1982 Holden Commodore SL 3.3 litre from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

A car which drinks to much fuel

Faults:

Windscreen had a crack and needed to be replaced

This cost $140 for a new windscreen.

Carburettor had a flat spot

Rebuild carburettor same problem after rebuild had to buy another carburettor.

Rear window demister did not work due to wiring problem

Repaired wiring and now works.

Front and rear brakes needed replacing.

Front disc's were under size replaced with new discs.

Rear shockers did not work

Replaced with new ones.

General Comments:

This car has been looked after everything things still works on it even the Air-condition.

This car has heaps of power for a old 6 cylinder engine.

The cabin is still in good condition the seats are still comfortable.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 1st October, 2002

1982 Holden Commodore SL 4.2 V8 (253) from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

An enthusiast's ideal first car

Faults:

Ignition used to break up and misfire properly. This was only due to the previous owner replacing the electronic distributor with a points one that was faulty. It ran wonderfully before he done that.

Valve stem seals are worn.

General Comments:

It is reasonably powered for a standard car, and enough for a young bloke to learn the ropes of V8 ownership with.

The interior is fantastic, like it has just come out of the factory.

Bad fuel economy must be tolerated in standard form. They aren't the most efficient of vehicles if left standard.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 20th July, 2002

1982 Holden Commodore SL/X 1.9L petrol from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

A low performance, old friend who never leaves your side

Faults:

Air leaking into the carburetor.

Water leaks inside the cabin.

Divers seat height adjustment broke.

Reverse lights failed (fault in the

T-Bar selector.)

General Comments:

This car has lasted me 22 years and I have had little problems with the car, but towards its 20 year old mark the engine after a recondition which had just about had it.

Apart from all that the car had no real problems, apart from the fact that one of the biggest mistakes holden had ever done was to put a four cylinder into a six cylinder car. It was slow.

And I mean real slow it took 22 seconds to get to 100km/h with my foot touching the ground with a empty cabin.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 3rd June, 2002

4th Oct 2002, 10:42

Take it easy on the old como, your the one who optioned for the 4 cylinder.

As for your previous car A top of the range ford, if you were wanted something comparable you should have got a statesman.

1982 Holden Commodore SL 2.85 Blue Motor from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Incredibly reliable and comfortable bargain for $500

Faults:

Front disks were not crash hot at purchase. $150 plus $48 for new bearings solved the problem.

Wear of front felt window glass channels: c$29 per window to replace.

New front shocks (c$100)

New water pump (not faulty, just for insurance!) : $80.

Air conditioning charged and updated ($20 for a drier receiver, $28 for a pressure switch and c$40 for new gas/oil)

The car cost $500 to start with.

General Comments:

The car has lots of power, even compared to a '91 VN Commodore I had previously.

Fuel consumption on Canberra - Bendigo trips (two done to date) is at 9.5 l/100kms. Around town it is 13 - 15 l/100kms.

With the 5 speed box it sits comfortable all day at 120 or 110 kmh.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th February, 2002

4th Nov 2003, 19:45

I also recently bought a VHS LE 202 bored out to a 253 for $500 I've spent $200 so far on a wing, some paint work and had the engine bay painted and detailed. I find that it is lacking power on take off and can't find a reason for this. some ideas on the matter would be greatly appreciated.

1st Jan 2005, 00:15

I too have a 1982 VH SLX Commodore with a 4.2 Lt (253) in it. I find that it is also a little slow on take off, however I find that once the revs get above 2500 - 3000 RPM then you can feel its power. I've been told that there are several factors for this situation, one of them being the diff ratio and the other is the stall converter that is installed with the 3 speed trimatic. A lower stall setting will have the above effect.

I also find that it is quite heavy on fuel and from 55 litres of LPG I only get about 200 Km on a mixture of main road/High Way/City driving.

Still unable to determine the cause for the lack of fuel economy. Maybe it is just a a thirsty engine design?

Can I just ask, for those VH's with AC fitted, how well does it cool if the car has been sitting in the sun for a few hours. Mine worked well if the car was parked in the shade and you put the AC on before you take off, but forget it if you were parked in the sun on a hot day, it would never cool the car down before you got home.