1999 Ford Falcon XR8 V8 petrol from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Some are lemons, but only some

Faults:

The car was fine for the first month. Then the following:

Ignition system failed, leaving me stranded and late for work, on at least 6 occasions. Ignition was finally replaced at the dealer, after much fighting with the dealer principal.

Engine management computer became faulty after six months. Replaced by dealer.

Wiper control relay burnt out. Replaced twice.

General Comments:

Great looking car. Black paint had a very deep lustre.

Performance is very willing! It's hard not to enjoy driving this car.

Ford Australia replaced the entire car for me, on a partial buy-back. Well done, Ford! I now have a silver one, which has been nothing but a pleasure to own!

I hope this was just a one-off lemon.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 10th November, 2007

9th Apr 2008, 01:02

I'd say only some are lemons. I too owned a 99 XR8 automatic with sunroof. Damn, I miss that car. Owned it for 2 years and nothing at all went wrong with it, I've never driven another car that handles quite like it either, albeit at the expense of ride quality. Apparently the AU XR8s handle even better than the BA's - never fanged a BA XR8 but I'd believe it as the boss 220 puts more weight over the front wheels than the old 5 (4.9) litre. Sadly as I was a young fella at the time I could not afford to keep it and had to down-trade. But I'd buy another one in a second, this time maybe a 200 or 220 kw version for a bit more grunt. If only the missus would let me...

1999 Ford Falcon 1 tonne ute 5 litre V8 from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Problem riddled

Faults:

A lot.

Had to replace tyres for roadworthy.

Automatic gearbox blew.

Needed new harmonic balancer.

I think it had a blown head gasket I didn't get it checked I just sold it.

Solenoid in the fuel system kept clicking.

Rear handbrake didn't work.

New brakes and discs.

Leaked a lot of oil.

Overheated frequently.

Cooling system failure.

General Comments:

The car was a 1999 ford falcon ute 1 tonner.

5 liter v8, quick off the mark, sounded alright for a stock system, I was thinking about a new exhaust system to make things more exciting, but I kept spending my money on other parts for it.

It could carry large loads and easily tow a 1.7 tonne boat.

Don't buy one unless you have deep pockets, it was always breaking down.

I was surprised with the fuel economy, my best ever was 7.4 on the highway which is the same as some 4 cylinders and I averaged about 11 around town with a, but of hard driving. the bottom line is v8s aren't really that heavy on petrol, but if you drive them hard they will bite back at you with a huge fuel bill.

I do miss the sound of it when I stuck my foot down to the floor, and the power that it provided when I required it.

I recently traded it in for a brand new Toyota hi-ace van which is flawless. but its slow as buggery.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 28th May, 2007

5th Jun 2007, 23:27

The ute you had a lot of kays, and was seven years old when you bought it. Being a v8 it was probably thrashed, and did you even look over it before buying it? If it had those problems, why buy it in the first place, instead of getting a well maintained example?

20th Dec 2007, 17:46

Because I needed a car.

1999 Ford Falcon AU XR6 4.0 6 cylinder from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

A poorly modified overpriced taxi

Faults:

LSD failed at 6000km. Cause not found. Replacement unit always noisy.

Gearbox noisy and difficult to use.

Clutch failure. Reason given by mechanic - overheated due to excessive city driving. (I didn't make that up!)

Sudden oil pump drive gear failure. Reason not given for failure.

Car constantly difficult to start, reason never found.

Paint faded very badly. Car was garaged and never neglected.

Boot leaked, but leak never found.

Power windows never worked properly.

General Comments:

Brakes and suspension not up to standard considering performance of car. Aftermarket products used to rectify.

Front seats gave good support and were quite comfortable for long trips.

Owning this car was never a positive experience. I obviously had the lemon from that batch.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 28th December, 2003

26th Mar 2009, 21:56

You managed to break a Ford LSD? Keep well away from a Japanese import then mate, coz you'll have engine bits all over the road.

27th Jun 2009, 02:30

I have just bought a 99 XR6 and the thing is sweet. You would think that by now if this car was dodgy, it would be showing signs of it on the long distance trips I have done.