Mini tour of my 2000 Aus Ford Falcon

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Hi everyone!
Since a lot of people on a few forums, especially Americans, seem pretty curious about the Falcon sold down here I thought I'd give it a little tour for anyone interested

First off it is pretty much our version of the Taurus (despite both the Falcon and Taurus being sold alongside each other here at one point) after a few years they make very cheap, reliable family sedans that can be picked up for next to nothing
They are very different indeed though, slightly smaller than the Taurus at around 5 meters (16.5 feet) long, and a bit longer in the LWB Fairlane, LTD and wagon versions, they are all RWD and come with either a 4.0 I6, and a 5.0 or 5.6 V8.

I own the 'poverty pack' Forte model which is the cheapest most basic version, coming with the 4.0 I6 (211bhp, 360nm/266ft.lbs) and a 4 speed auto.
It comes with a factory bull bar, air con, front power windows, power mirrors and an exciting cd/cassette radio.
It is very basic but it adds to the old school character this model had before they turned techy with the 2002 'BA Falcon'

I bought mine for $3000 2 years ago with 115,000kms (71,500 miles) and now has just over 185,000kms on.
The way the car market has gone down here its only worth about $1500 now but i plan on keeping it near on forever anyway hence why i'm here!

Here are some pics











Apart from the chrome wheel rings, mud flaps and LED bull bar lights the car is factory original.

This engine was specced to use 10w30. I have used either 10w30 or 10w40 with very slight usage recently (no smoke though) but the usage stopped completely over the 7,500km OCI after adding LM MoS2.
I have been thinking about using 15w50 but might swap it back and stay at 10w40 + MoS2
 
Black Chasers and Chrome...they suit it.

For our American Friends...check where the ignition leads come up from under the inlet manifold, where the dizzy on the 200/250s was left after Ford OHCed them.

We had cast iron crossflow, alloy crossflow, and OHC heads on the Ford down here.

http://www.deejay51.com/repco_trial_1979.htm

Go down to the Greg Carr rally Cortina...they were the prototype Falcon Crossflow heads on the rally car, before they were released on production cars.
 
Hey your steering wheel is on the wrong side.
laugh.gif


Always interesting to see the daily drivers from another part of the world. I can see a lot of Taurus, then the whole thought disappears when I see the longitudinal I6 in there.
 
Hey it's on the 'right' side! :p
And yep it was part of the new edge design program along with the Taurus that Ford had
There is a silver 2000 Taurus that lives next door but one from me and it's like the day it left the factory! My eyes are glued to it every time I see it! They are also fairly common here but usually suffer in the same boat as old Falcons - they get bought for $500, run without servicing until they stop, then get scrapped. I think this is why an immaculate example of either is interestingly appealing
I'd love to own a spotless same generation Taurus alongside the Falcon
 
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
Don't see front bumpers like that on cars up here.


"Do gooders" are trying to get them banned down here at present.
 
Originally Posted By: Shannow
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
Don't see front bumpers like that on cars up here.


"Do gooders" are trying to get them banned down here at present.


They won't know what's hit 'em if they try make me take mine off!
 
Originally Posted By: Shannow
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
Don't see front bumpers like that on cars up here.


"Do gooders" are trying to get them banned down here at present.

Do they do anything anyways? A white tail deer atleast would fit through most of those gaps at 60mph...
I could see if you lived in a remote area and loosing your radiator would be a multi day problem, but for a regular commuter in a populated area?
Our trucks that run in northern Ontario do often have a deer/bear/moose catcher but in the south you rarely see one.

That is a nice car though, I'd love to have those available for $1500! Here that gets you a fwd Taurus with a slipping trans and rust holes in the rockers.
 
Oddly, I've never seen a white tailed deer while on the road, nor had the ability to see how one would fit through various gaps in a bullbar.
 
jacobob, I assume from the engine that your version of the Taurus is RWD?

I drove a hired Falcon with the 4.0L about 1500 km from Sydney to Canberra, then down the coast and around to Melbourne in 1991 and it was the best car I have ever been in. I wish we had that motor here...
 
Originally Posted By: IndyIan
Originally Posted By: Shannow
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
Don't see front bumpers like that on cars up here.


"Do gooders" are trying to get them banned down here at present.

Do they do anything anyways? A white tail deer atleast would fit through most of those gaps at 60mph...
I could see if you lived in a remote area and loosing your radiator would be a multi day problem, but for a regular commuter in a populated area?
Our trucks that run in northern Ontario do often have a deer/bear/moose catcher but in the south you rarely see one.


That is a nice car though, I'd love to have those available for $1500! Here that gets you a fwd Taurus with a slipping trans and rust holes in the rockers.


I was speaking someone who had one fitted, then ended up hitting a decent sized kangaroo about a month later. He said it bounced straight off it without a mark on the car! i'm certain it would weigh similar to a large deer but he was only doing 70km/h (45mph)
Never hit any big wildlife in mine but i love smashing council bins out the way when people leave them in the road, and also shopping carts are fun to hit! :p
Also these don't need radiators or coolant anyway! And I found that out myslef before i read about it!
 
AU Falcons are great cars! Sadly, the model was a real flop for Ford Australia. I was a mechanic at a Ford dealership when they were launched, and everyone, EVERYONE was shocked by how ugly they were compared to the previous model (EL). I remember a salesman shaking his head, wondering how he was meant to sell them!

Ironically, they've aged really well, and despite being 15 years old, they still look like a modern car. And they can take some abuse! The old SOHC I6 reached its pinnacle in the AU, the headgasket and oil leak woes of previous models were finally sorted, and they really were/are a good car. I'd love a mint condition Series 3 XR6...

Jacobob, yours looks to be in good condition, if you haven't already done so, give the trans an oil and filter change. That's probably the weak link of the AU, the BTR 4 speed auto. But having said that, they're cheap and easy to replace when they die. I have a spare trans from a wrecked 120,000km EL sitting in the shed ready to be swapped in someday!

Oh, and having driven and worked on the Taurus in the late 90's, you're not missing out on anything special...
 
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