VE SSV OR CALAIS V that is the question..

[timbo888]

i'm newsish here and still trying to find the right car for me..

i was trying to decide between a VZ or VE SS, and had decided on a VE SSV.. then someone pointed out all the features of the calais V and the fact that the calais are going cheaper than an SSV..

so now i'm tossing up between the two of them.. i did want a manual, but i'm not sure if a pimpin' calais would be nicer to drive.. the car will be a daily, but it's only 10k's to work and most of that is in a 50kph zone.. most of the time it would just be my car, but my wife would drive it sometimes and the little kids would go in it as well..

i found a V8 calais at gosford holden and had a quick look at it today, might go back tomorrow for a drive. just wondering how the A6 boxes go, do they change when you want to in tiptronic or do they still do their own thing?

so what's your opinions?

cheers
-tim

[Angeldust]

ask yourself whether you want manual or auto 1st..

[jfp]

The SSV has FE2 and I think the Calais has FE1.5 so there will be difference in feel and handling. Do you want a more 'sporty' look or a more 'sleeper' look. The auto and the look of the car I think should be your main decision points. You need to be happy with both and not look back in 6 months and think 'I should have got the other one'.

The A6, once tuned, is a good box.

[timbo888]

i don't know much about the holden auto.. i have been hanging around the ford forums for ages as i was looking at something from their stable, i know the ZF auto box they use is highly regarded.

i'm thinking i would prefer the manual, but a shift kitted auto might be good to just stick in drive in traffic..

might go harrass the holden yard tomorrow and go for a decent drive

[Hos]

I bought our SSV SE wagon new, having not seen the Calais v in the flesh or being able to see one easily given where I live. I love the SSV, and buying one with the Pontiac front end at the time was appealing.

Without knowing the price difference between an SSV and CalaisV, it if was minimal and I had my time again I would seriously consider the CalaisV. It has puddle lighting, auto wipers, better adjustment of driver seat and electric passenger seat, triple window instrument cluster, and a few other 'luxury' items. If you want a manual the Calais is out. If you are likely to alter ride height etc the difference in FE1.5 or FE2 won't matter. It's an individual thing, but if I had my time again I would've bought a CalaisV wagon and put diffenert rims on.

Does anyone know the price difference between the two?

[whitels1ss]

Long term the SS or SSV will hold it's value better than a Calais will
As posted above, just depends what you would rather own and drive?

[motorin on]

i'm newsish here and still trying to find the right car for me..

i was trying to decide between a VZ or VE SS, and had decided on a VE SSV.. then someone pointed out all the features of the calais V and the fact that the calais are going cheaper than an SSV..

so now i'm tossing up between the two of them.. i did want a manual, but i'm not sure if a pimpin' calais would be nicer to drive.. the car will be a daily, but it's only 10k's to work and most of that is in a 50kph zone.. most of the time it would just be my car, but my wife would drive it sometimes and the little kids would go in it as well..

i found a V8 calais at gosford holden and had a quick look at it today, might go back tomorrow for a drive. just wondering how the A6 boxes go, do they change when you want to in tiptronic or do they still do their own thing?

so what's your opinions?

cheers
-tim
hi Tim
Some-one with a mechanical background can give better feedback than me,but I think the 10k drive to work may be a bit unhealthy for the engine in the long term,it won't even warm up.
Also if the wife is going to drive it she may find an auto easier
Did you think about buying a pushy as well and leaving the car at home??.Yes I am serious

[timbo888]

^^^ i was thinking about that the other day.. i have a crappy mountain bike now, but i was going to ride it to work and back on a day off to see how long it would take and then see about getting a half decent bike..

my wife has her own car for most of the time, it would just be the odd occasion she would drive mine.. and she is a hoon so she would like to drive mine :)

[SUZUKI MALISHA]

if i was u id be trying for the calais v espescially as it would proabably suit you family and short drives a little better...but you cant beat seat of the pants descisions...try them both first

[BEARWOOD]

Id suggest a calais v for you. I'll be looking hard at one next time i change again.

[macca_779]

Tuff decision. If you must have a manual there is always a Senator. More kit than a Calais too


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[BEARWOOD]

Tuff decision. If you must have a manual there is always a Senator. More kit than a Calais too


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Yes!! Get the Senator!!

[motorin on]

^^^ i was thinking about that the other day.. i have a crappy mountain bike now, but i was going to ride it to work and back on a day off to see how long it would take and then see about getting a half decent bike..

my wife has her own car for most of the time, it would just be the odd occasion she would drive mine.. and she is a hoon so she would like to drive mine :)
the bike has health benefits long as it doesn't rain
I have an auto and would never go back to a manual,I think a well set up auto provides plenty of performance.The boot to the floor and kickdown gets the response I want with no gears to change and no clutch to replace

[adr8]

dont know what year SSV you are at looking at but the later ones I think 2009 onwards the Autos(both Calais and SSV) had 10Kw and 13nm less than manuals, not something you would probably notice on the road but something you might want to consider...

[CLUBRED]

I think the earlier CalaisV had the FE2 suspension. If number crunching is your thing, the CalaisV is cheaper to insure than the Calais, and allot cheaper than the SS, almost double - well was when I got mine.

[timbo888]

thanks for the responses.

well i spent an hour or so in a V8 calais this morning and came to the decision that the auto is not for me.. so i'll go back to looking for a SSV in my price range, and a bike to go with it :)

central coast holden at gosford did have a G8 wagon in blue, auto, with a set of extractors/exhaust and what sounded to be a massive cam if anyone is interested :)

[Magnum9]

Did you try driving it in manual mode? Unlike the older four speed auto it will stay in whatever gear you put it in until you slow down below that gears ability to accelerate again. You can even select up to third gear from a standstill and it will start from a standstill in that gear and stay in that gear. Around town you can virtually stay in third.

[timbo888]

yeah i tried the tiptronic mode, but it didn't feel as nice/responsive as i would have liked.

and i tried normal mode and sport mode, just wasn't for me.

at least i have narrowed it down to a 2007 onwards ssv.

[SSVHM2.5]

Agree the M6 is the only way to go. They are little notchy but spend $700ish on a short shift. Well worth it.

[lowhsv]

hi there i have a ve ssv, voodoo blue its an 09 model, manual, 38000kms. pretty neat car i dont drive it the missus does and she has decided a ve is not for her so i am going to advertise it this weekend. 100% stock, paintwork is brilliant 2 wheels have slight gutter rash nothing that cant be fixed. other then that its faultless. pm me if you would like to know more and go further.

cheers

[redvxr8clubby]

yeah i tried the tiptronic mode, but it didn't feel as nice/responsive as i would have liked.

and i tried normal mode and sport mode, just wasn't for me.

at least i have narrowed it down to a 2007 onwards ssv.


Of course another option is a Clubby, a used Clubby might not be that much more expensive than a manual SSV. I guess you are going to have more expensive insurance and maintenance cost of brakes will be more, but otherwise probably not much in it.

[adr8]

If you have decided on manual (which would be my choice), sometime in 2009 the SS was fitted with the updated gearbox TR6060 which replaced the T-56 something else to consider

I also agree clubby would be a better choice but I am biased, insurance is only few hundred dollars more, maintenance virtually same if you are using fully synthetic oil in the SS, brakes are the major cost difference but DBA make some quality aftermarket rotors and there are plenty of aftermarket pads to suit.

[SimonNQ]

As someone that has has just gone from the standard SSV brakes to the HSV's I can attest that they do make a massive difference! yes they are more expensive, but they just stop soooooooo good !! makes the car feel much better. I have the a 2009 MY10, I was also considering going a Clubby or a GTS, but even for a 41 year old driver with 0 accident history the insurance was HUGE ! I pay around $850 for the SSV and the HSV was going to be $1800.

[adr8]

As someone that has has just gone from the standard SSV brakes to the HSV's I can attest that they do make a massive difference! yes they are more expensive, but they just stop soooooooo good !! makes the car feel much better. I have the a 2009 MY10, I was also considering going a Clubby or a GTS, but even for a 41 year old driver with 0 accident history the insurance was HUGE ! I pay around $850 for the SSV and the HSV was going to be $1800.

It pays to shop around for insurance I have 2010 e3 clubby I pay $1300, if I was to insure an SSV it would have been about $950 I was tossing up between the SSV and R8 ended up with the R8

[Usdrothek]

yeah i tried the tiptronic mode, but it didn't feel as nice/responsive as i would have liked.

and i tried normal mode and sport mode, just wasn't for me.


I have a VE SSV auto, and getting it tuned makes a HUGE improvement to the auto box. Shifts are much crisper and quicker.