VAUXHALL MONARO Coupe 2004‑2006

I have owned a monaro for a month now and have driven it every day. It puts a smile on my face as soon as i put the key in the ignition and start it. Yes it`s not everyone`s cup of tea and it`s not good on petrol and you will burn out the tyre`s and the tax is`nt cheap. However you will have a big cruiser thats easy to drive looks fantastic and is still very quick. it will turn heads and all your friends will want a spin in it.

i would say it`s probably cheaper to run than a scooby/evo and way more exclusive you won`t be passing a monaro every day, having said that you can still get parts easily and there`s a friendly forum with guys (and girls) that have experience with these cars, so don`t be put off buying one.

I`m very happy with my monaro and i would`nt swap it for say a Bently.

You'd expect this 6 litre thing to be quick?

No, think again it's terribly slow for a 6 litre, too thirsty for not much fun in return, my new Bentley Continental 'will' simply accelerate out and also out corner this heavy lump, there's huge depreciation and that chav vauxhall badge completes the ultimate cheap car package, but unfortunately a car definately for the ladies amongst us.

Buy a corsa.

I have always wanted a Monaro since the day it was released in the UK. And finally I got my hands on one, a black 2005 VXR. For me it has to be the VXR because the standard one just looks nafff and black and red are the best colours for the car. If you are looking for one I would strongly recommend you have it checked over by a mechanic who knows these car's well. Don't bother asking the AA as they will not touch anything that's high performance believe it or not. One more thing I love about these car's is there rarity. I use to drive a 5-series BMW and I use to hate how common and unreliable they were!

To sum a Monaro up all up: Sexy agressive good looks, earth moving performance, great comfy seats, rarity and a pussycat to use as an everyday car if you can afford the petrol.

The Monaro is a unique proposition in the UK. A proper, old-school, blue-collar muscle car.

This car is all about the 5.7 litre V8, lifted from the C5 Corvette. Start it up, blip the throttle, and the whole car rocks gently from side to side. 2004/05 cars put out 328bhp. Later 05/06 cars (identified by their bonnet nostrils and black rear valance with twin exhausts) 350bhp. Traction control has two settings: on or off, and when off the rear tires are easily overwhelmed.

Yet, for all that, the Monaro is a friendly beast. It lopes around town like an automatic, pulling away on the torque regardless of gear selection. Out of town it is barely ticking over at 70mph and makes a superb motorway cruiser. Parking sensors make this big car a doddle to reverse park.

It will seat four adults comfortably and has ISOFIX points in the rear for fitting a child seat. The boot in my 05/06 model is on the small side for such a large car, although I understand the 04/05 cars have a larger boot (the fuel tank was repositioned on the later cars).

Obviously you don’t buy a muscle car for its fuel economy, but I average about 22mpg. If you do a lot of city driving this car may not be for you, as you don’t want to be sitting in traffic listening to all eight cylinders slurping juice. Out on the open road, where a car like this belongs, things improve with around 30mpg at 70mph.

Servicing costs are reasonable. Buy a car registered before March 2006 and road tax is only (at the time of writing) £245. Group 20 insurance can be expensive if you’re young.

My example has covered 50,000 miles and has been faultless during my period of ownership. These cars are not hi-tech, which means there is less to go wrong and its easier to fix if it does. The LS1 engine design has been around since 1997 and is tried and tested.

If you want a no nonsense, rear wheel drive, manual, V8 coupe with the steering wheel on the right, look no further.

practical v8 powered small block chevy engine car from down under. its a comfortable motorway cruiser.

I purchased my Monaro CV8 in April 2007. It had been registered 9 months earlier (06 plate), and had already lost £12000 from its list price, so was a real bargain at £18000 or so.

Practical bits;

Loves to settle down on long journeys using the cruise control whilst doing so. The enormously long 6th gear means 1600rpm at 70mph and I regularly get 30mpg on a longer trip.

Has 4 large comfortable seats and lots of interior space.

Electric seats, windows, mirrors, dual climate, trip and fuel computer i.e. lots of goodies. Rear park sensors are very handy.

Driving;

Not as scary as some people may think. The big grunty 5.7 litre V8 develops around 350hp and 369lb/ft torque as standard and means tootling around in town is quite easy with such a flexible engine. Give the car a clear road and it will out-accelerate many, more 'exotic' machinery. Round the corners, it's not an M3, but is secure and well planted, giving plenty of notice when it is about to let go. Tail slides are easy to provoke, yet easy to control.

Reliability;

Car has been 100% reliable and has only needed tyres and front pads so far. Yes, I have spent money on an aftermarket stainless exhaust and manifolds, but that's my choice, as the car is now used as a weekend 'hobby'.

Downsides;

Post 23/03/06 cars are £435 VED. Pre are £245ish.

Electric seats are very slow to move forwards when accessing rear seats.

Don't bother taking the car to Vauxhall for servicing, they have very little knowledge of them! Instead, try one of the several specialists dotted around the country, or someone who has experience of American V8 engines.

Summary;

Very, very good to own. Opening up the taps on one of these babies is a life defining moment, and should be experienced by all true petrolheads. If you're after good fuel economy and low road tax, buy a VAG diesel. In grey.

I can safely say this is by far and away the best car I’ve ever owned. And the worst.

Reliability:

The day after I picked it up, the car started cutting out. To shorten a very long and expensive story, a faulty ECU had to be ordered from Australia and fitted by a specialist. 90% of Vauxhall Dealers either won’t work on Monaros, or don’t have the experience needed. An important thing to remember is they’re made by Holden and have an American Chevy engine - a Corsa this aint.

The petrol flap release lever came off in my hand last week, and when you do manage to get it open, you’ll find one of those £2.49 emergency caps from Halfords. The original snapped into pieces on the floor of the local Esso garage.

If an unsuspecting passenger tries to open the glovebox they get a lapful of sunglasses and wine gums after the hinges broke, and the centre cubbyhole is kept shut with blu-tack.

Practicality:

It’s a big, comfortable, powerful Coupe. The boot is decent, it’s roomy inside and incredibly comfortable on long journeys. I drive it everyday and it’s as easy as a Golf or Fiesta. It even has ISOFIX points for baby seats.

The huge 6.0 V8 also means it cruises at a lazy 1500rpm so petrol consumption is nowhere near as bad as you might imagine.

Driving:

This might have sounded like a negative review up until now, and only 3.3/5 rating you’d think the Monaro is a bit of a dog. That would be wrong though - I’d give it an unofficial 5/5 even with all the problems I’ve had.

This car is incredible. The acceleration is jet-like - and it’ll keep on going until way after the longest piece of straight road you could find.

It sounds like no other car on the road. Make sure you buy one with the Wortec switchable exhaust for serious noise enjoyment.

It’s also anonymous. I get 1 person a week stop and ask what it is. It has no image or baggage with it, and you can be quietly smug knowing you’ve got more horsepower and cubic litres that virtually any other car you’ll meet.

In summary, the Monaro is basic but brutal, fantastically powerful and frustratingly flawed.

It’s a muscle car then - plain and simple - for better and for worse.