Fun question for lovers of 70s cars

**pzkpfw** · 17th May 2015, 11:00

Originally Posted by sidecar bob

... I guess the same goes for today, I'd hardly swap my X5 for a Holden Adventra, they have got to be the cheapest nastiest 4wd conversion possible, using subframe spacers to give a body lift like some backyard bodge up from Gore.

I don't think many were fooled by the Adventra. Wasn't it just a panicked reaction to the Ford Territory? (Falcon-ish, but more developed, not such a bodge). The Territory continued to well out-sell the Holden.

The Ranger based Everest comes next year. Be interesting to see how that goes against the Holden Captiva 7 and Colorado 7.

(Having said all that, in the 70's and 80's people were putting Dana axles in HQ Holdens, and making 4x4 Kingswoods. They were and always will be, the coolest of the cool.)

**Moi** · 17th May 2015, 11:40

Jeez wayne, you a bloody sheila?

Feck in them daz we had a Holden wagon... it did everythink, rubbish to the tip, rugrats to school footie, misses to the shops, me to the club... went everywhere... nothink stopped it... not even a flooded steam... cleaned them out with a hose...

Nowadays you have to have some fancy 4x4 with more letters across their bums then some fancy doctor has on their door...

**Voltaire** · 17th May 2015, 15:38

Originally Posted by sidecar bob

That explains everything. How the fuck else could you sell cars that are the motoring equivalent of KFC & Pizza Hut, while the rest of the world were doing fine dining on Mercedes & BMW (I'm talking about the 70's & 80's) the difference between a HG Holden & a '71 BMW 3.0s, which I have worked on since they were semi modern is immeasurable in every way. I guess the same goes for today, I'd hardly swap my X5 for a Holden Adventra, they have got to be the cheapest nastiest 4wd conversion possible, using subframe spacers to give a body lift like some backyard bodge up from Gore.

Maxheadroom has one of those BMW 3.0 litre cars, apparently cost about 50 K back in the mid 70's when a Holden premier was $5500.
As you say the Holden engineering was pretty much 1930's with metallic paint added, ironically these days the Holden is probably worth more ( here).
I used to drive my Parents Premier and have no ambition to own an Aussie car ever.

**Laava** · 17th May 2015, 16:02

It is essentially true that if you are doing a road trip around aussie, you have a holden, falcon or a landcruiser./hilux. Primarily for repair reasons. Ie you can get bits anywhere and mechs that can fix them.

**sidecar bob** · 17th May 2015, 17:22

Originally Posted by Voltaire

Maxheadroom has one of those BMW 3.0 litre cars, apparently cost about 50 K back in the mid 70's when a Holden premier was $5500.
As you say the Holden engineering was pretty much 1930's with metallic paint added, ironically these days the Holden is probably worth more ( here).
I used to drive my Parents Premier and have no ambition to own an Aussie car ever.

I have a client that bought a 3.0s Lhd & still has it when it was about two years old for $7500, so I'd say fiddyK would be a bit of an over estimation, but yeah, suffice to say, a fair bit more than a holdunger.
I was highly amused when sometime around '91 '92 Holden proudly announced IRS on the back of their then current pile of shit they were peddling. BMW had been quietly using independent rear suspension & four wheel disc brakes from at least as far back as 1968 on their regular production family cars.

**nodrog:Me** · 17th May 2015, 17:45

Originally Posted by Oakie

Easy enough. Name the company who made this car and the model. Year if your really good. First correct answer wins a virtual crunchie.

Warning ... only people who really know their stuff will get this. (And if someone gets it straight off I'm going to look a right twat but hey, that's the risk I take.)

I will eventually put up the info about this car. Quite interesting.

A 350 chev in a series 1 rx7 is far more fun.

**jim.cox** · 17th May 2015, 17:46

The advantage of simple old Aussie wagons is they are easy to fix.

The dis-advantage of them is that you are going to have to do so.

Blowing the timing gears of my HT wagon just inside the Homer Tunnel was NOT fun...

**Oakie** · 17th May 2015, 19:44

Originally Posted by jim.cox

Blowing the timing gears of my HT wagon just inside the Homer Tunnel was NOT fun...

So now you know what the HT stands for don't you? Homer Tunnel!

**Kickaha** · 17th May 2015, 19:48

Originally Posted by jim.cox

Blowing the timing gears of my HT wagon just inside the Homer Tunnel was NOT fun...

Had to do those on both the HT and HQ that I had, In stock off the shelf at Repco at the time

**jim.cox** · 17th May 2015, 19:58

Originally Posted by Kickaha

Had to do those on both the HT and HQ that I had, In stock off the shelf at Repco at the time

And around a day's labour

**Swoop** · 17th May 2015, 20:05

Originally Posted by jim.cox

The advantage of simple old Aussie wagons is they are easy to fix.

The HQ never required a spare ignition key either...

**Banditbandit** · 19th May 2015, 13:18

Originally Posted by sidecar bob

Some Maoris had one near my work in the '90s, they turned it into scrap in a couple of years totally unaware of what it actually was.

Originally Posted by neels

a whale of a car and an engine with no torque, not a winning combination.

Yeah ... I can understand why they wrecked it ... it belongs in a museum - not on the road

**yevjenko** · 22nd May 2015, 08:49

Originally Posted by sidecar bob

That explains everything. How the fuck else could you sell cars that are the motoring equivalent of KFC & Pizza Hut, while the rest of the world were doing fine dining on Mercedes & BMW (I'm talking about the 70's & 80's) the difference between a HG Holden & a '71 BMW 3.0s, which I have worked on since they were semi modern is immeasurable in every way .

You're comparing to the wrong cars though. The equivalent in Europe would be the ford Granada and the Vauxhall senator/victor/vx range of motors. BMW and Merc have always been a step ahead of anybody else engineering wise

Originally Posted by sidecar bob

I guess the same goes for today, I'd hardly swap my X5 for a Holden Adventra, they have got to be the cheapest nastiest 4wd conversion possible, using subframe spacers to give a body lift like some backyard bodge up from Gore.

Common platform not initially designed to be an of roader

**ellipsis** · 22nd May 2015, 09:10

...how many cars like the H Holdens were there that you could change any of the motors that they had, from 149's up to the 202's, in less than two hours and still have another cheap spare ready for next time the 202 dropped number five hole or the timing gear broke on it...every H Holden I ran had the motor out immediately and had a 1 Tonner gearbox bolted onto it...I dont miss the fact that I changed to the japanese Holdens a long time ago...I do miss the power and reliability and economy of my last HJ Ute with an LD28 and five speed box in it though...