thinking buying AU

[cthorange]

hi everyone,

im thinking of buying an AU series 1 (late 99 model) forte station wagon. its done about 130,000 kms, im interested to know what things i should specifically be looking out for with this model at this age,

i noticed some rust on one of the arms for the tail gate, not bad, and some squeeking on the back right rear shocker when going over bumps,

checking on the maintenance records i see the auto trans was serviced at 100,000kms (i assume tha tis a good thing), new front struts at 100,000 (how often do these need replacing?), just had new tyres put on the rear, front tyres have done about 30,000 kms, front pads just replaced

one thing it said on every maintenance report since the current owener got the car at about 80,000 was 'oil discoloured' but no reference has been made to what that is and the person has no idea about it apparently, so it would be nice to know if anyone has any ideas about what that means?

any suggestions would be appreciated, thanks,

[private9]

Hey bud, I'll offer advice on the things I know about!

The rust on the strut mounts for the tailgate is unfortunately very common - my 02 model has it on both sides! Unless it's severely rusted, not really anything to worry about.

Squeaking suspension shouldn't be anything too major.

Auto service at 100k is good, but it would be even better if it's been service once or twice before then as well. It's generally thought that the autos tend to die anywhere between 100-200k.

Sounds like it's been maintained fairly well, front struts generally go for at least 50k before they start to deteriorate I've found. Mine's still on the originals at 190k and they still feel ok (note OK, not great!).

the mention of discoloured oil in the service reports, would just be engine oil I'm guessing, which should have been changed a number of times since 80,000. Just make sure there are records of this being done.

Series 1's are very good value now for what you're getting. If you can afford the extra though, personally I'd be going for series 2 or 3, as they have better brakes along with lots of other handy little upgrades.

[sly]

Would be worth asking the servicing workshop about the discoloured oil. I assume you know who they are from the maint reports. The engine would be barely run in at 130,000km, the trannies have a rep for being fragile if not serviced regularly. Service the tranny yearly and be guided by your tranny shop as to when to have a full oil flush and they can last. My AU1 has the original engine & tranny at 315,000km.

The car is old enough that the various sensors in the engine management system will probably start to fail progressively. I've replaced almost all of mine over the last 3 years. Not necessarily a big deal, but it would be worth getting the car on a scantool to see if there are any diagnostic trouble codes (DTC's) to indicate any problems.

There are spots under the back seat where rust can occur. Take the back seat (base, not backrest) out by giving it a good thump (backwards and up) on each end at the front until it pops up. It just lifts out and will go back in by pushing down until the clips engage. Check the outer corners of the floor under the seat, right in under the backrest for any rust. Give the owner any loose change you find under the seat!

Other than that, the front brakes could be better. They are adequate for sedate driving, but if you intend to tow or get up it, a Series 2 or later car would be better due to much larger 2-piston front calipers. Or you could change over to later brakes - see the "BA Brakes onto AU" thread at the top of the forum. The shopping list for a BA brake upgrade is the same for grafting S2 or S3 brakes onto S1. Take the car for a good test run and see if the brakes it has are adequate for you.

[cthorange]

hey guys

thanks for all the advice, really appreciate it, ill definately give the guys who serviced the car a call and ask what they meant by discoloured oil and if its a problem or not.

also i didnt mention its also on LPG, it has a parnell system that was installed back at the dealership when it was new, i was wondering if that is a factory fitted system that is hooked up through all the computers etc or is it an after market non factory type set up? how is this system rated, i read some of the forums where people have been not very happy with parnell systems, the owner says he had some idle problems several years ago but has been no problem in the past 4 years. also what kind of economy should an AU be getting on LPG.

cheers,

[sly]

By late 99 I believe the only factory option was dedicated E-gas. So your Parnell system would be aftermarket, but it should be hooked up through the computer. Assuming the Parnell system uses a complex converter and simple mixer, you can tell by the valve between the gas converter and mixer, whether it's computer-controlled or not. If the valve has wiring going to it, it uses a stepper motor controlled by the gas computer to adjust the mixture according to feedback from the oxygen sensor. No wiring, no computer control.

An AU on LPG should use around 30% more than when running on petrol. My car does almost all country running and has returned between 12.5 and 16 l/100km over 120,000km depending on the camshaft fitted and my right foot!

[FGII-XR6]

the dual fuel option (tickford) went through to the early series 3 cars i have actually driven one as a cab it had the tickford ID plate and the guy bought it new but as stated this was a dealer fitted system and the parnell system was not used as a factory option AFAIK

[cthorange]

hey guys thanks for the feedback, i ended up having an racv inspection done on it which confirmed that the car was in pretty good condition, so made the purcahse an picked it up on the weekend, took it for a good drive out in the country side on the weekend and then around the suburbs last couple of days, really happy with it so far, noticed the handbrake is either gone or incrediably loose (how it passed a rwc and a racv check is anyones guess - probably cause they didnt test it), so now RACV have to agreed to pay to get it fixed up for me as part of their 30 day gurantee on the inspection, so thats not to bad at all.

best thing about the car, its a 6 six seater (i was sceptical that it would be a bench seat but the drivers and passenger seat remains bucket so that was a good thing) and because of this it has a column shift, i've decided column shifts are awesome and should be making more of a come back to standard cars as well, they are the way of the future!

now all i have to do is get out the coat hangers and such to remove the radio.....

[private9]

Originally Posted by cthorange

hey guys thanks for the feedback, i ended up having an racv inspection done on it which confirmed that the car was in pretty good condition, so made the purcahse an picked it up on the weekend, took it for a good drive out in the country side on the weekend and then around the suburbs last couple of days, really happy with it so far, noticed the handbrake is either gone or incrediably loose (how it passed a rwc and a racv check is anyones guess - probably cause they didnt test it), so now RACV have to agreed to pay to get it fixed up for me as part of their 30 day gurantee on the inspection, so thats not to bad at all.

best thing about the car, its a 6 six seater (i was sceptical that it would be a bench seat but the drivers and passenger seat remains bucket so that was a good thing) and because of this it has a column shift, i've decided column shifts are awesome and should be making more of a come back to standard cars as well, they are the way of the future!



now all i have to do is get out the coat hangers and such to remove the radio.....

Good stuff mate, glad to hear it all worked out!

I'm with you on the column autos - I had an AU with a bench seat/column as a temporary daily up until a few weeks ago, and I must say it was awesome! So comfy, lots more room to move around, and always room for that extra person - and with 10 younger brothers and sisters, I need that extra seat!