1985 Holden Camira Reviews

Shocking rust wearing through on k frame.

Been through three starter motors- current one still not reliable.

CV joints are very weak, replaced one- other wearing.

Inhibitor switch on radiator keeps re-setting.

Car has broken down 19 times in under two years.

Key opens only one door- not the passenger, yet my Gemini key opens them all.

Wiring very unstable- dash lights work when they want to- shorts frequently- have had 2 fires under bonnet.

Head lights have poor lighting. right extremely brighter tan left.

Very poor turning circle. power steering works when it feels like it.

Air con works- but drains battery than car won't start.

Fuel gauge and temp gauge don't work. speedo works when it feels like it.

Extremely gutless car. top speed 140 if game.

Difficult to find parts. Wrecking yards keep offering to crush for me.

Not a reliable car.

I was warned against buying it- bu I got a good deal. now I know why.

Has cost me triple the price of the car in repairs and only just scratched the surface.

When I first purchased my Camira, the drivers seat was warped.

At the same time the fuel pump was replace because of age.

The Camira hadn't been serviced for about 2 years.

Very quick little machine, hasn't let me down once since I bought her.

Is excellent on fuel, can get about 600km out of 60 L.

Being fairly tall is a slight disadvantage, has no-one can sit behind you, with the drivers seat all the way back!

If looked after, this car will last a few more years.

Unfortunately, having a lot of molded plastic on the body, scratches are common.

Broken engine mounts. Exacerbated by an overdue transmission service which caused the transmission to jolt when changing between gears.

Prematurely worn out drive-shaft bearings, due to heavy cornering.

Broken CV joint. This occurred within 12 months of fitting. May have been due to heavy cornering.

Warped brake discs. Due to severe braking and not allowing a cooling-down period.

Broken return spring in brake master cylinder. Overall master cylinder reconditioning and replacement spring and soft-goods kit gave far better performance.

Blown head gasket. Believe this was due to running unleaded petrol when super is required.

Starter motor solenoid stuck when the engine was very hot. Replaced with a reconditioned starter motor. Problem is far less apparent.

Gear selector cable seized. Replaced with a new cable. New cable cost approximately $145.

Kick-down cable mount broke. Repaired existing one with wire.

Plastic engine temperature sensor lug broke. Bought a new sensor lug and replaced.

Engine temperature gauge and fuel gauge are intermittent.

Driver's seat frame broke. Replaced the seat with a second-hand seat.

The engine is reasonably powerful for its capacity and vintage.

The car does not handle extremely well. Even with new shockers it still tends to lurch around corners.

The car can perform well, but should not be considered a high performance car. It is an excellent commuters car, if all service requirements are met.

If this car is driven hard, it will cost a great deal more to maintain. It was not designed for hard driving.

It is very smooth on the highway, and has reasonable power for overtaking if the electronics are well maintained.

The car's braking is heavily reliant on the front brakes. Full metal brake pads overheat the discs causing them to warp and subsequently lose performance. Hybrid brake pads seem to work best. The auto-adjust mechanism of the rear brake drums seems unreliable. Adjusting these manually will enhance the overall braking of the car as doing so will reduce any "slack" which must be taken up between the rear shoes and drums, before the pressure can be exerted on the front discs by the pads. This is because the left rear brake drum and right front brake caliper are hydraulically linked. Likewise the right rear drum and left front caliper. I strongly recommend this procedure immediately prior to going on long trips.

This car has taught me the importance of regular maintenance and not letting problems go unchecked for too long. Problems left unattended will often lead to other, more expensive problems.

It is my experience that regular servicing is vital to maintain a good level of reliability of this model. Much of this servicing can be done yourself. Much of the necessary treatment comes down to common sense. Common sense is often gained via experience.