1987 Ford Falcon XF II S Pack review from Australia and New Zealand

Head gasket went at approx. 170,000 Ks.

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Started to rust at the base of the rear C pillars and also in the lower part of the rear guards.

I bought this car privately for $3,700 in 1996. It had no service history, but the motor still seemed strong and tight. This was a good buy at the time because basic XF GL's were still going for around $5k.

The car was a Falcon S in yellow with factory pursuit steel rims. Because it was the basic 3.3 ltr non EFI motor it was a bit gutless on the road. It used to run out of steam on the highway and for overtaking you needed a good long bit of road!

Head gasket blew one day while driving. Just stopped and wouldn't start again. Had it towed to my mechanic who told me the bad news and said it would cost around $2,000 to $2,500 to fix including labour. This was too much to spend on a car that was only worth about $3,000.

I bought a new gasket and fixed it myself with the help of my stepfather. Only ended up costing about $400 from memory. Once this was fixed the rust started to appear! I'd had enough so I sold it quick without a road worthy cert. for $2,700 to this spray painter guy who could fix the problems himself.

Bought myself a very decent EA II Fairmont as my replacement. This was a great car - see my separate review.