1978 Ford Falcon XE 4Litre from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

XE's are the best!

Faults:

It wouldn't start after I put a re conditioned engine in it.

Cylinder head cracked at 200000k's.

Window glass blew out at highway speed.

Needs new exterior door handles.

General Comments:

I love it.

Love upgrading it or fixing it every weekend.

Better than my previous 2nd hand Rolls Royce.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 28th August, 2006

26th Sep 2006, 03:40

No such thing as a 1978 XE

XE's came in 83.

16th Apr 2010, 06:44

That must have been a very sorry Rolls Royce.

In reply to 26th Sep 2006, 03:40

28th Aug 2024, 12:22

'82, but still. It was the first Falcon anywhere in the world available with a 5-speed gearbox! The drawback was that while changing 5 gears might work okay with little European buzzboxes hunting for the most out of every drop of fuel, tradionally large-bodied Aussie sixes were most relaxed behind a 3-speed manual column shift, or automatic.

1978 Ford Falcon 500 4.1Lt 6 cylinder high compression from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

A family sized wheel spinning performance beast!

Faults:

A full steering component overhaul was due before we bought it.

Shock absorbers & brakes were soon after all replaced & suspension lowered.

Original motor blew smoke. changed at 270000km replaced with reconditioned motor with full flow extractors & exhaust.

Recondition C4 floor shift automatic gearbox was fitted replacing the Borg warner column for heavy towing purposes.

Rust was appearing under cream vinyl so it was stripped & repaired & repainted black.

Wheels tend to spin easily & has burdened me with a $385 burnout ticket.

Rocker cover gasket leaking at 295000km.

General Comments:

This old falcon is extremely reliable. Never missed a beat after the reconditioned motor was put in.

Body extremely rust resistant apart from the vinyl roof.

Performance responsive considering the cars weight & size in proportion to power. 195km/h top speed.

Handling improved drastically after vehicle was lowered & alignment camber/caster settings set to racing specifications.

Huge amount of room inside very well suited to big families.

Vision though is hampered by small mirrors & low eye level.

Fuel consumption ranges from 275km to 400km on 75 liters depending on the way you drive.

All interior original & in great condition considering being 25 years old.

It is my first car which I am very happy about & I will never get rid of it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 13th September, 2003

14th Mar 2004, 05:12

Hey. I know I said I would not get rid of the car, but I just did the other day : (I miss it dearly, but I have just bought an E F falcon & I can't afford to run two cars at the moment. I swapped it for a KawasakiGPX 250 & $500 which I thought was reasonable seeing the bloke now owns the most reliable car in the world!