Hi all! Newbie looking to buy a Monaro (in the Uk)

[Kev_A]

Hello everyone!

My name's Kev, I live in Newcastle Tyne and wear (Uk), I'm 29 and I run my own cosmetic repair business.
I currently own a Vauxhall Vectra 2.0T, I'm looking to buy a Monaro, I've wanted one every since I first seen one appear over here wearing a Vauxhall badge.

Recently I've been looking at the VXR (LS2) version, when I narrowed it down to the ones with average/low miles you were still looking at around £12k! For that money I thought I could push the boat out, get a loan and maybe afford a VXR8 (Clubsport R8 I believe they're called over in Oz) but it was out of the question, with prices starting at around £14k for high miles, so I gave myself a reality check and decided to start looking for a decent low mileage CV8 Monaro, hopefully with a few mods, but whilst on my search I came accross this...http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/ ... iment=true A CV6 model, 3.8 supercharged Auto, this model was never released in the UK and is in fact an Australian import, looks to have a good spec and is very clean with alot of history, I can't find alot on the net about this model, I've got a feeling you guys will probably favour the CV8 with the LS1 over this but I thought this would be the place to come to find out about it.

Am I right in thinking this engine is a Holden derived engine rather than GM? Are they reliable? Easy to tune? Are there any common problems to look out for?

Any information including performance facts and figures would be useful!

Regards,

Kev

[LECoupe]

Hey Kev - Welcome to the forum!

The CV6s were not very popular for whatever reason. If I had to guess I would say that the smallish price premium for the CV8, combined with the relatively small fuel saving (let's face it, these are *not* cars to consider if fuel economy is a big factor), and the fact that there were a few 'extras' included in the CV8, meant that most new car buyers found the extra money and went with the 8. As you probably know the CV6's were discontinued in the middle of production (Wikipedia says mid 2004...sounds about right...)

The drivetrain was the same as was used as an option in Commodores, so not all that rare over here. The only thing I ever recall hearing about them was that the auto gearbox was a bit weak, at least in the early ones. I don't know if that was rectified over time. The thing that would concern me (if I was in your position) would be the availability of engine/driveline parts; both because you're on the wrong side of the world and because these cars are getting old(ish) now!

The particular car you have linked to seems to have been modified quite a bit, with the bonnet and wheels the most obvious changes. I'm not too sure what the ad is talking about, re: "Full GTO Body Pack", looks to me like it's just got a boot spoiler and the bonnet.

That said - the price looks comparable with what you would expect to pay here.

Hope that helps, good luck with your search!
Cheers - Andrew

[Kev_A]

Hi Andrew, Thanks for the reply!

I called the dealer today to ask a few questions about the car, my main question was why it had been sat for 2 years, his response to this was that it there wasn't really a great deal in the car for him, the previous owner p/x'd it against something flash (the dealer specialises in high end cars, ferrari's etc.) so he said it just took a back burner, he even went as far as to offer it as a "Trade sale" for £6,200, that said I'm sure he would accept £6000 easily if the cash were on the table in front of him.
I was never convinced by the whole "GTO spec thing, that just sounded like car dealer talk for "I don't know what this is so I'm going to make it sound as flashy as I can" to me I can see front and rear spoilers and a facelift bonnet, whuch as you say someone must have added at some stage.

The V6 engine on paper certainly doesn't sound very exciting, a mere 229bhp and 277lb.ft torque. Surely it must have more to give?! I had a 3.2 V6 N/A Vectra that made 219bhp on a dyno with just a K&n panel filter!

In a nutshell, the car looks clean and appears to be well documented with low mileage, the alloys are not to my taste although the owner says they are genuine Holden items so maybe they'd sell for a good few £'s? The only thing I think I'd find myself wanting more of it power... I'm currently emailing several well know UK tuners regarding the car to see what options (if any) are available, my initial thoughts would be stainless exhaust/headers, smaller/lighter s/c pulley, induction upgrade and remap, if I could get to the thick end of 400bhp without too much effort I think I'd be pretty happy with that, would certainly be a great talking point at shows and meets being a little different from what people over here would expect to see in a Monaro.

With regards to parts, we are fortunate enough to have dealer support with the CV8 monaro as it was sold here wearing a Vauxhall badge, so if the CV6 shares many parts with the CV8 there shouldn't be any issues (hopefully) we also have quite a few American/Australian specialists in the UK too, I'm fortunate enough to have one of the best 10 mins down the road.
I'll see what info comes of the enquiries I've sent before I commit to anything.

The CV8 in general seem better supported but that is reflected in the price, you'd be looking at £8k upwards for one with around 60k miles over here, that said if I'm planning on shelling out thousands to make this CV6 go faster it may be a wiser investment to go for a CV8...

Sorry to drone on but I also stumbled upon this this afternoon, any thoughts?
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/ ... ?logcode=p

[LECoupe]

Hi Kev,

Really don't know what you can get out of the supercharged V6. There is a forum for Commodores where you could take a look, to see what people have achieved. Appropriately named www.justcommodores.com.au

I reckon you're spot on with the observation about spending money on the V6 compared to the extra $$ (or £) for the V8. You can certainly get *A LOT* more from the LS1, and a significant increase without doing too much at all.

The Clubsport would be a solid alternative, though it's bit older than any of the Monaros (Vauxhall or Holden) Also: I'm not too sure when Holden dropped the locally made V8 in favour of the LS1, but I feel it was during the VT lifespan (mid 99); It would be wise to check that the car in question has the LS1 rather than the 5 litre Aussie V8, as it would be MUCH better supported over there as well as being much more tweakable, and have more grunt without tweaking anything. Personally the Clubbie has too many doors for my liking... You could likeley find more info about the Clubsport on the Commodore forum too, or contact our mates at the VSV club (http://www.hsvclubnsw.com/)

Let us know how you get on.
Cheers - Andrew