its finally come time to get myself into a VL Calais, however the example i have found has afew "issues",
firstly the guy has replaced the head gasket [ok, usual VL issue sure, but what else could be wrong with it?!?].....
secondly he says the air con doesnt work and is disconnected [not major, i wouldnt use it anyway]
thirdly and most importantly the odometer readings are fu*ked!
I got a check done on the car and look at these odometer readings:
[WOF stands for Warrant of fitness...NZ standards]
24-May-2005 WOF 152,071
11-Nov-2004 WOF 152,064 **Reading less than previous
29-Apr-2004 WOF 252,064
14-Oct-2003 WOF 252,060
9-Apr-2003 WOF 152,064
12-Sep-2002 WOF 152,064
1-Mar-2002 WOF 152,064
7-Aug-2001 WOF 152,064
13-Feb-2001 WOF 152,064
10-Aug-2000 WOF 151,755
7-Jan-2000 WOF 146,524
21-Jun-1999 WOF 141,669
16-Dec-1998 WOF 133,422
26-May-1998 WOF 127,056
28-Apr-1997 WOF 114,680
19-Feb-1996 WOF 105,786
28-Mar-1995 Change of owner 94,231
17-Mar-1995 Change of owner 92,612
^^^^^
WTF?! clearly the odometer has stopped working over a 3 year period and then it has started clicking over 1km at 100km for the next few years....then in my opinion the owner has reset the odometer to what it was perviously.
what do you guys think?
i mean he wants $2,900 for it.....im willing to give him $2,400 CASH....
its a 1987 example and its white over silver and has leather interior.....it looks clean..but the above issues concern me.
thanks.
eirther the engines been changed, Someone has put back the meter, considering a calais front is worth 700, interior 800 thats 1500, your only looking 900 in the dept but u still have half of the calais stuff and complete motor!
Do NZ calais have Cruise control? if it's ment to be there and it is there but not working the motor had been changed!
I'd go for it!
a n/a NZ Calais is exactly the same as the aussie version.
i think $2,500 is a good price for a Calais with leather and good paint/transmission....and i highly doubt the engine has been changed, but your right tho even if the enegine was fu*ked i could pick 1 up for $300.....so its highly likely that i'l buy this one.
looking at the odometer readings i think its prolly done 210,000 KM max.
i'l give the guy $2,500 cash and see if he takes it......
i cant wait 2 get into one and then convert it 2 turbo.....[2 much time spend on these forums!]
$2500 for a Calais sounds like you live in dreamland! Mind you old cars are cheap in NZ simply because theres so much more choice available and newer cars can be had much cheaper than here in Aus.
Sounds good man, Id go for it. At that price you could drop another motor in and it would still be worth it.
Some original photos have not been recovered yet.
^haha
heres an inside shot:
hopefully he'll take my $2,500.....$400 off what he wants but he did say it needed abit of work and its been up 4 sale for around a month...he called me about it, i can tell he wants a quick sale.
Some original photos have not been recovered yet.
Quote:
Originally Posted by VLHERO
Only real downfall I can see there is that its a dirty auto! But that can be fixed!
yeh autos blow i got rid of mine cause i couldnt stand it
Some original photos have not been recovered yet.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RB30_esc
autos are the bomb.. dont like the condition of the seats though. but yer its a VL so youll have no trouble fixing everything. good luck
try finding one with original leather that isnt ripped mate, its 18 years old after all
wouldnt worry about the odometer, the gears inside strip themselves and do more revolutions than they have to, just buy another dash with a milometer that works and has 200,000 kms on and use it in the Calais cluster, $2,500 is a good price, also there is nothing wrong with a bit of automagic when theyre shift-kitted
i went and looked at it today, got it warrented [roadworthy].....and brought it for all of $2,700!!
im really happy with it....i have to say its a very very smooth car...i hardly have to do anything...it drives itself...coming back home on the long back roads i put my foot down and i can see why they pulled times like 15.7 in 1987.
this friday i plan on spending all day just cleaning the exterior, then over the weekend do the interor and engine bay.
i've got the meguires gold class paint restore and wax as well as the leather cleaner...the paints white but then fades to cream and has afew twink touch ups too lol. the goal being to get it looking as neat and shiny as possible.
i always said i'd get a VL Calais, everyone said it wouldnt happen.
the stereo will come next [afew weeks], then when more funds are there 19" rims, and who knows maybe later on down the line a turbo conversion once im comfortable with the car.
*this should really be moved to the N/A section.
thanks for the advise and replies, they did make a difference.
theres afew little problems with it [the power window switch doesnt work, the outside drivers side keylock doesnt function]...the search function will be put in use ALOT by me.
hi never thought a na calais would do 15.7 even in 1987 stoc might be wrong anyway good luck with ur car i just bought a calais about 4 mths now the tubromotor in my shed anyway put same more pics up when u a finish cleaning it thanx
i know...i just used that figure to state how slow it felt.
i spent 4 hours today just cleaning inside the boot and then i wiped the whole car down with a clean cloth and cold water, pix up soon.
Calais are Very Rare in NZ, as they were the only VL commodore that was Fully Imported, and thus hideously expensive, Look after your calais man, they are a dying breed over here, only 250 or so were imported, and i know of 3 that have bitten the dust in the last 6 months, there are a few simple tricks you can do the make them a bit speedier, advancing the timing and adjusting the kickdown switch are easy ways to make them faster. SII was the most common ones over here, i have only seen one S1...mine!
