1987 Ford Falcon GL series 2/U review from Australia and New Zealand
"A reliable high performing BEAST"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Unfortunately lots of mechanical problems have occurred with the car because the dealer wound back the clock by 100,000 and sold it cheap. So here is the huge list for a car that's done over 350,000. Note the car had everything original from the factory when I bought it.:
Lifters and Cam Shaft - upgraded to performance cams and lifters (stage 3)
Radiator, water pump.
Head Gasket and Head corrosion.
Automatic gearbox
LSD Diff is on its way out.
Front end suspension spring retainers.
Cat converter is rooted, lol you don't want to know what I did with that.
Um other little things in th car such as air conditioning and little bits of annoying things.
General comments?
After I have fixed and changed all this on my car it has become one very fast machine able to pass VN commodores and keep up only 1 metre away from Vr commodores and Vs's. it has been lowered with a set of king springs and 225/60 tyres to match and is great going around corners, It has loads of torque and is great for towing. LSD is great for off road driving or just your everyday use, but be careful in the wet, they are an arse end happy car.
Interior wise it is nice and comfy with lots of space to easily fit in 5 people. The dashboard looks more modern than a VL commodore and if you want, you can pick up a digital speedo from an LTD from the wreckers to make it look different. But unfortunately the boot isn't as big as some people think, and the spare tyre sits on the side which can be annoying if you want to carry a bike in the boot.
For the amount of km this car has done, it has been reliable. the car never really broke down and I drove it 200km from Euroa to Melbourne on 5 cylinders with the bad lifter knocking away and a stuffed cam shaft, but still, nothing happened.
The bottom end of the engines in these cars are stronger than a bullet. I got mine checked and they said it was still perfect. no bearing wear or anything.
Since I have done a lot to the car. Stage 3 Crow cam was fitted with high performance lifters, the intake has been changed a little to have no hot air intake, even though the hot air intake valve is still there it no longer functions and stays closed.
In the front end it has had a XG grille and blue headlights installed. And there is a lot more I could add. But even though this car has had problems I would reccommend it to anybody that wants a cheap and reliable car that can run on half a radiator full of coolant and on 5 cylinders without too much hassle. The parts for this car is very cheap and affordable and readily available at any local car wrecker...
Also for a car of this age, it has hardly any rust, but this always depends on how it was treated in its early life. If your looking at getting one, make sure to check out the rear quarter panels, under wheels, doors and around front and back windows, and if you can check under the front guards.
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| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 1987 |
| First year of ownership | 2002 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2004 |
| Engine and transmission | 4.1 carburettor 6 cylinder Automatic |
| Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 10 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 8 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 0 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 268000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 290000 kilometres |
| Previous car | Holden Gemini |
| Date of Entry | 2nd May, 2004 |