XR6 Falcons Options

[Naki]

Once agian thinking of a new car - commented in the past here about buying a new vehicle but couldn't justify it at the time and had other priorities but I really need to do it now as my '98 Accord is now 13 years old, done 270,000 km and owned it for 10 years (hasn't missed a beat!). Also the the paint work is detiorating rapidly and the interior is falling to pieces.

Thinking of splashing out this time and buying my dream car (short of a BMW M3 or something else equally exotic) a late model XR6 Falcon (FG series) ...anybody here have any bad or good experience with this model?

[Ian Warren]

Good luck on your buy , 270 thousand on a Honda , wicked , sure you don't want a Maserati , could equal your Honda in cost not the clock , had one up the driveway here couple days back , sure that would suit you more there Paul .. don't no what it is about the thing but sure as hell go,s like, a 'cut cat' and i'm not sure what that means .. but a FALCON man

[creator2003]

Being a older BMW series 3 owner id get the M3 model if i had the choice between the two ,mechanically sweet and really nice on the road just keeps sticking ,steering radius is real good easy parking etc ,and plus i really like how you just plug them in to find out issues ..
anyway haven't hear anyone complain about ether models ..

[Naki]

The M3 is out of equation for me...just deaming when it comes to that car .. I need a big car - which = Falcon (or Commodore).

Much that I like Euro cars it just gives me the shivers when I think about repair bills or reliability ...I have had a couple of Euros (mind you they were cheap) in the past and they wre unreliable as anything...

[Timmo]

The Falcons (or Commodores) don't have the best reliability ratings and I find they are very cheaply built (especially in the interiors). In saying that, in terms of car for the money they are very good and have well sorted suspension and steering tunes.

If you are considering a large RWD sedan, also look at the Toyota Aristo/Lexus Gs300, Toyota Celsior/Lexus LS430 or Toyota Mark 2 IR-v (a bit smaller than a Falcon but 300hp makes them super quick)

The 3l wagon version of the Altezza (Gita) is also a pretty well sorted car, but again is a bit smaller in terms of load capacity than a Falcon.

[Ian Warren]

Hey Mike Least your Beamer sticks to the Tauranga round a bouts , not like that Falcon/Holden we saw a couple years back

[Naki]

Hmm never thought of a GS300 or LS430..very nice cars ..must have a look then at Trademe.

The Falcon Im looking at has done 60,000km and is only two years old and is very well priced for the age. The interior of a FG model is very nice and step up from earlier Falcons.

A guy at work here owns a 5 year old Falcon XR6 and has done nearly 300000 km in it and has no problems at all...he had a Legacy GT before that and the turbo blew costing him a bomb. All the reports on the net about FG falcons in terms of reliability seem positive..not sure about Commodores though.

Th other option is go smaller and cheaper and buy a Accord Euro and use the wife's Mazda MPV for long trips (which is a bigger gas guzzler than a Falcon!)

[Bazza]

What happened to the MX5 Paul.....?

[Naki]

Wifey decided it wasn't practical carting around kids! ..probably right even if it is a second car..when the kids leave home (which is years away) then a MX-5 will be in my driveway

[Timmo]

Wifey decided it wasn't practical carting around kids! ..probably right even if it is a second car..when the kids leave home (which is years away) then a MX-5 will be in my driveway

Good man!

(Bazza not sure if you saw but I've just purchased a replacement '5 after I sold my NA before travelling- A very tidy NB RS )

[Alfashark]

If it's an FG or even a BF 'Coon it should have the 6 speed ZF slushbox... This is a good thing for two reasons:
It's a smooth shifting unit, with some of the nicest adaptive logic you can get as far as working out your driving style.
It's a very reliable box with no "use by" lifetime, unlike the older 4 speed in the AU/BA/BA II's that was known to go pear shaped after around 200-220,000km.

I'm having thoughts about a BF XR6 myself, but I'll hold out a bit longer in search of a manual.
Tons of room in the back, cavernous boot, smooth ride without being too whale-like (unlike a lot of the larger Jap Luxo-barges...) and not too thirsty either - I drove an XR6 from one side of Hamilton to the other in peak traffic, then on to Tirau and back, average consumption came back at 8.1L/100km which is pretty good for a 4L six, bearing in mind that my Pug weighs almost half what the 'Coon weighs and drinks 9L/100km if I'm being gentle.

Oh, and Lawrie (Snowman) will approve if you go down this track

[spongebob206]

Stay with a Honda Mate

Get reliability, extra's and performance.

I have a Tourer at the moment, wife has a Euro. Really miss the Honda V6 I had couple of years ago. Would recommend one of these.

Thought I went for economy with the 2.4 but have noticed no difference.

Honda V6 will beat the Falcon off the mark all the time. Top end they will win though. (but with the added fuel)

All the best on your choice.