Should i buy a VL?

[madwag]

First of all i want to say i am a Ford man, hence why im an active member here.
BUT
a family friend is moving into a home soon as she is getting on, but i have seen in her garage...
I dont know much about Holdens but i think its a VL, and its red and it has an Executive badge on the back...
it looks like this one
http://www.carsales.com.au/private/d...ce:Min,Max~0.5

now im toying with the idea, if the car does come up for sale, and someone in her family doesnt take it, what sort of car is it?

Will it be collectable, is it desirable, are they reliable, would it make a cheap project car?

Right now im thinking if i did buy it i would just keep it very factory, no ceptors or 22"s ect.

i dont know the kms but i assume they are low, and it lives undercover so i assume the paint is good and there should be minimal to no rust.

But what are your thoughts (if is was a comparable Ford i would be jumping at it)

thanks guys

[68xt]

VL Commodore. In time it may be valuable but there is nothing really appealing about it. If it was a BT1, turbo or V8. it would be worth hanging on to, but a standard VL would need to be in immaculate condition with very low KMS to be valuable later on. You could probably pick up a VN SS for around $1500 which would be more collectable.

My advice, save your bucks, there are plenty of collectable cars still untapped.

[turbodewd]

VL commodore circa 1986?! cmon man. that is an ancient car! Get something built this millenium!

[ebxr8240]

Ahh I assume your not buying it ???
Or extremely cheap..??
If that's the case just drive it around and look after your real car..
Or sell on and make a little on it ...
The RB30 was a great motor...



Now in Taupo N.Z..

[madwag]

Originally Posted by ebxr8240

Ahh I assume your not buying it ???
Or extremely cheap..??
If that's the case just drive it around and look after your real car..
Or sell on and make a little on it ...
The RB30 was a great motor...



Now in Taupo N.Z..

No its not for sale yet, so i don't know how much it will be on the market for.
Mainly if it was cheap, i thought it may be a good opportunity as it could be a good car.

Good to hear your thoughts, and im not against old cars, i like cars based on how they make me feel.

[Nikked]

Vl's have Potential...


No one can tell you what to do, its your choice...

[Chopped]

Unless it's a turbo or V8, I wouldn't bother.

[Kryton]

Theres a lot of assumption in this thread.

[mike_nofx]

Originally Posted by davway

Theres a lot of assumption in this thread.

Such as?

[Windsor342ci]

Assumptions are the mother off all........

[revcore]

There is only one VL I'd ever buy and that would be a V8 VL Calais wagon.

[graham7773]

With the exception of the VT Commodore, the VL was the most popular car of the commodore range. I have seen low k stock ones in good to excellent condition sold for up to $10000. There are plenty of people out there still very interested in them. Then there is this one which you have to see to believe...http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/1987-Hold...item23093d9fd4

[svo supporter]

Check that it's running coolant....if not, walk away as they are prone to corrosion of the alloy head.

Check the loom in the engine bay is in tact....ie no melted bits, including connectors.


All that checks out, good chance it'll be a good reliable car mechanically.

[FPV-HSV]

Un less its a calais its crap and hard to re sale you get millions of young guys test driveing it... with no money.

[68xt]

Originally Posted by 351v8fords

Un less its a calais its crap and hard to re sale you get millions of young guys test driveing it... with no money.

So very true!!!!

[graham7773]

You get a young person wanting a test thrash, ask them for a recent bank statement in their name and photo id.

[AndyXR6T]

If its cheap then I say go for it. Just use it as a daily and run it into the ground, I doubt it will be worth much in the future no matte how immaculate it is.
If your looking to make it go faster, drop an RB20det into and it will be a fun kick about car... Just depends what your intentions are for it??
Daily or toy??

[graham7773]

SVO supporter, every ford (falcon) I have bought in the last 20 years has not been running coolant/corrosion inhibitor. And every E series ford I have ever bought has had or developed a blown head gasket. Why did it take Ford so long to realise the problem had a simple fix ie metal sandwich head gaskets? and decent corrosion inhibitor. Be good to find out what the reason was. Couldn't be cost surely? My XC Falcon with cast iron crossflow head had no dramas with blown head gaskets at all.

[svo supporter]

Originally Posted by graham7773

SVO supporter, every ford (falcon) I have bought in the last 20 years has not been running coolant/corrosion inhibitor. And every E series ford I have ever bought has had or developed a blown head gasket. Why did it take Ford so long to realise the problem had a simple fix ie metal sandwich head gaskets? and decent corrosion inhibitor. Be good to find out what the reason was. Couldn't be cost surely?

Not very quick at learning from their mistakes .

Seriously I have no idea. The only reason I know a little about the VL head/engine bay problems is I recently went looking at them for my daughter. A good mate told me what to look for, so I'm just passing on what I know.

Other things to look for are....The bearing plates haven't bowed upwards. This is a sign the front shocks have been stuffed for a while. Relatively cheap fix.....ie needs new shocks and bearing plates.

Centre bearings in the tailshaft have a habit of being stuffed. Signs are it'll vibrate throughout the car at 2,00RPM plus....Look at the K-frame where the radius rod goes through.....Make sure the flat section of the K-frame is actually flat and not twisted/pushed downwards and or inwards. This is a sign it's hit a gutter/centre island fairly hard. If it's twisted/pushed downwards, walk away from it.....requires a new K-frame.

If you want a good motor for it. an RB25, not the RB20. They're found in Skylines of the same era as the VL.

Hopefully this provides a little more insite

[nstg8a]

Originally Posted by svo supporter

If you want a good motor for it. an RB25, not the RB20. They're found in Skylines of the same era as the VL.

mid 80s skylines had the rb25's? i thought the rb25 didnt show until the r33 skylines?


really, the rb30 is the bottom end to use, couple that with the rb25det top end and skids away...

not a straight forward bolt and go exercise but certainly been done plenty of times with very good results.

[Shonky.]

Originally Posted by nstg8a

mid 80s skylines had the rb25's? i thought the rb25 didnt show until the r33 skylines?


really, the rb30 is the bottom end to use, couple that with the rb25det top end and skids away...

not a straight forward bolt and go exercise but certainly been done plenty of times with very good results.

Originally Posted by Andy XR6 Turbo

Rb20s were in the R32 skylines, just as easy to bolt in as a rb25 would be

wouldn't bother with anything else

[Pub247]

If you can get it cheap say $500 or less and its in good condition i'd buy it make a great daily. An SL is never going to be as collectable as a calais BT1 or turbo berlina. Hell a VH SL/E factory 308 in a good colour fetch $15,000 for a good condition one. Once you past that classic 30 years window these old cars go through the roof.

You could make a few grand on it in a few years time but i think you'd be better putting it to good use as a daily or drag car they make excellant drag cars. There's a few in the 7 sec 1/4 bracket now running stock suspension

Originally Posted by 68xt

VL Commodore. In time it may be valuable but there is nothing really appealing about it. If it was a BT1, turbo or V8. it would be worth hanging on to, but a standard VL would need to be in immaculate condition with very low KMS to be valuable later on. You could probably pick up a VN SS for around $1500 which would be more collectable.

My advice, save your bucks, there are plenty of collectable cars still untapped.

Show me where you can get a decent vn ss for $1500 if you do i suggest you buy it as they have gone through the roof
An average one condition one fetches about $3-5000

Originally Posted by svo supporter

Check that it's running coolant....if not, walk away as they are prone to corrosion of the alloy head.

Check the loom in the engine bay is in tact....ie no melted bits, including connectors.
All that checks out, good chance it'll be a good reliable car mechanically.

Having done cylinder head welding i can tell you for a fact corrosion problems were minimal on RB30's. Ford heads X Flow and e series were among the worst for it.

Main problem with vl head were people not maintaining cooling system and leaving air pockets trapped in it causing heads to crack. Their head gaskets are super strong too poeple running 10's on factory nissan head gaskets.

I'd be checking fuse box for anything melted most common problem is the fuse rail melting when people put higher rated headlight globes in.

Originally Posted by svo supporter

Not very quick at learning from their mistakes .

Seriously I have no idea. The only reason I know a little about the VL head/engine bay problems is I recently went looking at them for my daughter. A good mate told me what to look for, so I'm just passing on what I know.

Other things to look for are....The bearing plates haven't bowed upwards. This is a sign the front shocks have been stuffed for a while. Relatively cheap fix.....ie needs new shocks and bearing plates.

Centre bearings in the tailshaft have a habit of being stuffed. Signs are it'll vibrate throughout the car at 2,00RPM plus....Look at the K-frame where the radius rod goes through.....Make sure the flat section of the K-frame is actually flat and not twisted/pushed downwards and or inwards. This is a sign it's hit a gutter/centre island fairly hard. If it's twisted/pushed downwards, walk away from it.....requires a new K-frame.

If you want a good motor for it. an RB25, not the RB20. They're found in Skylines of the same era as the VL.

Hopefully this provides a little more insite

Personally i'd stick with the RB30 when you can get 1250hp out of one why bother converting??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieVDf...layer_embedded

When you get an e seires motor making 1250hp then upgrade to a twin cam

[302 XC]

Originally Posted by graham7773

SVO supporter, every ford (falcon) I have bought in the last 20 years has not been running coolant/corrosion inhibitor. And every E series ford I have ever bought has had or developed a blown head gasket. Why did it take Ford so long to realise the problem had a simple fix ie metal sandwich head gaskets? and decent corrosion inhibitor. Be good to find out what the reason was. Couldn't be cost surely? My XC Falcon with cast iron crossflow head had no dramas with blown head gaskets at all.

Ive noticed ANY alloy headed car is best to run coolant of sorts
Its the unknowledged who just put water in ,but that hasnt been drummed into people nowadays
How many when their alloy headed cars run hot pour cold water straight in,dont let them naturally cool first
Its an education thing , people arent educated on alloy heads properly
Any alloy headed car i had ,temps were checked all the time , everything had to be top notch
But any cast headed engine i had, gee most could run all day without water
never had some many head /head gasket issues in my life till i had alloy headed cars

Thats aside ,
The VL if bought for the right $$$, would be a great runabout,parts are everywhere,and usually cheap
So makes for a cheapie car
If its a purchase to make money , it would wanna be cheap
To me there is no good VL,that said i could be given a holden ,but wont come in my yard...

[GhiaEB]

VLs will be collectable. Depends on how long you want to keep it as to it value. People are always looking at "survivor" cars. And a VL has pedigree. Look at say rust free XA-XC falcon 500s. Or go back to the XY and show me a clean XY 6pot for under 7-10k?

Finding a unmolested VL is getting harder and harder these days and will only get worse.

Just my 2c

[graham7773]

^^^+++ Any car over 25 years of age with few exceptions will be appreciating in value. I recently saw a smick original EH sell for $17000. they were 1100 odd pounds new ($2200). I know because my aunt bought the EJ model new just before the EH was released. She paid 960 pounds
($1920) out of the showroon

[graham7773]

SVO supporter, I know you mean well but you make the VL sound like a Leyland P76 which had much the same problems as well as chronic rust in the front cross member. Hang on, are we getting off topic?

[svo supporter]

Originally Posted by graham7773

SVO supporter, I know you mean well but you make the VL sound like a Leyland P76 which had much the same problems as well as chronic rust in the front cross member. Hang on, are we getting off topic?

Only mentioning problems they have. Choice of purchase is upto the prospective buyer

[AndyXR6T]

Rb20s were in the R32 skylines, just as easy to bolt in as a rb25 would be

[matty88]

Check under the parcel shelf for rust as well

[FPV-HSV]

Dad brought a mint vl un moslested intiror like new good paint no rust! 5 months rego great engine and box we tried to sell it for months just young guys test driveing it.. So we swaped it for a vs calais v8 with a sun roof it was ****** we sold it 2 days later to a car yard for $1700.. this was a few months ago. never again un less its a calais or turbo. and you cant have a vl as a daily it will just get stolen..