Monaro - what are they like to live with?
Discussion
As my post asks - what is a monaro like to live with?
I do 4K a year and I am in my forties so insurance is under £300. I know fuel will be the biggest consideration then tyres - I had considered audi s4 /s5 but they are complicated and not particularly reliable -the monaro is old skool compared to the German offerings.
I currently have an audi a6 with a petrol V6 which likes the pumps.
All feedback appreciated.
I do 4K a year and I am in my forties so insurance is under £300. I know fuel will be the biggest consideration then tyres - I had considered audi s4 /s5 but they are complicated and not particularly reliable -the monaro is old skool compared to the German offerings.
I currently have an audi a6 with a petrol V6 which likes the pumps.
All feedback appreciated.
Absolutely no idea.
Our VXR8 managed just under 22mpg over an 11,000 mile period though. That includes 4.5mpg on the track and trundling along the motorway in the loser-lane. Monaros can be just as good.
The Monaro is an analogue car. If you want to drive the car rather than the car driving for you, it's a good choice and harks back to cars from the 80s and 90s.
Good luck with your search.
Our VXR8 managed just under 22mpg over an 11,000 mile period though. That includes 4.5mpg on the track and trundling along the motorway in the loser-lane. Monaros can be just as good.
The Monaro is an analogue car. If you want to drive the car rather than the car driving for you, it's a good choice and harks back to cars from the 80s and 90s.
Good luck with your search.
I’ve not had mine long enough to guide you on long term but I can tell you that the monaro has sooo much more character and sense of occasion than any German offering. Sports exhaust are a MUST have, factor in to purchase price, if one has it its worth paying I think!
I drove mine home from Manchester to Norfolk and averaged 28mpg! Now I’m getting 15mpg but it only gets used as a joy ride car.
Some parts it seems are a little more tricky to get than an Audi part of the same age but there always seems to be a solution.
I’ve had jag XJR, M3, 911, CLS, Impreza STI etc but the Monaro has something I can’t totally put my finger on if I’m honest but it literally makes me grin like an idiot as I draw away from the first set of traffic lights near my house.
I drove mine home from Manchester to Norfolk and averaged 28mpg! Now I’m getting 15mpg but it only gets used as a joy ride car.
Some parts it seems are a little more tricky to get than an Audi part of the same age but there always seems to be a solution.
I’ve had jag XJR, M3, 911, CLS, Impreza STI etc but the Monaro has something I can’t totally put my finger on if I’m honest but it literally makes me grin like an idiot as I draw away from the first set of traffic lights near my house.
ARAF said:
The Monaro is an analogue car. If you want to drive the car rather than the car driving for you, it's a good choice and harks back to cars from the 80s and 90s.
Good luck with your search.
I think this might explain what I can’t. It’s everything I used to love about 80’s cars without being crapGood luck with your search.
as above a great car to drive , its old school and has kept it charm , pretty reliable , ive only had a gearbox slave cylinder fail in the last 6 or 8 years of ownership , it does not eat tyres depending on how you drive it , the in car mpg gauge is not accurate , on a trip to scotland is was very very comfortable to drive and with around 430 or so bhp plus a 3.9 diff i averaged just under 35 mpg by sticking at the speed limit , a louder exhaust is a must as can’t beat the noise of a v8 , only down side is once you start modding it it’s a slippery slope
Mine is my daily driver, doesn't matter the weather I drive it to work everyday.
Comfortable, it's not as bad on fuel as you may think once on the motorway and in general parts are pretty easy to get and it's an easy car to work on.
Not had any major issues with mine in the 4 years I've owned it and it's been my daily for those 4 years.
If we are ever going for a long drive it's the car we take, took it to France in the summer for instance.
Comfortable, it's not as bad on fuel as you may think once on the motorway and in general parts are pretty easy to get and it's an easy car to work on.
Not had any major issues with mine in the 4 years I've owned it and it's been my daily for those 4 years.
If we are ever going for a long drive it's the car we take, took it to France in the summer for instance.
had mine over 3 years .
comfortable seats and easy to drive at normal speeds makes life easy
getting into the back can be a slow affair,but it is a full 4 seater
those who know snap their necks to look at it. those who don't wont spot it .
so far ive done 20k and its been super reliable.
a central locking motor. some belt tensioners/idlers and a few bits and bobs
if its an early big boot model its cheap tax and you can carry lots of luggage . later ones have a very small boot
i average 20mpg ish and 30 on a long run
tyres last up to 10k on the rear. longer on the front
what i can say is this... its not for sale .
comfortable seats and easy to drive at normal speeds makes life easy
getting into the back can be a slow affair,but it is a full 4 seater
those who know snap their necks to look at it. those who don't wont spot it .
so far ive done 20k and its been super reliable.
a central locking motor. some belt tensioners/idlers and a few bits and bobs
if its an early big boot model its cheap tax and you can carry lots of luggage . later ones have a very small boot
i average 20mpg ish and 30 on a long run
tyres last up to 10k on the rear. longer on the front
what i can say is this... its not for sale .
i had mine for 8 1/2 years. the time spent with the car I had no major issues. the main ones are strut top mounts, tyres, brakes, radiator, power steering cooler, and matrix hose that rubs on a bolt.
when buying take into consideration these things, has the rad been changes as the are now rare and not cheap ( unless you import from the states) p/s/cooler is cheap you just replace it with a universal one from Drift Works. also brakes they are expensive but alternatives are avalible in FAQ
Fuel i`am not the best to ask as my car did 8-12 urban 23 long trip and average 15-17
Tyres last as long as you want.
this car will be more than the Germany cars because for me ever time I used the car it was an event and put a smile on my face.
2004 CV8
when buying take into consideration these things, has the rad been changes as the are now rare and not cheap ( unless you import from the states) p/s/cooler is cheap you just replace it with a universal one from Drift Works. also brakes they are expensive but alternatives are avalible in FAQ
Fuel i`am not the best to ask as my car did 8-12 urban 23 long trip and average 15-17
Tyres last as long as you want.
this car will be more than the Germany cars because for me ever time I used the car it was an event and put a smile on my face.
2004 CV8
I tend to think of my Monaro as a sort of modern 1970's car...at a push maybe the 1980's. If anyone comes from a world of BMW's or Audi's, they may be in for a shock. A Monaro is not a quiet or very refined car, so if you're not a petrol head they're not for you.
Other than that you need to look out for signs of abuse, poor maintenance, and the dreaded rust. You want a car that has belonged to someone who was a bit anal over servicing, and has really looked after it, hopefully it will have a few modification as well.
I've had my car for well over ten years now, and I have no plans to sell it.
Quite a few people have told me get rid of my car as its a dinosaur!!!!!!... (They all seem to drive cars that are so bloody bland) I usually reply to them and say.....it's worth remembering when dinosaurs were around.....they ruled the earth!!!!
I think a relatively simple V8 muscle car is thing to be driven and appreciated, you either get the muscle car thing or you don't...they certainly won't make a come back that's for sure.
Other than that you need to look out for signs of abuse, poor maintenance, and the dreaded rust. You want a car that has belonged to someone who was a bit anal over servicing, and has really looked after it, hopefully it will have a few modification as well.
I've had my car for well over ten years now, and I have no plans to sell it.
Quite a few people have told me get rid of my car as its a dinosaur!!!!!!... (They all seem to drive cars that are so bloody bland) I usually reply to them and say.....it's worth remembering when dinosaurs were around.....they ruled the earth!!!!
I think a relatively simple V8 muscle car is thing to be driven and appreciated, you either get the muscle car thing or you don't...they certainly won't make a come back that's for sure.
Edited by mfp4073 on Friday 12th January 12:39
Edited by mfp4073 on Friday 12th January 12:40
Quavers said:
Thank you for the replies. I also have a Rover SD1 V8 that is 99% finished - so I have an idea what you mean about the monaro being a 70's/80's car.
Oh cool! Any pics? I was an SD1 club member a few years back, I had a red E reg Twin Plenum. I sold it at the club meet at Gaydon I think it went up north. Beautiful carsAgree with the above comments regarding mpg, tyres, reliability/parts etc.
I had a 6.0 VXR for just over a year. I'd always wanted one. Rarely, mine was completely standard. If I was going to buy again I'd definitely have one with a few mods. It's too quiet with the standard exhausts. The gearshift is slow and pretty agricultural, but vastly improved with the Ripshifter mod. I thought the brakes were marginal; the car really needs the uprated AP brakes. It's a heavy car with a lot of inertia to haul in from 3-figure speeds. The steering was too low-geared for my liking, combined with a wheel from a Routemaster bus; that's a shame, as I thought the chassis was pretty good with decent handling. The car struggles to fit in the average UK parking space too.
They are rare, special, rippingly fast with wodges of torque, very comfortable. Although a muscle car it's really like a big-engined cross-continent GT that no-one else owns! It was ideal to replace my V8 TVR, but I really needed it to be a track car, which the Monaro isn't unless you own a tyre and brake pad factory.
I'm certainly glad I owned one.
I had a 6.0 VXR for just over a year. I'd always wanted one. Rarely, mine was completely standard. If I was going to buy again I'd definitely have one with a few mods. It's too quiet with the standard exhausts. The gearshift is slow and pretty agricultural, but vastly improved with the Ripshifter mod. I thought the brakes were marginal; the car really needs the uprated AP brakes. It's a heavy car with a lot of inertia to haul in from 3-figure speeds. The steering was too low-geared for my liking, combined with a wheel from a Routemaster bus; that's a shame, as I thought the chassis was pretty good with decent handling. The car struggles to fit in the average UK parking space too.
They are rare, special, rippingly fast with wodges of torque, very comfortable. Although a muscle car it's really like a big-engined cross-continent GT that no-one else owns! It was ideal to replace my V8 TVR, but I really needed it to be a track car, which the Monaro isn't unless you own a tyre and brake pad factory.
I'm certainly glad I owned one.
I would endorse all said above. I’ve had mine for 16 months now and is the later car with the small boot. It has all the ‘non performance’ upgrades mentioned - rip shifter, AP brakes, Pedders suspension etc. I bought it from Precious Metal (great dealer) with 15k on the clock and now has 22k miles. It’s in beautiful condition and I have done a few bits and bobs to make it what I think is an exceptional example eg, having the drivers seat side bolster repaired by Dave the Trimmer and the Geo set up by Blackboots (Google them both). It surprises me how many miles I have put on it, since it’s no daily driver, but I have taken it to France.
I am lucky enough to have a few interesting cars and the important things for me about the Monaro are - in no particular order:
- the visceral, laugh out loud feeling you get when you give it the beans
- the genius who designed the LS engine
- it’s so left field and rare, people who are curious trying to figure “what the f**k was that”
- having a bit of fun with performance German metal... and the puzzled look on their faces (if I could see them) as they disappear into the middle distance... or stick to their boots as they try to accelerate away
- the Monaro/Holden community of people - genuine, helpful enthusiasts from all walks of life with no ego,s - nice people to be around
- it’s undeniably old skool 70’s and 80’s and hurrah to that
Every time I get into the thing it’s an event and I’m excited at the prospect, and it never disappoints. It’s a beast, a Q car, it’s counter cultural and I love it to bits!
I am lucky enough to have a few interesting cars and the important things for me about the Monaro are - in no particular order:
- the visceral, laugh out loud feeling you get when you give it the beans
- the genius who designed the LS engine
- it’s so left field and rare, people who are curious trying to figure “what the f**k was that”
- having a bit of fun with performance German metal... and the puzzled look on their faces (if I could see them) as they disappear into the middle distance... or stick to their boots as they try to accelerate away
- the Monaro/Holden community of people - genuine, helpful enthusiasts from all walks of life with no ego,s - nice people to be around
- it’s undeniably old skool 70’s and 80’s and hurrah to that
Every time I get into the thing it’s an event and I’m excited at the prospect, and it never disappoints. It’s a beast, a Q car, it’s counter cultural and I love it to bits!
I've had mine since new (about 12 years) and errrr modified it quite a bit. Car done 30k miles whilst the current supercharged engine's done about 6k so barely run in! It's garaged so also immaculate inside and out.
I still love it to bits and every outing is an event. Nice ones are becoming rare and I can see some being broken as OE parts are now becoming harder to find. Bag yourself one while you still can, they'll never make another.
I still love it to bits and every outing is an event. Nice ones are becoming rare and I can see some being broken as OE parts are now becoming harder to find. Bag yourself one while you still can, they'll never make another.
I too have had mine from new, and its a great car. its done 56,000 miles, and only 2 failures in that time. The drivers side central locking motor failed, as did the power steering cooler. Neither were expensive to fix. Tyres last me about 15,000 miles on the rear, a little longer on the front, and are not expensive. They dont appear to have depreciated in the last 6 years or so either, and dont imagine that will change if you get a good one, so its probably quite a cheap car to own these days.
I've had mine for nearly 3 years. I love it
It's had ALL of the desirable mods on it including the supercharger and ap's. It's a pretty special car.
I've had a couple of issues with it though. Just randomly, the engine warning light will come on if sitting in traffic (mainly if sitting behind a diesel!) If I switch the engine off it goes away. Also it will randomly cut out if coming to a stop. No error codes. Bizarre!
All in all, a fantastic car which has been a pleasure to own!
It's had ALL of the desirable mods on it including the supercharger and ap's. It's a pretty special car.
I've had a couple of issues with it though. Just randomly, the engine warning light will come on if sitting in traffic (mainly if sitting behind a diesel!) If I switch the engine off it goes away. Also it will randomly cut out if coming to a stop. No error codes. Bizarre!
All in all, a fantastic car which has been a pleasure to own!
I've had a 5.7 VXR & a 6.0 VXR. Both used as daily's, the only real issue was the PAS cooler needed replacing on the first which my local garage managed to do without much fuss.
Since i turned 30 I had to upgrade to an old mans car and got a VXR8, i couldn't cope with the painfully slow rear seat access anymore with 2 kids so needed 4 doors.
You won't get more bang for your buck
Since i turned 30 I had to upgrade to an old mans car and got a VXR8, i couldn't cope with the painfully slow rear seat access anymore with 2 kids so needed 4 doors.
You won't get more bang for your buck
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