1999 Holden Commodore Executive review from Australia and New Zealand

Rear brake lights stopped working. The dealer said it had a broken cable, so we got that repaired for $180.

Sometimes when turning lock to lock, the steering wheel makes this whining sound, usually in the morning.

Wheels keep making a squeaking noise, found out that it was just the hub cap being loose.

A lot of water keeps dripping when opening the boot during or after a rainy day.

Some of the rubber seals between the exterior panel joints have cracks in them.

When I was parked up my driveway on a rainy day, the driveway being steep, for some reason water got through the door sill. It was probably from the wind shield installed on that side, but it's just unacceptable how water can get in so easily. There was lots getting in. Don't seem to have that problem anymore, even though nothings been done.

Build quality is alright, some of the plastics joints are separating. My first car was a Mitsubishi Sigma and the plastics in that looked more up to the job than in the commodore. The main family car, a 2000 Camry, overall feels more reliable and solidly built, but this is just a minor issue, it's not like the commodore feels like its going to fall apart.

Overall it's a very good and reliable car, currently having no mechanical problems other than the rear brake lights.

Though there seems to be a lot of problems with the car (with all the list that I wrote), they're actually only minor problems, nothing serious. I can live with them and I would still recommend this car to a buyer.

Engine is very responsive, but sounds rough when going past 3000rpm and is let down by an automatic transmission that doesn't know which gear to choose. It sometimes makes a huge 'clunk' noise when downshifting.

Good fuel economy. I average about 11.9L/100km, that's a mix of highway and city, but more of highway.

Seats are comfortable, and the interior is huge, since I've only been in small-medium sized cars. Being a P-plater, this is an awesome car to have and has more than enough power.