To many km's ?

[Paul K]

hi All,
Can I get an idea about the reliability of a 250K km alloytec VZ Calais ?
ie is it too many km's to consider ? (Most of them have been on LPG)
The engine reco's say that the alloytec motors are very reliable on LPG
and if they do one for gas the heads stay standard.
I can get a hi km's one quite cheap it is in very good condition
and has a complete log book.
How about the transmission ?
What discount do I do on the sale price ?
ie $2 or $3 K
Thanx for your thoughts.

[Loco76]

sounds like an old taxi motor

[Paul K]

No the K's were from Broadford and back daily,
the family have 3 Calais's and everything is very genuine,
They put the car on LPG when it was less than 100K kms,
it is quite pristine as only the driver was in the car generally.

[LS2CALAIS]

Worst case, you'll end up having to replace an engine down the track. For the $1000 it may cost you i think it's a good buy if the price is right.

[Peter B - CV8]

Mate, it's done 250,000 k's. What about the transmission, driveline, power steering pump, radiator/water pump etc etc.
It would need to be a pretty low price to justify thinking about in my opinion. What would a Dealer be paying for it as a trade in ??? about $6k...

[Paul K]

That is the way I was thinking about it,
ie say $6k for good sh tranny and engine down the road.
(I know nothing about the tranny in them)
I was going to offer $9k and at worst case fix it up for
less than $15K ie if I had to replace the tranny and engine,
most of the k's have been on the freeway and everything
I was told about it was genuine.
I know it would fetch maybe $8k at pickles but it would not
have a service history and being flogged at every set of lights.
(I think pickles prices are inflated with cars in general)

[Paul K]

Does this include the tranny ?
http://holmart.com.au/online/prod1080.htm

[redvxr8clubby]

Depends how you look at it, if the car costs $9K and runs OK for a while it's a reasonable buy. If on the other hand you spend the $6K you suggested then you have spent $15K on a car with 250,000 km, if you do wind up spending that much it is not good buying.

[LS2CALAIS]

Just lowball him & try your luck. $7500 is a good starting point based on kms & possible complications in near future

[white lie]

KMs are a pretty big thing when it comes to selling the car.
As stated, if you buy it and spend up to 15K fixing stuff over the years you would have spent as much as a low km example and it will be harder to get a decent price when you want to sell it... even if everything has been replaced.
Unless you're not travelling many kms per year and the average comes down over the time you own it, then it could be worthwhile

[Paul K]

That is what happened to my previous drive,
it was "genuine holden gas" which meant the heads
were stock standard ! I replaced them yet I was still ahead
with the valuation after three years. The problems of being poor:)
I would not spend $15 k to repair it rather $6 k over the next few years.
I don't do many ks per year yet the lpg really makes driving more affordable.

I might settle on a lowish figure and see how I go.

[SS317]

For me it's to many km's, I'd be trying to find something with less on the clock but that's just me.

[Paul K]

There isn't anything around at present, only dealer cars
and they are very expensive and some with the same k's.
I need to get a car within the next month so I will try for $7,000
and see what the response is.

As an aside why do some people advertise a car yet don't bother
following up any queries ie you ring them up or email them
to say you are interested yet they never get back to you,
I find one in 5 adds are like this, It isn't that they have
sold the car as often they relist them. I was wondering if
there is a reason to have the car undervalued for debtors
or similar. It is a big waste of peoples time.
They hide behind answering machines or business forwarding
reception services, cheers

[VYBerlinaV8]

Pay a bit more and get a car with 100,000 fewer kms.

[2010blackve]

I would be looking for a car with less k's. It's not just the engine and transmission that will be worn it's the whole car.

Who knows what other problems may come up.

[Angeldust]

when alloytec dies, ls3+t56 conversion

its a good excuse anyway lol

[QldKev]

As mentioned prior, it not just the engine / trans that has done the k's. It the suspension/brakes/etc The seats have been sat in for the extra km's, so they are probably a bit more saggy, the aircon has done more hours so how long before it's rooted, window winders are more worn etc. Other things like alternators, water pumps are that more worn. So what you save in buying it, may come back in the total cost of ownership. If it does need a new engine & trans, you will pay overall the cost of a low km version. When you go to sell it you will still have a high km vehicle.

In saying all this, if you think the engine and everything else has a few years left in it, and you don't need to spend money on it; then just drive it and don't spend too much on it, then it is a cheap car.

I don't think I would look at it. But I've had a couple of 'cheap' cars that end up costing more than they are worth. Where now I put the extra $ in up front and dont worry about working on them / them playing up all the time.

Just my 2c

QldKev

[cashie]

As mentioned prior, it not just the engine / trans that has done the k's. It the suspension/brakes/etc The seats have been sat in for the extra km's, so they are probably a bit more saggy, the aircon has done more hours so how long before it's rooted, window winders are more worn etc. Other things like alternators, water pumps are that more worn. So what you save in buying it, may come back in the total cost of ownership. If it does need a new engine & trans, you will pay overall the cost of a low km version. When you go to sell it you will still have a high km vehicle.

In saying all this, if you think the engine and everything else has a few years left in it, and you don't need to spend money on it; then just drive it and don't spend too much on it, then it is a cheap car.

I don't think I would look at it. But I've had a couple of 'cheap' cars that end up costing more than they are worth. Where now I put the extra $ in up front and dont worry about working on them / them playing up all the time.

Just my 2c

QldKev

Some very good advice there Kev.

[Stewge]

Following the notes of others, another thing to keep in mind with VZs (I mentioned in a recent thread about VYs) is some of the electronics will have been in use longer. Things like headlight bulbs have finite life times, relays need replacing as they stick over time (especially in VZs, Holden went cheap on them). For example, if the hazard light relay is on the way out and causes sticking, Holden will try and sting you for $700 for a whole new BCM (not just replace the relay inside it as its soldered). Unless you're handy with a soldering iron or know someone who is, then that causes all kinds of problems.

[Paul K]

I have nearly decided that it has to many k's the engine/tranny are pretty fixed for cost,
as is the brakes and suspension. Other things like the interior and similar could cost
a lot of money. I am an auto electrician so the electrics don't worry me.
The fact that the car has lots of k's means it's resale value is low even if I replace
the engine and tranny etc. The problem is that there are not any for for sale.

[mickeyVX350]

Now - what a crock! Naysayers of the world unite!

My Adventra, Alloytec V6 has 280K on it... On LPG

I replaced a waterpump, and a front drive shaft... Oh ONE light bulb (WTF!?!?!)

That's it on top of services...

[Paul K]

Another aspect is that the suspension and brakes need upgrading even from standard,
so it is not a real cost for either of them and this gives an extra 20kw and another gear:
http://holmart.com.au/online/prod1080.htm
Does anyone know who would fit a new engine to a VZ ?