Would you upgrade to AU? - Page 3

FairmontEL · 15-02-2006, 01:08 AM

id get a TL-50 or some other done up fairlane but i guess im a tad biased as i drive one atm LOL.. some of the t series are nice but i dont think id own a swb au.. just dont like the look of em that much.. but fairlane can look sweet.

K_Man · 15-02-2006, 01:18 AM

I'd upgrade in a flash. AU II or III XR8 or Ghia V8. The styling doesn't appeal to all, but i believe the AU's are looking a little less 'out there' nowadays, time has caught up with their styling a bit.

vegabass · 15-02-2006, 09:54 AM

I wouldnt buy a falcon unless it was Tickford / XR / FPV. LMS's Black AU would be a fantastic horizontal move from my EL

Besides its manual, VCT, XR6 with a functional shaker!!!! what else do you want?

I hope i have kept everyone happy :1syellow1

it would be a toss between LMS's AU or PirtekGirls BA GT (oh and Gecko has a very special spot in my heart as well)

**FTE217** · 15-02-2006, 10:24 AM

[QUOTE=vegabass]I wouldnt buy a falcon unless it was Tickford / XR / FPV.

^^^^ you got it right with the statement above......
All base model Falcons suc ! , sit too high and look average !

gozza · 15-02-2006, 10:30 AM

i would only change if i could have a series 3 xr model

Laminge · 15-02-2006, 10:43 AM

I went from an AU to a BA, and handed back the BA

I wouldn't have a second thought about getting a S3 AU XR8 or T series at any time over a BA

snypereb · 15-02-2006, 07:30 PM

Definately an AU XR8!!!

cArSiK · 15-02-2006, 07:44 PM

geez some interesting comments about the AU.

I went from an ED to an XR6 VCT - totaly different cars IMO ED dosent come close. But i guess there is no doubt the AU is a better car , otherwise ford would have been going backwards.

I think alot of you E series guys will be supprised with the developments that are being made in the AU department. They are finaly getting the attention they deserve , and the results are there to back it up.AU's can be had for an absolute bargain now days so they are a excellent base to start with.

stockstandard · 15-02-2006, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cArSiK

geez some interesting comments about the AU.

I went from an ED to an XR6 VCT - totaly different cars IMO ED dosent come close. But i guess there is no doubt the AU is a better car , otherwise ford would have been going backwards.

I think alot of you E series guys will be supprised with the developments that are being made in the AU department. They are finaly getting the attention they deserve , and the results are there to back it up.AU's can be had for an absolute bargain now days so they are a excellent base to start with.

Advances were made, but they still have basically the same engine, gearbox, diff, suspension and brakes in most models. The changes made in the AU were more of refinements on what was already there. Throw some aftermarket parts in and there isnt much difference. There would be more of a difference EA to EL than EL to AU.

The single biggest change is the looks of the cars, and the sales figures for AU indicate what the majority think of it. Not saying it isn’t a good car, just there are a lot of people who don’t like the looks, so the opinions expressed in this thread are to be expected.

cArSiK · 15-02-2006, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stockstandard

Advances were made, but they still have basically the same engine, gearbox, diff, suspension and brakes in most models. The changes made in the AU were more of refinements on what was already there.

Your focusing on the Forte / Futura , the ugly Icon of the AU range , the car that springs to mind when AU is mentioned. I will agree that an AU forte has very similar engine & drive train with the (exception of fail safe cooling ect) to an EL , no one will dispute that. Take a drive of an IRS equiped AU and tell me it drives like an EL , because it dosent come close.

Quote:

Originally Posted by stockstandard

Throw some aftermarket parts in and there isnt much difference..

Agreed , if we are focusing on base models.But not if we look at a slightly "higher" spec model fitted with the VCT motor that has the ability to advance cam timing. Bolt the right bits on it , and the VCT will produce better numbers that the base engines fitted to an AU or EL with the same mods , gauranteed.

James

stockstandard · 15-02-2006, 09:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cArSiK

the VCT will produce better numbers that the base engines fitted to an AU or EL with the same mods , gauranteed.

How many VCT's are running in the 14's compared to fixed cam'ed 4.0's?

VCT should be faster, but there is a lack of aftermarket support

cArSiK · 15-02-2006, 09:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stockstandard

How many VCT's are running in the 14's compared to fixed cam'ed 4.0's?

VCT should be faster, but there is a lack of aftermarket support

No doubt there are going to be more fixed cam I6's running 14's than VCT's , they were produced on probably a 20:1 ratio. How many fixed cam I6's can run 14's Unopened with a stock diff?

As far as aftermarket support goes , thats starting to change with the AU edit.

Gilesie · 15-02-2006, 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FordGirl

I wouldn't for an AU, even if what I had was just an EA, I'd rather hold out. The prices of BA's are dropping dramatically as it is, I think you'd be crazy to go for an AU.

Well, unless you're one of those people who says "looks dont matter!"

What if you picked up the AU for $700

:

needfordspeed · 15-02-2006, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gilesie

What if you picked up the AU for $700

:

It'd almost be worth it!! :togo:

:

sven · 15-02-2006, 10:09 PM

i gotta say i'd go the BA, but my dad has a series 3 AU SR with a little work done and it looks pretty tough in my opinion..

needfordspeed · 15-02-2006, 10:20 PM

While i'm at it, I was gonna buy an AU i'd get a white AuII forte with a V8, i'd take the hubcaps off and just dump it as low as it'd go

But after eseries I wanna get a MkII BA XR6T 6 speed manual, no matter how long it takes!

sphell · 15-02-2006, 11:02 PM

BA looks 100% better than AU IMO ;) As for driveability of the AU Vs BA..... I've driven quite a few AU's (Forte's, XR6's, Fairmonts etc), the last was a AU series II Fairmont that Sunny was looking at buying. We drove to the person's house in my BA, and then jumped in the AU for a test drive. From BA to AU, it went from champagne to sh1t. The overall feel of the AU was that it was dated. All the plastics were shiny, the suspension was firm and bumpy, the steering was too light, the transmission clunked and it was too noisy inside. Now this car had done slightly less k's than my BA, but mine still drives like new.

The BA has a MUCH better looking and layed out dash, the interior wears very well compared to AU's, IRS is standard, even base models have everything you need really, and I've found it's all the little things that make the difference. For example the BA buttons have a 'soft' quality feel compared to the AU's 'clicky' buttons. Even the way interior lights and dash illumination fade in and out....not just turn off and on....I know it doesn't really matter but it just 'feels' quality.

The BA just doesn't feel like a Falcon anymore....which is a good thing. It just feels heaps bigger, roomier, smoother, quieter, and overall more refined. So John, I think the choice is easy

Group C · 15-02-2006, 11:19 PM

Personally, I would go the other way.

The wife has an AUII XR8 sedan, I've got a BAII XR8 ute.
The AU is far and away the better car.
Smooth, comfortable, quiet, enuf go (is a 220kW with a few extras now), handles very well, proper gauges and sound system STANDARD (options on my BA), and most importantly, RELIABLE.

My BA is a real let-down. Noisy, harsh ride, handles like a cement truck (front ends I'm compairing, not rears), USELESS auto trans, and more problems than every other car I've had put together. Would never have another one.
But 260-odd kW is a nice feeling...

FairmontEL · 16-02-2006, 01:16 AM

Well i gotta say i dont see a world of difference between an au 1 and an el... never driven a series 3 or wat not but ive driven my old el and the au fairlane for quite a while although the irs does make it handle better personally i dont see any other benefits its a tad smoother uses more petrol meh i can keep the au if i want but id rather my el each to their own i guess. When i had my car stolen had a ba xr6 rental although it wasnt all that i thought it felt much more refined then the au..
but i guess everyone has their own perception of the cars. Id like to drive a tesries one day see how they are like.. but id rather hold out for the fpv.. gonna be a while

:

BABOSS · 16-02-2006, 03:59 AM

I would hold out for a BA XR6T because the AU series except the T series to me would be a 'downgrade' in appearance. The Au had evidently been beaten with the ugly stick at the Ford factories during it's production phase. I have driven 3 AU's, one of them being a seriesIII XR8 and have driven 2 BA XR6T's and even had the stimulating pleasure of borrowing one of them for half a day(dark purple and very horn) and i must say no doubt about it ...BA ALL THE WAY! But that's just me.

JADED6 · 16-02-2006, 04:03 AM

AU3 SR can be had for about 12 to 15 k depending on kms.
Hard to over look something like that.
Would love a BA 5.4 Ghia or XR8 or turbo 6
Would prefer an AU XR8 over the BA xr6 (N/A version)
Love looking at how cheap some of the AU/BA models have become.

In short, I would upgrade to an AU if the K's were low enough. Up-grading to a car that's done nearly the same or more K's as my 93 ED (160k) wont happen for me and a lot of AU's have high to mid 100k already.