28th May 2005, 07:13

I just bought a 1989 VN commodore executive wagon (auto) and I find that the doors and interior plastics etc. tend to rattle and squeak a bit on rougher roads, but this is probably due to the need for new shock absorbers more than anything.

Oh, the other thing. 17L/100Km fuel consumption as stated in another comment seems like a lot of petrol to be using.

My car uses 13L/100Km and it has a sick transmission. The car has done 260000Ks and I thought this was bad economy..

I wonder what other people get out of their vn commodores?

3rd Aug 2006, 01:26

Got a VN Commodore. It chews through 22L/100kms, which is way too much. Just wondering if anyone has any good solutions?

19th Aug 2006, 00:27

When I bought my 89 Commodore Executive last year I loved it, everything was in great working order. Now all I do is worry about the performance and I don't know how reliable it really is. I had to get a new gearbox put in a few months ago, and it still struggles getting from second gear into third, especially on hills, where it switches between the two gears.

My Commodore is going through a great deal of petrol, even on long trips, Had a tune up not long ago, and it worked perfectly for only a month or so.

I recommend to service this car regularly every six to eight weeks.

Interior is poor, rubber door lining constantly falls down even after glued back on, rattle inside engine, couldn't open bonnet either, I had to pull lever and get someone else to push down on bonnet and then lift up.

I agree with another comment, great car until second gear is reached. Bad in wet weather, a lot of slides on greasy roads.

15th Mar 2011, 03:47

I have have a VN Calais 1990. Paid $600 and it is the best value for money I have ever spent. Two trips to the country farm, and the fuel gauges, both manual and digital, have pretty much stayed the same. That's what I call economical travel. A good way to keep them that way is to have the oil filter and oil changed, and to also do the transmission fluid also. You will have a cheap running car, especially when it is a V6 3.8L! I also replaced the spark plugs with new ones.

The car always starts first time and uses less during start up. Be aware that this model is now having its 21st! It would pay to check the fuel sender on the back of the fuel tank, as these have been known to leak if over a certain level.

Finally, most important of all, is to drive sensibly! Fuel is getting expensive, and if you over drive your car... of course it will cost more to run.

21st Mar 2012, 00:32

I have a 1990 Holden Commodore VN Executive, and I've done a trip that was 240km, and I used about 40L.

My car starts 1st time with no accelerator, and runs real smooth. Does this indicate that I need to do a service?

Also for some reason, my trip meter or speedometer does not work. I have bought a secondhand instrument cluster and put it in, and they still don't work. Any suggestions on what could be wrong with it?