1984 Holden Commodore SL 3.3 Carby from Australia and New Zealand
Summary:
Overall a great car to drive, but can cost heaps on fuel
Faults:
Starter motor went shortly after buying the car.
Starter motor went again 100km later!
Front brake pads needed replacing when I bought the car.
Rear drum cylinders were replaced at 211,000.
Windscreen wipers a bit dodgy.
General Comments:
I bought this car in mint condition as a one owner car which still had all the original books.
The engine had been replaced at 165,000km and has now done about 45,000km on the new one.
Unfortunatley I got one that was built right at the end of 1984 so it still had the carby instead of EFI in the 1985 model.
Not great fuel economy in the carby model compared to the EFI. Despite this I still get around 400km per tank on premium which isn't too bad. The 202 is notorious for chewing fuel like there's no tomorrow anyway.
The 3 speed trimatic rocks in low gears, but can be a bit sluggish in drive.
Overall a great car to drive, but can cost heaps on fuel.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 19th June, 2005
11th Dec 2005, 17:33
Hi there,
I own a 1985 Vk commodore myself.
I originally found as you said that it guzzled a lot of fuel.
I have found though that a common problem among early commodores is that the vapour lines at the fuel tank become all perished. This means that when you fill the petrol tank up it leaks petrol without you knowing it. Also, when you go around a corner, more petrol leaks out and when the car is standing, more petrol evaporates out.
I have fixed this by dropping the fuel tank and replacing the perished hoses. The hose is available from your local auto retailer.
I have helped a few friends with this also and although the fuel economy is not excellent, it improves so much that it becomes a reasonably efficient car.
You may want to consider checking this.