1987 Holden Commodore VL review from Australia and New Zealand

Outside of normal servicing, nothing had gone wrong with this car from new until 126000km's.

Tailshaft centre bearing replaced at 126,000km's.

Rear muffler replaced at 126,000km's.

Power steering rack replaced at 130,000km's.

Air flow sensor replaced at 154,000km's.

Engine temp. sender replaced at 165,000km's.

Battery replaced at 176,000km's.

Crank angle sensor replaced at 186,000km's.

Fuel tank breather hoses replaced at 198,000km's.

Clutch slave cylinder replaced at 225,000km's.

Crank angle sensor replaced at 241,000km's.

Radiator replaced at 257,000km's.

Air flow meter replaced at 270,000km's.

Crank angle sensor replaced at 270,000km's.

Alternator replaced at 270,000km's.

This car was quick in it's day, with 15.3 second quarter mile times straight out of the box. Being a manual, it can feel sluggish around town until wound up.

Highway driving and overtaking ability is still a dream that few cars can emulate.

The standard four wheel disc brakes feel more positive than the current model Astra.

Handling is good for a car of it's age though I'd recommend some new bushes and upmarket shocks. I had Koni adjustables fitted almost fifteen years ago and they've improved the ride considerably. Car can be twitchy at speed with head or crosswinds.

Steering is very direct and if you're doing serious country driving don't be tempted to fit wheels larger than 16" diameter as you will feel every pothole and bump through the body and the steering.

Reliability over the seventeen years I've owned it has been relatively good, except for the crank angle sensors on the distributor. They usually give no warning when they're about to fail and can leave you stranded. Air flow meters can send out all sorts of mixed signals when they're on the way out and can be time consuming to isolate. Most Holden dealers don't want to know these cars anymore.

Exterior plastic trim/bumpers can be fragile and very few VL's seem to have theirs intact these days.

Wind noise can be annoying, but replacing window and door seals will cure a lot of this, as the window channel seals especially, harden with age.

Overall it's been a pleasure to own this car from new, though to buy one now I'd be looking for one with limited owners and a reasonably complete service history. Mileage with the engine isn't really an issue if they've been looked after.