Coil died shortly after I bought it.
There is a rattle somewhere in the back.
Air conditioning has a refrigerant leak (very small) and vacuum leak.
Door locks cycle on hot and humid days.
My previous Falcon Futura was fantastic, but got written off. This is my replacment. Several points I think are important:
These late falcons must be the cheapest car on the road to run. There is a reason 9/10 taxis in Australia are facons.
The fairlane appears to be like a falcon, but only the bumpers, front quarters and front doors are the same. It was immediately apparent that the fairlane has more sound proofing, feels more solid, handles better, and is even more comfortable to ride in. Most of the extra 100 kg is over the back wheels. Most of the options are gimmicks, but velor upholstery is far better than the standard stuff.
The engine is good for 500000kms. If you look after the switches, body etc it'll last forever.
The reason 9 out of 10 taxis in Australia are Falcons is due to the unpopularity of the AU series, in order to increase sales ford lowered the price of the Falcon and offered fantastic fleet deals. So from the Taxi company Point of View they were getting a very sturdy and reliable car for much cheaper than the other main Large car competitor, The Commodore. The VT/VX series Commodores were much more popular with the general public than the AU Falcon, and offered better driveability, but did not offer the same level of reliablilty (Partiularly the VT).
The previous comment is irrelevant seeing as the person who posted this review was referring to a 1995 EF Fairlane. The AU was an excellent car, but suffered from love or hate (mostly hate) styling and therefore didn't sell well. However the new BA and BF falcon smokes Holden's commodore in every way.
That Above comment must have been written by someone who has no idea how the taxi industry works. it is rather simple and is self explanatory. the reason fords are used for taxi's is not due to a low price. but more on the fact of reliablity and in particular LPG gas. if you want specifics, ford deliberately deleted the taxi yellow option form their range when the BA came out in order to push the "TAXI" image away from their cars. and it worked for a little while. they chose the Toyota Avalon. after a short period of time the drivers hated the comfort levels, economy and general feel of the avalon, so they begun to pay the extra for the taxi yellow on the later model ford falcons. as for commodores. its simple. have you ever been in a taxi commodore? how the seats have collapsed the diff is about to fall out at 330,000 kms? but more importantly. ever owned a 3.8L Buick motor (commodore) with a U. S Desgined ECU unit? - there is no such thing as LPG in the U. S therefore it is not integrated in the design (not capable of holding the 105 -110 octane rating of LPG) they do run like a lawnmower and I guarantee you will do your heads within the 100,000 mark. the operating temperature and heat alone will kill the 3.8L and 3.6L hence why holden do not recommend LPG conversions.
Personally I am on my EB motor 4.0L and have travelled 750,000 kms with 3 head gaskets. I would never own NOTHING, but a ford. AND THAT IS ON LPG.
That above comment must have been written by someone who has no idea how the taxi industry works. It is rather simple and is self explanatory.
The reason Fords are used for taxi's is not due to a low price, but more on the fact of reliablity, and in particular LPG gas. If you want specifics, Ford deliberately deleted the taxi yellow option from their range when the BA came out in order to push the "TAXI" image away from their cars. And it worked for a little while. They chose the Toyota Avalon.
After a short period of time, the drivers hated the comfort levels, economy and general feel of the Avalon, so they begun to pay the extra for the taxi yellow on the later model Ford Falcons.
As for Commodores, it's simple. Have you ever been in a taxi Commodore? How the seats have collapsed, the diff is about to fall out at 330,000 kms? But more importantly, have you ever owned a 3.8L Buick motor (Commodore) with a US designed ECU unit? - there is no such thing as LPG in the US, therefore it is not integrated in the design (not capable of holding the 105 -110 octane rating of LPG). They do run like a lawnmower and I guarantee you will do your heads within the 100,000 mark. The operating temperature and heat alone will kill the 3.8L and 3.6L, hence why Holden do not recommend LPG conversions.
Personally I am on my EB motor 4.0L and have travelled 750,000 kms with 3 head gaskets. I would never own ANYTHING but a ford. AND THAT IS ON LPG.
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