Are Imports Such As Skyline/supra's Unreliable?

[ClutchBurndout-:(]

Well i guess we all have our own oppionions

1 thing i do agree but to be honest i never realy hear people say it ubless its in a sentance such as yours

New cars are safer because they are designed to crumple on impact

Actually Clutch, I've seen many Commodores/Falcons of all models in pristine condition with tasteful mods and sane drivers. And not all the younger drivers (I'm betting you're in the under 30 bracket as well), are moronic hoons.

FYI with R33 prices as they are ATM, a lot more of the 'box lifters' are getting into imports due to them becoming cheap.

You'd probably also find that a good percentage of the Aussie made car sales go towards families, and especially those with a long term brand loyalty, as well as the whole 'Australian Made' concept. It's also handy for a lot of people to buy something that can be serviced or fixed by any old mechanic, with a widespread dealer network as well.

I personally find the old model Holdens and Fords to be over-rated, prehistoric junk, with artificially high resale values based on nostalgic memories from middle aged men who thought that the HQ 253 was 'the ducks guts', and who have a collective hard on over cars which compared to anything else in the world at the time were at best mediocre. Whilst I can appreciate the work that people put into restoring them, keeping them maintained etc, I don't drool over them. I've also seen just as many problems with these cars as any other Aussie made ride. Carburettors are shit.

I'm sick of people saying that old Holdens/Fords are better made than the new ones. What a crock. It's those same people who claim that new cars are not as safe as the old junkers because they crumple on impact. Or that the GT-R's were 'farkin cheatin carnts' at Bathurst in the early 90's, and that Jap cars are made from 'butter steel', no replacement for displacement, etc etc. If anything there has been constant improvment over the years.

That said, I believe that if it wasnt for the government artificially keeping the domestic car manufacturers afloat, they'd go bust (with the possible exception of Holden due to it's export program).

I do see a lot of young Falcondore owners being tools, but I've also seen middle aged men in HK Monaro's, VK Group A's, VH Group 3's etc being tools, as well as the 'box lifters' who now own Skylines or WRX's. These days the lines are a lot more blurred, you can't just say that someone is likely to be a hoon due to the type of car they drive.

[bozodos]

Its always something that gets me going, especially since driving a Jap import in a small town = lots of unwanted opinions on Japanese cars and turbo cars in general.

[fuzzy_scuz]

Just remember people the new VE commondore is primarily made in China and assembled in Australia! I know who I want to keep me safe in a car. GO JAP!, Swedish!, German!, South Africa!, Spain! in the auto industry the build quality and parts manufacture of Australia and China as a combination is crap, so many gaps in the IP you can almost put your hand through. The total lack of QA on the vehicles is deplorable.

Holden ESP new feature my frickin ASS All other cars globally have had it for almost 10 years. Commodore cutting edge of technology we have you been under a rock? Globally Japanese cars are exported further and wider than a Commonhore and adhere to stricter QA and road and safety regulations. Meaning they are designed to start in below zero temp, where alas the commodore is not! Both cars get heat tested for plus 40 degrees C. But really at Bathurst commodores where weighed and measured but yet you are still left wanting.

Go home and think about a real race that doesn't involve using 20 year technology so out dated that everyone has moved on.

[bozodos]

A mate pointed out recently that the R35 is apparently faster than the V8 supercars? Maybe they should have a Nissan entry into the Bathurst 1000 again! (oh hang on that would probably start a bogan riot lol)

[ClutchBurndout-:(]

Just remember people the new VE commondore is primarily made in China and assembled in Australia! I know who I want to keep me safe in a car. GO JAP!, Swedish!, German!, South Africa!, Spain! in the auto industry the build quality and parts manufacture of Australia and China as a combination is crap, so many gaps in the IP you can almost put your hand through. The total lack of QA on the vehicles is deplorable.

Holden ESP new feature my frickin ASS All other cars globally have had it for almost 10 years. Commodore cutting edge of technology we have you been under a rock? Globally Japanese cars are exported further and wider than a Commonhore and adhere to stricter QA and road and safety regulations. Meaning they are designed to start in below zero temp, where alas the commodore is not! Both cars get heat tested for plus 40 degrees C. But really at Bathurst commodores where weighed and measured but yet you are still left wanting.

Go home and think about a real race that doesn't involve using 20 year technology so out dated that everyone has moved on.

exactly, but i do have to disagree, there is ONE part in the commonhores that is manufactured in aus, i think it might be the rack boots lol i think.

they could be going about the engine technology a bit better, instead of new tech, they are trying to ad/alter the old engine like only running a few cylenders when needed then turning the rest on when it gets a squirt, which is such a bad idea, but they love doing that sort of thing so they have something to tell the public "Check out our awsome tech, the cylenders stop working when they arnt needed!" yea but its still 20 year old engine tech

excuse my poor grammer

[Chris-06R]

A mate pointed out recently that the R35 is apparently faster than the V8 supercars? Maybe they should have a Nissan entry into the Bathurst 1000 again! (oh hang on that would probably start a bogan riot lol)

Um, your mate is mistaken... Check the GTR edition of motor mag (last issue) to see the proof. The R35 is ~18 seconds slower than a V8 supercar around Bathurst, and ~13 seconds slower than the R32 Group A GTR.

A race spec r35 GTR on the other hand...

[ClutchBurndout-:(]

im not realy a fan of the r35 to be honest

in reply to chris, the v8 supercar is a race spec of a commdore, so bring em both to the same level, im sure i know who the winner would be

[bozodos]

I'll have to look that one up, unless he meant the R35 racing spec or something!

[TALBO]

I'm not defending Holden or the VE, but the car doesn't primarily come from China. I work in supplier quality (2nd tier supplier) for Holden and I know that the VE comes from most parts of the world....

Australia - Futuris/ Nylex/ TI Automotive/ ZF (assemble mostly imported chassis components)/ Hirotech/ Exacto/ AI Auotmotive/ Australian Arrow/ Monroe/ Cubic Pacific.... there are others (many in Mellbourne) I can't think of atm

Other countries VE is sourced from include..... Poland/ South Africa/ Canada/ China/ USA/ Mexico/ Thailand/ Korea/ Germany/ Austria ..... again there are other I can't think of atm

[eeiko321]

Yes I agree with you on that one..But think back even further to how pathetic the 5litre VL was. 122 Kw at the engine ?...very weak considering there are 1.6 litre NA 4 cylinders making that kind of power

Or

Even worse VH Commodore

4.2 litre V8 = 100kw @4200 rpm

Truly pathetic considering a corolla sx makes that power standard

The VT HSV clubbys were pretty hopeless too

yeah they have improved recent years

but even till this day... the VE

the reliablility is still............ questionable...

unlike Nissans..and especially toyotas whom were always well known for reliablility

oh and not to mention.... do you remember the HSV GTS-R? (pictured below)

(yes this big hunk of junk, i think it was a VN )

This was featured in Wheels magazine many years ago...

it was compared with cars at the same era...which was The Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 4 & a Standard Subaru Imprezza WRX

(non-STI)

both 4cyls ABSOLOUTELY annihilated the f**k outa this big brute....

it really put it to shame with the figures...

The evo was the runner up but even the WRX..SMASHED IT.....

i read the article years ago and i will never forget it.

as i said, holdens were way behind in the technology before

[TALBO]

(yes this big hunk of junk, i think it was a VN )

Pretty sure that's a VR.

A mate had a VR SS 5.0 Litre with 165Kw.... He was still shocked when a stock TJ Magna VR-X destroyed him from 0-100Km/h

[PhilKenSebben]

Well the fire's raging, time to throw on a bit more fuel.

The LS1 engines were VERY questionable. Some were fine, and had balls that'd bring a grin to the face of even hardened import nuts. But some went through huge amounts of engine oil for some reason, in the vicinity of a full litre per 1000 kms. This is not rumour or sh*t stirring, it is well documented by several respected motoring magazines who are usually full of praise for Aussie cars.

When Holden were questioned, they stated that the oil usage was "within factory tolerances". Therefore if you had one of these oil guzzlers, tough. See, if they'd come out and said, "whoops, wrong size rings" or something then they were admitting there was a problem, and would have to fix it under warranty. Not a good financial decision.

The LS1 is made in Mexico, and several mechanics have uttered both, "wrong size rings" and even "no rings at all on the occasional piston". Holden no doubt learned a valuable lesson, but they also pissed off a LOT of customers. Ask the Aussie Car forum dwellers about that one, and see if you get told it's an outright lie, then do a google search on the subject.

But then I'm biased without ever having owned anything but Jap cars and simply never having any real issues, and knowing mates who bought Ford and Holdens and had some shockers. But the ancient Ford 4 litre straight six is damn near bullet proof, as they've been tweaking it for nearing 20 years. Pity the rev-heads only like the eights.

Oh and Toyota reliability? I must agree but add an exception, the good ol' 7M engine in the early Soarers. They sucked. And lets be honest, reliable or not, the Camry engine will never be written about on ANY forum cos it's still as exciting as an evening with a room full of elderly relatives.

Big block V8's are still capable of a grin factor.

Muscle Cars - An awesome way to get half the way to anywhere!

Edited April 21, 2009 by purpleisafruit

[bozodos]

Funny you should mention that, all of my Ford owning mates wouldn't even bother with the V8, they even agree that Ford hasn't managed a decent V8 since the 4V 351.

I remember reading about the LS1 oil consumption thing back in the day, that and 'piston slap', I believe there was eventually a recall for some of the dodgy motors to get re ringed. My mate was one of the lucky ones who got a well built, non oil using motor that put out 240rwkw out of a grand total of $4000 of mods ($3k being the hand made 4 into 1 DiFillipo extractos and LS1Edit, thats it.)

That HSV is the VR GTS-R, from memory there were 80 made, and cost ~$80k when they were released, they had the factory 355 stroker for a total of 215kw and when you bought one new you got flown to HSV and got a tour etc etc and a certificate of ownership. These still attract big dollars, despite the unconventional styling as per the VL Walkinshaw.

I found my previous ride, a VN SS to be very reliable mechanically, it was the paint (second paintjob but in acrylic again god knows why), window regulators and never being able to get a decent wheel alignment and constant bush replacing that let it down.

[eeiko321]

Oh and Toyota reliability? I must agree but add an exception, the good ol' 7M engine in the early Soarers. They sucked. And lets be honest, reliable or not, the Camry engine will never be written about on ANY forum cos it's still as exciting as an evening with a room full of elderly relatives.

my friend....what a way for someone to talk such amount of BULLSHIT trash....

and dont start dissing toyota when you havent owned one.

reliable or not?! wtf do you mean?!......well thats a major role in a motor vehicle... a role that alot of car models that cant offer.

There is nothing wrong with a camry!, its designed for its purpose.. and it has lived up for its purpose ...a f**king FAMILY CAR that gets you from A - B which is ROomy and reliable......just because its not a sports car doesnt mean it should be bagged out.will outlast any bullshit aussie car that you favour.

(the statesman caprice, what an excuse of a car that looks like a beached land whale. & the Barina...they had to get rid of the Barina-Girl moto just to rid it of the PANZY image of the car to try and boost males to buy it)

people like you shouldnt deserve to drive imports and should stick to your bogany-cars

[eeiko321]

That HSV is the VR GTS-R, stroker for a total of 215kw

that sort of power is exactly why it got killed by the EVO and WRX

[PhilKenSebben]

You're a twit. I said I had never owned anything BUT jap cars and never had any issues. I've owned two corollas and a camry. The 79 corolla's 5K engine was a gem that really took to punishment. I stated that the Camry doesn't have its own forum like the V8 or import scene because it's dull as dishwater, and I stand by it. I stated that the LS1 was dodgy, and that not EVERY car Toyota has ever produced was brilliant.

Yet somehow you managed:

* I've never owned a jap car

* I love Aussie cars and they are clearly the best in the world

* Toyotas are unreliable shitboxes

* Reliability is over-rated

READ things before you fly off the handle in reply. I don't care if you're on a muscle car forum or an import one, people who spit rubbish for the sake of insulting anyone who disagrees with them (even if it's because they can't read) are twits. The next logical step from there is to realise you were wrong, and instead sift through this post to tell me about any spelling or grammatical errors I've just made.

[PhilKenSebben]

Oh and maybe you missed the tongue-in-cheek of my last phrase, but I sort of had a go at the reliability of muscle cars there.

And the Barina was not a Holden. It was *horror* a jap car first. a Suzuki. And they're still going strong. Then they were Opels, a Euro that was still quite good. Then they became Daewoo's and suddenly things got bad.

Oh and a comparison between the gts-r and a WRX is just plain stupid, what motoring mag did that one?

Oh and i re-read your posts and you're still a knob

[eeiko321]

You're a twit. I said I had never owned anything BUT jap cars and never had any issues. I've owned two corollas and a camry. The 79 corolla's 5K engine was a gem that really took to punishment. I stated that the Camry doesn't have its own forum like the V8 or import scene because it's dull as dishwater, and I stand by it. I stated that the LS1 was dodgy, and that not EVERY car Toyota has ever produced was brilliant.

Yet somehow you managed:

* I've never owned a jap car

* I love Aussie cars and they are clearly the best in the world

* Toyotas are unreliable shitboxes

* Reliability is over-rated

READ things before you fly off the handle in reply. I don't care if you're on a muscle car forum or an import one, people who spit rubbish for the sake of insulting anyone who disagrees with them (even if it's because they can't read) are twits. The next logical step from there is to realise you were wrong, and instead sift through this post to tell me about any spelling or grammatical errors I've just made.

for your information

there is a camry forum http://www.camryforums.com/forum/

it's dull as dishwater, and I stand by it

why is it dull as a dishwasher when its a reliable family car?!

then why not tell toyota to cease production of the camry because some bogan in aust thinks it "boring/dull" because its not a sports car.

wrong? this is a public forum....everyone is entitled to their own thoughts and views spastic...

[eeiko321]

Oh and maybe you missed the tongue-in-cheek of my last phrase, but I sort of had a go at the reliability of muscle cars there.

And the Barina was not a Holden. It was *horror* a jap car first. a Suzuki. And they're still going strong. Then they were Opels, a Euro that was still quite good. Then they became Daewoo's and suddenly things got bad.

Oh and a comparison between the gts-r and a WRX is just plain stupid, what motoring mag did that one?

Oh and i re-read your posts and you're still a knob

you should be the fag owning a Barina.

here we go again..... and WHY.....is it a STUPID comparison between GTS-R and WRX?!

it was either wheels or motor... so why dont you just write a letter to them expressing your feelings ........

that they "should Realise that they were wrong" for comparing the 2 cars.

the only thing that is stupid was you, being a mistake at birth..

Edited April 21, 2009 by eeiko321

[PhilKenSebben]

Yeah ok you got me a camry forum exists, hell there's probably a forum for old men who love to have sex with 8 year olds but that doesn't mean society should accept either of them. And finding it was as purile as the whole pointing out grammatical errors point.

You still didn't accept that you completely misread my post, and chose something else to argue about, despite then stating that this is a forum and others opinions may differ from your own?

Then you ignored my point about Barinas actually being japanese by using the tried and tested "you're a fag" technique. Classy

And while I DISLIKE the Holden Gts-r (you don't seem to have gotten that yet) and would much rather a WRX (well actually the Evo is nicer in my opinion)

comparing them is odd. It would be like comparing a Camry to a Ferrari then stating the Ferrari is the superior car. Or if price is what it was based on, it would be like comparing a Toyota Aurion to a Holden Rodeo. Seems like a strange combo wouldn't you say?

Or better yet, "ignore" my stupid bogan point of view by replying with a "yo momma" joke. It's all good