Hey people, im looking to buy a N/A VL calais in the near future and i was wondering if u had any pointers on what to look out for etc to ensure i get a decent car... Im lookin at getting it pretty much stock, and im wondering if u guys have any ideas on whats safe to buy ie: how many kms it has on the clock, seems hard to find oen with less than 150,000 on the clock. I know it depends on the use its recieved, but how many kms would i expect tp get out of it?? Im lookin at spending about 7 grand, i guess i can stretch the bidget further if needs be... any help would be great Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

few things to be careful of. Watch out for ruust, can be very costly down the track. If your gonna modify it, make sure your insurance covers it. You dont wanna have a ding and find out your not covered. If you get one under 150,000 its a pretty good deal, have to remember its a 14-16 year old car, and 10,000 a year is pretty nice. With Calais electrics can be a problem so also be careful of this. anyway have fun looking, and good luck

Not that it really matter, but wasn't it you that was asking about what to look for only like 2 weeks ago Little Matty?? Oh well some of the stuff he mentioned was right though. There should be an article on the main page of calaisturbo.com that has some usefull tips. If i'd have known about this site before i bought mine it would have been so handy. Anyway check it out and good luck with the search man.

If its an auto, make sure that it changes into overdrive! Also you will be very lucky to find one under 150,000km's, I had a lot of trouble finding one under 200,000 and this was 2.5 years ago..... Also if they say things like the head has been replaced, rust taken out, regular servicing, ask for receipts to prove it was done and when it was done.

[quote="^Mobil_HRT^"]If its an auto, make sure that it changes into overdrive! quote] Ummm dont flood me here but you said overdrive? is that only in calais's or is it the PWR button? As i have a N/A Berlina auto with 118,000kms on the clock.

Ive been searching the trading post and various other sources for a few months now and it seems that if you look hard enough, there are a number for cars out there with near 150,000kms on the clock, any less and i begin to wonder if the clock has been wound back.... So ud say a VL with 150,000kms give or take would be a decent buy? Various people tell me different stories, thought id ask you guys, you seem to know it all Thanks for the help, keep it coming Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

Quote: 118,000kms on the clock. fark me thats good, mine just reached 199500km's, i dunno when these engines die but mines an 86 exec and still runs perfectly, i'd agree with mobil hrt, ask if stuff has been replaced and about reciepts, and it always helps to have it checked out by someone if your not to sure on cars yourself. find out if any modifications have been made and if it's been inany accidents, and if something doesn't seem right try find out asmuch as you can maybe on previous owners or if they have had things fixed ask where and maybe talk to the mechanics G'luck in your search Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

All 3Ltr autos are 4 speed.... yes the PWR button thing.... you wont see these on V8 models. Doesnt matter whether its SL, Calais or what....

Is there any point to getting a N/A VL, or do ya think i should try save up the extra $$$ and get a turbo?? Seems like the general feeling from what ive read... I do plan to modify it slightly, although im not really looking for a high performance car at the moment (couldnt push it too far on my P's or Vic roads might get a lil annoyed with me :x ) Any suggestions? By the way, thanks for all the help so far Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

Get a turbo!!!!!

Yes MY88VL, i was the one asking, thats why its still fresh in my head. Be carfeul with turbos because of insurance man. Can be a little harder to find, and a bit more expensive. There are places out there though, u just gotta look. With turbo also comes down to how lazy you are. Some people cant be stuffed in the morning letting the turbo warm up, then when you get to destinatiopn, letting it cool down again. I'm on of these and am searching for a N/A. Also remember if anything goes wrong with a turbo, usually more expensive to fix. Not putting you off it though man i do like VLT, im just not a buyer myself.

suffer the insurance man. I bought an atmo and its so sluggish. i'm now converting to turbo. Trust me by the turbo..... insurance can wait.

Fresh VL? Yeah the k's are genuine too! The previous owner had it for just under ten years and bought it with 50,000kms on it (works out to be like 7500ks a year) and had a second car so it was hardly driven. Another reason i reckon its genuine is because the owner said that the car had 'double S commodore' wheels on it (how many people do you no that would call an SS double S?) and was a family man. Soooo yeah. Sorry the dribling k bye

With the Kms issue, if theyre low make sure that you can verify them, the VL odometer can sometimes play tricks. How many Vls do u see in the trader with LOW KMS? there are far more VLs on the road with low kays, than cars around a similar age which sounds dodge to me. I bought one with low Kms only to find a week later the odometer stopped, a week later started turning again and it only worked when it wanted to .

mate i think nearly everyone on this site is on P's. and a few of them have got some sick machines. the cops will leave u alone if u dont do anything stupid infront of them. BUY A TURBO. andrew

Little Matty What's this 'warming up the turbo in the morning' stuff?????? What would 'warming up' the turbo do?? and how would you do it?? The only way it warms up is by starting and driving the car!