Faults:

Nothing so far, but recently detected a misfire. Have to find out why.

General Comments:

Bought the car second hand for AUD14,000 in December 2015 from a Mazda dealership with full service history (ex government car), so was very well maintained in Sydney for a hire car business. I have driven it 24000 km in less than five months so far without any problem, and only have done basic maintenance so far e.g. oil change etc.

This is the first Australian made car I have bought, and the most luxurious; I love it. The exterior looks very intimidating; much better than the Commodore VE, and the interior, anyone who has sat in it appreciated it very much; the leather seats are comfortable and soft, the amazing leg room. The Bose stereo system with DVD player in the roof with 10 speakers, surround sound and three screens is fantastic.

I was a bit apprehensive buying a Holden; have heard lots of stories of bad quality, and this and that. But I am surprised that it took all the punishment I have given to this car by driving it on Sydney roads, without a peep. Driving this big car is so easy and comfortable; on Australia Day I drove it for 16 hours and I wasn't tired.

I never thought it would be so good on fuel; looking at the size of car I get about 13L/100 km with the A/C on at all times, mostly driving in the city area. 8.4L/100 km on the Hume highway on the way to Melbourne. Parts are cheap and widely available, as most are also used in the VE Commodore.

I hope it stays reliable like this, as I intend to drive it for some time. I have seen similar cars on the Carsales website having done 750,000 km.

Faults:

Power steering high pressure hose failed.

Air con vent selector failed.

Differential failed.

General Comments:

The WB Statesman is such a fantastic car to own and drive. Soaks up the bumps, and enough power and mod cons to satisfy. Beautiful Rolls Royce inspired grille on the Caprice. The best of the classic Holdens.

Difficult to park because of the large turning circle.

The rear seat is honestly the most comfy back seat I've ever sat in!

If you're looking to buy one, try to get one with as little rust as possible. Also test if the air con vent selector works properly as it is vacuum operated and the hoses can fail. Also note the many subtle differences between the Deville and Caprice models, including but not limited to:

Taillights, grille, badges.

Dash and centre console trim.

Wheels.

Door card trims.

Front and rear seats.

Stereo system.

Options like power windows and cruise control.

Thanks to every man and his dog parting out these cars, parts are easy to find through eBay. A modern classic car that will appreciate in value if looked after.

Faults:

* Discs warp fast. Due to Holden putting on discs too small for a car of this size. Results in steering shudder on braking. $130 to machine.

* Holden Assist, though deactivated, started dialing the phone connection when engine is switched off. Also causes hissing sound in stereo.

* Car developed a steering shake at 100km/h a few weeks after I bought it. To compensate I inflate the tyres to 38psi. I have had the shake looked at by many different people, but no one can figure it out.

* Memory seats turn off intermittently. This is not often enough to worry about yet.

General Comments:

Comfortable, good climate control system, nice interior and exterior styling. It's the little things that make it swell. When you indicate, a white light shines out the side of the car. Useful at night. Dipping rear view mirror is also marvelous. When reversing, I can see the curb. Makes it so easy to parallel park. Memory seats are also very useful. The interior room and boot space is fantastic. A very comfortable ride. The V8 power is enough to get you going and then some. I put in an aftermarket LPG system with the gov rebate. Great of fuel and no power loss.

Besides the negatives the car is nice to drive. It does deprecate fast, but I bought it for a good price. Get LPG fitted and it's cheaper to run than a 4 cylinder. At the end of the day, it's still a Holden. I'm not convinced I'd buy another one, but then again, I haven't driven the latest model. The car does make you feel like your king of the road (until an S-Class pulls up ;-) )