New potential owner
Discussion
Hi all, I'm seriously considering one of these Aussie V8's as my next move. I plan to buy something for around £10k, maybe more if I need to. So I guess that limits me to HSV, or possible early vauxhall imports.
Can some of you outline pro's and cons of each variant please? Just things to look out for... ie, maybe spares availability, weak points etc.
Thanks a lot!
Can some of you outline pro's and cons of each variant please? Just things to look out for... ie, maybe spares availability, weak points etc.
Thanks a lot!
were all here to help 
You should get a nice cv8 for 10k with mods. No real weak points to worry about other than the input shafts on 5th/6th gear chewing themselves after high speed changes so check for hard to engage gears. Diffs clonk, so dont worry about that, its lsd's and very agricultural. Cheap parts and service, lot of the work you can DIY, most supportive and friendly forum I've ever experienced, offical parts from stealers can be like hens teeth but pleanty of specialists out there. if you get an ls1 varient the engines are so cheap you can treat as a consumable item.
007 VXR said:
stigmundfreud said:
blue touch paper but avoid supercharged cars,lots of pub talk hp figures but more engine failures than an air france concorde
how many ???? other than s800 vxr ...whats the count ???
I think only 1 as from memory was it only 1 air france concorde that went down?
To be fair though I was pushing the envelope for quite some time whilst drag racing it, top speeding it, Nurburginging it... etc etc. Will come back with decent pistons and fuel system mind so it should be ultra reliable so move over you NA boys! 
But if you are buying one now Id not buy a SC one without upgraded pistons... even at 6psi as they have broken at that level to.
But if you are buying one now Id not buy a SC one without upgraded pistons... even at 6psi as they have broken at that level to.
k-ink said:
Hi all, I'm seriously considering one of these Aussie V8's as my next move. I plan to buy something for around £10k, maybe more if I need to. So I guess that limits me to HSV, or possible early vauxhall imports.
Can some of you outline pro's and cons of each variant please? Just things to look out for... ie, maybe spares availability, weak points etc.
Thanks a lot!
Can some of you outline pro's and cons of each variant please? Just things to look out for... ie, maybe spares availability, weak points etc.
Thanks a lot!
Welcome and
Check out the classifieds on here, some good bargains at the moment. And as already said, buy a car thats already had a bit of work done to save a bit of dosh. Here's some examples of what's in your price range;
www.pistonheads.com/sales/1332699.htm
www.pistonheads.com/sales/1278382.htm
www.pistonheads.com/sales/1295006.htm
If you can afford it the 6 litre Monaro VXRs have the most powerful engine and shorter gearing to make the most of it. CV8s are silly tall geared, which some fix my changing the diff.
Weak points include brake judder, power steering judder, corrosion of suspension parts, wheels and engine pipework, paint flaking off door handles, dicky clocks, water ingress into cabin via doors.
Sadly no autos offered in the UK and the standard clutch and gearbox are further weak areas. Clutches can be cooked easily causing various pedal problems.
Parts are expensive for what is a cheap US style muscle car. US version is the Pontiac GTO, which if you can identify the common parts and import them yourself are much cheaper.
Obviously test drive any prospective purchase throughly and look underneath. Mods are somewhat too taste and generally don't add much to the car's value. Think if they are really for you and aren't going to be a liability in the long run. For example some fit AP brakes which others still report as suffering judder, sticking, corrosion and are astronomical to replace.
The Monaro is a great car but perhaps only for the blinkered enthusiastic who likes the V8 noise and something a bit different. Good luck with finding what you want.
Weak points include brake judder, power steering judder, corrosion of suspension parts, wheels and engine pipework, paint flaking off door handles, dicky clocks, water ingress into cabin via doors.
Sadly no autos offered in the UK and the standard clutch and gearbox are further weak areas. Clutches can be cooked easily causing various pedal problems.
Parts are expensive for what is a cheap US style muscle car. US version is the Pontiac GTO, which if you can identify the common parts and import them yourself are much cheaper.
Obviously test drive any prospective purchase throughly and look underneath. Mods are somewhat too taste and generally don't add much to the car's value. Think if they are really for you and aren't going to be a liability in the long run. For example some fit AP brakes which others still report as suffering judder, sticking, corrosion and are astronomical to replace.
The Monaro is a great car but perhaps only for the blinkered enthusiastic who likes the V8 noise and something a bit different. Good luck with finding what you want.
granada203028 said:
If you can afford it the 6 litre Monaro VXRs have the most powerful engine and shorter gearing to make the most of it. CV8s are silly tall geared, which some fix my changing the diff.
Weak points include brake judder, power steering judder, corrosion of suspension parts, wheels and engine pipework, paint flaking off door handles, dicky clocks, water ingress into cabin via doors.
Sadly no autos offered in the UK and the standard clutch and gearbox are further weak areas. Clutches can be cooked easily causing various pedal problems.
Parts are expensive for what is a cheap US style muscle car. US version is the Pontiac GTO, which if you can identify the common parts and import them yourself are much cheaper.
Obviously test drive any prospective purchase throughly and look underneath. Mods are somewhat too taste and generally don't add much to the car's value. Think if they are really for you and aren't going to be a liability in the long run. For example some fit AP brakes which others still report as suffering judder, sticking, corrosion and are astronomical to replace.
The Monaro is a great car but perhaps only for the blinkered enthusiastic who likes the V8 noise and something a bit different. Good luck with finding what you want.
Weak points include brake judder, power steering judder, corrosion of suspension parts, wheels and engine pipework, paint flaking off door handles, dicky clocks, water ingress into cabin via doors.
Sadly no autos offered in the UK and the standard clutch and gearbox are further weak areas. Clutches can be cooked easily causing various pedal problems.
Parts are expensive for what is a cheap US style muscle car. US version is the Pontiac GTO, which if you can identify the common parts and import them yourself are much cheaper.
Obviously test drive any prospective purchase throughly and look underneath. Mods are somewhat too taste and generally don't add much to the car's value. Think if they are really for you and aren't going to be a liability in the long run. For example some fit AP brakes which others still report as suffering judder, sticking, corrosion and are astronomical to replace.
The Monaro is a great car but perhaps only for the blinkered enthusiastic who likes the V8 noise and something a bit different. Good luck with finding what you want.
cheap us muscle car please explain
Pontiac GTOs were 32K USD when the Monaro was £30K. Main market is the US so it is built down to the price to be competitive with the Mustang etc. Lucky Americans didn't buy enough of them though. It obviously isn't the same as a German £30K Coupe. Do these suffer the same problems? I suspect not. These things you have to accept to get the large capacity V8.
granada203028 said:
Pontiac GTOs were 32K USD when the Monaro was £30K. Main market is the US so it is built down to the price to be competitive with the Mustang etc. Lucky Americans didn't buy enough of them though. It obviously isn't the same as a German £30K Coupe. Do these suffer the same problems? I suspect not. These things you have to accept to get the large capacity V8.
thats very true cheers mate..was the monaro a limited production car..or was it stopped because saleswernt as high as predicted
Edited by Drew SS on Thursday 5th November 20:44
Thanks for all the info. Most of those issues will be fairly easy to spot on a test drive and ramp inspection then.
Personally I prefer NA for the sound, let alone the mechanical longevity. So various mod's aside, are there particular versions of these cars that are better or worse? The early HSV look quite awesome value now. Are these as easy to get spares for as the vauxhalls?
Personally I prefer NA for the sound, let alone the mechanical longevity. So various mod's aside, are there particular versions of these cars that are better or worse? The early HSV look quite awesome value now. Are these as easy to get spares for as the vauxhalls?
Gassing Station | HSV & Monaro | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff