1987 Holden Calais Series 2 Turbo 3 litre turbocharged. from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Find a looked after turbo example and your laughing

Faults:

-Air flow meter blew, cost $35 for a new one

-Timing has gone out a few times, just needed a tune to fix

-Extreme amount of compressor surge (flutter) sometimes mean the car can stall if accelerated heavily then instantly stopping and pushing the clutch in, problem would be fixed by going for an after market ECU (which removes the air flow meter, cause of this problem)

General Comments:

Very well built car, mine is a lightly modified example with around 200rear wheel kw which I believe is perfect street power. This car has great Japanese performance for those who don't wish to own an import.

The gearboxes are great, I have been running 200rwkw through my box which is actually from a non turbo VL (!!) and it has not given in yet.

Perfect car for a young guy wanting to get into performance cars!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 12th September, 2005

12th Nov 2016, 14:34

I inherited one in 1990 (and learnt to drive on it - carefully).

The flutter problem also appeared on mine as well. Inline 6 Nissan with factory fitted turbo bolted on (without any adjustments to the cruise control, which became an adventure).

However mine was an automatic. Sometimes when idling slowly, if I stomped it the power would surge then die down, felt like it was being dragged down by something in the engine bay. Revs would drop to zero and the car would either stall, or start off very slowly at minimum revs and take its sweet time to power up.

So yours wasn't an isolated case...

1987 Holden Calais VL Nissan RB30E 3.0L 6 Cylinder from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Amazing value

Faults:

279700kms: 5 Exhaust manifold studs broke when I fitted an extractor exhaust.

280179kms: Power wire fell off the engine control unit.

281000kms: Crank Angle Sensor replaced as a precaution.

281208kms: Engine overheated, cause was a clogged radiator.

281568kms: Top radiator hose blew.

General Comments:

The previous owners neglected this car badly. Various pieces broke within a month of ownership.

The exterior is in bad need of some TLC, most of the paint has cracked

Despite all the neglect this car has had over the past 10 years the drive-train is still in very good condition, and it is a dream to drive.

The seats can only be described as brilliant.

For a 17 year old car it still has all features of a much newer car, air-conditioning, power steering, power windows, electric mirrors and cruise control.

It has a fairly powerful engine and it can be tricky to drive in the wet.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 2nd December, 2004

1987 Holden Calais VL 3.0 from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Visually appealing and powerful at the same time

Faults:

Alternator broke.

The Oxygen Sensor broke.

High beams no longer work.

General Comments:

The car has a 2 1/2 inch exhaust, extractors, a K&N air filter, a cold air induction, peddars lowered suspension, 16 inch mags, a Kenwood cd player with two 6x9's in the back, two speakers in the front and two 12 inch subs in the boot running off a 600 watt amp. Other smaller mods include an aftermarket steering wheel, tinted windows and a black widow alarm.

The car runs pretty good at the moment and is very fuel economic. As it is though it won't beat any later model commodore.

The car is VERY good looking and as it is my first car I feel privileged to be driving it. At $5500 it is worth every cent. I spent an extra 2800 getting it just right (though it's not quite finished).

Mods I have planned for the future include a Chiptorque HP3 cam and chip and a stage 2 shift kit.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 30th July, 2003

1987 Holden Calais VL 3.0 petrol from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

A beautiful car to own

Faults:

Nothing at all.

General Comments:

The car goes very well and is very quick for a 3.0litre.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 20th July, 2003

1987 Holden Calais VL 3.0 Nissan from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Great car for those lads who don't want to spent heaps to get power

Faults:

Leaking rear seal in the auto gearbox.

Struts a bit like a boat ride.

General Comments:

The car performs great and is a reliable tow vehicle.

Has ample power and leaves most small block V8's off the line.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 14th September, 2001