Have the BA's success made AU's more desirable?

[XplosiveR6]

I have wondered lately, have the BA's sucesses both on the road and in the V8 Supercars made AU's a more desireble car? Lately i have seen many AU's done up and modified, this is pretty good considering how "ugly" Au's are supposedly are.

Just for the record, i think AU's were and are fantastic cars

[FPV8U]

I think you are seeing more people doing up AU's because they are getting cheeper, more people can afford to buy them and do them up,

The older the AU's get especially the S2 and S3 the more modern they are looking, an AUII or AUIII XR8 is still one of the most eye catching Cars on the road, imagine how much more attention they would get if the AU had scored colours like Citric Acid, Blood Orange, Rapid, Envy...

maybe au's are just more affordable?
I bought a au xr6 ute, would have gone a BA, but roughly 10k price difference.

[MoreHPformyXR6]

I think more so that you get alot of car with the AU for little cash so for a young bloke starting out he can then afford to mod over time. Im very happy with my BA to drive & the comfort saftey & performance it provides are fantastic for what it is. But i dont think the BA's sucess makes the AU more desirable i think it makes the BA more desirable.

[FalconXV]

IMHO the AU (series 1 notwithstanding) has aged much better than the BA; as it isn't as derivative, common or bland these days. The EF aged brilliantly too but is only now starting to look passe`.

[BPXR6T]

The AU is a bloody top car. I let my AU XR8 ute go for $13500 about 12 months ago and still regret it. Its a lot of car for you dollar. The series one was the pick IMO. I liked the lack of body kit. It looked really clean when lowered with big 19's. Very clean indeed...

[MoreHPformyXR6]

Originally Posted by FourBarrel

The AU is a bloody top car. I let my AU XR8 ute go for $13500 about 12 months ago and still regret it. Its a lot of car for you dollar. The series one was the pick IMO. I liked the lack of body kit. It looked really clean when lowered with big 19's. Very clean indeed...

Hey FourBarrel
I take it from your Aviator you have traded up for BA XR8 ute? Apart from the difference in $ are you happy with your switch?

[HLC]

AU's are cheap thats why. bang for your buck.

[XplosiveR6]

Yes, Certainly AU's have gotten a lot cheaper, but if they were sooo "ugly" like so many people say on this site, why would people still buy such an "ugly" car even if its cheap

[SVR73]

Not getting rid of mine
Series 1 galaxy blue with full bodykit and bi plane, just how I like it
Only things better - TE50 S3 and S2 and 3 XR front grille/bar design

[ReVd_uP]

I think its due to the fact that its now the newest falcon in the average P platers budget, i work in a ford dealer and see plenty of AUs and BAs come through the doors, see all the problems which plague them both, and went for an AU3 xr8 ute, which id say has the most reliable engine of the lot...

[BPXR6T]

Originally Posted by MoreHPformyXR6

Hey FourBarrel
I take it from your Aviator you have traded up for BA XR8 ute? Apart from the difference in $ are you happy with your switch?

I went through phases. When I first drove the BA XR8 I fell in love. I then started to dislike it because of the poor handling and the fact the diff needed to be replaced in a new $50,000 car. I even put it up for sale.

But I didn't go through with the sale. I've got a new diff and the cars being lowered very soon. There is so much potential in that boss motor than the old 302W. Stock standard the power leaves the AU for dead. Interior and exterior wise the BA XR8 is the best looking car Ford have released in recent times.

So in short I'm very happy I traded up.

[Falcon Freak]

Originally Posted by EF_Dave

I have wondered lately, have the BA's sucesses both on the road and in the V8 Supercars made AU's a more desireble car?

Casper - am I allowed to answer this question?

FF

[XR6-VCT-2000]

AU for me , why ? - proven reliability , better handling than the BA imo too, best looking falcon of the last few years ( the XR series anyways ), much nicer interior too imo ( i said it a thousand times , i recon the ba/bf interior is too squared off , the dash looks like a rav4 setup with volvo interior ). Besides that there is hundreads of ba/bf falcons/xr8's/xt's etc etc getting around latelly - they all look the same in the ba/bf model , way over manafactured imo . Everyone entitled to their own opinions ;) - cheers .

[TCK-098]

Ive had the chance to drive both and at the end of the day i dont give a rats who says what but the Au is a way better car.

I wish i still had the XB 450hp at the fly and damn the wheelspin and the real V8 sound.

[XR6-VCT-2000]

Originally Posted by krustytheclown

Ive had the chance to drive both and at the end of the day i dont give a rats who says what but the Au is a way better car.

I wish i still had the XB 450hp at the fly and damn the wheelspin and the real V8 sound.

Exactelly where i was coming from ;) ..

Hey ya avitar, rest in piece the Legendary Richard Prior . that bloke started it all ! .

[Stav]

The AU was the forgotten car. People didnt really try to do much with them before. I think much credit can go to Casper and AUFALCON.COM. for awareness that these cars can get up and move quite well with basic mods.

Also the workshops which resurected the performance market and availabiltiy of parts and support.

The Ba is nice but the au is in a class of its own.

[HLC]

Originally Posted by EF_Dave

Yes, Certainly AU's have gotten a lot cheaper, but if they were sooo "ugly" like so many people say on this site, why would people still buy such an "ugly" car even if its cheap

because, believe it or not, aesthetics arnt everything when buying a car. i only got an AU cause i could afford it. i would have preferred an EF or EL xr6, but a fairmont came up for cheap. so i bought it. even though i didnt like the look.

[Deadman]

Originally Posted by EF_Dave

Yes, Certainly AU's have gotten a lot cheaper, but if they were sooo "ugly" like so many people say on this site, why would people still buy such an "ugly" car even if its cheap

a) because they're a ford nut and
b) they can afford it
or
c) they love AU's for being AU's and have been waiting till they could afford it
d) they spend the $ on moding an AU that they saved instead of buying something else :

Not bad reasons - but I think that would be part of the answer to your question. I think you would fine a lot would fall in to a & b reasons (I guess HLC above is an example ).

At the end of the day I think it comes back to simply what people want when they buy their cars. AU's are a great value buy in the used car market at the moment because they are cheap, reliable and have great potential for tuners etc.

The XR's look nice and have great guts, and the base models are great value for families looking for a cheap run around 6cyl car, and the Fairmonts etc have great kit for the $, and there are quite a few LPG models going around for those who are fuel consious. Winners all round!

I think you'll find the only BA/BF that will have more appeal as a second hand vehicle in future years will be the XR6T for it's ultimate bang for your buck. Resale is a great thing when you're a second hand buyer

[BPXR6T]

I think it was a mistake for Ford to try and sell the AU XR series as a performance model in the form they did. Fact is it didn't perform and it gave Ford a bad rep until the BA dug them out. My AU XR8 was a slug and I was always getting picked off by 200sx owners. They finally got the point with the T series and pursuit utes.

There is a lot of room for improvement on the AU XR8. The suspension work I done made mine handle amazingly good for a ute. I probably should have dropped a set of heads on and put a better cam in. 200KW just doesn't cut it for a performance car.

[Casper]

Originally Posted by Falcon Freak

Casper - am I allowed to answer this question?

FF

Feel Free

Originally Posted by useless

The AU was the forgotten car. People didnt really try to do much with them before. I think much credit can go to Casper and AUFALCON.COM. for awareness that these cars can get up and move quite well with basic mods.

I'm not sure how much aufalcon.com has contributed to the initial sales if anything. I do feel that, once found, many AU owners see aufalcon.com as a rally point to show they are proud of their cars. I guess thats its contribution.

Originally Posted by useless

Also the workshops which resurected the performance market and availabiltiy of parts and support.

This is a major truth. The fact that the AU's aftermarket support in performance and aesthetics is so strong now certainly makes a difference.

Originally Posted by EF_Dave

I have wondered lately, have the BA's sucesses both on the road and in the V8 Supercars made AU's a more desireble car? Lately i have seen many AU's done up and modified, this is pretty good considering how "ugly" Au's are supposedly are.

I think the success of the BA/BF has most certainly rubbed off on the AU. I hve no doubt in my mind that the younger generation buying the AU's now are certainly influenced by the BA's on track success. It has made the "FORD" name a winner again. Of course, even now the BA is out of the price range of a lot of people and the E Series cars are starting to show their age (even the youngest E Series is almost 10 years old now) so the younger buyers look at the AU. Its a Ford, the right price and the right age. Then, when they drive it I think it sells itself. Noone I know of, regardless of what they drive, has ever been able to fault the AU's drivability. Looks, yes, performance, yes, proportions, yes, but handling and agility... no. The AU was a fantastic car in an unusual wrapper. The success of the BA with its "mainstream" looks is almost certainly refecting some of its success back to the AU's.

I love my AU's to death and will defend them to the death... but I'm not so stupid as to think that the BA's success is anything but a good thing and is probably improving the AU's market as well.

[HLC]

Originally Posted by Casper

Feel Free


I'm not sure how much aufalcon.com has contributed to the initial sales if anything. I do feel that, once found, many AU owners see aufalcon.com as a rally point to show they are proud of their cars. I guess thats its contribution.


This is a major truth. The fact that the AU's aftermarket support in performance and aesthetics is so strong now certainly makes a difference.


I think the success of the BA/BF has most certainly rubbed off on the AU. I hve no doubt in my mind that the younger generation buying the AU's now are certainly influenced by the BA's on track success. It has made the "FORD" name a winner again. Of course, even now the BA is out of the price range of a lot of people and the E Series cars are starting to show their age (even the youngest E Series is almost 10 years old now) so the younger buyers look at the AU. Its a Ford, the right price and the right age. Then, when they drive it I think it sells itself. Noone I know of, regardless of what they drive, has ever been able to fault the AU's drivability. Looks, yes, performance, yes, proportions, yes, but handling and agility... no. The AU was a fantastic car in an unusual wrapper. The success of the BA with its "mainstream" looks is almost certainly refecting some of its success back to the AU's.

I love my AU's to death and will defend them to the death... but I'm not so stupid as to think that the BA's success is anything but a good thing and is probably improving the AU's market as well.

that is a very very good response.

[Deadman]

Well said Casper... Fair, unbiased, accurate and passionate. Love it!

[Casper]

Originally Posted by Deadman

Well said Casper... Fair, unbiased, accurate and passionate. Love it!

I'm an AU fanatic but I still live in reality. The BA saved Ford Australia and is a worthy successor to the AU. I personally believe the QC of the BA fell out of the bag during the model change but it doesnt change a few simple facts. The BA's looks were far more "user friendly". The BA's engines are just kickass (I REALLY would have loved to see the Barra and Boss engines in the AU.. what a weapon!) and the BA's on track success is almost in the "glory days" catagory.

The BA has many faults in my opinion.. but it has many many positives as well. As an AU owner who will never buy a BA... I still appreciate how good a car it is.

I forgot to mention in previous post, that I was a holden kind of guy. I wanted to buy a new-ish (er) ute. at the time of my purchase, most of the holden utes had tons of k's on em, and the equivelent S pack seris in a holden just did not seem to have the "go" in it.

I will say the the Xr6 Ute has to be the most fun car to drive that I have ever owned. But also agree with what some others have said about power I too have been flogged by little 2 litre jap machines, which really annoys me to death.

NOT THAT I DO THIS A LOT, but at least I look better at losing spining first, second, and sorta third!!! (no a great way to win, spinning the wheels I know but sounds good) ;) Still miss third sometimes which does not help!

So my buying decesion was based on value/looks/km's (i also wanted a manual) and to reiterate the equation then became "value for money" x "performance" x "looks" = AU Ute,

I'd love to know what BHP/kw it produces, I have read somewhere in the vicinity of 165-185? from a guys website. But its still not enough, once I get some cash I want to get it looked at.

future plans, Drop it/suspension. wheels/brakes, tint, body kit, engine, interior, graphics.

but then again, looks good just the way it is.

[XR6-VCT-2000]

Originally Posted by Casper

The BA has many faults in my opinion.. but it has many many positives as well. As an AU owner who will never buy a BA... I still appreciate how good a car it is.

Now that i can't argue with ! . The BA is a nice car no doubt about it , but i still prefer my AU XR ;) . Allthough a few years down the track - who knows - my taste might change and i might update , but in the ba range the only 1 that half appeals to me at the moment is the XR6T as someone else above mentioned ;) . :

[cdsam]

I bought my AUIII XR6 because it was the right price, also because I think here in NZ every 2nd ford is a BA, there are not so many AU XR's. Sold my Holden to get it, best move I ever made.

cdsam (Ray H)

[FPV8U]

Originally Posted by Casper

The BA's engines are just kickass (I REALLY would have loved to see the Barra and Boss engines in the AU.. what a weapon!)

Mmm Now that would have been a nice way to send out the AU...

So many If's around the AU Falcons Sales and success.

[FPV8U]

Originally Posted by FourBarrel

I think it was a mistake for Ford to try and sell the AU XR series as a performance model in the form they did. Fact is it didn't perform and it gave Ford a bad rep until the BA dug them out. My AU XR8 was a slug and I was always getting picked off by 200sx owners. They finally got the point with the T series and pursuit utes.

There is a lot of room for improvement on the AU XR8. The suspension work I done made mine handle amazingly good for a ute. I probably should have dropped a set of heads on and put a better cam in. 200KW just doesn't cut it for a performance car.

Your 100% Right Fourbarrel and after seeing what an Edit can do to a 220Kw XR8 only recently there was no need for it to play 2nd fiddle to the VTII and VX SS in a strait line.

The AUII and AUIII XR8's could have been alot better performing cars out of the factory if ford didn't have so much damn Torque restriction on them!