1982 Holden Gemini Reviews

Well the heat core has developed a leak, the radiator hose blew out, and I cooked the motor.

Bought a motor for $350 fully reconditioned. It's been excellent since.

Great first car, due to awesomeness of the SL/X haven't had to upgrade the alternator and have 2 Amps, 6 inch splits in front, 6x9's in the back, 12 inch sub in boot and dual battery system running, and even if I drive around all day with the stereo cranked, it still doesn't flatten the battery's :D.

(regular Gemini's are 35amp alternator's, the SL and SL/X alternators are 50amp)

Anyhow, probably a great car all round, and it also has an alarm and central locking now.

Turbo kit going on in 1 year ~

The driver's side floor was rusted through and had to be replaced, but it was relatively cheap to fix.

This car is quite loud thanks to a modified exhaust and the fact that it's a Gemini. Because of this fact it is a bit of a head turner.

Water leaks in from the doors and near the accelerator.

Weird electrical faults such as, the car dies when you pull the handbrake on sometimes and reverse lights come on in 2nd gear (if anyone knows anything that can help me fix it, I'd be grateful)

Had to replace the gearbox.

Gemi's go a lot harder than people think. Mine is standard and I've slapped third multiple times and beaten many newer cars.

Being rear wheel drive they can be lethal in the wet if you're not careful.

Apart from the above, it's a great little car, goes hard as, and reliable.

So far the only thing that has gone wrong was a broken fan belt, otherwise Nothing so far, but I have only had it a short time.

My little Gemini lacks a lot of power, but a small budget will have her in great racing potential.

I must say it's true the Gemini runs on an oily rag.

Had problems with a leak in the radiator and fuel pump and also with the headlamp relay.

But parts for this car from a wreckers are dead cheap.

This car is great for someone with a low budget or someone who wishes to make a project and do up the car. There are many other Isuzu engines that fit into the Gemini's.

The car has great handling if you put in larger tyre's (14/R) and lower it.

I think these cars are cheap to run and to afford. Great car for your first time.

Pretty much nothing at all, besides the general services that need to be done. Radiator did go, but wasn't much of a hassle to replace.

Services can be done yourself in about an hour, as the engine is so simple and easy.

There is not much room in the back.

The engine is a bit slow and lacks pick-up, but I think a manual would do the trick.

Very economical, a tank takes you everywhere and back!

Great for a first car and someone on a tight budget.

It leaked when left outside, on the passenger side and end up in a puddle on the floor, the boot leaked, also came from back of brake light, it was like as if it was made to leak. I used a filler to stop the problem.

Then found out that part of the leak that keeps on appearing on the passenger floor was coming from the heater, it was a mission to get out, cost $20NZ to get a new heater coil.

Then I think the engine was invincible - nearly cooking it with no water, one of the big end bearings decides to pack in, engine came out no trouble and replaced the bearings for around $40NZ. Once that was replaced it hasn't played up since.

The automatic choke seems to work then turn off quickly, and on cold mornings it tends to stall unless you keep your revs up.

Great first car as this is mine, you can run the thing on empty for about a week. It just doesn't wanna stop.

Wider tyres would help the handling as it doesn't like sharp corners in the wet!

It's a very easy car to fix if anything does go wrong. It's a machine.

The differential had a bit of noise, but I got another from the wreckers for $100 and it's running good now.

It's not a speed machine, but it gets me from A to B without any problems.

The cheapest car to run.

What can I say, it just won't stop going and costs nothing, can't ask for more.

The trim is a bit out dated, but can be fixed quite easily with a bit of work.

Was auto, but had a very bad gear kick down so I changed it to a manual.

This car goes hammers.

Broken linkage in the gearbox.

Head gasket.

Alternator.

Regulator.

A little rust and water leaks.

Great little car, just needs more power (eg 80 kilowatts) and better rust protection.

Gets the job done.

Minor rust in the doors.

Rattle in the driving gear.

Good first car with a lot of potential if you were to supe up the engine. Could beat any car in a drag minus the V8 field.