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NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Danggit. I am the demographic for that vehicle. Reasonably educated, decent salary and a redneck through and through. I would actually use that vehicle, low load height for my bikes, big V-8, 6 speed....
I really would have bought that.
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
Well if GM won't do it, maybe we can convince ford to bring the Falcon ute up as a replacement for the ancient ranger? Its ashame dodge doesn't have a funky australian arm to pull from too.
maybe it will come here as a chevy, el-camino anyone!!! hint hint GM
Nitroracer wrote:Well if GM won't do it, maybe we can convince ford to bring the Falcon ute up as a replacement for the ancient ranger? Its ashame dodge doesn't have a funky australian arm to pull from too.
I think bringing over the Falcon makes too much sense.
The Falcon sedan would make a perfect Crown Vic replacement, and as you said, the Ute would be a good replacement for the 2wd ranger.
It's just such a shame that the Ute bodystyle has such a bad stigma here in the states.
Mental wrote:I really would have bought that.
I'm POSITIVE few others would.
See also--the "new" GTO.
It would be too expensive, and too niche.
Those are the guys you just bai...uh, gave a loan? 
No kidding... I'd like one with a 6cycl and 6spd for commuting.
for the little I haul it makes sense
I saw this the other day...disappointing news, now that it's official, but there'd been rumblings for a while so at least I was eased into it. I was another guy that was hit square between the eyes with the Ute demographic. Dammit!
Bryce
I'm not the demographic, I have little technical education, not much money, and I'm no redneck, but I would buy a used one in a few years, for sure!
Joey
I think they are cool, but they wouldnt sell here. its a different culture, there they are cool, here they are associted with mullets and rednecks. Trucks here have to be at least 8 feel tall, and not even be able to carry a full sheet of plywood (but who cares, when all you use them for is to commute to work).
A 4-cyl turbo model would've been more likely to peak my interest.
poopshovel wrote:A 4-cyl turbo model would've been more likely to peak my interest.
Why?
Travis_K wrote:I think they are cool, but they wouldnt sell here. its a different culture, there they are cool, here they are associted with mullets and rednecks.
Actually, here in Australia, homeland of the modern utility vehicle, they are very much associated with our own interpretation of redneck - the bogan. Blue collar workers making obscene amounts of money can often be spotted in a V8 ute laden with tools, 'ripping skids' in the industrial area after work.
In other words, I think Australian cars would work very well in America. Not just utes, but the big sports sedans from Holden and Ford, too.
Where do those cars fit into the pricing order in Oz?
The issue on this continent is that GM felt these cars needed to be priced in the stratosphere.
If they had released the 3.8L Tempest at $19,900 and the GTO as an option at $29,900 I bet more of both would have sold buttloads.
poopshovel wrote:A 4-cyl turbo model would've been more likely to peak my interest.
For sure. I could totally dig on a modern VW Caddy with the 2.0T. I hardly ever tow or haul anything really heavy, so there's no need for a V8, and it kinda sucks having to borrow a truck just to go pick up a few sheets of plywood. You can't get a light duty hauler any more. Really the old Rabbit truck would probably suit my needs, but the 2.0t is pretty sweet.
I see a LOT of them consuming a LOT of oil.
the GTO's "flop" is great for me, prices are dropping like rocks still. i found an 04 for 10,995 with 60k miles last week. in a couple years i'll be able to replace the P71 with one.
i really was hoping the ute would make its way here ever since i saw one with MFR plates up in detroit badged as a chevy on I-75 about 6 years ago. before i had a digital camera unfortunately.
16vCorey wrote:poopshovel wrote:A 4-cyl turbo model would've been more likely to peak my interest.
For sure. I could totally dig on a modern VW Caddy with the 2.0T. I hardly ever tow or haul anything really heavy, so there's no need for a V8, and it kinda sucks having to borrow a truck just to go pick up a few sheets of plywood. You can't get a light duty hauler any more. Really the old Rabbit truck would probably suit my needs, but the 2.0t is pretty sweet.
Precisely.
Luke wrote: In other words, I think Australian cars would work very well in America. Not just utes, but the big sports sedans from Holden and Ford, too.
I think the Holden / Pontiac G8 is a pretty cool car, and hopefully they'll sell well here. I'd like to have a GXP model with a six speed manual transmission.
Travis_K wrote:I think they are cool, but they wouldnt sell here. its a different culture, there they are cool, here they are associted with mullets and rednecks. Trucks here have to be at least 8 feel tall, and not even be able to carry a full sheet of plywood (but who cares, when all you use them for is to commute to work).
I'm not seeing the difference, seriously. The ute is so popular in Oz because we don't have F150s and the other big trucks, and it is still a redneck car unless you are a tradesman, then it's a redneck car with a purpose.
I have owned several Ford Falcon utes and would have bought the Holden truck if it had a 6 speed
16vCorey wrote:poopshovel wrote:A 4-cyl turbo model would've been more likely to peak my interest.
For sure. I could totally dig on a modern VW Caddy with the 2.0T. I hardly ever tow or haul anything really heavy, so there's no need for a V8, and it kinda sucks having to borrow a truck just to go pick up a few sheets of plywood. You can't get a light duty hauler any more. Really the old Rabbit truck would probably suit my needs, but the 2.0t is pretty sweet.
If only there were someone on this board with enough VW knowledge to pull off a late model swap into a caddy. Maybe someone who has an A1. Perhaps green. Maybe someone who has turbo charged it with PVC piping. It'd be even cooler if that someone had first access to anything that came into the junkyard.
DILYSI Dave wrote:16vCorey wrote:poopshovel wrote:A 4-cyl turbo model would've been more likely to peak my interest.
For sure. I could totally dig on a modern VW Caddy with the 2.0T. I hardly ever tow or haul anything really heavy, so there's no need for a V8, and it kinda sucks having to borrow a truck just to go pick up a few sheets of plywood. You can't get a light duty hauler any more. Really the old Rabbit truck would probably suit my needs, but the 2.0t is pretty sweet.
If only there were someone on this board with enough VW knowledge to pull off a late model swap into a caddy. Maybe someone who has an A1. Perhaps green. Maybe someone who has turbo charged it with PVC piping. It'd be even cooler if that someone had first access to anything that came into the junkyard.
I have no idea what you're implying. That being said, if I had a clean Caddy body, it would already have the 20v 1.8t I've got sitting in the garage, sitting in it instead. I did come ridiculously close to pulling the trigger on a MKIII TDI Jetta that was rolled, just in case I found a cheap caddy. Hell, that's how I bought my wrecked Scirocco. I had no idea what I was going to do with it, then I heard about the challenge, then I heard about a $50 Rabbit. The rest is history.
John Brown wrote:Where do those cars fit into the pricing order in Oz?
The base model Holden ute, with a 6 cyl engine, is priced at about $30,000AUD, while the V8 model is another $10k on top of that. By comparison, an Impreza WRX also costs $40,000AUD.
poopshovel wrote:16vCorey wrote:poopshovel wrote:A 4-cyl turbo model would've been more likely to peak my interest.
For sure. I could totally dig on a modern VW Caddy with the 2.0T. I hardly ever tow or haul anything really heavy, so there's no need for a V8, and it kinda sucks having to borrow a truck just to go pick up a few sheets of plywood. You can't get a light duty hauler any more. Really the old Rabbit truck would probably suit my needs, but the 2.0t is pretty sweet.
Precisely.
I still don't understand why you'd want a 4 cylinder turbo instead of an NA V6 for a RWD car/pickup like the Utes. The four cylinder turbo would make less power/torque and would get very similar fuel economy while costing pretty much the same amount (if not more). While I'd love a modern Caddy, the only reason I'd want that is because it was FWD and that makes for lower bed height in the back. Given that the only modern option for a "ute" is the Baja (four doors?!?) I thought the G8 was a step in the right direction!
Bryce
