1989 Holden Commodore VN 3.8 E.F.I from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

You can drive it like you stole it

Faults:

Fuel and temp gauges work on and off.

Interior is poorly assembled.

Over heats really bad, so got an electric water pump put in and it is as cool as a cucumber.

Windscreen wiper blade holders rust bad and will result in a scratched windscreen.

Rusts around the rubbers on the back windscreen, but does only do this with age.

Brake lights short out heaps due to bad wiring and poor original globes.

When the power steering goes the whole kit and caboodle will have to be replaced sooner or later.

Door rubbers come off really easily so glue them back on the second they start to come off.

General Comments:

The engine is so good, I have never had a problem with it.

It has decent power, but all you got to do to make it quicker is bolt on an S.T.A supercharger which requires no extra engine work and you automatically have 50-75% more power which I think is very NICE.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 12th January, 2002

10th Feb 2002, 22:10

Do you not have to change the computer or injectors to supply more fuel?

26th Aug 2002, 07:26

You can drive any car like you stole it.

If it's a good supercharger kit, you'll need different engine management, different fuel pump, head gasket, low compression pistons. If you don't need any of that I seriously have to question the reliability of an engine in the long run under such conditions.

18th May 2004, 02:16

If you drive it like you stole it, then no wonder it's problematic.

1989 Holden Commodore S 3.8 V6 from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

A high performance car that is both cheap to run and cheap to buy

Faults:

Very reliable car, although it has been well maintained. The only problem so far was the fuel pumped failed a couple of months ago.

General Comments:

Very quick car, 125KW seems very modest. I've driven most of the later model Commodores and the VN seems to be a lot more responsive.

Mine's fitted with FE2 suspention and KMAC camber adjustments, it handles quite well, but nothing like the later models.

The manual transmission makes it fun to drive, but care needs to be taken in the wet, the back end is not hard to lose.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th September, 2001

1989 Holden Commodore VN S' pack 3.8 litre petrol from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

You wouldn't believe how this thing goes!

Faults:

Oil leak in the engine - not too hard to fix although it can be a little expensive.

Fuel pump broke - happens to most VN's, and although it's not too hard to fix it can be annoying.

Other than that, not much else has gone wrong, and I have found the car to be very reliable.

General Comments:

My car is an absolute ripper! Easy to drive and has a very loud rumble to it which makes the car a very enjoyable car to thrash and drive hard!

The FE2 suspension makes the car handle quite well which makes high speed cornering fun, although caution must be taken in the wet because the back end is easy to lose if you get on the accelerator too quickly.

The car itself has had a few modifications added to it, such as it's been lowered 11 cm off the floor, 17 inch Club-sport added, VN Group A Body-kit to it as well as a Big Bore Exhaust which makes the car one of the loudest and most attractive on the road!

It is a car for "P" Platers to stay away from due to its high performance, and although it is a fantastic car to drive, caution is required due to its very light weight chassis.

I recommend this car to the ordinary guy who's looking for performance as well as economy, and I guarantee that it will bring good times!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 28th August, 2001

16th Nov 2004, 02:13

Hey I own a Vn S-pack and I want to know on some cheap engine modifications to keep up with some of my mate's ford's and Japanese imports. It is rather stock except for the interior and stereo. I have a salary cap of about $3000 could you send any information on cheap parts to johnybundaberg@hotmail.com.

Cheers Chris.

9th Feb 2006, 03:26

Hi I Own A VN S PAC do you know if they have an LSD Diff.

1st Dec 2006, 05:40

Light it up the street and see if it does 2 wheelers. I have one and it has an open diff! cheers.