1986 Holden Commodore SL RB30E

Summary:

Performance powerhouse car

Faults:

Windscreen washers turn on by themselves.

Aircon switch no longer works.

Rust around the front windscreen is quite bad.

Boot leaks.

Electrical problems with front headlights and rear brake lights.

General Comments:

For a standard car I found it quite appealing performance wise, especially being a manual.

Still I wanted more power which is not hard to attain. I added a 2.5" exhaust, hi-flow cat, extractors, Simota racing air filter and cold air ducting.

Next I think to make the car even quicker I will chip it and add a cam and maybe even some head work, then for a non-turbo not much should get close unless it's wet.

The interior is quite good but the exterior needed some help with dark windows, no badges, 17" CSA mags. Being dumped to the ground with low profile tyres and some tinted brake lights always sets it off on a silver car.

Although seat covers, a racing steering wheel and gear knob do help the interior, it still needs a little more, colour detailing maybe???

Overall it's a great car and I love it, it blows off my mates crappy ET turbo and keeps up with a C18 Turbo. Make sure you get the speed restrictor removed however otherwise you're done for after 180km/h which some other performance cars cruise at.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 21st June, 2001

12th Sep 2001, 20:14

The manuals sound sweet with the 2.5 inch exhaust, extractors and hi-flow cat, don't they? I have trouble getting a good start off the line due to traction problems :)

17th Jul 2002, 06:20

A speed limiter on the RB30E engine, i don't think so. The ECU has a fuel shut off that comes in at 6250 rpm. Even at that point your speed in 5th gear would be well in excess of 200 kph. Not that the engine will propel the car to the redline in 5th gear.

1986 Holden Commodore VL 3.0L

Summary:

Sweet

Faults:

Bad electrics. BUT, it's cause I had to use half the loom from another wreck, and transfer all the good bits out of my wreck into a good shell.

Other than that, it had a thermostat problem, which turned into a leak. I ended up driving it around for about 500km without any radiator fluid (ie DRY!). It still goes though.

General Comments:

As I said, it still goes after around 500km of HARD driving. I haven't heard of this happening to any other car, let alone specifically Commodores, but there you have it. I drive the tyres, engine, and everything else off my cars, but I just can't seem to kill this baby.

Good performance, good economy (for a six cylinder), good looks. GOOD CAR.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 7th June, 2001

1986 Holden Commodore VL 6 cylinder

Summary:

High performance automobile

Faults:

No faults as yet!!!

General Comments:

I owned a VK Commodore 253 before buying my VL - Calais look-a-like. I've had it for approximately 2 weeks and never have I been let down, either on a long drive or in a drag.

My car is immaculate, I never thought I could see a 1986 model in this type of condition. It puts my heavily worked VK 253 to shame.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th June, 2001

17th Jul 2002, 06:37

The VK Commodore was never produced with a 4.2 litre V8 engine. The 4.2 along with the 2.8litre 6 cylinder had been dropped when the VK was released.

1986 Holden Commodore VL 3.0L straight 6

Summary:

Cheap car. Ideal for 1st time car buyers

Faults:

Radiator needed a re-coil.

Steering rack leaks at 620,000km.

Horn needs replacing at 620,000km.

Head lamp fuse blew up, need a new fuse box.

General Comments:

This ex-taxi has done quite well considering it has well over 700,000km on the clock. The engine has since had a rebuild due to wear, but performs quite well for a standard 6 cylinder.

A very nice looking car too, both outside and inside, and ideal for 1st car buyers, also easy and cheap to modify too :)

Excellent for those Saturday nights up against Excels and Lancers :)

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th June, 2001