Holden Captiva (rebrand of Chevrolet Captiva) is extremely common to find at low prices, diesel or petrol, like many vehicles, it's often it's timing chain or belt.
Around one year back I bought a 2007 Captiva CG diesel, it had faulty master cylinder, and was disgustingly in need of basic service.
Funny point about driving it, the fuel filter came out black as night as though it were the oil filter.
While the engine went ok as I drove it back from buying it it committed no kick.
After the fuel filter it only doesn't get it's turbo thumping!
The transmission I was lucky about, all it's problem was, it was never checked or serviced, it didn't have 4th gear operating from bad fluid and level.
I drained it's fluid , it was a terrible froth off colour brown. So I flushed and re filled with new. It worked . My guess is it had "never" been serviced except when e.g. a low fluid level showed ! Really it was probably never serviced (nb found a good master cylinder at a wreckers and installed it).
A few months earlier I bought a 2007 Subaru outback petrol.
Hard to say if it was worth it at the price, like I told him, I only am paying his price because I want it "specifically" or I would not buy it at half its price, (but that would been fair in its true condition at half the price he asked i'd say). I bought it under his asking price.
After repairing them both, they only just made it through rego by a scratch!
Currently I require to replace all the Captiva brake pads, and the Subaru I have a slipping clutch, so I bought a stage 2 heavy duty "high torque clutch" (Bluesteele) because the 5MT dual range revised transmission in 2nd gear can do 60 Kmh at around 5500 , good for a single band of speed manoeuvring in city traffic without concentrating on gears (eyes on the environment).
NB you can blow an OEM clutch by high torque usage , the clutch housing stretches loosening the the spring lever clamping.
OEM are like tyres e.t.c. on the vehicle to get it out the door complete. Subaru dual range has that as a special problem.
Both vehicles are notorious for difficulties with their engine timing.
Select to expand quoteFormulaNova said..vosadrian said..
Will never buy another Audi (AKA VW/Skoda etc.). This was a 2013 A4. Had the same russion roulette with the cooling system (replaced header tank and several plastic hoses and connectors).
I am going through this on a Volvo at the moment. It's not even a classic Volvo, but one of the ones made by/with Ford when Ford owned Volvo a while back. Nice cars to drive but you wouldn't want to be paying a dealer to fix them.
Ford used their parts and also a few Volvo parts in these. You can sort of understand it as they are bringing costs down and in reality the car needs to see them through the warranty period and not much more. But... the coolant tank needs regular replacement, the fittings to the heater need regular replacement, the top radiator hose is some complex piece of artistry and buried underneath heaps of stuff, and the worst thing is that most of these fittings are fine until you go near them and then they break. If you aren't prepared you could get caught out without the right parts at hand.
Unsurprisingly you see a few of these era Ford/Volvo cars at the wreckers with overheated engines, no doubt because of these types of fittings. Then I started to read up on these same problems with Mercedes and the like, so it seems no brand is immune.
I think Ford Australia got a bit of a bad wrap. They have had some bad designs, but I don't think they were anywhere near the short-term nature of these Euro cars.
Drop an LS 1 into it. Step brother has just done this with his.
Select to expand quotekato said..
Drop an LS 1 into it. Step brother has just done this with his.
An LS1 into what, a Volvo?
LS1 swaps were pretty common a while back because they are pretty compact for a V8. There is also a tonne of work on aftermarket ECUs so it should be relatively easy.
My Volvo has a transverse engine, so you can't do much. But the Volvo T5 engine is surprisingly good, except it starts splitting bores when you up the boost a bit. There are ways to fix it or even go nuts and replace the liners and run really big power.
I think I have lost interest in high HP engines. My falcon has a heap of power but its a bit boring. A small manual car that handles is far more fun to drive around town.
A friend of mine,has a Toyota starlet early 90s model.she inherited from a relative.same motor gearbox etc.serviced every year,never had a problem, except for a battery or two..they must be a good car.
Select to expand quotegavnwend said..
A friend of mine,has a Toyota starlet early 90s model.she inherited from a relative.same motor gearbox etc.serviced every year,never had a problem, except for a battery or two..they must be a good car.
My daughters first car was an old Holden Astra, she didn't change the oil for over 50000kms. Finally she gave it a oil change and it died shortly after.
My son bought a Ford XR6 off ebay, the electrical was horrific, indicate to turn and a head light would flash type problems, it eventually fell to bits but the motor (barra) was still going strong, they are a good engine. His siblings named it the xr sh#t.
Select to expand quotecammd said..
My son bought a Ford XR6 off ebay, the electrical was horrific, indicate to turn and a head light would flash type problems, it eventually fell to bits but the motor (barra) was still going strong, they are a good engine. His siblings named it the xr sh#t.
I wonder if the problem is the car or whether people maintain them before you get them? I have had 2 FG falcons and they were pretty reliable, but I am pretty good with fixing things that do go wrong. I have also had an AU, a BA, an XF ute, and the only thing that I was really annoyed by was when rust set in.
A year ago I bought a Honda motorbike from a dealer. Someone had added all sorts of electrical things to it, but none of it worked. I had to strip it down with the fairings all off to re-wire all the accessories and figure out what people before me had tried to do. Some people should stay away if they don't understand how to do electrical stuff well.
Select to expand quoteFormulaNova said..cammd said..
My son bought a Ford XR6 off ebay, the electrical was horrific, indicate to turn and a head light would flash type problems, it eventually fell to bits but the motor (barra) was still going strong, they are a good engine. His siblings named it the xr sh#t.
I wonder if the problem is the car or whether people maintain them before you get them? I have had 2 FG falcons and they were pretty reliable, but I am pretty good with fixing things that do go wrong. I have also had an AU, a BA, an XF ute, and the only thing that I was really annoyed by was when rust set in.
A year ago I bought a Honda motorbike from a dealer. Someone had added all sorts of electrical things to it, but none of it worked. I had to strip it down with the fairings all off to re-wire all the accessories and figure out what people before me had tried to do. Some people should stay away if they don't understand how to do electrical stuff well.
You still see Fords from the 60's and 70's on the road but rarely from the 80's. I cant remember the last time I saw an XD falcon on the street.
Select to expand quotecammd said..
You still see Fords from the 60's and 70's on the road but rarely from the 80's. I cant remember the last time I saw an XD falcon on the street.
That one's pretty easy to guess why. It's just a generational thing. Those ones from the 60s and 70s were already being restored years ago and the survivor cars were already rescued. My family had plenty of falcons from the 60s and early 70s and they all rusted to death.
My theory is that you need to wait till the generation that grew up with that decade of cars needs to then get old enough where they get nostalgic about the cars and can afford to rebuild them.
Here in WA I have seen a few of XD, XE, and XF cars running around. Most are restored.
I know someone who is restoring an XD in NSW now and it fits with my theory.
All of these cars go through a period where they rust away or get too expensive to maintain and people just send them to the wreckers. I think it is very rare for someone to keep hold of one car until it becomes collectible. I think most of the cars I had in my 20s are collectible models now and at the time they all just got too old, unreliable and rusty. Yet the same type of cars have been rebuilt by people.
Select to expand quoteFormulaNova said..
My theory is that you need to wait till the generation that grew up with that decade of cars needs to then get old enough where they get nostalgic about the cars and can afford to rebuild them.
Here in WA I have seen a few of XD, XE, and XF cars running around. Most are restored.
I know someone who is restoring an XD in NSW now and it fits with my theory.
All of these cars go through a period where they rust away or get too expensive to maintain and people just send them to the wreckers. I think it is very rare for someone to keep hold of one car until it becomes collectible. I think most of the cars I had in my 20s are collectible models now and at the time they all just got too old, unreliable and rusty. Yet the same type of cars have been rebuilt by people.
I'm a bit nostalgic for my customized FC panel van.
But there's noway I'd want to drive a 3 speed column shift with only 2nd and 3rd syncrod
Select to expand quotedecrepit said..FormulaNova said..
My theory is that you need to wait till the generation that grew up with that decade of cars needs to then get old enough where they get nostalgic about the cars and can afford to rebuild them.
Here in WA I have seen a few of XD, XE, and XF cars running around. Most are restored.
I know someone who is restoring an XD in NSW now and it fits with my theory.
All of these cars go through a period where they rust away or get too expensive to maintain and people just send them to the wreckers. I think it is very rare for someone to keep hold of one car until it becomes collectible. I think most of the cars I had in my 20s are collectible models now and at the time they all just got too old, unreliable and rusty. Yet the same type of cars have been rebuilt by people.
I'm a bit nostalgic for my customized FC panel van.
But there's noway I'd want to drive a 3 speed column shift with only 2nd and 3rd syncrod
Hah! I said something similar to my father when he was talking about my brother doing up an old car. I like old cars, but its hard to give up nice smooth efficient engines and good AC for something that was average even when it was new.
Maybe that's why people sometimes modernise these old classics? I could see myself driving around an EA falcon (not that they are that old), but with a newer engine and gearbox in it and maybe ABS fitted. At that point I figure it would just be easier to buy the later models that already came like that.
Select to expand quotecammd said..FormulaNova said..cammd said..
My son bought a Ford XR6 off ebay, the electrical was horrific, indicate to turn and a head light would flash type problems, it eventually fell to bits but the motor (barra) was still going strong, they are a good engine. His siblings named it the xr sh#t.
I wonder if the problem is the car or whether people maintain them before you get them? I have had 2 FG falcons and they were pretty reliable, but I am pretty good with fixing things that do go wrong. I have also had an AU, a BA, an XF ute, and the only thing that I was really annoyed by was when rust set in.
A year ago I bought a Honda motorbike from a dealer. Someone had added all sorts of electrical things to it, but none of it worked. I had to strip it down with the fairings all off to re-wire all the accessories and figure out what people before me had tried to do. Some people should stay away if they don't understand how to do electrical stuff well.
You still see Fords from the 60's and 70's on the road but rarely from the 80's. I cant remember the last time I saw an XD falcon on the street.
This is because owners were sick of climbing through windows when the door handles fell off
Select to expand quoteFormulaNova said..cammd said..
You still see Fords from the 60's and 70's on the road but rarely from the 80's. I cant remember the last time I saw an XD falcon on the street.
That one's pretty easy to guess why. It's just a generational thing. Those ones from the 60s and 70s were already being restored years ago and the survivor cars were already rescued. My family had plenty of falcons from the 60s and early 70s and they all rusted to death.
My theory is that you need to wait till the generation that grew up with that decade of cars needs to then get old enough where they get nostalgic about the cars and can afford to rebuild them.
Here in WA I have seen a few of XD, XE, and XF cars running around. Most are restored.
I know someone who is restoring an XD in NSW now and it fits with my theory.
All of these cars go through a period where they rust away or get too expensive to maintain and people just send them to the wreckers. I think it is very rare for someone to keep hold of one car until it becomes collectible. I think most of the cars I had in my 20s are collectible models now and at the time they all just got too old, unreliable and rusty. Yet the same type of cars have been rebuilt by people.
When scrap steel price was very high, I used to see truck loads of nice late 70s & 80s cars heading for the crusher, not so many around now, even an ordinary HQ sells for more than a well presented HR
At this point it would be fair to assume after after throwing this issue to philosophers the only rational outcome that truly expresses an unreliable car is the statement.
.."The only known version and model of car is truly unreliable is the car that you own or use (or both own and use)!"...
nicephotog 2025
We are talking unreliable cars not unreliable drivers?
27:20 in the video
This is neither about unreliable cars or unreliable drivers, but a whinge about some modern cars.
I have been driving an MG recently. The controls are driving me bonkers.
Want to increase the AC fan speed; just glance over at a hard-to-read screen and try and figure out where the fan speed button is and then try and move it to where you want it. Want to change the temperature, do the same.
Then, try and figure out how to get back to android auto so that you can see the maps again.
Why are these cars so reliant on a screen that is just as bad as looking at a phone when driving? What happened to controls that you could just turn and know roughly what you were doing without much of a glance? I can't even figure out how to change the brightness of the screen itself so that I can see things easily.
I guess at least they have some buttons so its not as totally focussed on screens as other cars. But even the cruise control requires me to try and understand something that is different to pretty much standard use of cruise buttons.
I don't even like FG falcons where you have to look at the buttons and increment or decrement the temperature. Give me the old-style temperature knob from the old cars where you just turn it until it gets to the right number,
Do designers think about this stuff anymore or are they in a race to make everything more feature-rich but complicated at the same time?
Self-driving cars? I just want a car where I can turn the AC on easily and not have to spend a minute looking at a screen to do it.
I feel your pain FN, our MG has no knobs at all, it's all that screen.
It's handy to have a passenger to operate it for you, if you're prepared to wait for her to figure it out.
Either that or wait until you're stopped at the lights.
We've had the car for about 18months and I've only just figured out how to adjust the slow wiper speed, instead of twist knob on the end of the stalk, there's a 4 position switch half way along the stalk that's hidden by the steering wheel.
Select to expand quotedecrepit said..
I feel your pain FN, our MG has no knobs at all, it's all that screen.
It's handy to have a passenger to operate it for you, if you're prepared to wait for her to figure it out.
Either that or wait until you're stopped at the lights.
We've had the car for about 18months and I've only just figured out how to adjust the slow wiper speed, instead of twist knob on the end of the stalk, there's a 4 position switch half way along the stalk that's hidden by the steering wheel.
At least you have the EV. This thing is a 1.5L I think and it goes from 'I don't really want to move' to 'oh no, I want to rev my rings out'. It's hardly smooth with its power delivery.
I know a lot of manufacturers have moved to small capacity engines with turbo or superchargers or even both in order to get efficiency, but this thing annoys me. Although its also impressive how much they can get out of a small engine.
The controls; I haven't worked out the wipers yet other than basic on an off and I hope I don't need to. The tiny writing on the cruise control stalk has me fearing that I will need a usermanual to figure out how to use it.
I can understand why people buy these as they are cheap, but I think they need someone to go over the controls and give them some hints about how a driver should be able to use them. It's a worry when a 1978 falcon has controls that are easier and more intuitive to use.
I had a friend tell me that a Tesla has all the controls through the screen interface. How is that a good thing?
Select to expand quoteFormulaNova said..The tiny writing on the cruise control stalk has me fearing that I will need a usermanual to figure out how to use it.
Not game to try cruise control, it's "adaptive" and apparently will slam the brakes on if you get too close to something in front, even a car coming the other way on a bend.
I don't want a computer driving my car, I want to drive it.
Select to expand quoteFormulaNova said..
I had a friend tell me that a Tesla has all the controls through the screen interface. How is that a good thing?
Took me about a day to get used to it when we first got our Tesla last year. Haven't had any issues with the controls in 18 months of ownership now (apart from the hard right turn signal).
Recently got back from a long trip overseas and got into the Tesla and was momentarily clueless again, but then the memory of where everything is came flooding back.
Select to expand quotedecrepit said..FormulaNova said..The tiny writing on the cruise control stalk has me fearing that I will need a usermanual to figure out how to use it.
Not game to try cruise control, it's "adaptive" and apparently will slam the brakes on if you get too close to something in front, even a car coming the other way on a bend.
I don't want a computer driving my car, I want to drive it.
Travelled from LA through Brisbane to go sailing at Margies a few years ago. Was exhausted when I arrived in Perth but had booked the hire car from the airport to drive south. Brain not functioning well, I took off. I reckon adaptive cruise control+lane assist in the hired Mitsi Pajero saved my life on that drive. And I got to sail for the following week or so before heading home, exhausted... again...
Select to expand quotephiln said..FormulaNova said..
I had a friend tell me that a Tesla has all the controls through the screen interface. How is that a good thing?
Took me about a day to get used to it when we first got our Tesla last year. Haven't had any issues with the controls in 18 months of ownership now (apart from the hard right turn signal).
Recently got back from a long trip overseas and got into the Tesla and was momentarily clueless again, but then the memory of where everything is came flooding back.
Is the Tesla interface good? You would think that a car would have really big icons to touch so that you don't need to look too hard at the display. Nope, the icons and slider bars on this thing are tiny and not really what you want to think about on a car when you are driving.
Select to expand quotedecrepit said..
Not game to try cruise control, it's "adaptive" and apparently will slam the brakes on if you get too close to something in front, even a car coming the other way on a bend.
I don't want a computer driving my car, I want to drive it.
Yeah, its annoying some times. The MG has three settings on the distance it cares about. I still haven't figured it out though.
The Toyota I hired a while back would brake suddenly when someone cut infront of you after overtaking, which is far too common in Aus.
There was something recently where a dashcam owner put up a clip of him in a truck hitting the back of a car in Perth after the car changed lanes infront of him and then the car infront of that one slowed suddenly. The car infront of the truck slammed on the brakes and the truck was just a bit too close. There was an accident on the side of the road, so people were slowing up and changing lanes.
You've got to feel sorry for the truck driver, but I think in reality he should have sat further back and started slowing up when he saw the cars ahead slowing, whether it was for the rubber-neckers or just for safety's sake.
Select to expand quoteFormulaNova said..kato said..
Drop an LS 1 into it. Step brother has just done this with his.
An LS1 into what, a Volvo?
LS1 swaps were pretty common a while back because they are pretty compact for a V8. There is also a tonne of work on aftermarket ECUs so it should be relatively easy.
My Volvo has a transverse engine, so you can't do much. But the Volvo T5 engine is surprisingly good, except it starts splitting bores when you up the boost a bit. There are ways to fix it or even go nuts and replace the liners and run really big power.
I think I have lost interest in high HP engines. My falcon has a heap of power but it's 240a bit boring. A small manual car that handles is far more fun to drive around town.
Yes 240 Estate . 400 hp to the wheel
Had a few crap cars cos I spent too much money on toys rather than good cars, VW Beatle ( Broke engine) Hr Holden , really good and rusted slowly. VB Comodore (broke engine) Fiat 124 , broke and rusted very well but... So much fun to drive..
Best car has been the Mitzy Triton, never failed to get me home or start for a trip. Great at converting Diesel to smoke and oil to the driveway 
Honda i30 , 6 speed manual, engine under a litre!
Only good for Cambodian women drivers inside, not six foot beer gut mechanics with steel caps on!
Cannot see to judge the location of the front corner for reverse park, at least it can near reverse into a motorcycle space!
Genuinely requires six gears!
Select to expand quotenicephotog said..
Honda i30 , 6 speed manual, engine under a litre!
Only good for Cambodian women drivers inside, not six foot beer gut mechanics with steel caps on!
Cannot see to judge the location of the front corner for reverse park, at least it can near reverse into a motorcycle space!
Genuinely requires six gears!
Ah yes. The Hondayundai.
Select to expand quoteBuster fin said..nicephotog said..
Honda i30 , 6 speed manual, engine under a litre!
Only good for Cambodian women drivers inside, not six foot beer gut mechanics with steel caps on!
Cannot see to judge the location of the front corner for reverse park, at least it can near reverse into a motorcycle space!
Genuinely requires six gears!
Ah yes. The Hondayundai.
Also under a litre? Makes me wonder what it actually is...
Select to expand quoteFormulaNova said..Buster fin said..nicephotog said..
Honda i30 , 6 speed manual, engine under a litre!
Only good for Cambodian women drivers inside, not six foot beer gut mechanics with steel caps on!
Cannot see to judge the location of the front corner for reverse park, at least it can near reverse into a motorcycle space!
Genuinely requires six gears!
Ah yes. The Hondayundai.
Also under a litre? Makes me wonder what it actually is...
If you are a gyno, just say cc's!
I remember now, worst car we had was a 2013 I20.
We wanted a manual, but the salesman had an auto going cheap.
He reckoned modern autos were really good and talked us into it.
BIG mistake. felt like it only had 2.5 gears. This gearbox may have worked in a grunty V8 but a 1.3l No Way.
Just going up a small hill would slow down, easing the go pedal down had little effect. It had to be stabbed to the floor to induce a change down, then you got up the hill OK but engine revving it's head off.
The other bad thing was the consumption read out. It agreed almost exactly with the specifications, 5.8l/100km. However we were putting more petrol in than that.
So I started a record, distance traveled, fuel used, display l/100km.
When the display said 6 we actually used 7.
Took this into the dealers and got the runaround, all sorts of excuses, anything they could dream up. They did put it through a thorough tune up but that made no difference.
So my real beef, is the consumption display was rigged to show the claimed figure, not the actual.
I'll never buy another Hyundai again,
Select to expand quotedecrepit said..
I remember now, worst car we had was a 2013 I20.
We wanted a manual, but the salesman had an auto going cheap.
He reckoned modern autos were really good and talked us into it.
BIG mistake. felt like it only had 2.5 gears. This gearbox may have worked in a grunty V8 but a 1.3l No Way.
Just going up a small hill would slow down, easing the go pedal down had little effect. It had to be stabbed to the floor to induce a change down, then you got up the hill OK but engine revving it's head off.
The other bad thing was the consumption read out. It agreed almost exactly with the specifications, 5.8l/100km. However we were putting more petrol in than that.
So I started a record, distance traveled, fuel used, display l/100km.
When the display said 6 we actually used 7.
Took this into the dealers and got the runaround, all sorts of excuses, anything they could dream up. They did put it through a thorough tune up but that made no difference.
So my real beef, is the consumption display was rigged to show the claimed figure, not the actual.
I'll never buy another Hyundai again,
Want a car with "any" pull, it starts at 1.8L petrol or diesel, and at that size the petrol should be a 4cyl. to output torque.
2.0L 4cyl diesel does ok too but all automatics have problems on hills and a standing start down that size.
That's all "precisely why manual gearbox is manufacturer's !
Of recent, the car manufacturers have noticed this and there are the odd 6 speed automatic transmissions in late models!
