1985 Ford Fairlane ZL from Australia and New Zealand - Comments

Ongoing problems with air-con.

Head gasket blew at 180000km.

Door handles worn.

Central locking playing up.

Very powerful, quiet, smooth, solid, roomy, comfortable vehicle.

Auto is exceptionally responsive and particularly smooth in changes.

Cruise control functions better than most cars of its decade (VN Calais for example).

Road handling is better than equivalent Holden.

The 1985 ZL Fairlane is a special car - the Fairlane subject of this review, particularly so. It was bought by my father under the Ford Employee Car scheme. He purchased it in 1986 with 13,000km on it, just before he retired in 1987. It had been an executive car. List price in 1985 was $25,050 (www.redbook.com). Most motoring reviewers suggest that the ZL Fairlane was the best Fairlane Ford ever produced. It certainly had refinements that made it the top selling prestige car in Australia for four years (1984 - 1988) until the introduction of the NA Fairlane.

My father was fastidious in the upkeep of his vehicles so that when he died in 1995, my mother continued to drive and service it as always. In July of 2003, my mother started having some minor problems. The exterior door handles were becoming hard to operate. The central locking was playing up and the air-conditioning had to be re-gassed on a regular basis and, horror of horrors, she had a flat battery at a friend's place. Needless to say it was her fault - she'd inadvertently left the ignition on.

However, the previous year at 180,000 km she blew the head gasket. She repaired it for around $1000 with other service items. But an element of doubt about the car's reliability had surfaced. Every service thereafter something little needed doing. The glovebox light, the auto release for the number plate/fuel access, the sloppy auto shift. Yes, the car was wearing out. At 207,000 km Mum decided to trade it in on a 1997 NL Falcon Ghia. I'd always said I'd give her the trade in value and take it off her hands when the time came. However, Mum wouldn't accept. She gave me the car.

It cost about $1500 to roadworthy (including four new tyres worth $440). It needed left and right lower ball joints, all four upper T/arm bushes, left lower rear T/arm bush, fuel hose replacement at fliter, steering box and gear selector adjustment, left headlamp replacement and rust repair to the R/front door pillar.

I've driven it for just over four months and it now has 210,560 km on the digital clock (what Mum missed most in the new Falcon). It's due for service at 215,000 km. The central locking has finally failed and the front passenger door won't open from the inside. The air-conditioning doesn't work. I'm told it needs a new pump. I fixed the oil leak by resetting the rocker cover with silicon gasket. It was running rough at idle and sometimes stalling in drive (Mum's major annoyance before giving it to me). A savvy mechanic suggested I replace the HT leads. However, before I considered the HT leads, I found the distributor in a pitiful state. Mum's mechanic had been neglectful. My penknife cleaned up the white spots and all was well. But I'll probably go ahead a replace the HT leads anyway next service.

Dad's car is unusual in sporting a sun visor. I haven't seen another. It certainly looks like it's come in from the country. The head lining has come unstuck and fallen an inch from the roof. Didn't bother short Mum, but occasionally I have to settle into my seat to avoid it. The interior is in pristine condition but there's little rust lines appearing on the boot edges, etc. I don't keep it under cover.

And worst of all, there's a cigarette burn between my legs in the driver's seat. Dad didn't smoke. He did but he gave up before the ZL. After the '59 Chev, Dad never drove anything but Fairlanes - and I ended up with best (although I rued the discontinuation of the V8 for those few years). I reckon it'd be nice with a 302 in it.

Yeah you've had a good run with the car, but all this servicing and sending it in sounds like I should ask you "what have you been doing to the car", me dad has the same car as you and that's done 449,000km and still going strong with a few minor problems of course, but nothing to do with the motor just the steering arm, central locking, a/c, power steering leak, roof carpet getting lose, stalling when you put it into drive (don't worry heavy duty gear box) although first gear was stripped. but besides all this a very reliable car for a low cost (can't say the same for repairs). if you are reading this and thinking why would I want this car because most of these things you can do yourself.

Yeah, very nice and comfortable cars, however I have found that their upkeep and fuel consumption is prohibitive. My engine blew thoroughly at 227,000 ks, gearbox expired at 238,000ks, now terminal electrical problems at 245,000ks. Apart from this I enjoyed the car greatly, just wish I had upgraded before I spent so much money on it.

I have an 1985 Fair-lane with 163000 original kilometers on the clock, and agree they are both powerful and comfortable cars to drive. The only trouble I'm experiencing is the battery goes flat if the car sits in the garage for a week, very annoying. With the price of petrol at the moment I think this mileage will not change for a while.

Hey my car does the same I so hate it when it does that and it does it just when you need to do something.

Yeah, the only thing good about it is that my $49 battery charger has paid for itself many times over.

I have my very own ford fairlane 1985 zl I am only young 17 with my p plates and I love it myne is 245 000 ks and I am going to sell it because it doesn't have gas and petrol is through the roof, but it is in very good nick except the digital bit on the dash is blacking out every now and then something is up and my cruise control is stuffed just doesn't work for some reason, but anyway its all good I love it.

I also have a ZL Fairlane mine was manufactured in 85 and is a beautiful car to drive and ride in.

I bought it the beginning of last year when it had 130000km on a reconditioned engine and have driven it for about 15000kms since.

I have had problems with the suspension being lowered improperly by the last owner.

The engine tends to idle roughly in drive, and I've heard that it is a fairly common problem with these engines.

The gearbox is extremely smooth and I barely notice it's changes. They are very nice for a 20 year old 3 speed automatic.

The killer with these cars is the electrics. When I bought mine it had very few problems, ones that I thought I could fix. But during the last 6 months things have started to quit left right and centre.

- All my electrical window clusters stopped working, to the point where not even tidying up the connections would help. (The drivers one actually short circuited to the point where I could smell electrical burning.)

- The central locking has stopped working in most of the doors.

- The cruise control quit.

- The electric aerial became brittle and the plastic inside the motor that retracts the aerial snapped

- One of my mirrors only goes up and down (not left and right)

- My interior light comes on when I Turn my air conditioner on, my windscreen wipers on and sometimes when I put my foot on the brake.

- The trip computer also flashes lights that it shouldn't when I have my foot on the brake and an indicator on.

Despite all of these problems, the car is so nice that I am contemlating trying to get them fixed. They are notorious for having dodgey electrical earths, which is what causes many of these problems.

Yes I can relate to quite a few of those electrical problems with my 85 Fair lane. I was told there were too many wires connected to the battery terminals and if one was loose or broken problems will occur. After having the wires checked and reinstalled and made sure they were tight the problems were fixed. I also have the rough idle when engine is in drive. Overall they are good cars to own and drive.

I Also have A ZL Fairlane And my wife has one as well

Both Are May 85 but not the same problems

Both cars where bought the same day by my father as he worked for ford from 1980 to 2000 so mum and dad both had one they were passed down to me on my 18 Birthday I have loved These car from the day dad got them and still do the car my wife has got has done 179000 and it runs fine, but her windows don't work mine the windows are slow and both the roof lining has drop

but in all the cars are the best we have ever owed and I don't see my self buying a new car any time soon I have a new work car and I don't like it mine and my wives car drives better then the new Toyota that I have for work and don't want, but work will not cover fuel in the Fairlane if you are looking to bye a Fairlane you can't go past a ZL.

I now have a zl fairlane which was also handed down by my father, he had it for about 12 years and never had a problem with it besides the norm as mentioned in other comments. The car had travelled 398,000 when I got it and I only had it a couple of weeks when it did a water pump and a head gasket, these were easy fixed in the shed with a couple of cold ones, nice easy car to work on. It turned out to be a bit of a handymans dream, but I have managed to fix all of those annoying little problems to end up with a very nice car to drive and travel in. The car has now done 412,000km and runs just fine on both petrol & gas, I did blow the air box due to a backfire, but that was because of poor plug leads. Overall very nice car and unreal km on original motor not even a lip in the bore..

I have a ZL 1987 model with 340,000kms on, my headliner also has dropped,back drivers side window gone. I changed tappet cover gasket also. It goes very good now,also was told by a FORD spare parts dealer, that if the dip stick isn't in properly you will get rough idling on the EFI's. Just in case you didn't know...