Any N. Irish Monaro owners here?
Discussion
Hi all, been posting on the general gassing section about my next car. Have been pretty set on a BMW Z4 coupe (don't shout at me lol) but always been curious by some Aussie V8 power. Looked at the Monaro a few years ago but got scared by running cost fears.
I have previously owned a Corrado VR6, R32 etc so trying to gauge if a Monaro would be a massive step up again? Budget around 10k, 8k miles a year involving 10 miles to work trip on country roads with little traffic involved. Date nights and golf trips etc make up rest of driving.
I don't want to spend a fortune every month running my next car so with that in mind, would this car be a bad idea? Wormus recommended I drop by and have a chat with you friendly and knowledgeable chaps and get some insight, although I have googled and got a good insight into the car already.
Also wondering are there any Northern Irish members here that might be willing to let me have a look at their car? A case of beer/ bottle of whiskey or something similar would of course be on offer. Many thanks guys.
I have previously owned a Corrado VR6, R32 etc so trying to gauge if a Monaro would be a massive step up again? Budget around 10k, 8k miles a year involving 10 miles to work trip on country roads with little traffic involved. Date nights and golf trips etc make up rest of driving.
I don't want to spend a fortune every month running my next car so with that in mind, would this car be a bad idea? Wormus recommended I drop by and have a chat with you friendly and knowledgeable chaps and get some insight, although I have googled and got a good insight into the car already.
Also wondering are there any Northern Irish members here that might be willing to let me have a look at their car? A case of beer/ bottle of whiskey or something similar would of course be on offer. Many thanks guys.
Wouldnt be overly concerned about running costs, wont be any worse than any other car really as long as you get a decent one.
If you want golfing trips I'd imagine that means you need an early car, with the large boot.
Or it would certainly be better.
There are definitely a few in NI, not sure how many are actually active here though
If you want golfing trips I'd imagine that means you need an early car, with the large boot.
Or it would certainly be better.
There are definitely a few in NI, not sure how many are actually active here though
I'm from Ballymena and have owned my Monaro for three years. Unfortunately it's SORN'd at the minute though.
I've seen 5 or 6 others over the years but whether they are still in Northern Ireland or even still on the road is another thing.
I used mine to commute between Ballymena and Newtownabbey five days a week for two years. Only when I became a home owner last year I could no longer justify rumbling up and down the M2 in a big V8 every day.
That said, it is a very comfortable motorway cruiser and easily averaged 24/25mpg.
General servicing is cheap enough but parts can be expensive. As with all cars they have their weak points and you can end up with a large unexpected bill on your hands. Just go in with your eyes open.
For £10k you can probably get yourself a really nice CV8 or an LS1 VXR. Expect to pay closer to £12k for a nice LS2 VXR.
I've seen 5 or 6 others over the years but whether they are still in Northern Ireland or even still on the road is another thing.
I used mine to commute between Ballymena and Newtownabbey five days a week for two years. Only when I became a home owner last year I could no longer justify rumbling up and down the M2 in a big V8 every day.
That said, it is a very comfortable motorway cruiser and easily averaged 24/25mpg.
General servicing is cheap enough but parts can be expensive. As with all cars they have their weak points and you can end up with a large unexpected bill on your hands. Just go in with your eyes open.
For £10k you can probably get yourself a really nice CV8 or an LS1 VXR. Expect to pay closer to £12k for a nice LS2 VXR.
Edited by throwyourbike on Wednesday 25th February 09:19
throwyourbike said:
I'm from Ballymena and have owned my Monaro for three years. Unfortunately it's SORN'd at the minute though.
I've seen 5 or 6 others over the years but whether they are still in Northern Ireland or even still on the road is another thing.
I used mine to commute between Ballymena and Newtownabbey five days a week for two years. Only when I became a home owner last year I could no longer justify rumbling up and down the M2 in a big V8 every day.
That said, it is a very comfortable motorway cruiser and easily averaged 24/25mpg.
General servicing is cheap enough but parts can be expensive. As with all cars they have their weak points and you can end up with a large unexpected bill on your hands. Just go in with your eyes open.
For £10k you can probably get yourself a really nice CV8 or an LS1 VXR. Expect to pay closer to £12k for a nice LS2 VXR.
Thanks for the input, i don't mind spending a bit more to get the right car, think it is the expensive parts that worry me more. I've read that some parts are getting difficult to source but I'll certainly be doing as much research as possible before deciding what to buy. Cheers.I've seen 5 or 6 others over the years but whether they are still in Northern Ireland or even still on the road is another thing.
I used mine to commute between Ballymena and Newtownabbey five days a week for two years. Only when I became a home owner last year I could no longer justify rumbling up and down the M2 in a big V8 every day.
That said, it is a very comfortable motorway cruiser and easily averaged 24/25mpg.
General servicing is cheap enough but parts can be expensive. As with all cars they have their weak points and you can end up with a large unexpected bill on your hands. Just go in with your eyes open.
For £10k you can probably get yourself a really nice CV8 or an LS1 VXR. Expect to pay closer to £12k for a nice LS2 VXR.
Edited by throwyourbike on Wednesday 25th February 09:19
Over-budget, but this thread may be of interest/something you hadn't considered. http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
ARAF said:
Over-budget, but this thread may be of interest/something you hadn't considered. http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Oh balls, mate this is awesome, love the VXR8 but didn't fancy laying out 18k or so but this has me very interested! I think I'll go and see this with my buddy. Many thanks for the heads up.throwyourbike said:
If you are interested in a VXR8 I think m00k is selling his at the minute. It's been converted to LPG and has a few choice mods.
Ijust round it over on VX Online, but sold. I'd have blown my budget to buy that one, sounded perfect.Edited by Benzo26 on Thursday 26th February 15:55
I'm from norn Ireland aswell went over to England 5 years ago & bought my vxr Ro.Have done 18k since & love it.Some parts are expensive but the modification bug is more expensive for parts that u tell urself u need.Silly we things can go wrong as well but u soon get to know your way around the car.Whatever problem surfaces the guys on here have experience of it & are very friendly & very helpful to get u on ur way again.With right mods nothing else sounds like it or makes u smile every time u drive it.
Sorry forgot to say where bouts are u in the country if u want to meet up and see if a monaro is for you,can give you the good & not that many downsides to owning one.Have lot of experience with different performance vehicles as worked for a mates car sales business so can compare the big Ro to other brands.Currently have a Scooby aswell the wife's daily driver which is a good car but not in the same league.
Rich NI said:
Sorry forgot to say where bouts are u in the country if u want to meet up and see if a monaro is for you,can give you the good & not that many downsides to owning one.Have lot of experience with different performance vehicles as worked for a mates car sales business so can compare the big Ro to other brands.Currently have a Scooby aswell the wife's daily driver which is a good car but not in the same league.
Hey sorry for late reply. I'm just outside Newtownards. After lots of reflection, doing lots of sums and a drive in the Z4, I've decided to go for the BM. Really appreciate all the advice and your kind offer to look at your car. Cheers.throwyourbike said:
Benzo there is a very cheap LPG Monaro for sale in Belfast at the minute.
It's supposed to be a bit rough around the edges and there's no service history but the price is good and I'd say there is still room for negotiation.
Bit of a gamble but might be worth a look.
Ok bro I'll take a look anyway and see what is what, thank you for the heads up.It's supposed to be a bit rough around the edges and there's no service history but the price is good and I'd say there is still room for negotiation.
Bit of a gamble but might be worth a look.
throwyourbike said:
Benzo there is a very cheap LPG Monaro for sale in Belfast at the minute.
It's supposed to be a bit rough around the edges and there's no service history but the price is good and I'd say there is still room for negotiation.
Bit of a gamble but might be worth a look.
What site is the Monaro on? I can't find it on here or autotrader or used carsni It's supposed to be a bit rough around the edges and there's no service history but the price is good and I'd say there is still room for negotiation.
Bit of a gamble but might be worth a look.
http://www.driftworks.com/forum/drift-cars-sale-pr...
There you go, worth a test drive if nothing else!
There you go, worth a test drive if nothing else!
throwyourbike said:
http://www.driftworks.com/forum/drift-cars-sale-pr...
There you go, worth a test drive if nothing else!
Gentleman, thank you very much.There you go, worth a test drive if nothing else!
Gassing Station | HSV & Monaro | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff