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Old 17-02-2019, 09:41 AM   #661
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Cool Re: Will the Holden brand survive?

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Originally Posted by roddy1960 View Post
Here's one of Holden's better offerings from the mid 70's ..

LH Torana ...A friend owned one of these . I travelled with him a few times to golf and such and it was a nice car . It was also about 10 years old at the time in the mid 80's..He had it for years and sold it to buy a VH Commodore but he always loved his LH. It was a mint green colour with a vinyl white roof.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKu9ID8231w ..

anybody here owned one of these ..
Yep, my first car was a 173ci, LH torana S, Durham Beige in colour. ex Orange city council car, 3 on the tree, bench seat 6 seater, drum brakes all round, practically an EH holden, a black mark on 4stanger's car ownership :( , but I was an apprentice at the time at the local holden dealership, the car was a good deal at the time through our used car trade in lot, and being young & silly that car did well with the things I did to it and with it!

Back on topic, My recent trip to NZ, the car market there is a lot smaller than ours, yet all brands survive in that tiny market, holden's drop in sales have caught them out with their early predictions of life after producing their own car/s, the footprint in the market has suffered, they need to downsize their own management and dealerships to survive, but by the looks of recent media speculation, could be all too late.
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Old 17-02-2019, 11:34 AM   #662
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Default Re: Will the Holden brand survive?

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Originally Posted by roddy1960 View Post
What do you make of this from 45 years ago...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaI0BjaFoTI

Ol' Pete is rather scathing on this and some points on lack of genuine effort might well be true ..
What do i think of it, i think the bloke was full of **** to be honest.

There were so many deliberate flaws with it that its more of a comedy than an actual review and he waits until the last minute of the review to admit that Holden had already given up on the large bodied sedans in favour of the Torana and with hindsight we know that within 4 years Holden had released the Commodore which had addressed any of the 'issues' he had.
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Old 17-02-2019, 12:06 PM   #663
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Default Re: Will the Holden brand survive?

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKu9ID8231w ..

anybody here owned one of these ..
Many, LC, TA, LH, LX and UC and in 4, 6 and 8cyl form.

Had to laugh when he suggested the 253 V8 was too much performance for the car when in the HJ review he claimed the 253 was underwhelming, theres like 200kg difference
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Old 17-02-2019, 12:59 PM   #664
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Default Re: Will the Holden brand survive?

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Spot on! Ford is just a lonely outpost.Just another importer,drawing vehicles from around the globe.Holden the same,just have not got the range to draw buyers in unfortunately.
Yep agree. as well.
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Old 17-02-2019, 04:36 PM   #665
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Default Re: Will the Holden brand survive?

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Many, LC, TA, LH, LX and UC and in 4, 6 and 8cyl form.

Had to laugh when he suggested the 253 V8 was too much performance for the car when in the HJ review he claimed the 253 was underwhelming, theres like 200kg difference
I also recall when they whacked a 3.3 and 4.1 in the later model Cortinas and they went really well in a straight line due to less weight than the Falcon to push but were terrible handlers because it buggered up the front balance of the cortina . I remember reading comments to that effect many moons ago now but I never got the chance to see that in a real car .

My only experience of the Cortina was a TD (I think) and it had a 2 litre 4 cylinder. Never drove it though. I had a 1.6 litre Escort at the time . Re Torana ..The 253 V8 was a bugger to work on I believe in the Torana because the engine bay was not ideal for the V8 . As an owner did you find that or was that a bit incorrect . Once again never experienced that either personally . What was your favourite Torana all round by the way ?

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Old 17-02-2019, 04:48 PM   #666
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Default Re: Will the Holden brand survive?

I had a Cortina TD XLE in Gold with black vinyl roof and ginger upholstery. With the 4.1 and it could move !!
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Old 17-02-2019, 05:48 PM   #667
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Default Re: Will the Holden brand survive?

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What do you make of this from 45 years ago...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaI0BjaFoTI

Ol' Pete is rather scathing on this and some points on lack of genuine effort might well be true ..

.

The Radial Tuned Suspension a couple of years later addressed some of Peter's criticisms..
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Old 17-02-2019, 06:03 PM   #668
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Default Re: Will the Holden brand survive?

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I also recall when they whacked a 3.3 and 4.1 in the later model Cortinas and they went really well in a straight line due to less weight than the Falcon to push but were terrible handlers because it buggered up the front balance of the cortina . I remember reading comments to that effect many moons ago now but I never got the chance to see that in a real car .

My only experience of the Cortina was a TD (I think) and it had a 2 litre 4 cylinder. Never drove it though. I had a 1.6 litre Escort at the time . Re Torana ..The 253 V8 was a bugger to work on I believe in the Torana because the engine bay was not ideal for the V8 . As an owner did you find that or was that a bit incorrect . Once again never experienced that either personally . What was your favourite Torana all round by the way ?
I owned TD, TE and TF Cortina's too, my first drive car was a TE 2.0l 4sp.
Obviously there was a penalty to handling with the big 6 but it more than made up for it via the additional power, so you were slower into and through a corner, but on the way out you more than made up for it.
You have to remember that these were not meant to be race cars so the emphasis was on comfort as opposed to speed.
I saw off plenty of 6cyl Commodores with my 4.1l TE Ghia.
I personally believe Ford should have embraced the Cortina instead of Falcon, as the final rendition, the TF, was a very smart looking car and solid as a rock.

Obviously the Torana's engine bay was a tighter place to work, i converted my LH from 3.3 to 4.2 and didnt have any issues with room though, not that i recall , mind you it was 24 years ago.

Favourite, hmm, good question and the answer will probably raise some eyebrows but my favourite of the 8 or so i owned was my last and that was a UC SLE hatch which i converted from 1.9l to 3.3l, better dash layout, nicer trim and RTS suspension.
I was never a fan of the LX front, the round headlights were a backward step from the LH's rectangular shape.
If you could create the perfect Torana for me it would be a LH front and rear on a UC Hatch body with RTS, UC SLE interior, 308, T10, Salisbury 10 bolt and discs.
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Old 17-02-2019, 06:55 PM   #669
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Default Re: Will the Holden brand survive?

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I had a Cortina TD XLE in Gold with black vinyl roof and ginger upholstery. With the 4.1 and it could move !!
So could my 84 XE ..not probably as quick as a Corty with the same engine but that dear old donk is often forgotten but torque to burn . My XE was the 4 speed and if I wanted she'd wind up the St Marys Pass in 4th without too much bother..

Much , much better than the wheezy constricted old Blue 202 I had in the VC Commodore prior to that . The 202 went bang at 118,000 kms one Friday afternoon breaking a piston piddling home from work. A few weeks after the new engine went in the gearbox mount let go and the dash failed and she rusted out the door sills over a couple of troublesome years ..I was jinxed with that car. Absolutely no warning either with the disintegrating piston..Repco long replacement engine wasn't much better but Dad had a HX Kingswood at the time with the red 202 and it was heaps better to drive . The Commodore was the only Holden I've ever owned.

Last edited by roddy1960; 17-02-2019 at 07:05 PM.
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Old 17-02-2019, 09:32 PM   #670
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Default Re: Will the Holden brand survive?

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The 202 went bang at 118,000 kms one Friday afternoon breaking a piston piddling home from work..

A very common fault with the 202...the 186 seemed to go forever & ever..
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Old 18-02-2019, 05:28 PM   #671
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Default Re: Will the Holden brand survive?

Also could be one of two scenarios

a) Typical Holden lies

b) Inchcape have completed their due diligence and advised GM a resounding NO thanks.


https://www.caradvice.com.au/727737/..._campaign=news
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Old 18-02-2019, 05:50 PM   #672
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Default Re: Will the Holden brand survive?

"under my government there will be no carbon tax" - Gillard
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Old 18-02-2019, 08:06 PM   #673
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Default Re: Will the Holden brand survive?

Yep I would trust the word of a company that took 200mil+ to stay open until after 2020, and not refunding any of it when they re-nigged.
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Old 18-02-2019, 10:20 PM   #674
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Default Re: Will the Holden brand survive?

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Also could be one of two scenarios

a) Typical Holden lies
b) Inchcape have completed their due diligence and advised GM a resounding NO thanks.

https://www.caradvice.com.au/727737/..._campaign=news
I hope you are not suggesting that Holden have lost their credibility as a result of past promises.
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Old 19-02-2019, 02:32 PM   #675
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Default Re: Will the Holden brand survive?

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A very common fault with the 202...the 186 seemed to go forever & ever..
Had three modded 202 powered panels vans when I was a courier, driven hard put away wet and never had one go bang. Even the smog drowned WB was reliable apart from the melting tail light bezels.
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Old 19-02-2019, 02:48 PM   #676
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Had three modded 202 powered panels vans when I was a courier, driven hard put away wet and never had one go bang. Even the smog drowned WB was reliable apart from the melting tail light bezels.
Agreed never had trouble with a red 202, those 12 port blues and the blacks were another story though.
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Old 19-02-2019, 03:38 PM   #677
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Default Re: Will the Holden brand survive?

Red 186s amaze me with their ruggedness. Picked up a couple for dad for his HR projects, one was filled with sludge and looked like the bottom of a swamp but the engine still ran fine. In fact the sludginess seemed to quiet it down.

Agricultural as it gets but pretty tough imo.
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Old 19-02-2019, 03:44 PM   #678
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Default Re: Will the Holden brand survive?

Had a great 202 in a purple HJ, that motor was very solid and strong.
Also a 173 in HJ that was not powerful, but was reliable.
A 202 in a HZ that was bought in poor condition gradually lost compression in 2 cylinders, but still did a long trip on the remaining 4!

I found them pretty torquey motors without huge output, but nice to float around town with the Trimatic, and reasonably good on the highway. Everyone bagged them out, just like they bagged out the last Ecotecs, but time has a funny way of sorting wheat from chaff.

(The Ford 6 was almost always good and strong in comparison, excusing a few 90's head gaskets. Later Ford 6's are better than the 'red' 186.)

Now the 245 Hemi...
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Old 10-03-2019, 03:00 PM   #679
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Default Re: Will the Holden brand survive?

Well.... my local dealer has announced their pending closure, the impression tht I'm getting is the owner has had enough of bashing his head against GMH's corporate wall trying to keep the business going....
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Old 10-03-2019, 10:04 PM   #680
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Default Re: Will the Holden brand survive?

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Well.... my local dealer has announced their pending closure, the impression tht I'm getting is the owner has had enough of bashing his head against GMH's corporate wall trying to keep the business going....

Can't be easy selling anything in the middle of nowhere.
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Old 11-03-2019, 12:04 PM   #681
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Default Re: Will the Holden brand survive?

The Hilux is outselling the entire holden range...and the Ranger is not that far away from doing the same.
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Old 11-03-2019, 01:38 PM   #682
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Default Re: Will the Holden brand survive?

Safe to say no one cares about new Holdens anymore, only people who like whitegoods kitchen appliances on wheels. But the market for older Holdens seems to be picking up quite well.
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Old 11-03-2019, 01:40 PM   #683
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Had a great 202 in a purple HJ, that motor was very solid and strong.
Also a 173 in HJ that was not powerful, but was reliable.
A 202 in a HZ that was bought in poor condition gradually lost compression in 2 cylinders, but still did a long trip on the remaining 4!

I found them pretty torquey motors without huge output, but nice to float around town with the Trimatic, and reasonably good on the highway. Everyone bagged them out, just like they bagged out the last Ecotecs, but time has a funny way of sorting wheat from chaff.

(The Ford 6 was almost always good and strong in comparison, excusing a few 90's head gaskets. Later Ford 6's are better than the 'red' 186.)

Now the 245 Hemi...

BUICK V6.....

173, 186, 202, 253, 304......
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Old 11-03-2019, 02:33 PM   #684
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Safe to say no one cares about new Holdens anymore, only people who like whitegoods kitchen appliances on wheels. But the market for older Holdens seems to be picking up quite well.
Yep if a had a lazy $60 000 to buy a Holden, it would be a HQ-HZ Sandman.
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Old 11-03-2019, 02:50 PM   #685
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BUICK V6.....

173, 186, 202, 253, 304......
meh

LJ 2 door - 173 > 253 4 sp > 308 glide.... fast, quick and scary
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Old 11-03-2019, 02:52 PM   #686
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Yep if a had a lazy $60 000 to buy a Holden, it would be a HQ-HZ Sandman.
It’d be a VL Calais Turbo for me. Even base model VL’s in good condition are asking some dollars.
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Old 11-03-2019, 08:31 PM   #687
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meh

LJ 2 door - 173 > 253 4 sp > 308 glide.... fast, quick and scary
Just because your FAST doesn't mean that you will LAST!!!

Pre... '99 only VL turbo makes the grade.
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Old 11-03-2019, 08:39 PM   #688
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Yep if a had a lazy $60 000 to buy a Holden, it would be a HQ-HZ Sandman.
I know the Feeling...
Back in Sept '84 I bought a Brand new WB ute(one of the last batch built). V8 Hamburger with the Lot. drove it for 10 yrs & sold for what I paid for it & thought i was clever..
i kick myself everyday over that. youthful exuberance.
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Old 12-03-2019, 08:03 AM   #689
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Default Re: Will the Holden brand survive?

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Safe to say no one cares about new Holdens anymore, only people who like whitegoods kitchen appliances on wheels.
Thought Toyota had that market stitched up years ago ...
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Old 12-03-2019, 08:58 AM   #690
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Thought Toyota had that market stitched up years ago ...
They did. But right now I’d take any new Toyota over the Holden equivalent. It pains me to say it, but a V6 Camry probably appeals more than a new Commodore.
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