should i buy an AU?

[falcondave69]

hi guy's just a quick run down, i bought a 04 BA XR6 3 months ago, and well Ive had a few problems with it which Ive fixed now but im to scared to drive the bloody thing in case something else stuffs up. i just don't trust the thing when i go for a long cruise. I recon ford should have put a sicker on the dash saying (FRAGILE HANDLE WITH CARE) anyway im thinking of selling the BA and buy a series 2/3 AU fairmont ghia with VCT and IRS. i know the AU has a lot less problems than the B series and i don't know why i even bought the bloody thing in the first place. anyway what do you guys think of the AU series 2/3 ghia is that a good choice? also what are the AU IRS rear ends like with diff bushes etc.....cheers dave.

[blueoval]

I think it comes down to personal preference. AU's have their fair share of problems too. Nut generally speaking each make needs to be thoroughly researched and pre-checked before swapping money over.

In saying that, My AU is going strong. It's not perfect, and it aint worth crap if I sold it, but its been an excellent, reliable vehicle.

The Ghia's with the IRS are good, but as long as you are aware of the inherent issues they have and are willing to fork out to repair/upgrade parts to fix the problem, then you should be fine. I personally love the ghia interiors. very plush for the money.

[Uncle_Ken]

I bought two, mine is a standard Series II with LPG and my son has a Series 1 Fairmont (dual fuel thanks to JC)

If I was buying now I would get a Ghia and would convert toa dual fuel to save $$ each time I pull up at a service station.

But like Shav says take care if you do. Good luck sorry to hear the BA is giving you such a hard time.
UK

[falcondave69]

yeah i have an uncle with a 75th anniversary futura with 220k and its still like new and also my aunty has a ex taxi AU fairlane which is beautiful to drive compared to the BA that's why im leaning towards the AU ghia or maybe even a fairlane...

[hendoau99]

the series 2 ghia is a beautiful car and it's seriously comfortable. same goes with the fairline. i'm not too keen on irs though, i didnt think it worked aswell as live axle rears. but hey, it's your choice and you couldnt go past any au really, bulletproof engines that can rack up plenty of k's.

[falcondave69]

yeah i got an AU engine in my EF and well say no more, it just keeps going and going and going. i did have my eye on a sandstorm 75th anniversary ghia with 150k and LPG for sale at a car yard in adelaide for a while but was put of by the price $8999. then when i finally went to have a good look at it he sold it that day for $7500 which if i knew he would go down that much i would have considered it earlier, so i found the BA and decided that would be better than the AU so i purchased the BA XR6. oh if only i went to check the ghia out a day or so earlier.........

[T3man]

IRS is nothing to be concerned about. There's no more maintenance issues than with the Watt's Link rear end. Having said that I really don't see a need for IRS on a 6 cylinder ... but that's a different debate again.

Fairmont Ghias (series II or III) are a very nice drive. And if you are going to consider a dual fuel vehicle then look for a V8 for sure. There are V8 Ghias to be had for well under $10k and are absolute bargains IMO.

There is absolutely no debate at all that an AU II/III is a better car than early B-Series. Some like me would go even further and say they are better than ANY B-Series full stop!

[falcondave69]

yes i do agree with you about the B series now that Ive owned one, and a pretty low k one with only one mature (carefull) owner before me. Ive read lots of problem's lately with B and even F series car's with very low K'S and its put me of them. yeah they look the goods but i want a car that will go for quite a few years before replacing diff's diff bushes etc, etc

[Bushbasher]

Spoil yourself, go the Fairlane..... and don't forget the LPG. And don't worry about the V8 either ,the VCT 6 has got plenty of go. The Wheezer only has 7 more KW(+plus the extra expense of parts, plugs, leads and more importantly in SA, REGO!! and there are ways of getting that 7kw back without spending too much. Even on LPG there's enough go to push the 'lane to the speed limiter if you really want to... um, er, well, only from what I've heard you understand and anyone who tries to tell you they saw me do it are damn liars I tell, ya.





Ok, I may be a little biased

[galaxy xr8]

Find yourself a nice clean example, take it for a test drive and then you will know whether you like the AU more or not, I am sure you will be pleasently surprised with the AU, espcially in Ghia, very much an underated vehicle.

[Auslandau]

I have owned 6 AU's and 1 BA. There is a reason I have stuck them compared to the BA as they both drive very differently and of course the looks is subjective. I haven't had a problem with the BA at all and has been a great car but I bought it for me to drive ...... but gave it to the Mrs so I could buy another AU! I think they are near bullet proof and a more pleasant drive.

[Day-mow]

AU Ghia would be a nice deal. VCT's have some boot to them. IRS is super fun.

BA's are also common. Clean AU's aren't so

[falcondave69]

yeah the AU series is a pleasant drive. i drove my aunty's ex taxi AU fairlane with a shagged rear wheel bearing by the way (fixed now), and it was still smoother,quieter with no knocks and bangs in the rear end like my 6yo low k BA.

[TheInterceptor]

Should you buy an AU?

What those ugly things?

Just kidding. I would have definatly bought me an AU if i didnt want a simple solid 4wd, the falcon would probobly get stuck alot and annoy the crap out of me

Uhmm, its a beautiful drive, handles brilliantly, great solid engine, comfy interior, good driving position, reliable, plenty of parts around, pretty easy to fiddle with, will take you everywhere, its quite robust etc etc buy one!

[falcondave69]

yes i do want one. but there is so many BA XR6's on the market now for sale (I WONDER WHY)!!!! i might have to wait a while till i sell mine. also Ive been looking at AU ghia's for sale but there's bugger all around. (I WONDER WHY) i think i know, there probably such a great car that nobody wants to sell them lol.....

[JaguarDave]

I notice you mention Fairlane..............

I'll state my biases up front. I currently own an AU2 Fairlane and an AU1 LTD so you know what I chose. The fairlane body looks just as nice as a BA (in fact looks pretty similar to a BA if you ask me)

There have been some really nice Fairlanes up for sale recently including one with 60,000km for $9990 at Bathurst, absolutely looked like brand new except for a nudge in the rear bar. Probably could have got a grand off the price for cash.

Lots of neat ones with more km's for less dough than that but most of the better ones I've seen seem to be 1999 AU1's, not AU2's.

I know people make a thing of the brakes being "upgraded" between AU1 and AU2 but frankly for my normal country driving I've found selection of pads to be more influential on braking ability than the differences between the two braking systems themselves. As for the AU2's laminated firewall etc, I find my AU1 LTD to be quieter and smoother than my AU2 six cylinder fairlane so I wouldn't say the "refinement upgrade" is enough to be a driving factor in the choice either.

Leaving aside potential cost of issues with the IRS (of which I've had none), the AU fairlanes (and LTD's if you can get one...) are fantastic to drive and cheap to maintain cos there's eleventybazillion parts for cheap on ebay. Test drive a few of the crap ones and you'll get a feel for the usual things that go wrong which will make it easy to know a good one when you're driving one, if that makes sense.

[JaguarDave]

Oh, and for me the difference between my V8 LTD and my I6 Fairlane are chalk and cheese. There may only be a few kilowatts difference at the peak but the V8 has heaps more torque in the midrange which is where my car spends most of its time. The V8 car goes much more effortlessly up the long hills between Bathurst and Lithgow and thus uses less fuel for that same trip than the six cylinder one.

[falcondave69]

yes i was thinking of a V8 ghia/lane at one stage as Ive never owned one before and love the sound, but would have to be on gas as i do a fair bit of driving so the cheaper the running cost the better..

[sutts111]

As it was said earlier mate, Its a matter of preference as I was on the verge of buying a "06" XR6 till we spotted this clean cut XR8 & have never looked back as this 1 for its age is in total "SHMICK" condition.Have owned a ZJ fairlane in the past & that was nice along with the XA aswell as a XW but overall driving a fairlane or fairmont they are much of a muchness,but park your *** on a AU welllllllllllllllllllllllllllll lol.....

[sutts111]

As you said above,putting it on gas would be a goer mate..

[falcondave69]

but what are the V8's like with reliability issues, do they go forever like the I6 does?

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by falcondave69

but what are the V8's like with reliability issues, do they go forever like the I6 does?

The Windsor will go forever with proper maintanance (like any motor) My old AU2 TE50 had 197k kms on it and still sounded like new was a fantastic car.

IMO if your buying an AU and you dont consider a V8 your mad, for the price you can get into an AU V8 these days
Good luck on your hunt.

[Jimmyd]

Simply put - the AU was a clean sheet design built by engineers, B series were what you get when you let the marketing and accounting departments get involved... I've said it may times here before, the AU is simply the best contempary falcon built bar none.

I currently drive a AU1.5 Fairmont Ghia with the factory full leather and Tickford suspension/17" wheels, body kit and MoMo wheel etc. - every time I have to drive a renter FG XR6 or similar I can not wait to get behind the wheel of the AU.



Lots has been said re AU1 brakes - unless you are driving like Fangio a simple upgrade to slotted rotors and decent pads make them quite serviceable for a daily driver. If you are driving like Fangio then for around $250- $500 you can retrofit Series II front end, but this will screw with your brake bias unsettling the car and give and odd pedal feel.

IRS - best IRS ever fitted to an australian built car. Yes, it was heavy, but the wheel control and chassis dynamics derived from such far exceeded the much touted weight penalty. With the Tickford suspension either std as featured XR6VCT, XR8 and T series or as a factory option the AU is a very potent and efficient handling machine, sufficient to scare the euros of simmilar era. In my experience FPV have yet to build a vehicle to match the dynamics of this combination.

From personal experience order of preference would be;
T series if you can afford one,
Fairmont Ghia in any series - must be Tickford Suspension optioned, can be either VCT or V8 - similar performance and economy just different sound tracks,
XR8 ser III - 220kw of hand build Windsor goodness,
XR6 VCT Series I - White with full Tickford body kit including the bi plane rear spoiler - was the first AU I saw and drove at the model launch when I was a Ford Service Manager and clearly defines the moment I fell in love with the AU.

But thats just my opinion - good luck with your hunt.

Cheers

James

[JaguarDave]

In my experience the V8's can go longer (and all the ford 5L V8's that I've had have been very reliable), it's just that not many of the people who do huge mileages choose V8's cos they cost more to fuel round town where most of the mileage is done and over big mileages even small efficiencies amount to a lot of dough that could be kept in the pocket.

[Auslandau]

Originally Posted by JaguarDave

In my experience the V8's can go longer (and all the ford 5L V8's that I've had have been very reliable), it's just that not many of the people who do huge mileages choose V8's cos they cost more to fuel round town where most of the mileage is done and over big mileages even small efficiencies amount to a lot of dough that could be kept in the pocket.

Difference between my AU 5.0 and the Mrs's BA I6 is mine is about 30k's per tank worse off ...... other words, bloody minimal!

[falcondave69]

mmmm something to consider in my next purchase then......

[robbyj]

Consider a series 1.5
Like james i drive a series 1.5
The brakes (w/ ABS) were fine IMO, never let me down, i do now have RDA slotted rotors but don't really notice a difference.

We have a pretty biased opinion towards our AU's.. and they arn't without their faults..
but there are plenty of facts around that support the fact they are in fact a great car =p

Edit: and are very cheap for so much of a car!

[blueoval]

As long as you dont look at the AU in terms of resale, you won't find another car much better for the value.

[Mr Hardware]

i dunno blueoval, most AU's now have lost quite a large percentage of their initial value.

[blueoval]

I spose the real losers were the people who bought the AU's new.