OOPS, this tired old bugger should have titled the thread.The El were pretty much trouble free, weren't they! Yeh i know, it comes down to maintenance. A friend is interested. Whats there main faults (if any) to look for! The body is very good for it age, other than a very scratches.Righto, i'm off ta bed
graham32,
Apr 10, 5:27am
personally i would look out for the fairmont version, more creature comforts and same money
mrfxit,
Apr 10, 5:37am
Most of the Coons from the 90's onwards are mechanically trouble free . It's the electrical/electronic's side that's a problem
mopar63,
Apr 10, 5:43am
there's also a '98 fairmont wagan on tm in Waipuk for 2g's plus a '96 wagon in napier ,same money, I've got a '97 EL wagon done 335,000k's and it's been very reliable,had it for 2 years paid $800
xs1100,
Apr 10, 7:13am
theres a mint one in the electric blue just out of rotovegas if you know someone up that way been for sale for a couple months now think its the fairmont
mrfxit,
Apr 10, 9:09am
Both ends of the inner sills but yes perticuerly the front Generally the sills were the worst of it
rjgmjs,
Apr 10, 10:51am
Great advice thanks. I owned an EL Fairmont myself, bought it at 25,000k's (2 years old) regretted to this day i sold it, was the most comfortablest car i ever drove, still see it occasionally cruise thru town. Tho i do remember one day i went to drive it, and the gearbox sort of locked up in neutral, couldn't select any gear. Good ole faithful Ford mechanic arrived and crawled underneath the car with a handful of tools, and i was mobile again in about 20 minutes. Someone will know what i am talking about, can't remember if it was a computer/electrical or small mechanical fault.Was never billed for the call out. Yep loved that car.
franc123,
Apr 10, 11:00am
they're a pretty tough car that regretfully is getting on in years now, yep go through all the electrics (especially windows) to make sure everythings working.Always wise to get a PP inspection done, the odd one does come up thats been owned by a mechanically ignorant horsy slob who's towed a heavy float to the moon and back and not bothered with trans and diff oil changes and radiator cleanouts/coolant flushes.Heavy wear on brake rotors and pads can be common too, easy to rectify of course but gets pricey if both front and rear all need doing at once.
nathan84,
Apr 10, 6:30pm
EL best falcon made got 2 of them idle air control valve give trouble and the odd inlet manifold gasket selector that goes onto inhibiter switch corrode some leak coolant at exhaust side off head gasket
roys351,
Apr 10, 7:10pm
plastic tanks on radiator often crack .window master switch can pack up . otherwise a nice car and nice drive also and cheap to buy and not heavey on the gas
crzyhrse,
Apr 10, 7:22pm
Mate got one just over 2 weeks ago. EL Fairmont sedan, 167km. $2700. Not mint body wise but tidy and a good runner. At least until the coil packed up a week ago. Hahaha. The distributor cap was had it - the corrosion on the terminals was horrendous and that's what kills the coils.
chris_051,
Oct 18, 9:45am
Can remember when i was a kid back in 2001 and we went to Aussie for a holiday, all the cabs were EFs and ELs with massive kms on them. Say n o more. I just sold my EF wagon, had done 380k, which isn't that much for a 4.0l (my AU has 630,000), but one of the best cars I've owned, just a good work horse that never let me down, pulled a decent burnout too. I'd try and get a Fairmont Ghia, pick up a good one for $4k. LSD, same motor as the XR6 which put the 5.0 from Ford and Holden to shame at the time, and has all the bells and whistle you'll need. Going into winter just make sure on the high series Fairmonts with climate control that the heaters work as the blend door behind the dash can have a mind of its own.
Since the public registrations are closed, you must have an invite from a current member to be able to register and post in this thread.
Have an account? Login here.