yo ! need advice on 1st car

[evAN]

hey im 17 and looking to buy my first car, ive been looking around and have come across (in my opinion) this really nice 98 au, although i don't know much about ford's in general so any advice or things i should know, maybe i should steer clear from this model and such? im going to see it today and im pretty syked, what do you guys think?

link: http://www.carsales.com.au/pls/carsa...cle_id=3736105

[nat_daly]

id stay clear of au series 1's. ford didnt fix the faults till series 2, go buy a late model EL. if your looking at that price range, you could probably pick up an ef-EL fairmont which will have leather, all the goodies.

[walker]

Originally Posted by nat_daly

id stay clear of au series 1's. ford didnt fix the faults till series 2, go buy a late model EL. if your looking at that price range, you could probably pick up an ef-EL fairmont which will have leather, all the goodies.

Iv'e never had a problem with my AU1 and neither has any1 Iv'e spoken to. Just wondering what the faults where in AU1 that they didn't fix till AU2?

[Abacus]

Originally Posted by walker

Iv'e never had a problem with my AU1 and neither has any1 Iv'e spoken to. Just wondering what the faults where in AU1 that they didn't fix till AU2?

The main improvements were brakes and wheels. All AUIIs also got the Fairmont laminated firewall for better comfort. I don't know if you'd call the issues with these in AUIs "faults" as such, but the changes in AUII were worthwhile.

More info here:

Drive Review AU Series UU

"The AU Series II added Fairmont styling to base models, dual airbags across the board and big 16 inch wheels and styling tweaks to make the AU look more substantial and less cost-stripped. Standard interior colour was now the classier warm charcoal with dark graphite as an option. The ugly centre control panel was toned down and base seats lost their vinyl backs. Wagons gained a three point centre seat belt. Major mechanical upgrades include revised front suspension to support a big boost in brake size and retuned rear suspensions in a bid to match the Commodore's luxury ride. Most important of all was a dual thickness laminated firewall and hydraulic engine mounts on all models which transformed interior refinement. XR8 was boosted to 200kW."

[Casper]

I haven't had any mechanical issues at all with my AU1. In fact, I don't know anyone who has. It was their appearance that people had more of an issue with.

[bonk182]

Ive had no probs at all with my AU fairmont series 1. its a dream! good luck with it all.

[GK]

Originally Posted by Casper

I haven't had any mechanical issues at all with my AU1. In fact, I don't know anyone who has. It was their appearance that people had more of an issue with.

Quite true! The front grille on he Series 1 Forte was not very nice! LOL! Series 2 front is much nicer.

As far as mechanical things go:

If you have the money to go for a Series 2, you will get a better looking front end, 16 inch tyres over the standard Series 1 15's and bigger brakes. The firewall was better insulated for NVH as well, but I have a Series 1 and 2 and they are both great cars. You won't go wrong with either.

You could of course go for a higher series car in the EF/L model range, but the AU is a heaps better car all round. This is generally accepted as fact.

Sorry if I ruffled a few E series guy's feathers with that last one! LOL!

All the best with it.

GK

[99XR6]

No problems here either, if it's what you want go for it.

[NeishaXR8_347]

I was having a good look at the pics although i cant see inside it looks like a fairly decent example to start with. I know a few with AU1's and they havent had any dramas with them, BUT saying that some cars are just lemons and doesn't matter what series or make.

Shaun

[AK]

My AU1 goes fine and have had no problems either.

[sbutler]

I must agree the AU1 has had its issues although not major ones. The AU2 is much better, then the AU3 is better again. That just the way the run goes.
But theres nothing wrong with the AU1.

Nat daly::: This young guy is looking for his first car & the one he is looking at, looks like a very good, low Ks car & for the money he could do a worse.
By making sweeping statments like your, with nothing to back them up, is not the right thing to do..

evAN::: It looks like a great car, just have someone check it out for you, & make sure its the right car for you..Good luck..

[BAxtER]

it looks quite good for the price and nice km's aswell.
i have an AU2 and a BA and i love the AU its a great car.
and once u get the car check out the awc website and spice it up a bit and it will look even better
good luck!! and all the best!! _2:

[mattp]

As sbutler said, obviously AU3 will be better than AU2, which will be better than AU1. Otherwise Ford wouldn't have released them. Having said that, they did bring out the BA after the AU3 I guess ;)
Seriously though, I've got an AU1 and had no dramas with it, they're great cars. Not too hard to get them looking pretty schmick too.

[JeffAU1]

That car looks like a mad deal. Very clean, you can do a few minor mods to bling up the appearance anyway.

Look for rust, especially in the boot area. If its clean you should be fine. AU parts are so easily available anyway.

I have au1 and have had no issues at all.....

[Stav]

I have an au1 and must say that the au2 has got much better brakes. Some AU1's though came with no speed limiter (like mine) but all au2's were limited at 180kmph. These are some objective items you may want to know about.

Also from a perfomance standpoint the au vct is the best of the bunch especially with irs which gives better handling and straight line traction.

[GTWHOA]

Go for it that car has good potential! Call me crazy but I like the series 1 front more as long as its not the crome forte grill.

[GlennBA]

Originally Posted by DVL40L

Go for it that car has good potential! Call me crazy but I like the series 1 front more as long as its not the crome forte grill.

You're crazy! :

AU1's can easily look just as good as au2/3 if you spend a little bit on them. The only 2 things that put me off them is the brakes, and the horrible grey EF style interior.

[poolkeeper]

First glance at the car, it looks good
Ive got a au1 with that many k's and Ive had no dramas with it...

[evAN]

cheers for all advice, much appreciated. going to see it in a couple of hours! and yeh, providing i pick it up i'll be looking to start putting a fair ammount of money into it, had a fair bit of inspiration from many au's ive seen around here! ill post after ive checked it out ; ]

[crossingover]

nice car to begin with but just take a closer look on a sunny day dont go in the evening.To me it seems might have had side damage at some stage as drivers door is a different shade white / can anyone else see this or is it just me?

[poolkeeper]

Originally Posted by crossingover

nice car to begin with but just take a closer look on a sunny day dont go in the evening.To me it seems might have had side damage at some stage as drivers door is a different shade white / can anyone else see this or is it just me?

hmmm kinda, think its just the light though

[evAN]

Originally Posted by crossingover

nice car to begin with but just take a closer look on a sunny day dont go in the evening.To me it seems might have had side damage at some stage as drivers door is a different shade white / can anyone else see this or is it just me?

when i first saw that i thought the same, although as you can see it's covered by the three where as the rear left door has sun shining on it, never the less ill be sure to pay close attention.

im wondering, providing i bought the car these holidays i'd be looking to buy rims and a ts50 bk, if i bought the ts50 front bar and grille would it fit on? would i have to purchase the ts50 front bar which is for the au1 or would i need to spend a little more $$$ on getting something changed and what not? im sure this has been discussed, although i wasnt sure what to search sorry =/

[crossingover]

youd have to change front bonnet to a high series eg:fairmont or series 2

[evAN]

Originally Posted by crossingover

youd have to change front bonnet to a high series eg:fairmont or series 2

ah, thought thatd be the case although wasnt really sure, cheers.

[Abacus]

Originally Posted by evAN

im wondering, providing i bought the car these holidays i'd be looking to buy rims and a ts50 bk, if i bought the ts50 front bar and grille would it fit on? would i have to purchase the ts50 front bar which is for the au1 or would i need to spend a little more $$$ on getting something changed and what not? im sure this has been discussed, although i wasnt sure what to search sorry =/

Starting from an AUI Forte base, you might be better off considering XR front and rear bumpers instead. You would also need XR lights, but you wouldn't have to change the bonnet, and the plastic XR bumpers would be much more damage resistant than the fibreglass AWC stuff.

It's your money, but if it was me I would just replace the grille with an AUI Futura one, or maybe an AWC Hawke grill, and spend the money on stuff that really should be fixed, ie:

- Brakes
- 16" or 17" rims - I'd suggest you look at BA XR items, plentiful and cheap, say $750 with more than 50% tread on the rubber.
- Suspension - Kings lows and Munro GT Reflex + camber kit, approx $1,100

You could, of course, spend a couple of grand on the bling, but after you've done that you will still want to get this stuff fixed. IMO the mechanical stuff I've mentioned above is more important because it may save your life.

With 150,000km on the clock, and assuming its still on the original shocks, they'll be buggered anyway. A couple of grand spent on the above shopping list and you will have a vastly improved car.

After you've done brakes, wheels and suspension, I'd suggest you look at:

- Cat back
- Extractors
- Camshaft

This stuff will put a smile on your dial while you're inside the car. And again, being 8 years old and with 150,000km on the clock, if it's still got the original exhaust that will be pretty much buggered anyway.

It's all a question of priorities. Only after I've done all the above would I think of bodykits. But again, its your money.

[TURBOTAXI]

AU1 Ex taxi no issues that were not created by me and a turbo.

[GK]

Originally Posted by TURBOTAXI

AU1 Ex taxi no issues that were not created by me and a turbo.

Don't listen to turbotaxi! He'll get you to forget the bodykit and go the turbo kit! LOL! It mightn't look the best, but It'd be quick! :

GK

[TURBOTAXI]

Originally Posted by GK

Don't listen to turbotaxi! He'll get you to forget the bodykit and go the turbo kit! LOL! It mightn't look the best, but It'd be quick! :

GK

I know young men dont want an ugly car. Wasnt going to suggest the beaten up taxi route.

[Faded_Mantis]

I have an AU1 (2000) and it's a mechanically sound car, it has had a couple of problems, but they were under $80 to fix generally.

The only real issue with the AU1 was the looks, and that can be changed, removing the grill, lowering it and giving it 16" mags or bigger would be good starting points.

As far as the ts50 kit goes, I think AWC sells just the lower bar with out the grill so you can use it with your AU1 grill and bonnet. Like if you wanted the hawk grill with the TS50 lower bar

[JeffAU1]

There is a White High Series Bonnet for sale for $200 ono pickup from act.

http://www.fordforums.com.au/showthread.php?t=75838