posted by ehast13

Valiant?

I guess it's funny how many bag them out. In the 1990's it was embarassing to be seen in one. Thank goodness the revival in muscle cars has reinvigorated the interest in big engined aussie cars.

May I ask a serious (not sarcastic) question? In what ways were valiants ahead of their time?

In 1962 the Valliant landed with a 145bhp 225 cubic inch slant six 100mph top speed, at the time the EK Holden 138ci grey motor had 75bhp, XK Falcon 144ci had 90bhp. In modern terms it would be like Chrysler localy producing the 300c, releasing it with a 300kw motor and pricing it against a base falcon/commodore. The Valiant was Australia's first performance family car, also the first to offer a V8 option in 1965.

[Bill M]

Originally Posted by coupex

In 1962 the Valliant landed with a 145bhp 225 cubic inch slant six 100mph top speed, at the time the EK Holden 138ci grey motor had 75bhp, XK Falcon 144ci had 90bhp. In modern terms it would be like Chrysler localy producing the 300c, releasing it with a 300kw motor and pricing it against a base falcon/commodore. The Valiant was Australia's first performance family car, also the first to offer a V8 option in 1965.

Don't forget the pushbutton auto!
cheers
Bill.

[vanman_75]

Originally Posted by Bill M

Don't forget the pushbutton auto!
cheers
Bill.

and the multi direction wheel nuts

[bathurst77]

I would prob go for those mid 80s Cressidas and Toyota Crowns in general.
Brothel style luxury and comfort (umm. so i have read, not that I would know of course. ahem) Reliable etc.

Over rated car? Celicas. Except the odd special edition one here n there, they were basically corollas witha hairdressers body shell.

[Gobes32]

Mid 80's Laser's and 323's, remember that generally, the people that own these cars never change the oil, filters, etc and they still keep going.

[XR6_661]

Nissan Pulsars. Around the 93 shape.

God they can take some punishment! 5000rpm, dump the clutch and snatch change. Comes back for more!

[Dauphin]

Originally Posted by ehast13

I reckon the 2 series (1974 - 1993) VOLVO was a great car. Reliable, great brakes, reasonable handling, plenty of go from the stock 4cyl.........

I'll never forget this car because when I was a kid, a friend of my father's took us out for lunch one day. My brother and I got into the back seat and I was only half way in when he decided to start pulling out from his parked position! I almost fell out onto the road and managed to hold on and get in and close the door. Lucky he didn't do a U-turn! But ever since, I am always reminded of it when I see one of these cars.

[irlewy86]

Probably a few cars over the years. The 380 sticks out in my mind, stilll a better all round package than the Aurion.

[Quicksand]

Nissan Bluebird SSS 1994-1997

They came out on the back of severe failure from Nissan with the previous "different" models of the Pintara, Skyline and Bluebird (well i couldn't see a difference between the three and neither could the public) which resulted in factories closing down and very poor sales.

They were sold for less than it cost to build but the looks is what let it down. People felt it looked too "droopy". Magazines at the time said it was the most underrated car of its class.

With digital climate control, digital heads up display (HUD), 4 wheel steering (HICAS), premium sound and a very zippy 2.4L 4cyl engine that put many a Holden/Ford in its place it was a great value for money car.

There was very little advertising due to budget constraints and the looks let down what was a very good car.

[Dave_au]

Quite a good review of the TJ Magna VRX by autospeed here:

http://autospeed.com/cms/A_109590/article.html

Remember this review was written back in 2000, as such some of the author's claims of performance against the likes of Holden and Ford may actually be factual. Also proves a 0-100 of 7.04 sec, which wasn't bad in the day.


I still think the TJ shape with VR-X grill still plays a part. This one here was the series one with the uglier 16 inch wheels. 17 inch wheels found their way onto the car from 2002.

The TJ series ended in May 2003 as the more polarizing TL series came online from June 2003.

[BrisVegas]

90's Nissan Maxima 3.0 litre V6. Bullet proof, comfortable and quick.

I picked up a 91 model used in 99 with 110,000 MILES on it (was living in the states) for $4k. My wife and I drove the hell out of it on the interstate highways from Key West to Canada and as far West as New Orleans. Terrific car that never missed a beat. Only money we spend on it were oil changes every 6,000 miles and a power window motor. We put 70,000 miles on it in just over 2 years and sold it for $3,500.

I still recall driving it from Charlotte NC to Washington DC airport with 5 adults on board and the boot loaded up with bags and pegging along at 80+ mph. the car returned better than 30mph that trip!

[seduced_xr]

i rekon the AU should have a mention. every commo driver i know bags the crap out of them because of their hideous looks. yet my mates just sold his at 980 000km after a gearbox rebuild. he decided to get rid of it b4 anything else goes

[Fairlane]

Probably 3rd gen Magna especially the AWD and 3.5l VRX's. Reliable, Smooth, Quiet, Stylish & dirt cheap, even when new.

Few other include the Subaru Liberty it is recognised but not as much as it should be, the new Citreon's they are brilliant. For older cars probably the Lexus LS400 & 4AGE powered AE92 Corolla's.

As for the FG is still early days but it finally appears to be getting the awards that it rightfuly deserves.

Definately not the Valiant, sure the Valiant was grunty and had solid mechanicals, but the bodies were extremely poorly built, handling poor & refinement non existant. Read any contempary road test and they are bested by Kingswood, Falcon 500, Crown, P76 Executive, they only beat the Datsun 240K. Our family had 3, but my folks bought them because they were cheap. The doors used to drop, trim fell of them and they generally fell apart.

[leadfoot]

I'll put a vote in for the XH falcon ute.Had an Outback version a few years back & it still one of the favourites of cars I have owned.Tough reliable,decent performance & economy a much better car than the Commodore ute of the day - which is my vote for the most overated if that thread ever gets started

[Iggypoppin']

go the TJ magna. a mate has one, 2000 model, picked it up for 5000 with 190,000 on clock, manual. and thats the biggest kicker, the manual mated with only a lightened flywheel and pushbutton clutch has enabled the car to be a V8 eater. days after owning it he claimed it would beat a GenIII. i scoffed. so we went hunting and sure enough, smoked it. comfortable to drive, never misses a beat, nice interior and doesnt get picked on by the cops, as its a basic blue magna. what more could you want in an underrated car??

[chevypower]

I remember getting a spin in a Maseratti BiTurbo V6 in 1995 or something. I had never felt such a rush of acceleration at that point, and on the outside, it was styled similar to an early 90s BMW 3 series, didn't really stand out all that much.

[yakcam]

Can I throw in a muscle car here?

The Trans Am, people seem to avoid these. I was saving for a 'stang (being a Ford lad) and I was buying Unique Cars religiously for years, keeping an eye on the market. I noticed this '75 Trans Am had been in for months, so I thought I'd be cheeky and give him a cash offer of about half of what he was asking (1/4 of what a Mustang would've cost). He said no at first, but I let him sweat it over a long weekend gave him a call, he agreed to it plus a roadworthy.

It's not a revver, but the torque in the 400 is INSANE!!! it runs a 2:56 diff, I chug off at the lights with just a burble and still leave the traffic behind. If I stomp on it she'll turn the 275/60/15 tyres. Handling is sharp, sharp enough to make my mate who's a Jap car fan sit up and take notice. She's got fast glass and the most comfy inner sprung seats I have ever sat in, I always get a comment about those when I have a passenger.

There is a down side though, brakes suck. They're not bad in the dry, but the rears lock up in the wet under heavy braking, it's like pulling the hand brake on, but if you're careful and are aware of that the only other thing you have to worry about is wheel spin, it's just so easy to do in the wet.

I love my T/A and can't wait to get her back on the road again.

Cheers,

Kraig

[ieatsports_cars]

urrm a lada niva a great off roader and goes so many places where land cruisers go

[Windsor220]

Originally Posted by SLWXR6

go the TJ magna. a mate has one, 2000 model, picked it up for 5000 with 190,000 on clock, manual. and thats the biggest kicker, the manual mated with only a lightened flywheel and pushbutton clutch has enabled the car to be a V8 eater. days after owning it he claimed it would beat a GenIII. i scoffed. so we went hunting and sure enough, smoked it. comfortable to drive, never misses a beat, nice interior and doesnt get picked on by the cops, as its a basic blue magna. what more could you want in an underrated car??

The bloke driving the gen3 must of been rubbish. The 3rd gen magnas with a manual box are quick but not that quick.

[ehast13]

I had a lada niva. Had a great run with it.

the te - tl magnas are good cars but are they any faster than a manual au? or ea for that matter?

My ea s pac ran a best of 15.36 down the quarter. That was a stocko mpfi 3.9 five speed. My friend has a tj sports auto and it pulls a 15.85. Another friend has a base model manual but it does 15.1/15.2 consistently.

Quick cars but are they any quicker a corresponding falcon?

Just a question, not doubting refinement, brakes etc

[stevepet]

Datsun 120y!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!