1980 Holden Gemini TE from Australia and New Zealand - Comments

Boot floor rusted.

Leaked out of every door and both front and rear windcreens.

Differential and gearbox are on their last legs.

A rough and unrefined, but economical and thrashable first car. It's cheap to run and cheap to buy.

Mine was an already very thrashed example but continued to run and never left me stranded except at home where it had trouble starting on cold mornings. These were its good points but

I hated the car and thought the bad outweighed the good.

The terribly designed, simple live rear axle setup gives a jerky, bouncy and uncomfortable ride.

The 1.6 with only 50 kilowatts and a 19.5kg/kw power to weight ratio leaves a lot to be desired. I always felt in the way of the other cars behind me when the traffic lights went green despite using all five forward gears.

Other inadequacies of the car included the inadequate heater, lack of sound insulation, pedals too close to the steering wheel, early brake fade, I could go on but what do you expect for a 2 grand car?

TE geminiz have 63kw (85hp) not 50kw. Later models with the polution gear had 50kws.

I am a recent owner of a Gemini TE. I am 17 and have owned my Gemi for about three months. I think they are an awesome little car.

I'm 17 and I got my aunties old TE Gemini. Of course it's going to seem poorly designed and uncomfortable and gutless - because it was made 20 years ago, you can't compare it to a new car, compare it to an old datto 1200. I know which I'd rather have.

Nah, TE/F/G's did have 49KW, TX/C/D had 61Kw.

I just bought my Te Gemini, and it runs like a dream. I picked it up from an old guy, who couldn't drive it anymore. Apart from a squeaking that came from the front right bearing which I fixed with a bit of WD40 and a new Diff shaft (which I replaced for $40 from the local wreckers), the car is a bargain.

Rough, unrefined, and jerky suspension from the single rear axle? I'd suggest you bought a poorly maintained vehicle in the first place.

I recently drove a late model Lancer (all the rage with the younger set), and there is no way it handled as well as the old Gemini. Granted, the sound insulation on old cars is nowhere near as good as on new cars, but in all other respects, the Gemini still holds up well against a modern car, especially in the hip pocket.

I'm 17 and just picked up a TE for $1200 wit only 105000 kay's and however write that first thing should learn how to drive because I usually leave people at the lights and mines only a 3 speed auto.