looking at buying an AU fairlane or LTD

[JD86]

hey guys, im looking at buying an AU fairlane or ltd 5L, wondering if there are any common problems with them i should look out for

and any negative or positive info on peoples experiences with them

cheers

[stavros68]

try going the series 2 ,3 as most of the problems had been fixed eg; brakes etc etc and if you can go the 8 as they go better, i woudnt go for a six in such a large car, be careful that you are or arent getting an ex VHA limo, as alot of them have just expired, i have got a series 1 fairlane ghia 8 lowered wth herrod rims and sports exhaust goes pretty good considering the weight

[peterban]

For the difference in price I would go for an AU11 LTD as this has the sat nav and sunroof as standard.
The only problem I have had is with the a/c compressor, a few other minor thing were fixed under warranty a few years back but since then no other problems.

[KR1STO]

Originally Posted by stavros68

try going the series 2 ,3 as most of the problems had been fixed eg; brakes etc etc and if you can go the 8 as they go better, i woudnt go for a six in such a large car, be careful that you are or arent getting an ex VHA limo, as alot of them have just expired, i have got a series 1 fairlane ghia 8 lowered wth herrod rims and sports exhaust goes pretty good considering the weight

You got any pics of your car on the herrod rims? I was thinkin of getting them for mine. cheers

On the thread note. The six really doesnt go that bad for such a heavy car. Yes the series ones had most of the problems so a series 2 or 3 would be better. But if you buy one from an old man that only used it for golf then it really doesn't matter. The comfort and driveability of these cars will greatly outweigh any problems that you may come across...

[blackers10]

my series 1 is going fine(140k kays)
so is debs(190k kays)

both are 6's and go great

brakes are adequate if you dont drive fast...
but slotteds are DEFINATLY reccomended along with a pad that suites your purpose(i have bendix advance pads.. little dust and lots of stopping power)

look for rust under the rear window (where the boot hinges etc are)

cant think of anything else that is different compared to a regular AU falcon with IRS

definatly a great car tho!!

[stavros68]

ill take a pic tmrw ,hey not bagging the sixes in anyway,but just that the car weighs so much, and those breaks are starting to f@#$%^#$$ ME, as i have got slotted front and back with ECB or EBC pads which i have changed the fronts to Bendix premium hardly no dust,but still not happy, might upgrade to series 2 brakes as soon as the 347 goes in

[JD86]

thanks very much, i am looking at 2000, and 2001 models, anyone know when series 2 and 3 started?

i will be buying a v8 with a sunroof, they are my definates

i would love to see photos of yours on herrods, and any other photos of some people may have, as i have not seen many which have been modded, just seen standard ones

cheers

[blackers10]

theres some lanes up on aufalcon.com
mine is www.aufalcon.com/blackers10
stavros68 is yours the silver lane with XHP Jet rims?
the pics are tiny and not that great?? could you get some new/better ones?
will be a wicked lane wen its done for sure mate!!

2000-2001 the AU2 started

saw a dark grey 2001 yesterday going for $15k
was VERY NICE(exterior) couldnt see inside(night time and tint)
dont know if it has an 8 pretty sure it was a 6(Cant remember)
no sunroof tho

[KR1STO]

Originally Posted by JD86

thanks very much, i am looking at 2000, and 2001 models, anyone know when series 2 and 3 started?

i will be buying a v8 with a sunroof, they are my definates

i would love to see photos of yours on herrods, and any other photos of some people may have, as i have not seen many which have been modded, just seen standard ones

cheers

Check out mine here---> www.aufalcon.com/kr1sto.
Let me know what you think :

[V8falcons]

Originally Posted by JD86

thanks very much, i am looking at 2000, and 2001 models, anyone know when series 2 and 3 started?

i will be buying a v8 with a sunroof, they are my definates

i would love to see photos of yours on herrods, and any other photos of some people may have, as i have not seen many which have been modded, just seen standard ones

cheers

Mate great choice,I wish we went for one of those,There is a black sportsman 5ltr II/III on ebay for $18k or there abouts with leather that i would snap up If I was ready to buy now.Oh they look classy
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/2002-Ford-Fai...QQcmdZViewItem

[peterban]

Series 2 I think was from October, mine is November 2000 build and is a series 2.
Series 2 LTD had the sat nav and sunroof as standard.
There weren't any series 3 made.
I like the black leather interior of some of the Fairlanes, all the LTD's had grey leather.

[blackers10]

the LTD has a slightly lighter shade of grey doesnt it??
or is it the same light grey as the fairlane seats (the dash and various plastics is dark grey in alot of parts)?

[JD86]

wow kristo and blackers10, your cars are awesome

i eventually want to put 20" 100 spokes on when i finally get one

kristo yours looks pretty low what is it riding on? did you need your guards rolled?

cheers guys

[stavros68]

here a couple of pics

[Umineko]

Originally Posted by blackers10

the LTD has a slightly lighter shade of grey doesnt it??
or is it the same light grey as the fairlane seats (the dash and various plastics is dark grey in alot of parts)?

there are 2 shades of grey used and yes I believe it is a lighter shade. as far as problems with them go I haven't had any at all. personally I'd go for the LTD over the Fairlane as the sunroof and electric seats on both front seats were standard (along with extra woodgrain work and a few extra goodies) they're great cars can't fault em. go for the 8 though, it is a heavy car and while the 6s go ok you really notice the difference once you've driven both

[JD86]

grouse pics stavros68, those wheels suit it

anyone know if you can upgrade the maps on the gps units? and how much it would be? because they would be out of date in a 2001 model would they not

and more pics would be great

cheers guys

[KR1STO]

Originally Posted by JD86

wow kristo and blackers10, your cars are awesome

i eventually want to put 20" 100 spokes on when i finally get one

kristo yours looks pretty low what is it riding on? did you need your guards rolled?

cheers guys

Thanks mate. Its been lowered about 5 inches at the back and 4 at the front. The springs were custom made by a mate at pedders. I havent needed to roll the guards to fit the 20's.. But it does sometimes touch with a full carload or when i turn into the driveway too hard.

[peterban]

You can update the maps. They are on a cd from sensis.
I think I have version 10 which is fine but I think they have V13 or 14 out now but are approx $300.
If the unit has never been upgraded you need a bios flash to enable extra functions.
Where ever you buy the upgraded map from should be able to flash the unit in the LTD
When I had mine done it wouldn't take the flash and had to take it to VDO in Melbourne to fix it. They didn't charge anything for this service.

[Dauphin]

The AU Fairlane and LTD are great, with a lot of presence if done up nicely. When lowered, they have a nice stance and look very respectful at the same time. Go the LTD if you can, it's a little extra special.

[JD86]

hey guys i went and test drove this 2001 LTD V8 today

http://www.carsales.com.au/used-cars/dealer/FORD/LTD/details.aspx?Model=LTD&seot=0&__Nne=20&__N=4294966 463+0+4294966195+834+285+258+287&Make=FORD&State=A ll%20States&silo=1000&state_id=0&distance=25&Cr=11 &__Qpb=true&__sid=11388EFF8291&R=1606840&__Ns=pCar _StatusSort_Int32|1||pCar_Price_Decimal|0&trecs=15


pretty happy with the car except for the few things i have taken photos of, wodering if you guys would worry about these things or not

a bit of rust in the boot



some chips around the front passenger window


it was a bit wrecked around the seatbelt area


dont know what this was around the lights in the back


kind of chips in the surround around the pillar windows



and the coin thing is wrecked in the console


the car is an ex government car and has 165000kms on it

what price would you guys happily pay for this on the road?

[Fairlane]

Well not what he's asking Firstly id want the rust fixed before taking delivery. The B Pillar thing is pretty standard and is no big, neither is the seatbelt trim panel, you can just get a new one. Seems a little knocked around- Did it drive well?

With those kays on it id only want to be paying say 14.5 at the most and that is with the rust fixed.

Use it as bargaining chips because there is no shortage of nice AU Fairlane's in the 11 k ball park these days- i know there are dearer ones but take the hard sell. Very nice cars the AU LWB's- I love the AU2 Sportman's, with the two tone and 17" rims- beautiful

[peterban]

I would be mostly concerned about the rust. It should not have rusted like that.
Mine is a Nov 2000 LTD, has been garaged and has no rust in that area at all
It does look like it has had a bit of a rough time inside.
The fake fur on the seatbelt retraction area is a problem on most as it wears with the friction of the belt.
I bought a new centre console for the LTD from Bayford for $135 ( last one ).
I think they are selling normal Ford ones for $65.
The only difference is the covering with stitching that goes under the dash, so you might be able to change the covering ( will have a look if you want me to ).
Chips on the plastic around the passenger windows can be touched up or the plastic piece replaced.
Check that A/C is working properly with no bearing noise when it engages.

The fake fur stuff is fairly expensive and has never come up on e-bay.

Replacement courtesy lamp is cheap.

If it was in a bit better condition the asking price would be fair, but with the rust and the cosmetic damage I would think under $15 K would be more likely, even with the 3 year warranty

[JD86]

thanks a lot guys

[blackers10]

start at 10k-12k and work your way back up mate

i know of a white lane going for 13 in a yard
another just went for 15 in a yard (looked IMMACULATE!)

the chips in the B pillar black paint is normal
as its where you close the door from so obviously it chips fairly easily sadly

[JD86]

ok thanks

if anyone comes across a fairlane or ltd, v8 with a sunroof can you please pm me the details or write it in this thread please

thanks a lot

[Bayvu]

No, no, no. :

I'm looking for an AU Ltd but funds are 3 weeks away on house settlement.

I don't like white or silver though.

[2Lucid]

also check wether the radiator has been done aswell... as there were a drama (mostly in S1 but series II aswell) being a government car the maintenance should be current but just check the last time the tranny had been serviced and make sure they put platinum plugs back in it

[Damien]

I'd say there was a mobile phone car kit installed using the standard Ford flip out cradle mount, hence the hole in the coin holder for the cabling to be poked through. Can't see any screw holes though, so not sure.