Ford falcon Futura AU2 stationwagon 1999-2004 help

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biggles001, May 13, 6:51am
Im looking at maybe buying within this age group.I want it for general use plus towing. I have a few lined up to look at but have just been told that the AU's were problematic. Any ideas if this is true or not and will they tow a decent amount of weight ie 2-3 ton!
fordcrzy, May 13, 6:55am
from memory the towing limit was 2300kg braked for that era falcon.
brokebloke1, May 13, 6:58am
sorry dont know about problematic, we have own ours for over a year now and touch wood havnt had a problem just make sure you get transmisson cooler fitted as they may overheat if you do a lot of towing
about towingthey are rated 1000kg unbraked and 1600kg braked if its a Automatic or 1000kg unbraked and1200kg braked if its a Manual
gunhand, May 13, 7:06am
I have an AU2 XR6 with lowish KMs and so far not a problem at all and surprisingly cheap to run for a big car if you drive sainly , cheaper than the 2ltr I had before it.Only minor gripes I have is it takes a while for the heater to warm up compared to jappas but once warm its hot as and I get the ocassional rattle from behind the middle oval faceia, but it goes away for weeks then comes back for a day LOL.
But go for the latest you can for sure as the AU2s & 3s are better than the first ones by all account.
fordcrzy, May 13, 7:13am
au2 had bigger brakes from memory, thats why they went to the 16" wheels as standard
chris_051, May 13, 7:14am
The AUs are better than any other late model Falcon and Commodore as far as durability goes. Weak points will be the factory in radiator gearbox cooler, get this by passed and fit an external cooler. Check for rust in the inner sills, around the tail gate and behind the door rubbers apart from that a pretty good work horse, there is a reason why they are the favorite Aussie taxi compared to E and B series and don't even mention commodore, Avalonor dimante.
biggles001, May 13, 7:17am
Lol the heater comment gunhand. Keep the comments coming . I need to research a bit before committing :-)
biggles001, May 13, 7:18am
thanks chris . great feedback. Any idea on costs for and external cooler!
gunhand, May 13, 7:22am
Yea bit cold in the mornings down here sometimes.Check all power window switches work as they are notorious for not working, I test drove several AUs nd none had a full working set but its an easy fix.
As above some may have rust issues but Ive been in the panel & paint busines for a long time and havent actaully seen a bad one at all or even repaired any with rust.
chris_051, May 13, 7:27am
A cooler is about 200 bux from BnT takes less than an hour to fit just have a pipe cutter there to cut the steel line.
brokebloke1, May 13, 7:38am
in regards to the rattle we have one too bloody hard to find until my partner pressed the windscreenby the mirror and the rattle stopped!
maybe the windscreen is loose!
geminidragon, May 13, 7:41am
i have owned two falcons ,one being a 96 station wagon and the other a 99xr6 , both i found were very flat in power when it came to towing and both swayedunder towing ,i would recommend a diesel for power .i also owned a nissan safari 4200cc petrol and found the power down and flat as well when hitting a hill ,no sway though ,i now own a izuzu bighorn 3.1turbodiesel and have not had a problem towing since .may i add iloved the way thefalconsdrive however as this is about towing i am adding my opinion only :)
gunhand, May 13, 7:42am
Na, definately coming from behind that panel as when I beat it it changes tone LOL.
franc123, May 13, 7:43am
AU2/3 was only mid 2000 to late 2002 when the BA replaced it, they didnt run to 2004. 1999 was AU1 The later model AU's are much better than early versions.Apart from a decent cooler you need the HD towpack for that weight, these were mostly fitted with the standard 1600kg bars.
biggles001, May 13, 7:45am
I dont want to buy something that is unsuitable . so all opinions are welcomed . especially because I will be towing a float
brokebloke1, May 13, 7:50am
if you do a lot of towing esp horse floats i personaly wouldnt use a falcon , maybe look at a 4x4 double cab, you will need something with a rating of about 1600kg unbraked and 2500kg braked, I think a ford ranger may do this
franc123, May 13, 8:01am
You have to be joking, a 3.1TD Bighorn produces a little over half the power and is 100nm down on peak torque, theres no way it would outperform the coon with a big load on, it does pay to use third gear and not overdrive. The only advantages with using a bighorn would be it would use less fuel and there might be a bit more mass that would help with stability. But you can use load leveller and anti sway kits to help with this
kingfisher21, May 13, 8:37am
Can't go wrong despite other comments, we had one for several years with well over 250,000km on it, towed a double float with two Clydies in it and my sprint boat all over the country without even raising a sweat. Fit a good trans cooler and decent brake pads, go for an AU2 or 3, they had a few improvements which made them a bit better of a car.
geminidragon, May 13, 8:50am
i am speaking from my experience and in my opinion even when selecting 3rd gear on the falcon the powers flat under load especially going up hill ,i,m guessing that the turbo makes a huge difference and i am very happy with the towing power of the bighorn
outbidyou2, May 13, 9:19am
I have AU2 falcon and agree with this. I tow a trailor with building supplies daily, select 3rd up a hill and you need to increase your speed, you'll be selecting second. Great otherwise though, CHECk for rust where cross member meets chassis rails and esp. the boot. Mine leaks throught the rear spoiler where it meets the boot and without sealing this the back end would rust considerably. Don't forget, these cars did'nt get rust proofing like the jappas. Good car though, just do your homework
kingfisher21, May 13, 9:39am
Ours had extractors and a decent exhaust, even towing a double horse float with two big horses on it it never went lower than 3rd gear on any hill and would easily maintain 90kmh while doing so.
whqqsh, May 13, 9:49am
Ive got a '99 AU s/wagon & its one of the better cars Ive owned & tows like a dream (had 4 Commodores before this).
Only thing I dont like is no dipstick/ filler tube for the trans, but Ive heard many brands are going this way.
biggles001, May 14, 1:49am
Wow a great mixture of comments to think about. Thanks everyone
kenw1, May 14, 7:41am
This is going to upset some people, but,I do a fair bit of towing probably 75% of my kms are with a big trailer behind me.The trailer bare weighs in at 950kgs, add in 15 weaner calves at 100kg'ish and yourupto 2500 +- a bit.

I have used a 4x4, it blew the tranny up, and have used my BA falcon, which does an OK job, its has the HD Towbar options.BUT, the best thing I use to tow with a Mitsi Canter, its not fast, but it has the power to grind away up the branderwyns, and the braking ability to stop PDQ.Also it has the body mass to tow with jumping all over the place.

Think about the % of towed to towing weight.Put a couple of those 1000 Litre cubes in your horse float fill them with water, then go for a test drive, and don't be gentle on the braking.Its all right to say ""this will tow blah blah""" but it will it stop it safely without pushing the towing vehicle all over the show.
geminidragon, May 14, 9:11pm
i have had to pull the falcon back to 2nd when slugging my way up the bombay hills coming south to north ,i dont think theres much grunt in 3rd on a hill ,how heavy is the horse float