Why do P Plater/Teens love Commodores so much?

[onfire]

Originally Posted by Ford_The_Win

As for the VR ageing well, I beg to differ. It was outdated at release - the underpinnings and powertrain were carried over from VP, bar a revised auto box. Inside, everything except the top half of the dash were carried over from VP, and it shows. It looked awkward with '80s squares and '90s curves, with different grains and colours of plastic everywhere, nothing matched. The auto box is clunky, the V6 sounds like it's made of mecchano, and the steering is so light I can do lock-to-lock turns with a pinky finger. I've had to endure a VR Executive work car for the past couple of months and it's abhorrent. How people could have bought those things back in the day is beyond me. The EF, even the ED, absolutely craps all over it, hence why Ford was number one at the time.

Regardless of any of that...



vs



Pretty clear winner. And why young guys buy Commodores.

Even being a Ford driver myself. The VR is the better looking car, and it's reflected by the question that has driven this very thread.

[Ben73]

Not much of a competition.
That VR still looks like crap. Probably one of the worst looking Holden's of the last 20 years.

[XR6Runner]

My brother who is 19 is looking for his 'first' car. He has been in and driven my XR6 Turbo, but he is still hesitant in buying a commodore because 'they look cool'. I think its got more to do with 'image' rather than power figures, or any figures at all actually. He didn't even know my turbo's power output, he didn't even know it was a 6sp or anything. He was just adamant in choosing a commodore, purely based on what him and his mates think is 'cool'.

[Halfmo Rocks]

for me the VR/VS is about the ugliest car this side of a sanyong.

i went with falcons at first, because my dad had nothing else (XD-XF-AU) before i got my first car...so i knew they could be reliable, any other car was an unknown.

then once i was in a falcon, that little bug in the back of my mind wouldn't let me swap

[P6LTD351]

Originally Posted by onfire

Regardless of any of that...



vs



Pretty clear winner. And why young guys buy Commodores.

Even being a Ford driver myself. The VR is the better looking car, and it's reflected by the question that has driven this very thread.

Please tell you are joking. Those pictures clearly go against your argument. The ED is a much more cohesive design than the VR. Also, the true competitor to the VR was the EF, (the ED was a stop gap) which absolutely buries the VR both inside and out.

Looks are not the reason.

[onfire]

If it's not power, or reliability, and it's not looks.. then what is it that drives so many more young drivers towards Commodores? Pure ignorance on the P-Plate Holden Driver's part? Being a Ford Forum, I expect the answer would be, yes.

I really shouldn't expect any other answer. Presenting any real discussion other wise would be banging my head against a wall. And would prove that the reality is, regardless of sides, both with Holden making some better cars than Ford, and visa-versa.. both Holden and Ford fans are ignorant and bias.

[P6LTD351]

People like to be associated with something. We like to 'belong'. We like to be a part of a group. Kids like to be a part of the 'in' crowd. That's the answer. Add Holden's marketing and Ford's reluctance to go in for the kill with their advertising despite many golden opportunities, and these are the results we get.

[Zedjay]

the young bloke accross the road from me is always going on about how holdens have better engines than fords lol

anyway a couple of weeks ago he came home with his new ride (a VL wagon) and was quick to tell me how good the VL engine was so much better than the ford Xflow....i agreed with him and then told him it was a nissan motor and he was like yeah right why would a holden have a nissan engine lol... so i told him to google it...next time i saw him i asked how the nissan was going and he was like "its not a nissan engine ,,nissan bought the rights of holden to use the motor in its australian skyline"

WTF kids today are so blind

[bigdude1011]

I didn't see many Commodores in my school car park. Most of the Holdens that were around at school were 1990s Barinas, though there were a couple of VYs. The rest of the cars were mainly Japanese (with the odd Accent/Excel and Golf/Mondeo) However, there were many new cars at my school (public school, in a rich area, with lots of diplomat's kids and international students), even Golfs and Accord Euros.

I would've bought an AU Forte, but my hipster immigrant parents got crabby at me for even thinking about buying something that's not Japanese.

[ST]

Honestly onfire you give young people way too much credit for their determining factors as to why they pick particular cars.

It's all a popularity contest and Commodores are on top of the list, there isn't really any logical answer. It's the same reason as to why a Lady Gaga song ends up #1 on the charts, we all know it isn't due to musical ability. It's the same reason Twilight is one of the biggest movies at the box office, it certainly isn't due to film quality.

They just have a certain image that appeals to the zeitgeist.

[Linkachu]

I told a mate a while ago the first car i owned was a VP commodore, somehow my EA came up and he said "you would have noticed the difference in power" my responce being of course heaps different.

He thought the VP went harder... It was auto

Not only did the EA have more power but a manual box and in EA/EB1 those things had a short ratio

[theboxmike]

I tell my mates this but they just say...

It's a Holden Mate

And i think to myself Yuck!

Mind you i had a BA XR6 last year in year 12 and even some of the holden boys were a bit jealous in their VR/VS haha They kept on wanting me to drag them.

[In Focus]

A lot of the kids around my way are getting around in newer cars. I've spotted P-plates on new Barinas and Fiestas. The "poor" ones have to make to do with Astras that are a few years old.

[buggo]

I think, as others have said, 'fitting in' has alot to do with it.
Don't know how it started or when, but it's set in now and I really don't see that trend changing.
I think as has been said before and how they 'feel' to drive.
I drove a mates VT exec 5speed, stock except for extractors and intake. This thing felt really quick, snapped seconds on 245s pretty easy.
I guess they have a short 1st/2nd gear, making them quick off the mark.
But the weird thing is my car beats it hands down, yet feels alot slower.
A bloke at school had a VT s auto, and that thing had nothing. Was very slow compared to mine from standstill (don't ask how I know )

At school there were a few VS's, pretty untidy, if you saw one and I said its been stolen you'd beleive me lol. Two VT's which were nice looking cars. My mate had a dark blue one with a monaro front end and chrome 19's. The other a white S with SS front.
There was also a VX equip which was a good looking car. The kid was a year below me so I didn't know him that much, don't know much about the car.
The only Falcon besides mine was an AU2 XR6. It was black and looked good. I alsways copped **** for having a Ford, but they knew it was better than their cars it was only a G-up.

[highonpsi]

Originally Posted by Ford_The_Win

As for the VR ageing well, I beg to differ. It was outdated at release - the underpinnings and powertrain were carried over from VP, bar a revised auto box. Inside, everything except the top half of the dash were carried over from VP, and it shows. It looked awkward with '80s squares and '90s curves, with different grains and colours of plastic everywhere, nothing matched. The auto box is clunky, the V6 sounds like it's made of mecchano, and the steering is so light I can do lock-to-lock turns with a pinky finger. I've had to endure a VR Executive work car for the past couple of months and it's abhorrent. How people could have bought those things back in the day is beyond me. The EF, even the ED, absolutely craps all over it, hence why Ford was number one at the time.

I agree with this 100% there is no way i would let someone tell me the VR/VS was better than the EF/EL. Engine wise the el was far beyond the vs. Not to mention the interior as said above.

[GreenR]

Being a P Plater myself and having lots of friends in Commodores, I don't think others choose the Commodore over the Falcon due to any handling, weight, acceleration, price etc factors.
A few reasons are:
1. They think they look better
2. It's a Holden, and that makes it reaaal Aussie
3. Everyone else has one so I have to

BUT ultimately I think it comes down to they think Commodores are just "cooler". Oh and fully sick haha

[FG50T]

Commo's got into my head as a kid. I was just attracted to them lol I didn't know what they were until my mum bought me a street commos mag, then the vn-vs 304 stage when I was teen. They're a better car to modify too imo.

[chrisfpv]

I'm a P plater and my first car was a Ford BA XR6. I sold it after about 9 months as I couldn't justify spending so much money on a car whilst so young. I got it because imo it's the only good looking Falcon ever made. (I couldn't care less about 70's and 80's "classics" btw).

I now drive a Holden because I think the E series and AU models are dog ugly and the Holden variants of that time look better and are more appealing to me.

Flame me if you wish, but you wanted to know.

[chevypower]

Originally Posted by tonyd89

The most common reason I hear guys like this use is the fact the the Holden is a TRUE Aussie car, with a lot of Holden stuff being used overseas. Whereas Ford use a lot of stuff from overseas, and next to nothing from Oz gets sent over there. Like the BOSS engine for example, from the Ford trucks ...

Like the "Aussie" LSX engines, and the "Aussie" Turbo Hydromatic transmissions... Good thing they don't come from Yankee land.

[xisled]

Well Most of the people I know who buy commodore think they look better than Ford, which I tend to agree with. IMO The 80's and 90's commodore looks better than the 80's 90's falcon. Most of my friends are p platers. Also a commodore is alot cheaper to repair when something goes wrong and cheaper to buy. Oh apart from a VT, that car is ugly.

[OzJavelin]

Originally Posted by chevypower

Like the "Aussie" LSX engines, and the "Aussie" Turbo Hydromatic transmissions... Good thing they don't come from Yankee land.

Does Yankee Land encompass Canada and Mexico?

[chevypower]

Originally Posted by OzJavelin

Does Yankee Land encompass Canada and Mexico?

No wonder so many people cross the border, they believe that Tonawanda, Flint and Wixom are in Mexico. Others believe they are in Australia.

[burnz]

Originally Posted by OzJavelin

Does Yankee Land encompass Canada and Mexico?

lsx crate export engines come from flint michigan...

[XCwillo]

Everytime I go out cruisi... woops I'm a P plater, Hooning* there is always more commodores then fords, most of them have VN's, VS's and VT's.

Theres non of this "oh they handle better when going around corners at precisely 42kmph"
P platers couldn't give two hoots about that stuff.
Sole reason, Its a commodore, you can get body kits that make them look tough as nutz, they're cheap and that's pretty much it.
My neighbor is a Commodore driving p plater and im always over at his or vise versa looking at body kits he wants to get and Im gonna' say it, they look 5x better then any ford body modification.

Holden's performance range look totally different and meaner then the standard range of commodores, where as the ford performance range can look almost identical to the stock/lower performance range of vehicles (im talking 90's here)
So the holden un surprisingly comes out on top because you can get mean as hell looking kits for them

[blk6t]

mmm, pretty even in my area. Although the Ford P platers are only driving the BA XR6's, no earlier models. Speaking to my younger brother in law who is 17, he prefers the Commodore because today's P platers (boys in particular) can now afford quite easily the VT/VX Holdens or EL / AU Falcons. The EL XR6's in manual are pretty popular among P platers in my area but rare. However its very easy for a P plater to buy a VT / VX commodore 6, throw some rims on and they have a pretty good first car. Compare the AU to the VT/VX, for a young boy the AU looks like crap which is why the Commodore is still a more popular choice.

[302 XC]

Cheap plentiful
Gotta be the "In"crowd

Being an EX red blooded person many moons ago
Earlies here EH,HRs ect
I got turned off at the commonwhores
As most of the absolute tossers had them
But now being in the blue corner,ive noticed less tossers and more mature owners/drivers
Even look for a sec ,youll see alot still floggin their early HQ,HJs ect
But the same is very very rare to see someone flog there XA,XB to the same

[TUF_302]

My first car was a green EB, I had the choice of anything I wanted around that age and for the money I had the EB was the best looking by far!

[aussie muscle]

I don't think things have changed much. when i was young the guys bought old toranas, now they buy old commodores.
i was buying valiants, which were so cheap, but not popular, they were basically disposable cars.

[Ibrox90]

Providing a P Plater Point of view.

There are more commodores on the road than falcons (certainly in Adelaide), Certainly within a P Platers Usual price bracket there's more (VB-VS) also If i was being honest having driven lots of mates commodores, Within those years i think the commodores a better car.

So its cheaper to buy, cheaper to fix, better to drive.

I chose my XR8 purely because it was much better to drive than a VY II SS.

Plus Teens do what there mates do (generally) so chance are group of 5 mates 4 have VN-VY Commodores chances are the 5th one is going to get a Commodore.

Sad thing is I think the VE Commodores a nice car, and to think that one day it will turn into todays bombadore VN, i think thats sadening

[Fled74]

The low resale value of older Falcons and Commodores means they're within easy reach of young guys wanting a powerful first car. I think the main reason they choose Commodores is pressure from their peers (wanting to belong), and the perception that the Commie is easier to modify.

EDIT: Ibrox90 (above) said it better.