Ties rods wear quickly.
Transmission requires servicing (weak)
Flooding is a problem in hot weather.
Cold start-up and idle is always difficult.
Headlights are weak.
Heater/ demister is slow.
Flow through Vents are a joke except with the window down.
Bearings in the steering shaft are wearing and making the power steering iffish'
Dash cracked.
Windscreen seals continue to leak after 'fixing'
Rust around windscreen and in lower doors.
Plastic grille cracks/ breaks with collisions with birds. They are hard to get now.
Despite the problems this old thing is amazing for the build date (1973).
The HQ is a comfortable cruiser and the suspension upgrade to make it handle is fairly cheap comparative to other vehicles.
People who complain about the HQ are not looking after their own. The car is very reliable with a minimum amount of good car-care.
The HQ is big inside. Sits 6 with ease and a heap of load space. The wagon is a true tank and you can move your house with one that has roof-racks.
The look and style of the car is still cool. It has good bodyline flow and looks tough compared to the plastic oddisies around.
The car is solid and takes a pounding.
My fav car, car of my childhood dreams, but now I can afford one never brought one, still love reading about them and seeing them on the road.
This is a car of ultimate greatness and pure grunt, if only I could find one!
Very robust and sits great on gravel roads. You seriously can't hurt these things if youre not worried about a few scratches. I've taken it across some pretty rugged terrain and it loves it, I don't think it'll ever wear out. they're just built so strong.
And so quiet to cruise at speed with the windows down- least wind noise in any car I've ever driven, I love that- most modern cars are so noisy with the windows down.
Too bad nz fuel prices are getting up there.
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