Newbie looking at Monaro VXRs
Discussion
Hello Folks.
New to these parts and seriously considering a Monaro 6.0 VXR but have a few questions, and I've heard good things about the Monaro community here so thought I'd start here...
Bit of background on me, cars are pretty much my life, and at 22 I currently have an Elise S2 111S and a BMW 540i (E39). The Elise is currently for sale and hopefully will go soon. Plan is to use the funds from it for a new car, then sell the 540i and run the new car as my sole car. I already daily the 540i so fuel consumption won't shock me. I had narrowed down my search to an E39 M5, an absolute dream car since I was a kid. The only trouble is just that, it's a hero car, they are getting on a bit and it could cost a bomb to maintain and ruin the dream. I was at Goodwood on Sunday for the "Vee Power" Breakfast Club and I was reminded of the Monaro VXR. Since i first saw it on TopGear I thought it was the dogs dangelies. The one that really caught my eye at Goodwood was a black one on black wheels with the reg "V8 HUH". Such a mean looking car. I then did some research and found that mpg is similar to the M5, but they appear to be cheaper to maintain and more reliable, well this sure appeals!
I've read the buyers guides and stuff and having never driven one want to go have a look, coming from the BMW I worry the interior will really let it down, but in my head it makes for a good compromise between the Elise and 540i. Lots of noise, and occasion and the fact you don't see them on the road much, then comfy, easy to live with and grunt V8 power and more surefooted than the Elise. There is a Silver one on Autotrader which is near me so might pop over at the weekend. But I was surprised to see that bar one on eBay it is the only Monaro VXR for sale at the moment. Is it a bad time of year, or do owners really just keep them? There is that Elite Car Co all over PH, Autotrader and eBay claiming to be number 1 Monaro dealer but they have no details of any cars for sale, haven't called the yet but does anyone know anything about them?
Lastly, money, with only 2 cars for sale I'm struggling to work out what I need to pay for a good clean example 6.0. I'd like to spend no more than £13k. What sort of age/mileage car can I expect for this. I would like to think this is a car I keep for 2 years + it will be daily, euro trip car and very occasional track day car. I'd like it to have a Wortec exhaust but can fit it later if the money is right.
New to these parts and seriously considering a Monaro 6.0 VXR but have a few questions, and I've heard good things about the Monaro community here so thought I'd start here...
Bit of background on me, cars are pretty much my life, and at 22 I currently have an Elise S2 111S and a BMW 540i (E39). The Elise is currently for sale and hopefully will go soon. Plan is to use the funds from it for a new car, then sell the 540i and run the new car as my sole car. I already daily the 540i so fuel consumption won't shock me. I had narrowed down my search to an E39 M5, an absolute dream car since I was a kid. The only trouble is just that, it's a hero car, they are getting on a bit and it could cost a bomb to maintain and ruin the dream. I was at Goodwood on Sunday for the "Vee Power" Breakfast Club and I was reminded of the Monaro VXR. Since i first saw it on TopGear I thought it was the dogs dangelies. The one that really caught my eye at Goodwood was a black one on black wheels with the reg "V8 HUH". Such a mean looking car. I then did some research and found that mpg is similar to the M5, but they appear to be cheaper to maintain and more reliable, well this sure appeals!
I've read the buyers guides and stuff and having never driven one want to go have a look, coming from the BMW I worry the interior will really let it down, but in my head it makes for a good compromise between the Elise and 540i. Lots of noise, and occasion and the fact you don't see them on the road much, then comfy, easy to live with and grunt V8 power and more surefooted than the Elise. There is a Silver one on Autotrader which is near me so might pop over at the weekend. But I was surprised to see that bar one on eBay it is the only Monaro VXR for sale at the moment. Is it a bad time of year, or do owners really just keep them? There is that Elite Car Co all over PH, Autotrader and eBay claiming to be number 1 Monaro dealer but they have no details of any cars for sale, haven't called the yet but does anyone know anything about them?
Lastly, money, with only 2 cars for sale I'm struggling to work out what I need to pay for a good clean example 6.0. I'd like to spend no more than £13k. What sort of age/mileage car can I expect for this. I would like to think this is a car I keep for 2 years + it will be daily, euro trip car and very occasional track day car. I'd like it to have a Wortec exhaust but can fit it later if the money is right.
Morning and welcome 
Good choice with a black VXR, you've picked the best one
The interior is simple, comfortable and hard wearing. You have to ask yourself how many times you've stroked the dashboard in the 540i?
stig on here currently has an E39 M5 and has had a Monaro, so he can offer some direct (BMW biased ) comparisons for you.
They're pretty good on fuel, the loooong 6th gear helps here, it depends on what your commute is. If it's lots of stop start and slow accelerating, you're going to be in the the teens. If it's a reasonable cruise, you'll see mid 20s.
If you're going to track it, you'll want to either be very efficient with the use of your brakes, or get one with an AP upgrade, as apparently the standard VXR brakes are only really suited to road use. You get one hard stop, and then they need a bit of time to cool down again. It's only caused me a bit of a clench on 2 occasions in 30,000 enthusiastic miles.
In my opinion, it is worth looking at if the dampers have been changed recently or upgraded. It's a heavy car and the standard dampers are all out of ideas after about 10,000 miles, leading to a lack of body control (a sort of 'floaty' feeling) that I had taken as being just how the car was until I had the dampers upgraded. Perhaps just something to keep in mind on a test drive if it doesn't feel quite as composed as Top Gear made it appear.
There have been a lot of new members this year over the summer, so it's quite likely that there aren't many for sale at the moment. Over time more and more of them are finding long term homes as the right kind of owner ends up with the keys and wants to keep it Demand is generally lower over the winter too so prices tend to be weaker, so others may just SORN them and sell early next year.
Good choice with a black VXR, you've picked the best one
The interior is simple, comfortable and hard wearing. You have to ask yourself how many times you've stroked the dashboard in the 540i?
stig on here currently has an E39 M5 and has had a Monaro, so he can offer some direct (BMW biased
) comparisons for you.They're pretty good on fuel, the loooong 6th gear helps here, it depends on what your commute is. If it's lots of stop start and slow accelerating, you're going to be in the the teens. If it's a reasonable cruise, you'll see mid 20s.
If you're going to track it, you'll want to either be very efficient with the use of your brakes, or get one with an AP upgrade, as apparently the standard VXR brakes are only really suited to road use. You get one hard stop, and then they need a bit of time to cool down again. It's only caused me a bit of a clench on 2 occasions in 30,000 enthusiastic miles.
In my opinion, it is worth looking at if the dampers have been changed recently or upgraded. It's a heavy car and the standard dampers are all out of ideas after about 10,000 miles, leading to a lack of body control (a sort of 'floaty' feeling) that I had taken as being just how the car was until I had the dampers upgraded. Perhaps just something to keep in mind on a test drive if it doesn't feel quite as composed as Top Gear made it appear.
There have been a lot of new members this year over the summer, so it's quite likely that there aren't many for sale at the moment. Over time more and more of them are finding long term homes as the right kind of owner ends up with the keys and wants to keep it
Demand is generally lower over the winter too so prices tend to be weaker, so others may just SORN them and sell early next year.
Worth trying James (Elite) as he gets cars in and out fairly quickly, often never even get to his website, we brought ours there this year with 15k on the clock. The warranty is worth having in my opinion. like most cars, some really good ones out there (that are premium money) and some real money pits waiting to pounce no doubt. There are only about 300 v8 vxr monaros in the uk according to this site. Now we have one we are unlikely to sell it. That is a lot of BHP and V8 fun for the money. Never had a car that so many people comment on (all positive).
https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/?utf8=%E2%9C%93&...
https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/?utf8=%E2%9C%93&...
Get in quick I'm sure they are starting to go up in value, they have no real competition in this country unless you like lhd, but then this time of year owners put them to bed and that's the point they start thinking about other cars and the more people that show interest could make a few appear in the coming months.
Great cars but if build quality is what your really after then, a guy called stig on here prefers that but pretty sure he also likes laminate flooring too so you decide, monaro's are all about fun and smiles and we love them!
Great cars but if build quality is what your really after then, a guy called stig on here prefers that but pretty sure he also likes laminate flooring too so you decide, monaro's are all about fun and smiles and we love them!
Thanks for the advice guys. It really strikes me as an enthusiasts car, I really want something that will fill the gap of the Elise, not so much the way it drives, but how it makes me feel, having something special, unusual and puts a huge smile on my face.
Anyone know anything about this Elite Car Company, one advert suggests they have stock at the moment, but seems odd not to list the actual cars.
Cheeky request, anyone based in Surrey that wouldn't mind me having a look at their car just as a benchmark before I go out looking at others? All previous cars I've bought I knew someone with one, I don't know any Monaro owners.
Anyone know anything about this Elite Car Company, one advert suggests they have stock at the moment, but seems odd not to list the actual cars.
Cheeky request, anyone based in Surrey that wouldn't mind me having a look at their car just as a benchmark before I go out looking at others? All previous cars I've bought I knew someone with one, I don't know any Monaro owners.
petrolveins said:
Thanks for the advice guys. It really strikes me as an enthusiasts car, I really want something that will fill the gap of the Elise, not so much the way it drives, but how it makes me feel, having something special, unusual and puts a huge smile on my face.
Anyone know anything about this Elite Car Company, one advert suggests they have stock at the moment, but seems odd not to list the actual cars.
Cheeky request, anyone based in Surrey that wouldn't mind me having a look at their car just as a benchmark before I go out looking at others? All previous cars I've bought I knew someone with one, I don't know any Monaro owners.
Elite cars is owned by preciousmetal on here, I recently purchased an E3 GTS and I had to get in quick !!Anyone know anything about this Elite Car Company, one advert suggests they have stock at the moment, but seems odd not to list the actual cars.
Cheeky request, anyone based in Surrey that wouldn't mind me having a look at their car just as a benchmark before I go out looking at others? All previous cars I've bought I knew someone with one, I don't know any Monaro owners.
His stock is always changing and some cars don't even make advertising, def worth a call, his name is James Bull
its worth pointing out that parts for the monaro VXR are not as cheap as you may hope. i suggest you have a look at www.MonkfishPerformance.com and check the price of every day service items like brake discs and shocks etc.
Thanks for the welcome folks! I was impressed with the welcome I got when I joined the Lotus world, but this has been an even better reception.
preciousmetal said:
Welcome on here, I am based in Hampshire (2 miles from surrey border), if you want to pop in sometime for a coffee and a chat about the various models let me know. or see if there is a meet that you can join us all. James
That would be great, have you got anything to look at in the flesh? Are you about Saturday? If you wouldn't mind dropping me a PM when suits that would be fab.Kiwi LS2 said:
I'm based near Guildford and have an LS2 Monaro if you want to take a look?
Thank you for the offer! I'm only in Woking so that would be great sometime, if James has a car to show me then I won't ask you to give up any of your time, if not I'll drop you a PM.Wouldn't rule out the 5.7 VXR either, can be had cheaper an their is only a difference of around 15hp. However, does get some nice additions the 6.0 doesn't get.
Plus they all fall into the low tax band, and they have a bigger boot. So more practical. SLightly lighter, comes with headers rather than cast manifolds, an gets 3.73 rear gears rather than 3.46.
With the £5K you can save going for a 5.7 VXR you could get a good few mods to make the car better.
Plus they all fall into the low tax band, and they have a bigger boot. So more practical. SLightly lighter, comes with headers rather than cast manifolds, an gets 3.73 rear gears rather than 3.46.
With the £5K you can save going for a 5.7 VXR you could get a good few mods to make the car better.
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