OT: for the Aussies

[ewallace]

Have any of you seen/driven/heard anything about a car called the Holden Monaro? Pontiac is bringing this car here as the new GTO and I kind of like it.

[Serpent]

I saw the ads on tv last time I was in Sydney. "The Monaro is back. Game over!"

Looks like a nice car.

[TaoBoy]

ewallace,

Seen a lot of them on the road.
They are pretty popular over here.

Try this link - Holden's Monaro page (http://www.holden.com.au/app/serve?page=monaroEntry).

There's been a lotta talk about the GTO release. Apparently, they are still modifying the body shape for the American market. Seems you boys like your cars to look a bit different to us Aussie boys.

[ewallace]

That's a **** shame too. I like the car but NOT as the pontiac GTO. That car is an American Classic and should not be insulted this way. I looked at that holden site before I posted this to see if anyone had any more information.

[TaoBoy]

ew,

I'm not very familiar with the GTO's history.

But the Monaro has just been revived. Holden stopped production in the 70s or 80s. It was a cult classic. This one is just an attempt to get a chunk of the coupe market. It isn't gonna compete with the rice rockets. To fuel hungry etc. The ad has is passing Porshes and Audis blah blah blah...as if!

I am surprised that they would consider releasing it - even re-modelled - as the new GTO. There has been a heap of push-back. Car mags out here are writing about it all the time.

[sticky fingers]

Subaru WRX for me any day babeee...

when the lights turn green I'm off like a slingshot while your fat Monaro ass is busy smoking up the rears with you screaming '****, I can't get the power to the ground!!'

Turbo 4WD is superior:)

[guohuen]

I miss my 66 GTO. Wish I never sold it. Silver with white vinyl top and white leather interior. 428 block with a muncie 4 speed. Pass everything but the gas station.:p

[TaoBoy]

Sticky,

Your's an STi? Now, those bad boys fly.

The WRX is a work of art, but far too common these days.

[grogan]

Holden Monaros were and still are huge over in Australia they were in direct competition with the Ford Falcons. They have a race ove here called the Bathurst 1000 and those two types of cars dominated it to the point where the govt had to put a stop to it around 76-78 as the cars were getting too fast. The Ford Falcon XY Phase3 was the fastest standard production car ever made and the monaro's were not far from it so the govt introduced the pollution laws and banned/bribed Ford not to make the phase 4 (which only about 5 were made) (they had to sell at least 500 to race in Bathurst). The monaro is a classic with a huge following and I hope that this new car can live up to the same.

[ewallace]

Don't get me started on the ricers. You really think it's a coincedence that when you pronounce wrx it is wrecks? The WS6 I sold two weeks ago smoked the living **** out of those things. Turbo is crap. It will eat your motor before 100K. The dad of one of my buddies had a 300Z twin turbo. Bad ass car but he had to replace the motor after 70K miles.

I won't even start on the civics with the **** can exhaust, rediculous tin foil wings (on FRONT WHEEL DRIVE cars), and the weak primer grey body kits. Don't get me wrong I like foreign cars, but there is a reason it is sold as an ECONOMY car.

[ewallace]

And FYI Stickey Fingers, the monaro, if brought here, will have a 350 HP LS1 V8. That is what they put in the corvettes here. A stock vette has a 0-60 (mph) time of around 4.6 seconds. The wrecks is 5.7. Thats a full second difference.

[Liokault]

Ok the corvette may have an on paper great 0-60 time but who can do it in the real world? you spend 10 seconds spinning your wheels and how fast can you corner?

Apart from light British sports cars im in the subaru camp here.

[ewallace]

If you know how to drive right you don't burn up much rubber unless the streets are cold and so are your tires. In that case your engine is probably cold too. Not good. My ws6 trans am was rated at around 5.4 | 0-60 mph bone stock. I only modified the exhaust and air filter. My friend timed me at 5.1 on the street, not the track.

I've got a co-worker that just bought a 2002 corvette zo6. This model is rated at just about 4 seconds flat 0-60. Believe me this ****ing car is as agile as any import. You don't pay $50,000 USD for a car that is just fast in a straight line. There is also plenty of traction control that is overidable at a touch of a button.

In a street race, if you do it right and are not stupid about it, races don't last for more than about 5 seconds. Someone pulls ahead and you stop. Everyone lives. Never race on the highway or when you are already moving. That is where the vast majoriy of fatalities occur.

[ewallace]

I really don't mind the wrx because it is made for performance. But these little civics and integras are like little ****ing mosquitos buzzing around your head. Especially when they come up next to you and rev their little **** can at you trying to start a race. It's like me trying to start a race with a Lamborghini (which I did once and got my ass smoked). I was just outclassed.

[KC Elbows]

I drive a volvo. It's an '83. It weighs like 700 pounds more than other cars it's size. It's maroon and oxidized, and the window cranks all fell off. I could turn on the air conditioner, but it makes this wicked gurgling sound when I do. I blew out a speaker a couple months ago, and now I know the right side of all the popular songs. For instance, one Doobie brothers song goes:

"Hand
Hand
with you all night long
[long silence]
Hand
Hand
with you all night long"

Even when I hear the song on two speakers, that's all I hear.

The only accident I've been in with it was on an icy road. It was another maroon oxidized twenty year old volvo, same model. When we hit, we were going a blistering one mile an hour, head on combined speed. I think we were both hoping for more damage, but there was nothing. Saddest accident I've ever seen.

And yet, two weeks ago, someone in a new mustang pulled up to a stop light and tried to get me to race.

This has nothing to do with australia, I apologize.

I suppose this could happen in Australia, too.

The nice thing about volvos is you don't have to do much with them. You don't even have to keep them neat, as you're not getting any in your car, unless you find some chick who's into the married resigned to his fate kind of guy. If you do, could you give her my email address?

Better not, my wife might need the car.:D

[ewallace]

Figures it was a mustang. I usually don't associate mustang drivers with soaring intelligence levels. But it's just an old camaro vs. mustang thing.

[guohuen]

I call them pen1s cars, ala Steppenwolf-For Ladies Only.

KC, that's got to be the funniest/saddest accident ever. With the possible exeption of the first two automobiles in the states hitting each other. (true story)

[sticky fingers]

http://sydney.citysearch.com.au/feature/434/

Engine: 5.7-litre 16-valve fuel-injected V8.
Power: 225kW at 5200rpm (average).
Performance: 0-100kmh in 7.1 seconds (quick).
Brakes: Discs with ABS (adequate).
Economy: 8-10 litres/100km highway (excellent); 18-22 litres/100km city (thirsty).
Prices: Recommended retail CV6 $47,990; CV8 $56,990. Street price Deals? Not a hope.
Main options: Holden Assist $1990; sat nav $3800, colour coded leather interior (no charge).
Warranty: Three years/100,000km (average).
Safety rating: Three stars out of five (VX Commodore sedan, but Monaro also has side airbags).
Residual value: Impossible to accurately predict, but suggest that it could be above average given the car's reception.
Alternatives: None at the price.

0-100 in 7.1??? That guy must have drove it like a Volvo driver!

ewallace, new corvettes are about as common as Ferraris in Australia and although they have the same engine, the Monaro is basically a dressed up 2 door version of a family sedan.(Check out Holden Commodore) i.e too fat and not able to do justice to the powerful engine.

Taoboy, I don't have a WRX. I just like trolling the V8 heads :D
I had a Prelude VTiR running 100hp direct port NOS. NOS is not street legal in Australia so I had it well hidden. And I don't consider myself a rice boy either - no wings, stickers, foglights or big tailpipe (to avoid being pulled over by the cops.) But it sure gave those V8 Chumpadores a scare!!!!

[ewallace]

SF - See, now that's cool. I have no problem with people fixing up their cars nice. It's kind of like fat people wearing spandex shorts and a half shirt. Sure you can dress however you want but when it's in bad taste and offensive to others, something must be said or done.

7.1 0-60 is hardly a performance car. And that really sucks that NOS is not legal down under.

I like the monaro as a coupe. I think it would be a huge mistake for GM to bring that over and market it as a muscle car.