1987 Holden Commodore VL 3.0 EFI 6 cylinder from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Good power and reliable, also good looks

Faults:

Leaking injector.

Loose starter motor wires.

Blown overdrive gear, $1100 for a new transmission.

Blown speedo globes.

Leaking water in the boot.

Rough start. Idle when cold.

Noisy differential.

General Comments:

They are a great car, it has never broken down on me and I've had it a year, I have done over 10,000 in it without it needing a tune-up, or major engine repairs.

They look good inside and out, chick magnet, nice engine sound from the exhaust, easy to make look good with wheels, tint.

Easily adapted to mods.

Good seating position and easy to drive.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 6th August, 2001

1987 Holden Commodore VL Executive Nissan RB30 from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Great hoons car

Faults:

Recently the car seems to want to die just as you start it, then snaps out of it.

It has some trouble starting when the temperature is just comfortable outside. It starts first click when it is really freezing in the morning and when it is warm. Could it be the crank angle sensor or the alternator?

Blew its head at 90,000km.

Boot leaks.

Rust around the front windscreen.

General Comments:

The VL Commodore is a fantastic car, especially when you're on your P's and considering it has been in the family since brand new.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 18th July, 2001

1987 Holden Commodore Executive 3.0 Litre Straight Six from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Great first car with get up and go

Faults:

Air conditioning doesn't work.

Very hard to replace the front speakers in their current mountings on the dashboard.

Automatic Transmission worn out.

Lock up torque converter not locking (slips).

Air mass sensor faulty.

Crank Angle sensor faulty.

Fuel pump noisy.

General Comments:

Great handling on both dirt and sealed roads.

Good pickup for a 3 litre. (130km/hr in second gear)

Even better high end speed (196km/hr and that's with standard engine modifications and an Automatic)

Steering is super light and great to drive with.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 25th June, 2001

1987 Holden Commodore VL Turbo 3.0 turbo from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Buckle your seat belt

Faults:

Nothing. Show car.

General Comments:

0-100 in 6.5.

1/4 mile in 13.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 7th June, 2001

16th Aug 2001, 00:08

Extractors.. pfft is a turbo!

3" exhaust, intercooler, extra injector, 15psi, 3.9 LSD will run low - mid 13s.

1987 Holden Commodore VL 3.0 straight six unleaded from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

I still love my baby, and I can't wait to unleash its potential

Faults:

Had to replace the computer, as there was a fault that was flattening my battery.

Have just discovered that it has a cracked head. I haven't yet fixed this, as it is a very costly problem.

General Comments:

It took my 3 months to find a VL I really liked, and although I've just cracked the head, I still love my car.

Even though it's all stock standard at the moment, it has the potential to be a high performance machine.

This is my first car, and I'm devastated that it's off the road. I'm considering several options in relation to fixing the head. I was tempted to buy a reconditioned engine with low kilometers, but I think I would be more satisfied if I fixed the head and worked the engine a little bit while I was at it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 25th April, 2001

19th Jan 2003, 04:22

Patching Heads is not the best thing to do if you want to work the engine, because it is likely you will pop it again. Get used to the bus service and save your bickys until you can source another head.

1987 Holden Commodore BT1 30 RB30 turbo from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

The VL Turbo is the best high performance bargain in Australia

Faults:

I have just brought my VL turbo about 4 weeks so I don't know of the things that have gone wrong with it in the past..

But... I do know that 2 new injectors have been replaced... there is a slight grinding noise when I let go of the clutch. I think it's the thrust bearing, and I have a knocking sound at the tail shaft, which is the universal joint..

But other than that the car is in great order and doesn't miss a beat.. even after a thrash...

General Comments:

At the moment the car is pretty stock..

It's been re-sprayed canary yellow, has a 2 and a half inch exaust, K&N air filter and a massive inter-cooler (stage 4-6??).

The car is only running at 9 psi of boost.

I want to do a few mods to the car without spending too much money and putting too much strain on the engine.

Can anyone tell me what is the highest, but safest psi level I can boost the turbo?

I was also thinking of putting a chip, port and polish as well as working the cam and an extra injector or bigger fuel pump. Getting a t4 or even to high-flow the turbo.

I don't really know the best combo or how affective the mods are. I might just do them all.. but will that be putting to much strain on it? I have about $2000 to spend.. my e-mail is juddaboy@hotmail.com. If anyone has ideas and can tell me how my car can rip almost anyone on the streets, give me a buzz on a comment or e-mail.

Thank you for your comments..

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th April, 2001

11th Apr 2001, 05:16

Regarding boost I wouldn't put any more than 11psi although that is for non intercooled VL's having had one myself, a manual too.

Hiflow your turbo, I wouldn't bother with chips and cams. The extra injector works well too.

12th Apr 2001, 07:34

If you have a decent intercooler in the car, you can use up to 30psi with forged pistons.

To get the most out of the higher boost, you do need to get a new cam. It'd probably also be a good idea to get the heads opened up as well. The best chip is one that you get custom tuned to suit your car, not someone else's.

If you have money to burn, you could do a conversion to a RB25 twin cam head, which flows heaps better than an RB30 head.