Overview of the Holden Commodore
The Holden Commodore emerged in 1978 as the successor to the Kingswood, and the large car became Australia's best-selling model for 15 consecutive years (between 1996 and2011).This is a record that may never be beaten.
A mix of six and eight-cylinder engines in sedan, wagon as well as ute body styles formed a comprehensive Commodore range.. The fastest andmost powerful models sat under the HSV sub-brand.
The Commodore's status as an Australian-built model ended in late 2017, though the nameplate has been carried over to an imported, German-built Opel/Vauxhall model - much like the very first-generation version of the Commodore.
HOLDEN COMMODORE GENERATIONS (SINCE 1997)
1997-2007
2006-2013
2013-2017
2018-present
RUNNING COSTS
Fuel Consumption (VF generation models)
3.0L 6cyl: 8.3-8.6 litres per 100km
3.6L 6cyl: 9.0-9.3 litres per 100km
6.2L V8: 12.6-12.9 litres per 100km
= Highly economical.
= Good economy.
= Average fuel use.
= Heavy consumption.
Servicing
Holden offers lifetime capped price servicing for cars less than five years old. Annual costs currently vary between $239 and $641 per service (depending on model/engine). Servicing schedules every 15,000km are available for Commodore models older than five years. Holden Commodore parts and accessories can be found on Gumtree.
SIMILAR MODELS TO HOLDEN COMMODORE
Ford Falcon
Honda Accord
Nissan Maxima
Toyota Aurion
WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR: HOLDEN COMMODORE (VF, 2013 ONWARDS)
On V8 versions, start the car from cold and listen for rattles and ticks from the engine. If they're present, you're probably looking at a car with dud lifters.
The V8 can sometimes ooze a little oil from the rear-main seal. Find where the car is normally parked and check the ground for oily spots.
The six-speed automatic gearbox shouldn't clunk into gear or slur its shifts. And look for a dirty big tow-bar that suggests the thing has hauled huge loads at some point.
A lot of fleets bought the base-model Commodore, too, and while they offer cheap motoring, don't buy an ex-fleet car by accident.
