VZ SS holden- are they any good?

[STINKY NINJA]

I realise this is about a holden but does anybody own a vz ss or vz ssz or know a bit about them?
Ive been looking for a ba turbo with no luck so far and dont want to limit my choices on makes/models so im keen to explore the dark side too(maybe...)
Any info on issues,good,bad points will be greatly appreciated!
Cheers

[Bluehoon]

Overall they're not a bad car but do have their faults.

Power steering pumps, engine oil usage, brakes and diffs mainly.

Worst issue is the inherantly soft chassis that bends, twists etc. Jack the car up and you can't close or open the bonnet...!!!
Look to LS1 for best round of information..

Best mod to do to them is to actually get a front end half cut and retro fit the whole front end and running gear into a VH-VL. It's a bolt in and out job with some wiring and headers from Castlemaine. Once done you have VZ front end in the VK and a big Hp car weighing 1200kgs.

I have done the conversion before and it's most fun you could ever have!!! 4th gear tyre fryer!!!!

[pmacc]

I had a VZ Calais few years back and have a cousin with a VY SS still

the cars are pretty much a proven chassis, only thing i remember are

• radius rod bushes perishing very quickly

• the door actuators going wonky but there cheap and easy to find,
• cracking around the strut towers on high km cars but if it had a strut bar (pretty sure it was standard on ss is on the vy s2) then it wasnt so much of an issue
• Inner rear tyre wear issues (inner camber can’t be adjusted enough on rear tyres) worsened with lowering and soft rubber
• Steering wheel buttons easily breaking

The late models and I think the z series had the 6L motor otherwise the 5.7 which is pretty good minus a few common issues such as leaks (standard 2nd hand what to look for stuff)

Auto 4l60e is a pretty old tranny but very reliable
Manual if its the same as the VY GTS box then its a bit notchy but pretty much usual for Aussie cars

Brakes are a weak point, nothing a decent set of rotors and pads from Matt (Race Brakes) couldnt fix

Tuning, very good bang for you buck with an OTR and exhaust setup

[AWD Chaser]

Originally Posted by Bluehoon

Worst issue is the inherantly soft chassis that bends, twists etc. Jack the car up and you can't close or open the bonnet...!!!

What are you talking about? Never heard of this issue and never had this issue from any VT - VZ I own, and I jack them up every weekend....

Steering wheel wear
Strut bearings
Rear axle cv joints
Oil chew (VZ ls2 is better)
Radiator side tanks
Badges loose their chrome and flake back to yellow
Leather in direct sun doesn't last that long so fabric isn't a bad option...
Idle pulleys tend to need to be replaced often...

[TC200six]

One thing the BF Falcon had over the VZ Commodore during that time was handling. A 2005 Wheels article claimed in a comparison that the Falcon felt at least a generation ahead of the Commodore in handling and refinement. Of course the VE was a major improvement over the VZ.

[Express]

Find a runout VZ 6litre model.

The tuneability alone of the 6L kills the 5.8 LS1.

The VZ is lighter than the VE and with the 6litre, it’s also faster.

.

[Bluehoon]

Originally Posted by AWD Chaser

What are you talking about? Never heard of this issue and never had this issue from any VT - VZ I own, and I jack them up every weekend....

Well, I have lost count of how many times I have seen it happen. I too work on them regularly!

The chassis is too soft and rubbish, VT is worse than VZ. I did a brake upgrade on a mates VT and we couldn't close the bonnet until the car was back on all 4 wheels. It's a joke. Don't get that with a falcon.
Better still, put a VS on a hoist and open the door. Watch what happens. Ditto for VT-VZ. No mechanic leaves windows up on them when they're on a hoist. For a reason.

[bigwil]

l will keep it short, NO

[neptune blue]

I had a VT Berlina with an SS body kit , leather, sunroof ,18 inch HSV wheels ,V8 from new for 5 years
Other than regular servicing I didn't spend a dollar on anything else other than tyres and brakes
Then I bought a CV 8R Monaro and had it for 3 years - same thing never an issue
I have to say that those 2 cars are probably the best cars I have ever owned

If the VZ is supposed to be better I wouldn't hesitate to buy one

[WPR1]

I had a VT and VY2 so the model before VZ and both were hopeless, lots of problems including water leak into the car - vowed it was the last Holden I would own - thus I saw the light and moved to Fords and haven't looked back. Don't make the mistake.

[BadMax]

Never heard of these opening and closing door issues.
Go for a VZ, 6.0 over the 5.7 and newer. As always the later the better in a production run. As far as anything going wrong, it's a used car just check it over.

[Bossxr8]

My ex has an Adventra V8 and it's the biggest heap of junk you could imagine. So many issues it's just unbeleievable. I'd imagine quality of these models would be poor.

And the way the doors clunk when you close them just adds to the feeling of a rubbish car. I had an ED with 330,000 kms on that sounded and felt better closing the doors.

[STINKY NINJA]

Thanks for all the replies.
I expected some negative comments,i am asking about a holden after all.
I dont want this to be a ford vs holden thread im just trying to broaden my horizons a bit.
Sounds like the vz holden doesnt have any more issues than what your average used/new ford has.
Personally ive had a bad run with my 2012 turbo ute without going into detail so im keen to try new things after my new ford experience,im just saying both sides(blue and red) have bad and good cars.
Keep the comments coming!

[neptune blue]

Originally Posted by STINKY NINJA

Thanks for all the replies.
I expected some negative comments,i am asking about a holden after all.
I dont want this to be a ford vs holden thread im just trying to broaden my horizons a bit.
Sounds like the vz holden doesnt have any more issues than what your average used/new ford has.
Personally ive had a bad run with my 2012 turbo ute without going into detail so im keen to try new things after my new ford experience,im just saying both sides(blue and red) have bad and good cars.
Keep the comments coming!

I agree with you
At the end of the day a good car is a good car it doesn't matter who it's made by
The Holden product of that time based on my experience was great and the sales figures also reflect this

I'm actually going to buy another CV8R Monaro as I miss the one I had

Plus it's a limited edition and the very last of the australian built coupes so its going to be a classic (IMO)

The blue oval product isn't without its faults so jump behind a chev powdered VZ and make up your own mind

[uniacidz]

Being an owner of a holden, never ever heard of this hoist business and misalignment due to a flexing chassis. Never come up on any of the forums been on either.

Cracking of the strut tops is usually just the sealant cracking due to the heat of the bay. Mine have done it slightly, but the metal is fine. Adding a strut bar for good measure. Whopping $40 ebay off isnt much.

Radius rod bushes - upgrade to Whiteline anyway. Oil filled ones perish quickly.
Engine Oil leaks - only very very very minor, if anything could be rear main seal/rocker cover gasket or sump gasket
Power steering rack - very minor leak (stop leak works on it)
Radiator side tanks - yes, mine died but after 11 years original what do you expect
Strut bearings - wear out just the same as the shocks, always replace shocks and bearings. After 150k kms, its expected.
Idler pulleys - 3 out of 4 can be regreased by hand, main engine idler pulley needs replacing. Again after 150k kms what does one expect. Costs a whopping $54 from Nuline or AC Delco original $166

Oh and i did get a water leak in the car as well, and thats because the replacement windscreen was not installed properly 3 months ago. Was fixed today actually.
But never heard of water just coming into the cabin on its on fruition.

I am happy i bought mine. It goes great and easily serviceable and they respond well with bolt on mods and mafless tune/OTRs.

Tunes can be mail ordered to suit your car for really cheap and or usual dyno tune.

[RAPID_BA]

I have a vt2 ls1 and no issues. Beautiful car. Id imagine vz be better.

ive owned a xr6t also, cant go wrong with either. Both good cars. Get the best cond car you can afford whether it be xr6t or vz ss

[uniacidz]

Originally Posted by RAPID_BA

I have a vt2 ls1 and no issues. Beautiful car. Id imagine vz be better.

ive owned a xr6t also, cant go wrong with either. Both good cars. Get the best cond car you can afford whether it be xr6t or vz ss

Exactly

One thing you have to do is the usual buying a good example car.

Hard to sometimes determine the history, can usually via the service history but if its up to date and car looks reasonable, then you know.

Of course there are always gonna be thrashed cars out there, whether or not a holden, ford or a leyland etc, cross your fingers and hopefully you find a car you like.

[Nikked]

A lot of cars will feature a small amount of movement on jacks and hoists, one of the first things you learn when panel beating is to check all gaps for alignment with all 4 wheels on the ground (if possible) before welding. The degree of movement varies between cars. The car-o-liner datasheets also have measurements for most (if not all) cars in both engine in and engine out, due to the weight of the engine effecting the chassis...

Never knowen to not be able to open/close doors etc on a commodore whilst on a hoist, but you do see a small amount of miss-alignment (same with a falcon).

VZ Calais and SS seem to bee a good bargain these days.

[UberKnee]

I owned a VZ V8 Tonner previously, good car, as reliable as you'd expect, ie: very. Only issues I ever had were due to the Supercharger wearing through a few belts. Diff wasn't the greatest bit of gear but it did have to deal with a bit of power, of course though the Tonners had a different diff altogether than any of the other Commodores. Prior to that I had a VU SS, never had any major issues apart from those you'd expect of any car that was approaching 200k on the odometer.

Never heard of the chassis twisting issue though and I used to be quite into Commodores.

Really when it comes down to it they're no different really than Falcons, same general quality, fitment, reliability, etc. just have a different badge on the bonnet.

[damo6]

the last of the vz's would be my pick. the 6ltr (L76) responds much better to a tune than the ls1.in std unopened form they are very doughy off the mark compared to the 6ltr but thats just the difference in the std cam they both have. heres a link you could use to look at different models etc..http://www.users.on.net/~nweber/commodore/

[Angeldust]

ive had a VX SS for 3 years , then a VY II SS for almost 5 years and now a VZ clubbie for the last year or so. Only have had to replace a few minor things that you would expect to on cars that are now so old and and are generally very very good. Would definetly buy another, they are a great sized car in todays enviroment (i find the VE too big)

[fordomatic]

I had a VY clubsport in manual and it is still the best car I have ever owned, never had any issues with it at all. I think it all comes down to buying a car that has been cared for. I know it took me 6 months to find a good clubby as 90% of examples were thrashed and 10% were owners thinking they are still worth 10 grabs more than the others. If you have time just look at some and get an idea of condition. I would be looking at HSV, I picked my clubby up for the sane price as VZ SS's were back then.

[STINKY NINJA]

Its really good to get some opinions from those that have owned these cars,they sound like a good car to me with the usual problems like any second hand car.
Im going to look at a 2005 vz ssz this morning with a 5.7,havent seen any 6.0 come up for sale in my price range yet but id love to get one with the later motor if i do end up going for the holden,it just makes sense to get a bigger mtor if possible.

[nothin suss]

There's nothing wrong with either car. They all have typical issues as any Aussie made car will.
Just decide your budget and if you want a Holden V8 or Ford I6....

[uniacidz]

Originally Posted by STINKY NINJA

Its really good to get some opinions from those that have owned these cars,they sound like a good car to me with the usual problems like any second hand car.
Im going to look at a 2005 vz ssz this morning with a 5.7,havent seen any 6.0 come up for sale in my price range yet but id love to get one with the later motor if i do end up going for the holden,it just makes sense to get a bigger mtor if possible.

Good luck

[ridzilla]

My older brother has a very heavily worked 05 VZ Maloo and I have to say it's an animal, even in stock form it was a great car to drive! I made the decision to get my BA 6T mainly due to the interior, personally I feel like the VZ interior is a bit tacky and far too plain and boring. Other than that they are a fantastic car to drive and own, highly recommended.

[FTE]

I've had A VT 2 senator, VU SS, VY SS and VZ SS. All great cars. I've currently gone back to a VY, not quite as good as VZ due to missing out on climate control (and the useless in dash cup holders) but its a very good car. Also own an AU XR8 and the big thing I notice is size. The AU has much more room, usable boot space and the seats are more comfortable than the SS over distance due to the Holden headrest angles back so far.
Other than that the VT-VZ is a great car.
Just as a point of interest ive owned these models from new and secondhand with low and high km, I feel the model aged well in the real driving world.
Remember if your worried about body creak etc the VZ had the strut brace from factory. None of my LS1 cars suffered oil consumption

[Spammy]

If you end up with a Ls1, a maffless tune, cold air intake and exhaust completely transforms the car and gives it real puch right across the rev range. As for oil consumption, most of the early bad ones were fixed under warranty and by the VZ they had fixed the problem at the factory.

As for relaibailty - I have a VU SS ute and all I have don is put a new radiator in at 120,000km. Serivicing is dead easy for the home mechanic as well.

[AndyXR6T]

My mate has a VZ SS with the 6.0L. I expected alot more from these cars. Very sluggish and eveything felt very heavy including the steering. The only pros I can think of is that they sound awesome with an exhaust and they look great in factory trim

[svo supporter]

VZ rear suspension was the last of the upgraded IRS from the old VQ Statesman days....Holden started moving the mount up points from the VX range and continued moving them on every model change from that onwards...The VZ range it was improved immensley from the VQ Statesman range, however it still wasn't 100% perfect...

Strut brace....never seen one fitted from the factory and I was lowering these when new....So news to me.

Never struck chassis twist issues when jacked up....I have had these up on hoists, one set of wheels in the air and had to open the doors to find lock nut keys and always been able to open the doors...

Front strut bearing plates wear.....But like everything, age wears things out.

That's about all I can think of at this stage