Holden Problems

It comes down to the age of the car. A 2010 VE SV6 could be bought for less than $20,000 and it will do everything you want. If you want a later model then perhaps look for a less expensive model. A regular Commodore will do everything you want, it just won’t have the badges.

The dealer is dumb. He got a sale, but lost a customer. Had he been a little more forthcoming with you and told you about the upcoming sale and to wait he would have got his sale and probably kept you as a customer long term. Unfortunately it doesn’t seem to happen that way these days.

I think you’re comparing apples with oranges in comparing these two cars. But to try and give you a guide I would say the build quality of the Aurion is a little better than that of the SS. I would also say the Aurion’s V6 engine is of a higher quality and standard than the SS’s V8, and would use less fuel, but I would say that both are equally drivable and practical in city traffic. My feeling is that the SS is an emotional purchase, the Aurion a safe one.

I doubt that you would be given a roadworthy if you can't open the boot. It's very difficult to put a value on it, but I wouldn't pay more than $1000-$1200 given its current condition. You'd be better off getting it repaired, so the roof does work and the boot opens.

We quote the RRP because CarsGuide is a national publication and the on-road costs can vary quite a lot throughout Australia. The exception is when there is a national "drive-away" price for a launch car or when we are writing about a special edition or promotion on a car.

With the age of the car and the fact that it is out of warranty, you're largely in the hands of Holden and their willingness to cover repairs out of "good will". I would press the company to come good with a repair to the transmission cooler on the same basis of good will. The oil leak is another matter, I wouldn't bother to seek a good will payment for that, it's too minor a problem to be bothered with. Just fix it.

Informedia in Melbourne produce a DVD for Holden that has the information you need. Ask them for the contact details for Glenn Pierce, as you are after a Holden workshop manual. He only sells them through Holden dealers and not to the public, but once you’ve got his details go to your Holden dealer spare parts department and tell them you want the VZ102006 VZ series or VY202005 VY series CD manual. They might tell you they can’t find it in their system, but ask them to phone Glenn from Informedia as he distributes to dealers and give them $100 deposit and tell them to order a copy in for you. It costs around $450.

The mileage is low for that model, which is a plus, but the price is about average for a private sale. It's not a bad buy, but if you could get the price down to $7000-$7500 it would be a much better deal. The Barina was criticized for it low safety rating when it was first launched but by MY11 it was four stars, which is pretty decent.

Go to a different mechanic, one who can pull the gearbox out, dismantle it and find out what's causing the problem. It's not a problem we have had reported to us before.