Prospective VXR8 Owner

[Swinbag]

Morning all, long-time forum lurker checking in as I’ve found myself in a position where I might be able to purchase a car that I’ve been lusting over for as long as I can remember…

I’ve got a V8 itch that needs scratching and, ever since I was overtaken by a Wortec’d VXR8 on full chat about 10 years ago, I’ve been a little obsessed.

Couple of concerns that I need to ask for your honest opinions on though:

• Though I do love cars, I wouldn’t consider myself to be very “hands-on” in terms of repairs or maintenance – most I’ve done is replace a few panel filters and superficial work on light clusters/ electronics etc. From reading various threads on here over the years, it seems there’s a fair amount of DIY work going on… I’m not currently fortunate enough to have access to a driveway or garage, is this going to put me at a disadvantage? Am I better off letting the dream die for now until I’ve got somewhere to keep the car and work on it properly?

• I’m based in the South-East near Gatwick, and I’d want to find a local-ish specialist to carry out any serious work on the car – seems like NWJ and Walkinshaw would be my two closest bets?

Lastly, “M40 HSV” – Does anyone know the car at all? I’m going to see it tomorrow and the advert shows the Wortec exhaust but there’s no mention of any other mods…

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107124...

Sorry for the wall of text, I understand these forums aren’t massively active but any help or advice would be greatly appreciated

Cheers

Edited by Swinbag on Wednesday 14th July 11:19

Edited by Swinbag on Wednesday 14th July 11:19

[vxr2010]

Hi , they are generally easy to work on , normally very reliable , normal service parts are not expensive , the only higher cost area is brakes but this is not unusual as brakes are bigger than most cars , walkinsaw uk , Topcats and pedders are just a few places for servicing or parts , Rock auto in the states is a good supplier but always buy the fed ex route as the price you pay is the fully landed price with no import duties etc

[SturdyHSV]

I had my Monaro in a public car park by my flat for a good few years (about 5 or 6) and slowly learned how to do stuff on the car, most of it being out there. Carrying a trolley jack down to it and across the car park was a bit of a ballache though and I only really wanted to take on jobs where I could leave the car looking relatively driveable.

They're easy things to work on, they're pretty simple and they're pretty reliable as a result.

I'd certainly say if you want one, go for it and enjoy it. You'll be able to get most if not all of your money back when you sell it in terms of purchase price, so it's not a big risk as such even if you don't like it.

That one is an auto, whereas I think the manuals are a bit more popular, but is obviously down to personal preference and you'd find a buyer either way.

Don't know the car beyond what the advert says. It's low mileage and has an exhaust, so it'll probably be fine and you're bound to enjoy it

NWJ, Walkinshaw, Top Cats, LS Performance would all be in reasonable distance for more serious work (like when you fit a supercharger )

My Monaro is on axle stands currently and I have a VE commodore (so Holden version of the VXR8) if you wanted to a) have a look around a VE without any sales pressure and b) have a look underneath / around to get an idea of the simplicity I'm J15 of the M1 so a little trek though perhaps.

[Swinbag]

vxr2010 said:

Hi , they are generally easy to work on , normally very reliable , normal service parts are not expensive , the only higher cost area is brakes but this is not unusual as brakes are bigger than most cars , walkinsaw uk , Topcats and pedders are just a few places for servicing or parts , Rock auto in the states is a good supplier but always buy the fed ex route as the price you pay is the fully landed price with no import duties etc

Many thanks for that - has definitely reassured me in terms of parts and servicing costs!

SturdyHSV said:

I had my Monaro in a public car park by my flat for a good few years (about 5 or 6) and slowly learned how to do stuff on the car, most of it being out there. Carrying a trolley jack down to it and across the car park was a bit of a ballache though and I only really wanted to take on jobs where I could leave the car looking relatively driveable.

They're easy things to work on, they're pretty simple and they're pretty reliable as a result.

I'd certainly say if you want one, go for it and enjoy it. You'll be able to get most if not all of your money back when you sell it in terms of purchase price, so it's not a big risk as such even if you don't like it.

That one is an auto, whereas I think the manuals are a bit more popular, but is obviously down to personal preference and you'd find a buyer either way.

Don't know the car beyond what the advert says. It's low mileage and has an exhaust, so it'll probably be fine and you're bound to enjoy it

NWJ, Walkinshaw, Top Cats, LS Performance would all be in reasonable distance for more serious work (like when you fit a supercharger )

My Monaro is on axle stands currently and I have a VE commodore (so Holden version of the VXR8) if you wanted to a) have a look around a VE without any sales pressure and b) have a look underneath / around to get an idea of the simplicity I'm J15 of the M1 so a little trek though perhaps.

That's just what I was hoping to hear - I'd be happy to start small and work on things at my own pace before building up to anything bigger later on.

Seems you're right about being able to move the car on without any loss too - the values have held really well over the last 6/7 years I've been browsing the classifieds.

I'm really keen to drive an Auto and Manual to see what I get on with best, I've been driving an auto for the last 6/7 years so the left foot is a little out of practice currently

Really appreciate the offer of coming to take a look around your Commodore as well, I've moved the viewing of the car above to tomorrow so I'll try and update the thread with my thoughts once I've had a look around and possibly a test drive.

[vxr2010]

test drive a monaro too , my money for driving fun would be on the monaro, not as much the vxr8 , and i own both , both great cars

[Janosh]

Good luck with the viewing.. plenty of good advice and knowledge on here so ask away before you make a purchase…

I had a Monaro before moving into an auto VXR8 and don’t miss the manual box 90% of the time.. essentially I only miss it if I’m trying to be silly pulling out of junctions, the manual is better for that sort of thing

Also consider that the auto box can be improved significantly from stock, so ask the previous owner if the box has been mapped and by who.

[SturdyHSV]

vxr2010 said:

test drive a monaro too , my money for driving fun would be on the monaro, not as much the vxr8 , and i own both , both great cars

Having driven the Commodore at least and my Monaro, I think the VE era cars are objectively better handling, but the Monaro feels more muscle car like in its personality, which is sort of more the kind of fun / style you're buying in to with the Aussie stuff.

[vxr2010]

It’s the muscle car element as you said that makes it more fun

[flying-banana]

Do it!!

They're rufty tufty Aussie bits of kit, quite simple beasts, robust & not too complex compared to other options like M3s, M5s, AMGs, XFRs etc

A mate of mine has had one in Oz, great fun & doesn't break the bank

[Barrie c 66]

Did you buy one ?