1976 Holden HJ Kingswood 3.3lt 202 petrol from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

I will never sell this car

Faults:

Brakes locked up - minor problem.

Front seat is tearing a bit.

Back window and door broken - can't open.

Exhaust manifold screws came off.

A bit of rust coming through, but nothing major.

General Comments:

She's as reliable as anything. Never broken down since I've had it.

Real sturdy. Crashed into poles and other cars many times, but barely leaves a dent.

Massive amount of space, can put a double bed in the back.

Beautiful looking beast.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 31st May, 2009

1975 Holden HJ Premier 4.2L on Gas from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Classic for a bargain price

Faults:

Occasionally it's hard to start on petrol, due to the Gas tuning. Warming on fuel takes about 5 times longer than on Gas.

Door trims are bad... wearing thin in places and cracked on certain bends in the vinyl.

General Comments:

Motor re-built 15,000 kms ago.

Gearbox replaced with M21 4-speed.

Old classic, worth every cent.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 3rd October, 2003

1974 Holden HJ Premier Wagon 5.0 from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Nice cheap cruiser

Faults:

When I bought the car it needed a new engine which at the time of purchase was a 253 but I decided to install a 308.

A couple of months after putting in new engine I replaced transmission and rear end.

The car needs a new interior as age has taken its toll.

General Comments:

The car is fairly fast and quite good with handling as well.

Presently the car is getting a complete make over.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th July, 2003

1974 Holden HJ Stationwagon from Australia and New Zealand

Faults:

The first thing was an oil pump cog.

Then the clutch.

An Exhaust gasket.

And a head gasket.

General Comments:

Replaced the old air filter with a new cold-air air intake in order to increase fuel economy& Horsepower, but intend on changing too a duel carburettor inlet manifold.

Lowered it to increase handling & road holding.

Spent $1500 on customizing it, but still hope too spend another $8500 to finish it.

What can I say it's a "TANK".

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 28th March, 2003

1974 Holden HJ 202 red from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

A really good hobby car

Faults:

The front and rear window seals leaked.

Inside door handles have broken a few times.

General Comments:

It's a bit slow of the mark, but when it gets going, it's pretty fast.

Even though this car is older than me, I wouldn't trade it in until it blows up, which I hope never happens.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 15th June, 2002

1976 Holden HJ 202 from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

A reliable tank

Faults:

The gear stick knob broke.

The heater switch broke.

It overheated on a 36 degree Celsius day in a traffic jam.

A universal joint needed replacing at 110,000 kilometers.

General Comments:

The car has been very reliable.

On gas it is cheap to run.

The interior is very comfortable.

The car is a bit slow unless you plant your foot.

The original paint job has started to deteriorate because the car sits outside every night.

The car is strong and can be taken anywhere.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th January, 2002

1975 Holden HJ Kingswood 253 V8 from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Pickle me grandmother! Not the Kingswood!!

Faults:

The only real thing that has gone wrong with my car is that one of the head gaskets blew. However, when the heads came off, it was found that the car still had the original 26 year old metal gaskets.

Also minor things like a broken bonnet (hood) release and odometer.

General Comments:

I love this car, it handles like a barge and is a dedicated under-steerer, but it sounds awesome and performs really well.

Being on LPG, it is also really cheap to run, especially for a V8.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 11th January, 2002

1975 Holden HJ Coupe 5.0L V8 from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Stylish, tough, dependable, powerful

Faults:

Minor things like bearings, water-pump, fuel gauge.

General Comments:

Extremely dependable car when they are properly maintained. Very easy to fix - I have learnt how to deal with most things just by reading the service manual...

Plenty of power. The economy is better from a 5.0L V8 with a Rochester carburettor then there is with a 6 cylinder motor for sure. Less than 10 litres of petrol per 100 km in the country.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 28th June, 2000

26th Mar 2001, 22:50

Mate, good point about the HJ, but with live rear axle and leaf spring suspension, it won't be going round corners. Neither will it be braking with the old drum brakes on the back. A much better buy is a XB Falcon, same crappy suspension and poor braking as the HJ but much more power from the 4.9L or the even bigger and better 5.8L.

17th Jul 2001, 09:18

There are no leaf springs on a HJ pal!

3rd Oct 2001, 04:13

Unless you get yourself a Ute or P/van.

20th Nov 2005, 00:55

Much more power, perhaps from the 351 boat anchor, but not from the 302, which came with a 2 barrel carby and, from memory 210 gross HP, while the 308 was 240 HP.