Australia's Obsession With Falcodores.

[KezR33]

Can someone please explain to me why the majority of Australian car enthusiasts love the Falcodore? I can see their value, so far as a cheap, reliable, local and easy maintained daily driver, but for anything else I can numerous other cars that do it better.

They perform terribly compared to other cars on the market, and whilst the upper models are somewhat luxurious, I would not call them prestigious. They're hardly unique, which is what many enthusiasts desire. Quite the opposite, most people who don't care for cars couldn't tell you the difference between a high model and a base model.

Can someone please enlighten me? Cheers.

[Mohsen]

cuz they strayan mate, and we live in strayaaaaaa

[DR 32R]

Prestige cars are an even bigger con job! In Sydney everyones got a bmw 3 series. (Or a soft roader). I currently drive a Ford/fpv F6, on my company, tax man won't think it's worth an audit. Just a taxi with a turbo. Has been fun to drive, cheap to service. Easy to take the family out on trips etc. The replacement, lease is ending will be Japanese.

[FrangaR33]

Can someone please explain to me why the majority of Australian car enthusiasts love the Falcodore? I can see their value, so far as a cheap, reliable, local and easy maintained daily driver, but for anything else I can numerous other cars that do it better.

They perform terribly compared to other cars on the market, and whilst the upper models are somewhat luxurious, I would not call them prestigious. They're hardly unique, which is what many enthusiasts desire. Quite the opposite, most people who don't care for cars couldn't tell you the difference between a high model and a base model.

Can someone please enlighten me? Cheers.

Its quite simple really, 3 year old VE Clubsport 0-100 in roughly 5.2-5.3 seconds can be had for 35k , 3 year old BMW M3 sedan 100k minimum 0-100 in 4.9 seconds. It pretty much speaks for itself. Also 220kw V8 Commodore for 7k is a brilliant deal considering they go forever and any V8 Commodore will always be worth at least 5k to any number of young yobbos. Hell when the current crop of Clubbys are about 10-12 years old I plan on buying one just to do skids at 'nats'

[Birds]

I think you would have to have owned one and enjoyed the experience to properly understand why people love Commodores and Falcons. Just like a Jap car...until you drive one you're not going to appreciate everything they have to offer. I remember the first time I got in one, I was thinking to myself how much fun it was that this engine would rev so high without feeling like you were killing it. But whenever I drive an Aussie sedan, I appreciate the good differences like interior room...a nice big rear window to see out of...easy to step in and out of...can take off without trying. You can't look at the Aussie sedans and gauge them by the same things that you would look for in an import...you won't find them and that is probably why you don't understand the attraction to them. The same goes for those enthusiasts not seeing the appeal to drifting and limiter bashing small cars that you can't use to take four mates on a (comfortable) road trip.

Without delving deep into the psychology of it, here are a couple of points why many enthusiasts choose to drive Commodores and Falcons:

- Engines sound better with open exhausts (subjective, but most would agree there is nothing like the sound of a V8 idling away).

- Many are P plater legal, which is the age at which a car enthusiast usually owns his/her first car.

- Cheaper insurance than imports.

- Performance car doubles as a practical daily.

- It's safe mental territory...local mechanics know them...you have to learn something about imports to get the most out of them.

- 4 doors = load up friends for rides/cruising around - yes you can fit a 6'3" person in the back of an R33 Skyline, but who wants to do that voluntarily?

- You can be over 5' and have sex in an Aussie 4 door...and enjoy it.

- Some people don't want to be unique, they just want to have the best of what is the norm. That being said, imports aren't exactly unique anymore.

- They're the most popular cars on Australian roads = filter down from general population to the enthusiasts.

- Most mums and dads drive Commodores and Falcons = kids learn to drive in them = "This car seems alright, I might get one of these".

[KezR33]

Second hand, I can understand kind of. If what you really want is a late model car then their bang for your buck they cannot be surpassed, but the problem is they're still depreciating like crazy.

Compare it to an Evo for example. 35k will net you a nice Evo 8 MR. 2003-5 model. Still relatively new, large enough to accommodate a family and blistering performance. 0-100 in 4 seconds flat, and lets ignore the fact its handling and braking ability. Sure its a little older, maybe a few more k's, but in 5 years it'll be worth nearly double what the Commodore will be.

I can understand country boys liking them for the simple fact they rack up ridiculous k's driving around on their 110kph roads all the time, but I Iive in the burbs surrounded by constant peak hour traffic jams and see them everywhere (on the Peninsula Skylines are actually somewhat rare).

[Birds]

In the end an Evo is a lancer...fun car to drive, most people in Australia don't find the thing attractive and it looks like a girls car no matter how toughened up it is compared to the base model Lancer. Probably the most important point I forgot, is that our car enthusiast culture in Australia has worshipped the large Aussie sedan with a big V8 for a long, long time - long before imports were on the scene. Only have to ask enthusiasts from the 70's and 80's how much crap they got from the locals when they ran their rotary powered rockets against the local produce...and that was in a time when imports were a minority of a minority...no SAU back then, no "blackup".

[FrangaR33]

Second hand, I can understand kind of. If what you really want is a late model car then their bang for your buck they cannot be surpassed, but the problem is they're still depreciating like crazy.

Compare it to an Evo for example. 35k will net you a nice Evo 8 MR. 2003-5 model. Still relatively new, large enough to accommodate a family and blistering performance. 0-100 in 4 seconds flat, and lets ignore the fact its handling and braking ability. Sure its a little older, maybe a few more k's, but in 5 years it'll be worth nearly double what the Commodore will be.

I can understand country boys liking them for the simple fact they rack up ridiculous k's driving around on their 110kph roads all the time, but I Iive in the burbs surrounded by constant peak hour traffic jams and see them everywhere (on the Peninsula Skylines are actually somewhat rare).

If you have a teenage family or 1 tall child they simply wont fit in an Evo, hell my family doesnt even fit properly in our Commodore or Falcon. My mum is 5'10, dad is 6ft with my brother and me in the back are 6'3 and my sister who is 5'10 and this is 5 years ago when I still lived at home and my brother and me were slightly shorter. Also 7 year old Clubby 16k, so once again no comparison when it comes to price, also no comparison when it comes to parts and maintenance costs.

One big problem I do have with the older commodores is there is no bloody adjustable steering column yet the Falcons had it years before, makes driving for me on long distances very uncomfortable with my long legs.

[Nee-san]

You cant beat a big saloon for comfort and if like a commodore they do go forever and they do, you really start to see the attractiveness of something that is totally plug in and play and requires little maintenance.

Sort of like a good looking girlfriend who isn't a total drama queen.

No evo does a Flat 4 0-100 Either, not even the Fq's Lol.

[Ten Four]

You cant beat a big saloon for comfort and if like a commodore they do go forever and they do, you really start to see the attractiveness of something that is totally plug in and play and requires little maintenance.

Sort of like a good looking girlfriend who isn't a total drama queen.

No evo does a Flat 4 0-100 Either, not even the Fq's Lol.

FQ400

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/05/26/officially-official-mitsubishi-evolution-x-fq400-coming-to-the/

3.8

FQ360

http://www.mitsevo.com/tech_spec.php

4.1

Edited February 21, 2011 by Ten Four

[Nee-san]

I thought they were all around mid 4.5's, I stand corrected.

Although an AWD with 400hp should really be starting to get along quite nicely at that point hehe.

Want to measure the GT-R when I take it to willobankz should be interesting.

[joeyjoejoejuniorshabadoo]

Can someone please explain to me why the majority of Australian car enthusiasts love the Falcodore?

the answer is in your first post...

someone that puts a pod filter and a cat back exhaust on a family car just to do burnouts and cruise chappel st leering at chicks is not an enthusiast

[warps]

Modern falcadores are a good, safe, competent package. They won't set the world on fire but are bloody good value, and far more practical than most imports. I rack up tens of thousands of km each year in hire cars, which in the last 12 months alone has included Mercedes, Lexus, Cooper S, Aurions, various model fords and holdens (from base model to statesman). Of that lot, the Cooper S was by far the most fun, but of the rest the falcadores were just as good as anything else I drove.

It's always good to get back into the Rex after a trip away, but the falcons(my personal preference of the holden / ford) are quieter, more comfortable on long tripos, use less fuel, still have plenty of power and handle OK.

Most of muy driving is out west with road trains and wide loads to deal with. I wouldn't want to be doing those drives in little myuzz boxes as they get blown all over the road and don't have the power to overtake (unless we're talking evo / rex etc.)

Remember, not everyone wants to be "different" and have an import / Rex / Evo. All of those cars have a certain reputation which a lot of people don't like (and they don't lile paying ridiculous insurance for them, either)

If I were limited to a single car in the family, it would very likely be an XR6T or SS commodore as I need something to cart the family around, tow, etc. etc. I love my jap and euro performance cars, but the local performance models are pretty darn good value these days. Some of us don't get too wrapped up in what the badge says.

[mastadd]

I think you would have to have owned one and enjoyed the experience to properly understand why people love Commodores and Falcons. Just like a Jap car...until you drive one you're not going to appreciate everything they have to offer. I remember the first time I got in one, I was thinking to myself how much fun it was that this engine would rev so high without feeling like you were killing it. But whenever I drive an Aussie sedan, I appreciate the good differences like interior room...a nice big rear window to see out of...easy to step in and out of...can take off without trying. You can't look at the Aussie sedans and gauge them by the same things that you would look for in an import...you won't find them and that is probably why you don't understand the attraction to them. The same goes for those enthusiasts not seeing the appeal to drifting and limiter bashing small cars that you can't use to take four mates on a (comfortable) road trip.

This has got to be the Best reply to any thread i have seen from Birds,

I own a holden Ute, Because they are Cheap,

Cheap to Fix

Cheap to Insure

Cheapish to Run.

I dont feel to bad about Neglecting it, and at the end of the day its more of a "Tool" to Use rather than my Skylines which are "Toys" to enjoy.

[[[d a n n y]]]

had 3 holdens so far and a current model VE R8

they are big fast cheap and good to drive

VE R8's actually handles like a car

might not be an evo but for a holden it's awsome

though i will probably never buy another holden again

as iv had enough of the reliability issues

[alr33x]

[StealthX]

I'm gonna throw a spanner in the works and suggest that alot of commodore ownership is due to the need for social acceptance. Bogans just don't fit in with other bogans without a V8 falcadore. Owning one is a definite step towards being considered more manly amongst your peers, and from what I've studied of the bogan, there is a thought process that centers around immediately having a larger penis once you own a straaayyn car.

Chev badges and like accessories also add cms too.

[warps]

I'm gonna throw a spanner in the works and suggest that alot of commodore ownership is due to the need for social acceptance. Bogans just don't fit in with other bogans without a V8 falcadore. Owning one is a definite step towards being considered more manly amongst your peers, and from what I've studied of the bogan, there is a thought process that centers around immediately having a larger penis once you own a straaayyn car.

Chev badges and like accessories also add cms too.

And of course this phenomenon just doesn't exist with imports

[StealthX]

And of course this phenomenon just doesn't exist with imports

I don't really see it, no. Especially because most of the time it's the bogans who are trolling the streets yelling out "top bloke!" to import drivers.

[warps]

Perhaps you need to get out more then

Or maybe they breed them different in your part of the world.

Plenty of wankers on the streets around here. The highest percentage seems to be either V8 utes or imports / evorexes. The v8 utes tend to be the ones weaving through traffic on the M1 to get ahead of everyone else, and the imports tend to be the ones wrapped around street signs and fences near roundabouts every time it rains. Funny how there's a pattern there.

Besides, just as import owners whinge about being labelled hoons becasue of a small minority, don't you think it unfair to label falcadore owners the same because of some brainless bogans? It goes both ways, regardless of how biased you might be.