BF/FG XR6 vs Mitsu 380 vs equivalent commodore sedan

markb · 14-12-2009, 06:11 PM

Hi,

I have been driving a VYII S one tonner for a while now and it's really not suitin gme since I changed emplyment from a Personal trainer to IT consultant.

So I think it's time to go, I don't like this car and hate the holden V6 and generally clunkiness of the ute. It was fine when I was driving perhaps 45 minutes a day but I intend to spend a lot of time and much of it city cycle.

So my options as I see it are..

XR6 BF/FG, Mitsubishi 380, camry v6 or newer commodore if they don't suck as much as the VYII.

OR

Go smaller so a focus or lancer hatch.

I don't really need a ute anymore and the only thing that get carted around is my Bullmastiff X so I don't want anything too special either.

I've always owned fords and I would go for the XR6 (have owned a coupe XR6's and XR8's in the past) but I want something that is a bit cheaper to run and perhaps a little smaller.

Been having a few rental cars and have been impressed by the smoothness of the 'japanese' 6's like in the camry -despite the fact that they handle like crap so I am considering anything with a 6 in it..

I know this is a ford forum but some pros and cons XR6 vs the rest would be good.

Oh..budget is probably max $25K purchase price.

Thanks

**Dave R** · 14-12-2009, 06:39 PM

Mate you will probably regret purchasing a little 4cyl car in the long run, particularly when you're used to a V6 ute. Why not grab a BFII XR6 with LPG? They are going very cheap these days and LPG will reduce running costs down to smaller car levels.

markb · 14-12-2009, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adrenaline

Mate you will probably regret purchasing a little 4cyl car in the long run, particularly when you're used to a V6 ute. Why not grab a BFII XR6 with LPG? They are going very cheap these days and LPG will reduce running costs down to smaller car levels.

Yes this is one thing for sure..are those LPG systems the injection style or mixer as I have heard many servicing/maint problems with them?

**TUF_302** · 14-12-2009, 07:56 PM

Why not got for a Focus Zetec? great mid sized cars with heaps of interior room and plenty of punch from the motor

markb · 14-12-2009, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TUF_302

Why not got for a Focus Zetec? great mid sized cars with heaps of interior room and plenty of punch from the motor

Anything is on the table..must have room to fit SCUBA gear or a 50kg dog.

I'll check them out on carsales..I've always owned larger cars but I also got used to the ex-GF's lancer and it was certainly slow but it had definitie advantages over the VYII. This may be a testament to what a car the commodore is however not a plus for the lancer.

Dave_au · 14-12-2009, 08:30 PM

380s are a good bang for your buck - they did not hold their resale well after MMAL discontinued Tonsley Park.

markb · 14-12-2009, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave_au

380s are a good bang for your buck - they did not hold their resale well after MMAL discontinued Tonsley Park.

yeah they kind of check most of the boxes..

decent smooth 6 cyclinder, auto, good standard features, better economy than my existing car. Not a thief magnet, roomy enough and in the budget.

I know I'll take a bath when I resell but I am looking for something that has taken the hit on resale already.

I am a little uncomfortable when I start looking at a small car as my only car - I'm a single dude now so I think the focus, lancer etc are very unlikley purchases.

JACKSTAR · 14-12-2009, 08:36 PM

no brainer mate the F.G. wins hands down

kezzer · 14-12-2009, 08:54 PM

Dont get the 380, if going manual get a BF or VE, if auto only VE i would get are the newer SIDI engines with the 6 speed, otherwise just go with a BF or FG, both cars look nice, and perform rather well! is this new or second hand??

New, I think the FG and VE 3.6l SIDI are pretty much on par,
second hand, the BF and VE 3.6 are pretty much on par as well, though I would avoid the omega and XT and go with the sv6 or xr6, ive driven all 4 (own a FG xr6)

Test drive them all mate

**Dave R** · 14-12-2009, 08:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kezzer

Dont get the 380, if going manual get a BF or VE, if auto only VE i would get are the newer SIDI engines with the 6 speed, otherwise just go with a BF or FG, both cars look nice, and perform rather well! is this new or second hand??

New, I think the FG and VE 3.6l SIDI are pretty much on par,
second hand, the BF and VE 3.6 are pretty much on par as well, though I would avoid the omega and XT and go with the sv6 or xr6, ive driven all 4 (own a FG xr6)

Test drive them all mate

Try reading his post mate, budget is $25k. And the VE 3.6 is not on par with BF.

Chopped · 14-12-2009, 09:01 PM

If you like performance, a roomy backseat and your mates liking you more choose the XR6, simple.

If you want the best value choose the 380. The 380 GT (In your budget) has lots of nice features inside compared to the XR6, some future girlfriends might like that better than winning the traffic light nationals.
The resale will be no worse than the rest and the original buyer would have copped it the most anyway. Get use to torque steer though

4VCLEVO · 14-12-2009, 09:05 PM

BF XR6 with 6 speed auto would be my pick.

kezzer · 14-12-2009, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adrenaline

Try reading his post mate, budget is $25k. And the VE 3.6 is not on par with BF.

Sorry missed that bit, and thats my opinion.

Go a second FG if you can find one for $25k but I doubt there will be much

big_landau · 14-12-2009, 09:31 PM

i love my fords but i have known a few people with magna's and if there used as a driver not a preformance car (thrashed) there quite a good thing.they seem to be well built and a mate of mine recently bought a 380 vrx or what ever the sports model is and he got it for an excelent price,well worth looking at i reckon.

eb2fairmont · 14-12-2009, 09:33 PM

Youre forgetting

THE TERRITORY!

Dave_au · 14-12-2009, 09:59 PM

Check car sales, you can pick up a 2008 model Mitsubishi 380 VR-X Series III, $24,990 drive away (before negotiation) with 31,504 on the clock.

markb · 14-12-2009, 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave_au

Check car sales, you can pick up a 2008 model Mitsubishi 380 VR-X Series III, $24,990 drive away (before negotiation) with 31,504 on the clock.

this is kind of what I am thinking of...no way I will get a good low k's XR6 for that money? I think anyway but today is the day to check out carsales and get some prices.

I thought about a territory but as expected out of budget straight off.

Since I drive a 2003 I'd be happy with 2006-2007 models with lower k's.

I guess I'm looking to see if anyone has had very bad experiences with either of the cars I mentioned.

big_landau · 14-12-2009, 11:04 PM

dont forget the vrx magna was the top of the line and worth alot of money new.380 vrx is a realy nice car.

4VCLEVO · 14-12-2009, 11:08 PM

There are a few BF XR6 turbos on carsales for under $25k. They will be only a little bit dearer to run than the ute you have but what a car, and they have the 6 speed auto.
Here is just one example but there are more on there.:
http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/...=860&silo=1011

markb · 14-12-2009, 11:11 PM

the vrx magnas may be a bit old..though at around $10K they are pretty good buying I suppose.

.I'm hoping to purchase something about 2 years old. I'm not fussed about status and come to think of it I don't really care anymore.

I just want a decent sized 6 cylinder sedan that is pretty civilised...far out I just realised I have aged before my time but anyway I just want something not holden and not a ute.

Reckon I'll try it on the grey side of life for a while and when I get bored I'll get something more exciting and appreciate it much more. :-)

genebaby · 14-12-2009, 11:14 PM

When looking for a new family daily driver to keep my XR8 off the road I went with a 2008 380 VR-X in the end. Why? The value was there with a LOT of depreciation making the price very attractive and they have a lot of great stuff in them pretty much standard.

I love my Falcon and I have been doing a lot of stuff to it to freshen it up, which I'm happy to do for that car but I didn't want to be doing stuff like diff bushes again in the near future if I can help it. With less use the Falcon will last ages now and the 380 cops the everyday stuff, where I just drive it around.

Bought the 380 with 31k for 22k drive away in March but prices seem to have gone up since then. People, like me who never thought I'd own one, began to gain interest in them when their price dropped so much.

If you're going to cart your dog around, just get a base model, same drive train as the others and it will be even cheaper.

Dave_au · 14-12-2009, 11:15 PM

Also check out www.aussiemagna.com/forums for opinions on the 380 (generally which show the 380s are very good and reliable daily driver)

**Dave R** · 14-12-2009, 11:19 PM

Mate check carsales, there are hundreds of FG XRs way under $30k! I'm sure you could easily snag one for $25k, in fact here are a couple of DEALER used '08 XRs with low kilometres right in your range:

Silver, ipod, bluetooth, 34,000km, $25,990

http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/dealer/details.aspx?R=7705333&__sid=1205E73F2963&__Qpb=tr ue&Cr=1&__Ns=pCar_PriceSort_Decimal|0||pCar_RankSo rt_Int32|1||pCar_Make_String|0||pCar_Model_String| 0&keywords=&__N=1216%201246%201247%201252%201282%2 04294966463%204294966285%204294933368%20395%20414% 204294965775&SearchAction=N&PriceFrom=395&PriceTo= 414&seot=1&tsrc=allcarhome&__Nne=15&trecs=286&silo =1011

Silk, 32,000km, $25,990

http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/dealer/details.aspx?R=7932803&__sid=1205E73F2963&__Qpb=tr ue&Cr=0&__Ns=pCar_PriceSort_Decimal|0||pCar_RankSo rt_Int32|1||pCar_Make_String|0||pCar_Model_String| 0&keywords=&__N=1216%201246%201247%201252%201282%2 04294966463%204294966285%204294933368%20395%20414% 204294965775&SearchAction=N&PriceFrom=395&PriceTo= 414&seot=1&tsrc=allcarhome&__Nne=15&trecs=286&silo =1011

genebaby · 14-12-2009, 11:21 PM

The XR6's I saw when looking for a car were all the same inside, 4spd auto, standard sound etc plus a few km's. The base of an XR6 could use some improving.

The 380 also has very cool blue lights at night, another win there as I would have missed the blue lighting.

Copie · 14-12-2009, 11:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave_au

Also check out www.aussiemagna.com/forums for opinions on the 380 (generally which show the 380s are very good and reliable daily driver)

Nazi Forum.

In my current household we have a 2007 380 SX, and its a pretty decent run about, comfortable, easyish on fuel and its fairly quiet. However, it is hideously bad to reverse park (almost inline with a wingless VE commodore) and lack of fold down seats does put a damper on it as well.

We got ours with 31k on the clock for 18k driveaway. That was from Cessnock Mitsubishi (last time i went past they had a few 380's in the lot)

The VRX and GT command a fair premium over the SX, however only thing different is the seats (not leather), bluetooth and different headlights/taillights.

Everything else (mechanical, suspension, Brakes, etc) is all the same.

duaned · 14-12-2009, 11:58 PM

Shame the 380's don't come equipped with DSC. Oh well, nice package overall though!

BrisVegas · 15-12-2009, 12:35 PM

You'd get a newish Mondeo for mid-$20's. They're as roomy as a Falcon and cheaper to run and register. The hatchback has a massive load area and the 6speed auto makes the most out of the 2.3 petrol 4-banger. Even better buying would be the 2.0 diesel.

waggaclint · 15-12-2009, 04:15 PM

Your on a FORD forum so id steer clear of a 380 go for a BFII with 6-speed it will go better and be better on fuel...If ya get BFII.5 that would be even better & it will hold its value alot better than anything MITSUBISHI make, IMO if the 380 was anygood they would still make them...

Also if ya still keen on something a bit smaller & even better on fuel have a look at a MAZDA-6 or SUBARU-LIBERTY HONDA-ACCORD.EURO all are very good reliable cars & you should be able get a good one for $25k...

And go and take a AURION for a spin if keen on the TOYOTA ive had both a CAMRY & AURION as hire cars for over a week and the AURION was better on fuel, i found that they had very bad blind spots and bad to see out of overall...

prydey · 15-12-2009, 04:33 PM

don't forget to check out govt auctions. you have to battle the dealers mostly but some great buys to be had.

in adelaide, when i bought my bf2 1 year ago, they could barely get anything for 380's. i paid $16k for my bf2 egas wagon, which 1 year later is still not bad money.

all cars still have up to 2yrs factory warranty left and generally low km's. being govt cars, service history is all up to date.

PoweredByCNG · 15-12-2009, 04:47 PM

I would recommend a BF XR6 with 6-speed ZF auto, converted to LPG using the ICOM JTG Liquid Injection system and 68L toroidal gas tank that fits snug in the spare wheel well under the boot carpet. The Barra 190 is a torquier engine than the engine in the FG and you'll save a little cash over the FG too.

Regards,
Dave