Advice please looking to buy a vxr8

[sean j g]

Hi all I have my eye on a vxr8 it’s a 2008.
so I’m not to familiar with the spec of these cars, so I’m after some advice please the car I’m looking at has the following spec but not to sure what is standard and what is not as follows, I’ve been told it has an upgraded tremec tr6060 gearbox, Walkinshaw wild cam, orctai something maybe spelt differently, Walkinshaw sport cats, it has a button inside says bi-modal apparently something to do with the exhaust,? Been told it’s dyno at 491bhp and 460 torque, could anyone shed any light on all this, did they all have bi modal? Any other info would be great, also an idea of value it’s done 75k miles. Thanks Sean.

Edited by sean j g on Sunday 26th April 11:56

[Lincsls1]

sean j g said:

Hi all I have my eye on a vxr8 it’s a 2008 so I’m not to familiar with the spec of these cars, so I’m after some advice please the car I’m looking at has the following spec but not to sure what is standard and what is not as follows, I’ve been told it has an upgraded tremec tr6060 gearbox, Walkinshaw wild cam, orctai something maybe spelt differently, Walkinshaw sport cats, it has a button inside says bi-modal apparently something to do with the exhaust,? Been told it’s dyno at 491bhp and 460 torque, could anyone shed any light on all this, did they all have bi modal? Any other info would be great, also an idea of value it’s done 75k miles. Thanks Sean.

Hi.
Not very clued up on the VXR8 as I have a Monaro.
The car you are looking at does have a few choice upgrades though.
The cam, sport cats and ORCTAI (over the radiator cold air intake) are definitely performance mods, Walkinshaw being a top name with these cars. The bi-modal button operates an exhaust valve so you can have quiet cruise mode or full Nascar mode! Not sure if this would have been a standard option though, don't think so.
The power figure is very healthly, at least 50bhp over standard even more depending on which engine - LS2 6.0 or LS3 6.2???
The gearbox not sure about, I think the LS2 was mated to a T56 variant, the LS3 mated to either an T56 or the much improved TR6060. Some cars had there T56 changed under warranty I believe and got swapped to the TR6060.
Either way, if it has the TR6060 that's a very good thing.
Value wise, no idea. Mileage is typically below average on a 12 year old car.

[sean j g]

Many thanks for your info and advice it’s much appreciated, also forgot to mention it has a fast 102 intake manifold again not sure what benefit it is, but as said thanks for your response and info.

[Lincsls1]

Its another quality engine mod, replaces the standard air intake manifold, bolts right on top of the engine. Designed to help it breath more easily and will add power especially in conjunction with the other mods this car has.
It certainly has several thousand £'s of performance mods fitted and appear quality stuff.

[vxr2010]

It sounds like a good few mods on it , power is good , as above i’m wondering if it’s a 6 or 6.2 litre , price wise difficult to say , check on line for like cars , ebay is a good source of prices , it has had a fair bit of money spent on it , the exhaust would be around 2500£ based on it being a cat back system , cam is around 2000£ , but mods don’t add much to the price of a car so it’s good some one did all the hard work for you plus saved you a load of £ , rust and accident damage would be my only thoughts , it could be a garaged car which is obviously good

[sean j g]

Hi thanks for info it’s a 6.0 model

[Lincsls1]

6.0L standard output around 410bhp, so yeah its had some good work and seems done well.
It probably had the older T56 box and has been updated to the TR6060.
So, how much is the car up for?
If you like it, concentrate more on its condition in the flesh. What you see in front of you. And obviously what you feel and hear (or not) during a solid test drive. Don't get too hung up on the age or mileage. There could easily be a newer car with less miles in poorer condition.
Obviously the LS3 would be nice to have, but consider the work done to this one, I'd guess quite easy £10k. This car is significantly more powerful than a stock LS3 (425bhp) and IF you wanted to start modding a standard LS3 up to 490bhp then its going to cost a few £k. That being said, sometimes its nice to take the modding journey yourself, that is often part of the ownership experience with cars of this nature.

[sean j g]

Thanks again for thoughts an info also out of interest how do the manual cars compare to the automatic gearbox models, regards drive ability, re sale/desirability, etc
I personally prefer a manual but was curious as to which is better I suppose this is a personal preference thing, I’ve looked at current cars for sale prices do vary depending on spec etc I can buy it for 13.7k so not sure if that’s fair or a bit expensive especially in the current climate.

[Lincsls1]

Ah jeez, the old auto vs manual thing. Can of worms and very much personal opinion.
In the case of my Monaro, even if an auto version was available, I would have stuck with manual. Now my Astra diesel, would be quite happy for that to be an auto. Its easier for daily driving and town driving. Its just a tool.
I want to drive my Monaro, not be driven, I want to blip the throttle at will, I enjoy engine overrun and get satisfaction from good gear changes!
I think in terms of these cars, technically the manual will also be slightly faster to 60 than the auto, BUT the auto will produce a far more repeatable performance whereas you'll arse the gear change up plenty with the manual if trying to do sprints.
Depends on how much you'll drive it too. Is it going to be a daily? Will you be sat in lots of traffic often etc. etc..
Price wise, seems reasonable. Certainly if you could squeeze for £13k? Remember the money its had spent on it.
Regarding the current climate, I don't think that should have too much bearing on the price. Its a niche market, you either want one or not. I wouldn't suddenly reduce the price of mine, I'd wait for some recovery. These cars are and will hold value well.

[sean j g]

Thanks for that appreciate your time opinions and knowledge, I will keep you posted how I get on and if I make the purchase.

[RipGMH]

Good advice already and I’d only stress focus on the condition of the car, check it’s been under body sealed as these cars are prone to rust. We don’t see ice that often in Oz, and don’t grit our roads, so from factory there is no design consideration.

Check also the bimodal exhaust switches. They can seize up. This is definitely not a factory option.

Manual / auto probably depends on the type of driving, if a daily in traffic auto obviously easier, but If planned to be a weekend toy than for me manual every day. Plus I manual sports car seem to do better on the used market than autos.

As for price, if it’s at a dealer you probably will do better as I suspect less people have money for toys now. If private you either have a seller that can afford to hold onto it, or one that can’t.

If those mods are you thing then your saying yourself the money and hassle so factor that in.

[sean j g]

So just to update I have made the purchase, thanks again for all comments and advice turns out the car has had a small fortune spent at Walkinshaw I have invoices for over 20k which include full bi modal exhaust and sport cat and headers, pedder suspension, new diff, new ls7 clutch flywheel etc, engine rebuild, fast 102 intake, list goes on!

[Lincsls1]

Well done matey!
Sounds like a good car and well worth the money with all its mods.
From what I understand Walkinshaw Performance is the go to workshop especially since Monkfish closed.
Get some pictures up!

[JAMESHSV1]

All you need now is to fit a procharger and you will have a weapon of a car lol