1996 Holden Calibra YE 2.5L... V6... 24valve... from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Comfort! A dream car to drive

Faults:

Alarm was dissabled or broken when I got it. Fixed now. Idler has been replaced as it was and still is making a noise on start up after the car hasn't been running for about 8 hours.

General Comments:

Great car. Awesome to drive. Handles well in all conditions. Front wheel drive makes it a dream to drive in the wet and the V6 has plenty of power! Certainly can hold its own in the old traffic light drags. At high speeds it handles amazingly as well. 200km/h it glides. Certainly is a car built for high speeds as it gets up to 200km/h from 100km/h in a blink. You'll find yourself wanting to go even faster in this car!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 20th October, 2003

18th Nov 2004, 19:56

I agree - this is a car that is made for the highway - I drive from Brisbane to the Coast and back again everyday for work and the car just eats it up - also very economical, handles great. Concerned about replacing parts though, I was quoted $700 for a new mirror plus the cost to fix it - argghhhh.

David.

1996 Holden Calibra 16v 2.0 from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Great car, highly under rated

Faults:

Rear seat belt not bolted in at delivery, don't know how it passed in the factory.

Paint chips/peeling in funny places, repaired under warranty.

Water pump replaced at 35k under warranty.

Rear tyres wore unevenly as long as I had the car.

Irregular idling, occasional stalling. Never found the problem.

Red paint faded badly although well looked after.

Had to replace the front discs (yes discs) after 50k.

General Comments:

Great car, could have kept it forever if it had more doors and good paint.

Well equipped, handles well and goes well - no Japanese coupes come close for the money.

Most expensive brake light globes in history - $38 each, and 4 in the rear deck mount. I used low voltage downlight globes to replace then at $3 from the supermarket.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 1st April, 2003

19th Apr 2006, 22:09

It seems as though almost every Calibra has had its share of problems...

I'm deciding whether or not I should purchase a '96 Calibra with 130,000kms on it.

For you guys who own the car, is it really worth the trouble? And are maintenance costs high and frequent? Any comments would be grateful, thanks.

16th Oct 2006, 06:18

I have one, it's a great car DEFINITELY worth it... mechanics try to tell you it'll cost more because it's an import etc, tell them it's not... nearly identical motor to an Astra.

18th Oct 2006, 06:20

Fantastic Car.

I have one and would never turn back. Minimum investment these days at $5000. With a few minor $ for upgrades and you have yourself a top range 4cyl sports car.

10th Dec 2008, 22:34

Just to point out that whoever said the engine is just like an Astra, nearly everyone who has an Astra or Vectra (similar European engines) says that they all start to fail as an engine around the 100,000km mark and are very expensive to fix, just read the reviews on them here.

The engine on the Calibra may hopefully be different though. I don't really know much about the Calibra, but I wouldn't buy an Astra or Vectra, and if the Calibra is similar, I would cross it off the list too.

1996 Holden Calibra V6 2.5 6 Speed from Australia and New Zealand

Faults:

Traction Control light has come on and stayed on.

The Oil Pressure light dash light has blown and hard to replace.

General Comments:

The car handles really well, and on the freeway goes like the clappers, and is really quiet. A great car the best car I have ever bought.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 27th November, 2002

16th Jun 2007, 18:00

V6 in 6 sp?

1996 Holden Calibra YE Coupe 2.5 V6 24v from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Brilliant car for the price

Faults:

* TCS (traction control) computer died. After writing to the Service manager, they replaced it under the limited extended warranty (engine and transmission). Would have cost me over $700.

* One instrument lamp - hard to get to.

* Driver's electric window binds when closing, causing the safety circuit to lower it again. Can get around this.

General Comments:

Beautiful car to drive. Gearing is a bit too tall (can't find a road to do the claimed 230km/h (143 mph)), but the fuel consumption is amazing. Engine really comes alive past 3,000 revs - 3,500-6,800 very strong. Handling is very precise, yet the ride is still comfortable.

Still one of the best looking cars on the road. I'd buy one again.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 15th August, 2000