1988 Holden Camira JE 2.0 petrol from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

The Camira has probably been the best value car I have ever owned

Faults:

The exhaust system had some holes in it when I bought it, which was easily replaced with a better sports exhaust.

The starter motor didn't always start, so it was replaced with a cheap re-conditioned unit.

General Comments:

The engine was sweet, plenty of power from the 2.0 litre multi-point injected four cylinder.

The shape of the car looks nice, and the interior is comfortable and modern.

Even without power steering, it was still very easy to drive and park.

Cheap to fix and get parts for, and very economical to run.

Beats a standard Commodore in a traffic light drag, and it's very easy to get a lot more power from this versatile little car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th August, 2001

21st Jan 2002, 19:20

Possibly the worst car I've ever owned!

The build quality is shocking, at first I thought it had been in an accident.

All though it has plenty of power, the lack of power steering makes it very heavy to drive at low speed. The driver's seat is either too close to the steering wheel or too far from the pedals.

Very unreliable. The engine itself seems fine as does the clutch & notchy gearbox, the cooling system seems enable to handle the engine & is often running hot & even overheating. The electrics are an abomination, no one can fix them or perhaps they are fixed & are just a crap design.

Basically don't buy one.

Ps. parts are cheap & it seems to have little rust.

Rockingham WA.

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1988 Holden Camira Executive 2.0 litre petrol from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

A solid car with quite exciting performance

Faults:

Transmission broke.

Replaced engine mounts.

All these happened the week I bought it.

General Comments:

The car is comfortable and reasonably quiet inside.

Goes hard for a 2.0 litre automatic.

Could do with a brake upgrade though, brakes are shocking after a hard stop.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th July, 2001

1988 Holden Camira JE 2.0 injected from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Bullet-proof, great to drive

Faults:

Water pump O-ring.

Power brake booster.

Tailgate wiring.

Headlamp relay.

Faulty PCB on instrument cluster.

General Comments:

Greatly under-rated vehicle.

Unfortunately suffers from a supposed bad reputation, yet, rattles aside, is a great car.

Handles beyond most people's expectations.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 8th July, 2001

1988 Holden Camira JE 2.0 litre from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

A bargain with balls (2.0 only, sorry guys), can be reliable if serviced regularly

Faults:

Connections to the battery needed replacing, that's about all. Knock on wood!

General Comments:

The car was a bargain at $1500 AU and at traffic lights it still beats brand new $20000 cars such as Lancers, Hyundais and Civics, using the tough 2.0 L fuel injection engine and 4 speed auto. Wish it was manual though...

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

Review Date: 31st May, 2001

29th Oct 2003, 21:49

Hey I have a camira like yours except mine is a five speed manual. it's a beast!!! I fully agree with you when you say it beats everyone at the lights!!

12th Jan 2004, 19:03

Just to join you both - I too agree.

It's nice to cruise on past a guy in a new little hotted up Hyundai only kick his butt at the next set - while dropping one for him to grovel at.

My man and I have a Magna 94 and a JE 87 and the JE still manages to be the most reliable out of the two - ironic that I'm the one driving it :)

Only thing is my A/C doesn't work. any ideas anyone?

31st May 2004, 01:24

The '88 Camira is a benchmark of Australian automotive engineering. They finally got it right with this model. I have an '88 wagon with 210,000 km on the clock and it still goes like the clappers. It will sit comfortably on 140km/h on the open road (not that I condone speeding), it has a cool custom paintjob with flames up the bonnet and waves on the sides, and it turns more heads than those hotted-up hoon mobiles. Go the mighty Camira!!!

9th Jan 2006, 00:03

I have a JE 2.0l sedan with a 3 speed auto and she flies. That was before the mods. Now she doesn't just fly, she rockets!!!.

Mods include sports exhaust and pod filter with cold air induction.

I'm the 3rd owner and she has only done 115,000 and I can look forward to many more years of Camira fun.

1988 Holden Camira JE SL/X 2.0 litre from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

An uncomfortable underpowered thing

Faults:

Exhaust fowled suspension.

Rear muffler cracked.

Air-Con broke.

Clutch.

Gearbox oil needed replacing.

There is some movement in the rear wheel bearings.

Alternator bushes replaced.

General Comments:

Although there seem to be a lot of problems with this car, they are all fairly minor. A few other things have been fixed and overall repair costs have only come to around $400.

Personally I feel that the car has more power than I had expected (although it is gutless) and has proved reliable ever since I fixed the alternator.

However, this car is the first I have actually driven on the roads. The reason I bought it was simply a matter of funds. Although it is alright I never really wanted anything but a Commodore. I should have ignored my cash flow and bought one anyway as all the Camira has done is made me realise how stupid it was to buy it.

If you want and economical car that isn't going to draw any attention to you, then get a Camira. If you want a nice car with effortless power and some comfort then pass the Camira because those things it is not.

Also the manual gearbox is very notchy, I recommend the auto.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 18th May, 2001

5th Jun 2001, 23:11

Commodore?! They eat my dust each time I see the green light. I have the same model Camira as yours and I'm happy with it. Yours must be in really bad condition.

9th Jun 2001, 06:16

I have got the same model as you and I have beaten Commodores, fully worked 2.0 L Geminis, Escorts and a few other unknown cars. I have never had a mechanical problem with it. Put a 2 inch sports exhaust and a HSV cat on, and feel the power.

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