Which Wagon.. looking to upgrade AU

[XYwagonAU]

Hi,
Warning - in this thread I will discuss both Ford and Holden cars, hope this is not too much of trigger for people!
I guess I’m a bit of a falcon wagon tragic, I have owned 4 of them
Current is AU 1998, coming to end of life due to rust at 450,000km
Car has been good to me for last 14 years, only major issue- transmission broke early on (don’t think prior owner serviced it)

I have been contemplating replacement for some years

My current budget could stretch to a bit over 15k

Priority is comfortable, large vehicle with space to kip in back
Also -Reliability / fixable / lots of available spares
Ability to tow box trailer

Road I travel are poor quality rural roads + freeway (with AU I put in cruise control which was good upgrade)


Possible Things I was looking forward to in new vehicle – safety feature, maybe IRS to make car more polite on country road, maybe more gears in transmission


Current options I’m considering
- BFIII wagon
- SZ rwd petrol territory
- VF wagon

Concerns
BF- not really much of upgrade, but could save cash and get low km example for 10k
SZ- concern about IRS repair, cost of 6 speed if need fix, maybe thirsty
VF- concerned about ground clearance with my driveway & trailer, Holden spares after exit from OZ , not as confident about V6 durability, have no knowledge of gearbox quality.

General – ending up with expensive repairs, lots of tech that could cost $$

If I were to outlay this sort of $$ considering getting <160000 km SZ or VF from dealer for small peace of mind of 3-month warranty,

Thanks for reading this,
cheers

[arronm]

Get the lowest K BF3 wagon you can find.

[XYwagonAU]

arronm, also would like one with no rust !

[XYwagonAU]

I wonder if transmission in BFIII much different to the one in my AU?,
I hope they have external cooler, as my 4 speed failed due to radiator issue.

[arronm]

4 speed in BF is better than AU. When you buy the car change the heat exchanger to an external cooler. Thats what i did. I have multiple falcons BA and BF. All no rust

What state you in ?

[Franco Cozzo]

One does not 'upgrade' from the mighty AU

[oldel]

One merely just moves to a lower km car.

Apparently they only make SUVs these days

[XYwagonAU]

arronm, im in NSW , mid coast. My AU was from sydney beach area and rust now getting chronic, lucky Pink slip mechanic has selective vision

[arronm]

36 on car sales in AUS. BF2 and 3 3 futuras.

[arronm]

I have a BF2 wagon bought with 173ks payed $2750. Car is perfect.

[arronm]

https://www.carsales.com.au/cars?q=(...+South+Wales.)

[nuthin' fancy]

The Terri is compromised in its design. So many repairs cost too much. $5k if you are paying your mechanic to rebush the complicated rear.

I drove a VE at my previous work place. Harsh and agricultural....next.

Get a BF and play with it. 6 speed upgrade with no cuts to the tunnel.

[XYwagonAU]

what extra goodies does futura get?

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by nuthin' fancy

I drove a VE at my previous work place. Harsh and agricultural....next.

The stereo sucks too and it's got nothing under 4500 RPM.

The SIDIDIDIDIDIDI engine is a boat anchor, bring back the mighty Ecotec.

[oldel]

https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/det...-6585024/?Cr=5

[GASWAGON]

I'm about to go from a BF wagon recently that i wrote off to and AU wagon on gas!!!!!!!!!!!!

[XYwagonAU]

BF would save me a lot of dosh , probably not keen on gas version because of spare tyre placement

[arronm]

This is your car. FUTURA 150ks. At that ks offer $5500. If he winges show him reedbook

https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/det...SSE-AD-6412152

[arronm]

Futura gets alloy wheels and electric windows in the back

[oldel]

Originally Posted by XYwagonAU

BF would save me a lot of dosh

Yeah, lots of things you could do with the savings too.
Lots of people kit them out with fairmont interiors (dash, icc, seats etc), and there's that android ICC upgrade for about 1k for full large touch screen controls if that's how you want to roll. Others do a turbo or 6spd conversion.

It's the best full size wagon and has the best upgrade possibilties (unless you're interested in a BMW )

[XYwagonAU]

with wagon live axle /leaf spring, it there anything to be done to make rear end track a bit better ? short of loading it up with bags of sand in the back . maybe mine has crook bushes and 20 psi in one tyre .....

[GASWAGON]

My BF had lowered pedders springs and shocks all around abouit 2.5k worth which previous buyer payed for.

That made it handle fine.

Only about 1 inch lower too.

[GASWAGON]

Oh and ye it was great for throwing my big flat swag in tyhe back for a quick nights break while on the move too.

Heaps of room nearly like a Territory!

[minheim]

What about the md mondeo? Wiite a few examples in your budget

[XYwagonAU]

minheim, thanks for suggestion,
I had looked into these when i was looking before but got abit scared off with dual clutch transmission and diesel particulate filter complications, i see there are some petrol versions,
I should take one for drive a least

Have you got experience with these cars?

cheers

[arronm]

Mondeo

[lra]

Originally Posted by XYwagonAU

Hi, -
VF- concerned about ground clearance with my driveway & trailer, Holden spares after exit from OZ , not as confident about V6 durability, have no knowledge of gearbox quality.
cheers

Nailed it ! You have answered 1/3 of your own question.

[Chapter Four]

I went from a BF11 wagon to a VF wagon last year.
The VF is by far, much nicer to drive.
The 4.0L Barra is near bullet proof, they are near worthless second hand as no one needs to replace them. The 4sp Auto again is very reliable when serviced well, sealed for life is crap. Put an external cooler and bypass the heat exchanger.
The rear end is agricultural though and the car handles like it, but you've got an AU so it'll be the same.
The diff in the BA-BF went to a 2 pinion carrier, the AU has a 4 pinion carrier. So the BA-BF units are a bit weaker. Mine needed rebuilding at 250k, they replaced it with a 4 pinioin unit.

The VF, whilst nicer to drive, the boot is small for it's size. It's narrower, has less length and is shorter than the Ford.
It also has terrible blind spots, both front and rear.
The V6 goes well, for me anyway, but they need to be serviced religiously, don't skimp here, ignore the 15000km service interval do it at 10000km or less. They are a dirty engine, the oil is black every time I change it. It's recommended to get a catch can for the PCV system, plenty of info on the interwebs. Lots of pics of carbon build up in the intake.
The 6sp transmission has a good rep as does the diff.
The ground clearance is terrible compared to the Ford.
We have a VE11 also and it has been super reliable, so hopefully the VF is the same.

Cheers
Ross

[minheim]

Originally Posted by XYwagonAU

minheim, thanks for suggestion,
I had looked into these when i was looking before but got abit scared off with dual clutch transmission and diesel particulate filter complications, i see there are some petrol versions,
I should take one for drive a least

Have you got experience with these cars?

cheers

I don't have any experience myself. My niece has a MD diesel titanium and has had no issues in 2 plus years. The Mondeo diesel uses a wet DCT unlike the focus and Fiestra which had the dry one. That said I still prefer a traditional torque auto and petrol engine hence why I bought an ecoboost escape.

The petrol ecoboost MD mondeo has a traditional 6 speed torque auto and will be a much nicer car than a falcon. Here is one petrol example on carsales - https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/det...18549099/?Cr=6. Most mondeo wagons will however be diesels as they were very popular as rep cars.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by minheim

I don't have any experience myself. My niece has a MD diesel titanium and has had no issues in 2 plus years. The Mondeo diesel uses a wet DCT unlike the focus and Fiestra which had the dry one. That said I still prefer a traditional torque auto and petrol engine hence why I bought an ecoboost escape.

The petrol ecoboost MD mondeo has a traditional 6 speed torque auto and will be a much nicer car than a falcon. Here is one petrol example on carsales - https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/det...18549099/?Cr=6. Most mondeo wagons will however be diesels as they were very popular as rep cars.

Petrol Mondeo wagon only comes in povvo spec Ecoboost, rather than 177KW high spec Ecoboost.