Is this car worth it?
Dec 2nd 2010 | 9:09 am
#16
Frequent Flyer Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 10,994
From: Melbourne
Re: Is this car worth it?
I also use Bingle and they were by far and away the cheapest for me, I have heard it's not quite so rosy when you need to make a claim though!
Dec 2nd 2010 | 10:07 am
#17
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 6,600
Re: Is this car worth it?
I looked at a couple of Commodores but they appear so much bigger than the Falcon which itself is a pretty big car. Wifey is happy to drive the Falcon - just, but I don't see her ever being able to pluck up the courage to drive a Commodore.
I especially like the sturdiness of the Falcon - They seem to be built like tanks ...Which might just be needed
...Now for the joys of driving on uncongested Canberra roads
Dec 2nd 2010 | 1:27 pm
#18
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 4,808
From: Woop Woop
Re: Is this car worth it?
Been feeling like Doctor Foster all day today trampling around in rainy Canberra. Have looked at a crummy house and been shocked and awed by the extortionate prices of second hand cars here. So far there's only one car which stands out from the rest: A year 2000 Ford Falcon, 130 000km on the clock, looking in near pristine condition going for $7995. The dealer says he can knock off $500 and throw in a year's warranty. How does that sound?
The best second hand car place is in Fyshwick - PM me and I know the guy and he may do you a good deal
Dec 4th 2010 | 3:48 am
#19
Thread Starter
Banned
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 22,348
Re: Is this car worth it?
I should be busy filling out rental application forms but...
The quotes that I got was only $20 between the two (AAMI, being the more expensive) but given bcworld's remarks below as well as several other peoples' recommendations I went with AAMI, maybe it $20 more well spent 
It was encouraging to see on bingle.com that the estimated value is $7000 when I paid $6000 for it and the average kms are 174k when the car has 153k. It seems like I got a fairly good deal.
Next stop: Organise roadside assistance.
Thanks for that. 
That makes sense. The car drove really well down to Sydney today the only problem was with the wipers - they made a dack dack dack sound as the dragged accross the windscreen. It seems they havent seen rain in a long time! I felt a bit put out when I leant slightly to one side to rest my elbow on the edge of the passenger seat as I used to and realised that the seat was a good 10 inches or so away. 
The seats are not as comfortable as they were in my old Honda Accord ...Mind you they take some beating. And no left foot rest either. 
The huge box between the front seats is pretty handy though, as are the central cup holders . I discovered tonight that none of the interior overhead lights are working. Probably just a blown fuse. Incidently, any idea where the fuse box is on this car? And there's no bleeper warning if you leave the lights on or forget to fasten your seat belts. Going to have to be careful about the lights when parking up after daytime driving in heavy rain/fog with the lights on - nearly came a cropper when we stopped at macdonalds earlier. Other than that the car has been a pleasure to drive 
Hi Sasbear, Thanks but I've got a car all sorted now. I'll drop you a line when I'm back in Canberra next week 
It was encouraging to see on bingle.com that the estimated value is $7000 when I paid $6000 for it and the average kms are 174k when the car has 153k. It seems like I got a fairly good deal.
Next stop: Organise roadside assistance.
I've got a 2001 Falcon Wagon also, great car. Never let me down to date, touch wood. Bits will need replacing / maintaining but they're cheap to replace, and because they're cheap to replace one of these with a full service history is guaranteed to have been well maintained . . . cheap parts = frequent servicing / expensive parts = infrequent servicing.
The car drove really well down to Sydney today the only problem was with the wipers - they made a dack dack dack sound as the dragged accross the windscreen. It seems they havent seen rain in a long time! I felt a bit put out when I leant slightly to one side to rest my elbow on the edge of the passenger seat as I used to and realised that the seat was a good 10 inches or so away. The seats are not as comfortable as they were in my old Honda Accord ...Mind you they take some beating. And no left foot rest either. The huge box between the front seats is pretty handy though, as are the central cup holders . I discovered tonight that none of the interior overhead lights are working. Probably just a blown fuse. Incidently, any idea where the fuse box is on this car? And there's no bleeper warning if you leave the lights on or forget to fasten your seat belts. Going to have to be careful about the lights when parking up after daytime driving in heavy rain/fog with the lights on - nearly came a cropper when we stopped at macdonalds earlier. Other than that the car has been a pleasure to drive
Dec 5th 2010 | 8:39 pm
#20
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 6,600
Re: Is this car worth it?
I discovered tonight that none of the interior overhead lights are working. Probably just a blown fuse. Incidently, any idea where the fuse box is on this car? And there's no bleeper warning if you leave the lights on or forget to fasten your seat belts. Going to have to be careful about the lights when parking up after daytime driving in heavy rain/fog with the lights on . . ..
Dec 5th 2010 | 9:06 pm
#21
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 3,215
From: Limerick-Shropshire- Perth.
Re: Is this car worth it?
You can go to the garage and they will fit an alarm for you.We eventually did it after getting caught out twice with a dead battery.It was cheap and easy to do.
Dec 6th 2010 | 5:58 am
#22
Thread Starter
Banned
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 22,348
Re: Is this car worth it?
I had the same problem with mine, but I discovered, after about six months, that if you turn the instrument panel illumination switch (next to the headlight switch) all the way clockwise, the interior lights magically work when the doors open and close . . . give that a try first . . .
Bought a navman a couple of days ago, what a great help that's proving to be
...No more driving around in circles Can't wait for the motorbike to arrive...
