1985 Ford Falcon XF Ute review from Australia and New Zealand

In the 2 years that I've owned it, there have been a few problems.. most of them though were just to rebuild it to warranty standard (vehicle wasn't from a dealer, I had to pull it from a swamp!!).

Had a few rust issues from sitting in the swamp for 8 months;

Alternator needed replacing;

Starter motor has been done 3 times;

Door handles (inside & out) have broken numerous times, but these are cheap & easy to replace;

Steering box (power steering) is a constant source of grief, as it's beyond the help of an overhaul, & spares are hard to come by in NZ;

Ball joints & pitman arms are due for replacement next week;

Carburettor needed (and got) a full rebuild over Christmas... runs sweet now;

Windscreen leaks at the top corners - not a major problem, but can be annoying;

Want to do something about the column change... swap to a floor change, but unsure of how?

Aside from above complaints, I am very happy with my ute. My original intention was to use it to haul our stock-car to race meets, & it handled the chore with ease (generally, we take about 3 tons of car & gear to a meet, & with the spares in the tray, & the car in behind, it pulled like a dream!).

The only complaint I have about the design of the ute is in regard to the fuel tank (location) and the fuel inlet. I would prefer to have the tank at the rear of the vehicle (instead of in the middle) to assist with road-holding; and the fuel inlet is tooooooo low on the side of the tray! ie. the gas has to go straight in (& at dead slow, or it'll spill out). Not happy with this design at all!

The tank locale is no longer a prob though, as I've ordered a long-range tank, which will be mounted behind the diff (the original 68L tank will be turfed!).

Also, when the ute is empty, it can be very difficult to control on wet corners (I have managed to spin it 360 degree inside several tire shops to demonstrate the problem). I have some new tires on order which should assist with the problem (235/40 18's in front, and 320/30 18's in rear... if I can find them!!)... Can't alter the suspension re handling, as it has been set up for heavy towing, and I want to keep it that way.