Faults:
Just to make the car roadworthy, I had to replace:
The front springs, tie rod ends, ball joints, pitman arm, steering box, brake master cylinder, all tyres and battery clamp.
This cost a total of $1400AUD.
After registering the car, it ate four alternators, another two master cylinders, the brake booster, the diff, the wiper arms and the rear wheel bearings.
I must mention that I almost always bought used parts at the wreckers' when replacing brakes and electrical parts. I am wiser now, and I know these parts would have lasted, had I not bought them second-hand!
It was my first car. It happens!
General Comments:
The man who sold me the car knew less than nothing about cars. This was obvious because he put 24V globes in the tail-lights, but couldn't tell me why they didn't work!
He had bought the car four years earlier and it had been resprayed in red enamel and had a re-trimmed velour interior. I looked fantastic, but he had since driven (and neglected) it nearly to death. The engine, body and cooling system were completely reliable and it never, ever overheated or broke-down.
The performance was amazing and it would easily beat most six-cylinder Toranas and V8 Falcons.
The handling was dreadful and could take over completely if driven fast into a tight bend. Scary!
The looks used to get lots of admirers, especially of the female variety.
6th May 2006, 19:20
I hate to tell you, but installing another speaker will not give you stereo sound unless you replace the radio as AM is not broadcast in stereo, only FM is. But if you just want the sound to go further around the car, installing another speaker will help, but you'll probably end up burning out the radio's amplifier anyway. You can buy AM/FM/CD players for well under $100.