One of the curious sub-plots of the Covid-19 global pandemic is the impact it's had on fuel prices around the world.
While New Zealand's prices aren't slumping quite as rapidly as the rest of the world's, it is making the temptation to buy a high-power six or eight-cylinder Australian sedan or ute all the more strong.
With most pundits betting a rise in values across the board on Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon models from years gone by, it is one of the best times to go and buy one of these throaty beasts as either an investment or as a weekend toy. Here's 10 of the best currently listed for sale on DRIVEN.
1. 2002 Ford Falcon AU XR6 Series II ute
We start with a sharp example of the car that recently won DRIVEN's Facebook poll for 'Best Australian car ever made'.
Did people vote with a hint of irony? Probably. But then again, it could easily be argued that the Ford Falcon AU is one of the most underrated cars to sport the Falcon nameplate. Many believed it was a better steer than its Holden equivalent, and nowadays it enjoys a huge cult following.
The bad news about this example is that it's a four-speed automatic. However, the good news that it's in sharp condition, has low kms, and surely a handy bet in the 'future classic' stakes. Click here to check it out.
2. 2000 Holden VT Commodore SS
This is the car that helped murder the Falcon AU; both on the race track and in the showroom.
There's a grand divide in the Holden ranks, with some stating that the Commodore SS to own is the one featuring Holden's own 5.0-litre V8 and others preferring the 5.7-litre GM LS1 V8 fitted to newer models. The former carries sentimental value as the last of the in-house V8s, while the latter was the beginning of a new cult and was much, much faster.
This golden SS listed in Auckland features the latter, and very low kilometres for its age. With this specification, those kilometres, and its $16,999 price, it's screaming future classic. Click here to check it out.
3. 2003 Ford BA Falcon XR6 Turbo
If you're looking for big, Aussie value, then your best bet is probably the Ford Falcon BA. Free from the oddball hype of the AU Falcon and incredibly plentiful, you can get a BA XR6 or XR8 for peanuts right now. Good examples under $10,000 are plentiful.
However, the pick of the bunch is a slightly different prospect. The hallowed XR6 Turbo was the most critically acclaimed model of the bunch at the time of release, and thanks to ongoing love from the tuner community of the Barra inline six decent examples are priced at a premium. At $15,995 this silver example isn't cheap. But, it is low kilometres (just over 80,000km) and quite tidy. Click here to check it out.
4. 2005 Holden VZ Commodore HSV Clubsport
In terms of value and performance, it's hard to beat a VY or VZ HSV Clubsport. Huge aggressive bodykits, a better mechanical handle on the GM LS engine, and modern construction and tech makes them an attractive modern classic proposition.
This 2005 VZ Clubsport is dressed in the generation's hero Impulse Blue colour, and comes with reasonable kilometres and a stonking 6.0-litre V8. Click here to check it out.
5. 2009 Ford FG Falcon XR8 ute
The same arguments about value and performance could apply to this lovely looking FG Falcon ute. Like the VZ Clubsport, it's fitted with a V8 (in this case, the 5.4-litre 290kW Boss) and it's priced under $30,000. Unlike the Clubby, it's got no weight over the rear wheels. Oh how fun these things are to drive ...
Listed down in Otago, this shouty bright blue beast has a reasonable 94,000kms on the clock and is ready to carry your next load of 4x2 from the local. Click here to check it out.
6. 2010 Holden VE Commodore SS-V
Here's something just a little different.
The Holden VE Commodore will go down as one of the most popular that Holden ever conceived. Touted as 'The Billion Dollar Baby', it was the first Commodore designed and built almost entirely from the ground up in Australia. No foreign platforms here, just the brand's own Zeta platform ... one that earned fans all over the world.
Speaking of all over the world, the VE Commodore was rebadged as a Pontiac G8 in the US. In later years, this led to a handful of locally available Commodores being sold with the G8 nose; including this one. With low kms (67,990km), the SS-V's standard 6.0-litre V8, and a sub-$30k price, it's a lot of car for not much money. Click here to check it out.
The 'Panda Eyes' headlights from the time were controversial, but I think they've aged rather well on FPV's FG-generation monsters.
This FPV Falcon GT sports a supercharged 5.4-litre V8 making 335kW of power. Whoever owned it enjoyed it (and perhaps hated their neighbours), if the aftermarket titanium exhaust system is anything to go by.
Apart from generally looking like it's in good nick and apart from the swanky racing stripes, the other best thing about this FPV GT is the relatively low 80,000km mileage. Click here to check it out.
8. 2016 Holden VF Commodore SS-V Redline
Of the non-HSV and non-FPV performance variants out there, most prospectors are tipping the Holden VF Commodore SS to be the modern model most likely to be worth a few coin down the line. This is largely because it was the last proper homebrew Australian sports sedan before the Commodore became sourced from Germany.
It was also very, very good. But I digress.
There's a few different SS models to choose from, but the arguable best is the VF Series II SS-V Redline, with its extra performance goodies. This one is listed in Auckland, and has a miniscule 28,000km on the clock ... making it one of the best examples in New Zealand. Click here to check it out.
9. 2016 Ford Falcon XR8 FG-X Sprint
What's the closest Ford equivalent to the all-singing all-dancing SS-V Redline? Probably this thing, actually.
All Ford FG-X Falcons are a bit of a rarity here, which is a shame given how much Ford was able to progress them over the previous-generation FG (with not a lot of budget to play with).
Only 100 supercharged 5.0-litre V8 FG-X Falcon Sprints came to New Zealand, and this is one of them. Based in Hamilton, this one has an even smaller odometre count (less than 16,000km). Click here to check it out.
10. 2017 Holden VF Commodore HSV GTS 30th Anniversary
To cap this list, here's the most charismatic way to blow $100,000. In my humble opinion.
This is arguably the best F-Series HSV GTS listed on DRIVEN, with its late production date and low kilometres (24,658km). These featured the 6.2-litre LSA V8, and a raft of other performance additives that made them much quicker than equivalent HSV Clubsports and SS variants.
This one is listed in Auckland, and ticks an extra box with its additional '30th Anniversary' spec. Click here to check it out.