1985 Holden Barina MB review from Australia and New Zealand

Left C.V joint starting to sound worn out.

Interior damaged.

Seats have started to wear badly.

Paint faded on top of car (to be expected of metallic paint of this vintage)

Being built by Suzuki it is a very quick little car, didn't go too badly in a highway rally against a turbo charged 4 wheel drive Ford Laser.

The previous owner treated the vehicle like crap (e.g carried amounts of timber inside it, didn't take care of the vehicle mechanically or Appearance wise). When I picked up the car it had no oil in the sump at all! the spark plugs were not at the correct spacing, the brake pads were all worn, there was air in the brake lines and the car was still operating, struggling, but operating.

For about 2 months I ran high octane fuel and even my girlfriend could tell the difference!

Running costs are the biggest thing in favour of the car for me: Tyres are around $60 Austrlian each, a new muffler cost me $110 Australian and the car has a 31 litre fuel tank so I can fill the car for around $30 Australian at the most and still travel 400 kilometers.

Finally on a "Boy Racer" note, I still have the option of swapping the engine for a 16 valve G.T.i Engine, turbo charge and a body kit should be easy to make up using Lancer side skirts, and bumpers from other vehicles of the same width.