2nd Apr 2011, 19:57

I have a 2004 BA Ford Falcon XT model that I bought second hand in 2006. At the time of purchase, it just had over 17,000 km on the clock. As of today it currently has just over 58,000 km.

The car hasn't broken down yet. Touch wood it doesn't.

The power and the performance in my view are quite good. Plenty of torque at low revs, and lots of get up go when you put the foot down, but boy can it drink. The Falcon is a great car for long distances, hit the cruise control on the highway and the fuel consumption is quite reasonable; a little better than a Commodore of the same vintage.

I do feel the shuddering when I put on the brakes, which is mostly at higher speeds above 80 km/h, and also when going down steep hills at low speeds, the shuddering can be felt when braking.

There is the odd clunk and clanking sound when I put it in reverse, or when turning the steering to go into a car park at low speeds.

The BA is by no means a perfect car. Anyone who wants to own Falcon is better off with a used one, because that way you don't have that worry hanging over your head that you just bought a new car and all these niggling imperfections have cropped up. When I buy my next Falcon, I will buy an FG, either an XR6 or a G6E.

As with anything purchased, unfortunately from time to time you can end up with a lemon. I know people who have bought Audi's and VW's that turned out to be lemons. I once had an electric shaver that lasted only 2 shaves, and then it back to the shops for a refund. These days you get what you pay for.