1995 Ford Falcon EF GLi 4.0 six cylinder
Summary:
A honest and reliable car
Faults:
Fitted a new water pump at 235000 Km's.
Occasionaly and only when cold, the automatic transmission loses drive temporarily for up to 5 seconds or may be slow to change gear. Never happens if you let the car warm up a bit before you drive it.
The rear molded plastic mud flaps are easily damaged by stones when traveling on shingle roads. They tend to split or shatter.
General Comments:
My Falcon is a ex New Zealand Police car and is fitted with Tickford suspension, high performance LSD diff, and is chipped (upgraded engine management system). It's performance is equal to an XR6 Falcon of the same year.
It goes very well and is not showing any signs of weakness. It has never had it's motor or transmission rebuilt or reconditioned, but it has been regularly serviced.
The cars interior is well laid out and ergomically styled it does not look dated like the interior of holden commodores the same year. it is comfortable for both short and long trips.
I highly recommend the ABS brakes they have incredible stopping ability.
It also has a driver air bag - of which I have no intention of testing.
The power/economy switch is brilliant ecomony mode is good for every day driving both city and highway. The power mode gives you a more performance oreintated shift pattern for the automatic transmission, and is ideal for towing, or hills, but hard on the fuel economy.
Probably most suited to a role as family car.
"It's capable of spinning the wheels on nearly any road surface in the dry and is a whole lot of fun on a wet or greasy road.
Despite the hard life my car has had it is extremely reliable and has not let me down yet. I believe there is a lot of life left in it as well.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 20th August, 2002
29th Jun 2003, 21:02
This car has now clocked well over 250,000 km's Since I wrote the above review the brake light switch crapped out and a small water hose under the inlet manifold burst - only minor little things.
I tried to sell the car, but found it a very hard car to sell, it seems no one wants an old falcon with moderate km's in New Zealand.
Seems I can't get rid of the falcon, I have given the car a bit of a freshen up since it clicked over 250,000 km's. it now has a XR8 interior which is a lot more comfortable than the standard GLI items. To help with the exterior appearance I have fitted an '98 EL Fairmont front (bonnet, grille, bumper & headlights) and a genuine Tickford Fairmont bodykit.
I've read a few reviews saying it is to easy to spin the wheels or nearly lose control in the wet in late model Falcons & Fairmonts. This makes me laugh, the problem is not with the car or the tyre's it's the driver.