46 replies to this topic

[Greg Locock]

Can anybody point me to the CAMS spec for these cars, or, perhaps easier, tell me if the Commodores are using IRS and the Falcons are using leaf springs?

[Fat Boy]

When I watched them at Surfers, I would have sworn they were live rear axles with coil-over dampers. _Great_ racing to watch.

[cheapracer]

07 3369 5500 Wayne Park (Automotive) developed the series, always has time to answer anyone.

The Ford uses leaf and live and the Holden uses ind. from memory.

[Greg Locock]

Well, logically I'd expect the racing utes to pick up the same suspension as the racing sedans, 4 bar link live rear axle, coil springs, watts, but on the other hand the /production/ Commodore utes use an IRS, and the Falcons stick with leaf springs.

[Lukin]

I would of that given the scope of the series they would be as close to production as possible rather than running to a blue print style regulation where both makes sport the same subframe. Economically it would be much cheaper too I would think. As far as I know they are chassis dyno'd for power and there is a parity style system should one make start to dominate.

I bet the main reason people are looking for regs are more to do with safety after the crash at Adelaide.

[Greg Locock]

Yeah, just heard, horrible weekend crash-wise. Street circuits are tough. Ashley's smash didn't even look all that hard.

[jeremy durward]

i belive they are meant to be almost bog stock showroom cars. only performance mods are things like extractors for the ford to make up for the lack of engine capacity.

[phantom II]

The Holden UTE is exported to S Africa and Dubai as a Chevrolet Lumina UTE. It will arrive on these shores as a Chevrolet El Camino. It may be built alongside the Camaro in Canada also. A Caprice and Lumina 4 door passenger car is also built on the same Holden platform in Australia for RHD markets.
The Pontiac G8 which will be built States side is also a clone. These Chevy/Holdens are as well built as Lexi. I had a good look at them last month. Beauts as they say down under. Dinkum bloody bewts, mate.

http://www.chevrolet...1G/gallery.html

[GreenMachine]

The Holden UTE

PII, that's Ute, as in utility Better take some lessons in Strine before you head dunnunda again


I must say I assumed they were all using solid axles...

[alexbiker]

Originally posted by Greg Locock
Yeah, just heard, horrible weekend crash-wise. Street circuits are tough. Ashley's smash didn't even look all that hard.

Unspectacular at speed = very bad crash.

All that spectacular is energy dissipation. Poor bloke went from fast to zero in no space at all.

[Melbourne Park]

Originally posted by phantom II
These Chevy/Holdens are as well built as Lexi. I had a good look at them last month. Beauts as they say down under. Dinkum bloody bewts, mate.

http://www.chevrolet...1G/gallery.html

Jeremy Clarkson quote on Monaros which I like:

The thing is, though, that the original Monaro was a little gem. Or to be more specific, a rough diamond. With a 5.7 litre V8, and 19th-century technology feeding all that torque to the road, it was a crude but devastatingly effective mile-muncher.

Think of it as an Aussie from the outback. Maybe he can’t quote Shakespeare. Maybe he’s never heard of Terence Conran. But he can smash all the teeth clean out of your mouth with a single punch. That was the Monaro.

[phantom II]

I know Shakspeare was a football player or something, but who the hell is Terence Conran?

Originally posted by Melbourne Park
Jeremy Clarkson quote on Monaros which I like:"Think of it as an Aussie from the outback. Maybe he can’t quote Shakespeare. Maybe he’s never heard of Terence Conran. But he can smash all the teeth clean out of your mouth with a single punch. That was the Monaro."

[Melbourne Park]

Originally posted by phantom II
I know Shakspeare was a football player or something, but who the hell is Terence Conran?

Of course Shakespeare would be the Elizabethan playwrite, I presume Terence Conran is an Englishman, an interior designer by profession and an influential restaurateur, having setup many top restaurants. So I guess an arty sophisticated type - sort of an upper Audi maybe?

[Bill Sherwood]

Originally posted by phantom II
These Chevy/Holdens are as well built as Lexi.

Ha-ha, very funny...
No, they're not.

[Melbourne Park]

Originally posted by Bill Sherwood


Ha-ha, very funny...
No, they're not.

They are pretty rugged though - a strong body, and cheaper to maintain than a Lexi.

[phantom II]

Bob Lutz was impressed with door gaps and flat panels and general fit and finish of Holdens and said that he would model GM US after the Ausie plant. The Holden GTO here is far better finished than American GM cars, including Cadillac. Cadillac, BMW and Mercedes are about the same but the big Lexus hits it out the park.

Originally posted by Melbourne Park
They are pretty rugged though - a strong body, and cheaper to maintain than a Lexi.

[Catalina Park]

Originally posted by phantom II
Bob Lutz was impressed with door gaps and flat panels and general fit and finish of Holdens and said that he would model GM US after the Ausie plant. The Holden GTO here is far better finished than American GM cars, including Cadillac. Cadillac, BMW and Mercedes are about the same but the big Lexus hits it out the park.

Do all your cars have orange peel, squeeky trim and oil leaks from the steering racks? Because all our Holdens do.
I like our local products but if you take a new Commodore down a dirt road the doors will start squeeking in the door frames from dust getting behind the trim. If ever you look under a steering rack you will see oil and the paint is never as good as it should be. I think the paint is better on the Commodore than the Ford Falcon but the Falcon does not squeek as much. :

[Melbourne Park]

Originally posted by Catalina Park
Do all your cars have orange peel, squeeky trim and oil leaks from the steering racks? Because all our Holdens do.
I like our local products but if you take a new Commodore down a dirt road the doors will start squeeking in the door frames from dust getting behind the trim. If ever you look under a steering rack you will see oil and the paint is never as good as it should be. I think the paint is better on the Commodore than the Ford Falcon but the Falcon does not squeek as much. :

Aussies say the Toyotas are far superior in build. But we still buy more Holdens than Camry sized Toyotas. I drove the new long wheel base Holden, the Statesmen, for a few weeks. I loved it. It handled really well. No leaks that I saw, no dust anywhere, it was quiet, handled better than my Dad's S class Benz - although not with the same charisma - and the leather is thinner than a big Benz's - but it was a really good car. And IMO, an absolutely stunning body. That car is exported to the middle East, and to Asia. In Asia, they have a more luxurious interior, with a bar back there, fancy door pockets and seats which adjust in the rear, and a much higher quality interior- or so I read. But they won't do that for Australia - I guess they've drawn the line on value. The Caprice version is good value IMO, with all the fruit. It used to cost a lot more than the standard Statesman, now its not much more. And despite Holdens not being perfect, I reckon they are tough things.

Mine was a golden metallic, and no orange peel - and I looked for it. Although it deserved another coat of clear on the top of it, it was still a reasonable paint job. Not Lexus or Mazda quality - but the car has rubber strips to protect the doors in car parks. So if you have the beautiful paint job of an Audi or a Mazda etc., just imagine the hassle of getting the dinted door re-sprayed when you parked it in the open, just because modern manufacturers don't like the look of rubbing strips. To me a rubbing strip is a symbol of quality too - quality engineering.

[phantom II]

You sound like a Ford guy. I saw the Caprice and the fit finish and paint job is far superior to the Mercedes and BMW. The GTO here is superb with no orange peel. I just can't believe how buyers tolerate the orange peel on those German cars. Audi seems to do a better job.
I'd like to take back a previous statement. The Cadillac STS and new CTS are far superior to both Mercedes and BMW in quality, but not quite as good as the GTO. The Chevy Lumina and Caprice and Ute I saw were as good as any Lexus. Maybe they take more care with export vehicles. Ford USA have outstanding paint jobs. Even the minivan has a candy apple red that Chip Foose would be proud to call his own. I think Ford learned this from Mazda.

Originally posted by Catalina Park
Do all your cars have orange peel, squeeky trim and oil leaks from the steering racks? Because all our Holdens do.
I like our local products but if you take a new Commodore down a dirt road the doors will start squeeking in the door frames from dust getting behind the trim. If ever you look under a steering rack you will see oil and the paint is never as good as it should be. I think the paint is better on the Commodore than the Ford Falcon but the Falcon does not squeek as much. :

[Melbourne Park]

Originally posted by phantom II
... I saw the Caprice and the fit finish and paint job is far superior to the Mercedes and BMW.

I think the interiors of the BMW and Merc have better plastics, being softer, and fittings are better to the touch IMO. But that is something I think you Americans don't much worry about. BMW fake wood trim still looks like wood. lexus real wood trim looks like plastic. Go figure. The Carpice seat is excellent, although the one I used was not the fully adjustable one. But it didn't need it. I reckon people get used to seats anyway, as long as they are well designed. I think "i" drive is stupid ergonomics. Lexus fittings are very good IMO. Our carpet is low quality IMO - but for export maybe they put in good stuff. Door trim plastics are better in the luxo brands IMO - softer to touch. Once again though, maybe the export has different door trims. BTR used to supply those - I am not sure if they still do.

[cheapracer]

Originally posted by Melbourne Park

1. I think the interiors of the BMW and Merc have better plastics, being softer, and fittings are better to the touch IMO.

2. I reckon people get used to seats anyway, as long as they are well designed.

1. They got us brainwashed havent they? Plastic to me is still plastic.

2. Nah, I'm skinny and used to drive regular Brisbane to Mornington (40 km's below Melbourne) - solid 19 hours and seats are a big thing for me. Euro car seats still seem to be the best. My Mazda 6 seat is reasonable, quite adjustable, recently hauled 16 hours with a 2 hour stop in the middle.

The Statesman or Caprice is sold here as a Buick Royalpark.

[Melbourne Park]

Originally posted by cheapracer


1. They got us brainwashed havent they? Plastic to me is still plastic.

2. Nah, I'm skinny and used to drive regular Brisbane to Mornington (40 km's below Melbourne) - solid 19 hours and seats are a big thing for me. Euro car seats still seem to be the best. My Mazda 6 seat is reasonable, quite adjustable, recently hauled 16 hours with a 2 hour stop in the middle.

The Statesman or Caprice is sold here as a Buick Royalpark.

the problem with the euro seats is that they vary so much. If you buy a BMW, there are lots of seat options. Pay more and you get a better seat. The Holden and other Aussie seats are excellent, far better than the most Japanese seats. They are more like S class seats of a decade or so ago, but made with thinner materials. Of course MB still use horse hair in their seats and coiled springs - but some say the 5 series seats which are variable foams, like the Holden, are more comfortable than an E class's. But go down a size, and the seats get worse. While I quite like the seats in a Golf GTI, for comfort I reckon the Statesmen are better than the GTI's by quite margin. Stil I am stating my own opinion - not a car company's. A 911 even has options on its seats. Their seats are good too, but they are different to a sedan seat. SUV's have better ergonomics for seats IMO - you sit further off the floor, which is a superior place to be.

[phantom II]

I've been talking to you for a long long time. Your wife bought a BMW about the same time my wife got her Olds. She got it October 01. 2002 model Aurora V8. It has about 160g miles with not the slightest problem except for the roof lining that kept on falling down. I had an after market dude put in a lining that looked like cashmere a few years ago which did the job. Roof linings are terrible on most cars. I wonder why they overlook this.
It is difficult to get her out of her Oldsmobiles and since she won't drive a Cadillac, we may just keep the Olds indefinitely.
Talking about roof linings, I saw my first Rolls Royce Phantom convertible. It has 3 layers of real cashmere. Every once in a while a car comes along that makes a statement. These big Rolls Royces scream it out. I really may buy one. It could mean a divorce though. "Look at that poor guy living in his car," they may say.

Originally posted by Melbourne Park
I think the interiors of the BMW and Merc have better plastics, being softer, and fittings are better to the touch IMO. But that is something I think you Americans don't much worry about. BMW fake wood trim still looks like wood. lexus real wood trim looks like plastic. Go figure. The Carpice seat is excellent, although the one I used was not the fully adjustable one. But it didn't need it. I reckon people get used to seats anyway, as long as they are well designed. I think "i" drive is stupid ergonomics. Lexus fittings are very good IMO. Our carpet is low quality IMO - but for export maybe they put in good stuff. Door trim plastics are better in the luxo brands IMO - softer to touch. Once again though, maybe the export has different door trims. BTR used to supply those - I am not sure if they still do.

[Gerald Ryan]

Holden Commodores used to have a steering system designed by the Bishop Technologies Group. This system was replaced in the latest iteration of the Commodore by a Chinese made R&P.

In the Bishop system the ratio changes by ~50% from on-centre to around 30 degrees lock and remains constant from there to full lock. Variable ratio racks of this type were manufactured by a Bishop developed technology known as warm-forging. After warm forging no machining of the rack teeth was required.

The Chinese rack is the one that has the leak issue. It is not as good as what it replaced, which is a pity.

Regards

Gerald

[phantom II]

07 C6 Z51 Vette with Bishop VR steering box. US$30 000 Ausie conversion.

Originally posted by Gerald Ryan
Holden Commodores used to have a steering system designed by the Bishop Technologies Group. This system was replaced in the latest iteration of the Commodore by a Chinese made R&P.

In the Bishop system the ratio changes by ~50% from on-centre to around 30 degrees lock and remains constant from there to full lock. Variable ratio racks of this type were manufactured by a Bishop developed technology known as warm-forging. After warm forging no machining of the rack teeth was required.

The Chinese rack is the one that has the leak issue. It is not as good as what it replaced, which is a pity.

Regards

Gerald

[Melbourne Park]

Originally posted by phantom II

It is difficult to get her out of her Oldsmobiles and since she won't drive a Cadillac, we may just keep the Olds indefinitely.
Talking about roof linings, I saw my first Rolls Royce Phantom convertible. It has 3 layers of real cashmere. Every once in a while a car comes along that makes a statement. These big Rolls Royces scream it out. I really may buy one. It could mean a divorce though. "Look at that poor guy living in his car," they may say.

I remember. I had a Rolls for several years - a sedan, its roof lining was some type of darkish mottled cloth. Very tasteful and old world. The interior acoustics in the car were superb - it was like a room, you could here someone in the back whispering while you drove the car, because the sound carried. Modern cars are sound absorbent, which muffles sound, which is not nearly as pleasant.

My wife sold the BMW and bought a B200 Turbo Mercedes. You don't have them in America, but they are in Canada. She wanted a hatch configuration in order to carry our dogs (two jack Russells). She does city driving, and beause the B - a long wheelbase A class - sits high too, so its more pleasant in bumber to bumper conditions. Its roomy in the back too, its faster than the BMW, and it uses 20% less fuel than the 325 did. Probably mostly due to the transmission, which is a CVT - a fantastic form of an auto. Its a great car - she loves it. And its easy to get in and out of, the opposite of the BMW.

Shame about the steering rack in the Commodore. Ford now buy their window glass from China. We are closing our manufacturing industries down and buying Chinese - which is lower quality. We can do it because our dollar has almost doubled compared to the fixed to the US Chinese currency in the last several years. When the Aussie dollar falls, or the Chinese currency is corrected to its proper place, we will be in real trouble.

[Melbourne Park]

Originally posted by phantom II
07 C6 Z51 Vette with Bishop VR steering box. US$30 000 Ausie conversion.

How come you are showing a right hand driver Corvette?

[phantom II]

RHD is required in Australia. The work is done there. BTG supplies the steering parts. Note the gearshift on the wrong side. The English invented international maritime and aviation law where on coming vessels are required to pass on the right. Green, red and white nav lights indicate the right of way. Why is it reversed on their roads? Beats me.

Originally posted by Melbourne Park
How come you are showing a right hand driver Corvette?

[robroy]

Originally posted by phantom II
RHD is required in Australia. The work is done there. BTG supplies the steering parts. Note the gearshift on the wrong side. The English invented international maritime and aviation law where on coming vessels are required to pass on the right. Green, red and white nav lights indicate the right of way. Why is it reversed on their roads? Beats me.

Goes back many centuries. Depends on who originally colonised or re-conolised each particular country and what hand they held their swords in!

http://www.driving.co.uk/4a2.html

[Catalina Park]

When you are driving your horse drawn wagon you need to sit on the right side of the wagon to use the brake lever with your right hand.
You drive on the left side of the road so that when you swing your whip you are not hitting the people on the footpath.

[cheapracer]

Originally posted by Melbourne Park


Shame about the steering rack in the Commodore. Ford now buy their window glass from China. We are closing our manufacturing industries down and buying Chinese - which is lower quality. We can do it because our dollar has almost doubled compared to the fixed to the US Chinese currency in the last several years.

Seen both sides of the fence now.

Australians are/have been trained to be lazy, go to a job and what do you want to know?

Pre job - How many hours, less than 8 it had better be or I want big penalty rates. How long is smoko break, do we get free coffee? Do we leave early on Friday Arvo? How many weeks holiday each year? 10 days sick leave of course? Of course I want my Super paid, and Compo and.......

On Job - Start work, "how's the footy comp going Jack? blah, blah..." "better slow down a bit Guys, old Phil's having trouble keeping up" whens smoko? in 10 mins? ok boys wind down a bit, wash ya hands and get ready for lunch...... Oh the Miss'us has some days off this week starting to feel a bit of pain in my back, wink ;) wink ;) , should be good for at least 3 days, ha ha...... Beauty fella's, another 3 day weekend coming up, Labour Day this time..

Australia. land of the long weekend, you deserve what you got, stop flinging it on other countrys and using cheap labour as an excuse.

[robroy]

Originally posted by cheapracer


Seen both sides of the fence now.

Australians are/have been trained to be lazy, go to a job and what do you want to know?

Pre job - How many hours, less than 8 it had better be or I want big penalty rates. How long is smoko break, do we get free coffee? Do we leave early on Friday Arvo? How many weeks holiday each year? 10 days sick leave of course? Of course I want my Super paid, and Compo and.......

On Job - Start work, "how's the footy comp going Jack? blah, blah..." "better slow down a bit Guys, old Phil's having trouble keeping up" whens smoko? in 10 mins? ok boys wind down a bit, wash ya hands and get ready for lunch...... Oh the Miss'us has some days off this week starting to feel a bit of pain in my back, wink ;) wink ;) , should be good for at least 3 days, ha ha...... Beauty fella's, another 3 day weekend coming up, Labour Day this time..

Australia. land of the long weekend, you deserve what you got, stop flinging it on other countrys and using cheap labour as an excuse.

Strangely familiar with the UK!
IMO this mediocrity filters down from the top.
All those employers and captains of industry have choices to make too.
Should we pay a decent wage, provide decent pensions, health insurance, training, make our jobs interesting and varied, contribute to the local community and treat staff with respect? Or maybe we should do none of the above, employ cheap untrained labour and increase our profits or shareholder payouts 1 or 2% for next year, and let the state cover the increased cost of social problems.
Its a never ending circle.....

[McGuire]

Originally posted by cheapracer


Seen both sides of the fence now.

Australians are/have been trained to be lazy, go to a job and what do you want to know?

Pre job - How many hours, less than 8 it had better be or I want big penalty rates. How long is smoko break, do we get free coffee? Do we leave early on Friday Arvo? How many weeks holiday each year? 10 days sick leave of course? Of course I want my Super paid, and Compo and.......

On Job - Start work, "how's the footy comp going Jack? blah, blah..." "better slow down a bit Guys, old Phil's having trouble keeping up" whens smoko? in 10 mins? ok boys wind down a bit, wash ya hands and get ready for lunch...... Oh the Miss'us has some days off this week starting to feel a bit of pain in my back, wink ;) wink ;) , should be good for at least 3 days, ha ha...... Beauty fella's, another 3 day weekend coming up, Labour Day this time..

Australia. land of the long weekend, you deserve what you got, stop flinging it on other countrys and using cheap labour as an excuse.

LOL this I know: you came up a flat-rate man. You sound exactly like me once I get rolling. Most workers do not truly know what it is to be paid to produce billable work, and not be paid for not producing billable work.

To me the typical white-collar work ethic was even more shocking once I saw it firsthand.

And this is why I love racing. Everyone is there to produce 100% and up. Well, almost everyone.

[McGuire]

Originally posted by robroy



Strangely familiar with the UK!
IMO this mediocrity filters down from the top.

It sure does. Where management does not give a **** there is no reason for the employees to suddenly develop motivation. Attitudes are learned behaviors.

[phantom II]

Oh sweet Jesus, here we go again. Aren't there communist forums some place else sides here.
Don't worry all, there is hope. Obama will save us. There will be no more of those nasty corporations to worry about.

[Melbourne Park]

Originally posted by phantom II
RHD is required in Australia. The work is done there. BTG supplies the steering parts. Note the gearshift on the wrong side. The English invented international maritime and aviation law where on coming vessels are required to pass on the right. Green, red and white nav lights indicate the right of way. Why is it reversed on their roads? Beats me.

Not every car has to be right hand drive. Many classic cars - such as corvettes and porches - can be imported here and driven in left hand drive - they just have to be old enough.

[Melbourne Park]

Originally posted by cheapracer


Seen both sides of the fence now.

Australians are/have been trained to be lazy, go to a job and what do you want to know?

Pre job - How many hours, less than 8 it had better be or I want big penalty rates. How long is smoko break, do we get free coffee? Do we leave early on Friday Arvo? How many weeks holiday each year? 10 days sick leave of course? Of course I want my Super paid, and Compo and.......

On Job - Start work, "how's the footy comp going Jack? blah, blah..." "better slow down a bit Guys, old Phil's having trouble keeping up" whens smoko? in 10 mins? ok boys wind down a bit, wash ya hands and get ready for lunch...... Oh the Miss'us has some days off this week starting to feel a bit of pain in my back, wink ;) wink ;) , should be good for at least 3 days, ha ha...... Beauty fella's, another 3 day weekend coming up, Labour Day this time..

Australia. land of the long weekend, you deserve what you got, stop flinging it on other countrys and using cheap labour as an excuse.

Toyota rates its manufacturing operation here highly. The Camry plant here produces the Toyota's second highest quality cars, and is only beaten by a Japanese plants. Hours per vehicle rates are also good.

Many manufacturing plants here are first class. They have to be though, as its tough to compete with artificially held low currencies.

The reason our dollar has increased, is due to exports - mostly from Queensland and Perth - of raw materials to Asia. Also our high interest rates have attracted foreign capital, which also puts up our dollar. Finally our stable government adds a low risk premium and further has pushed up our currency. High currencies hurt exports, and make imports cheaper. Cleverly, the Chinese have fixed their dollar to the US, and have thereby circumvented the free market processes, and thereby are increasing their volume manufacturing exports. A free market would see their dollar float, and with a much higher value, China would not be exporting as many goods.

[cheapracer]

Originally posted by Melbourne Park


Toyota rates its manufacturing operation here highly. The Camry plant here produces the Toyota's second highest quality cars, and is only beaten by a Japanese plants. Hours per vehicle rates are also good.

Many manufacturing plants here are first class. They have to be though, as its tough to compete with artificially held low currencies.

The reason our dollar has increased, is due to exports - mostly from Queensland and Perth - of raw materials to Asia. Also our high interest rates have attracted foreign capital, which also puts up our dollar. Finally our stable government adds a low risk premium and further has pushed up our currency. High currencies hurt exports, and make imports cheaper. Cleverly, the Chinese have fixed their dollar to the US, and have thereby circumvented the free market processes, and thereby are increasing their volume manufacturing exports. A free market would see their dollar float, and with a much higher value, China would not be exporting as many goods.

Correct, thats what the US, Oz etc have had to realise, cant compete on price then give em a better product and they are doing it well.

I dont know where you get the rest of the bullshit from, last year I got 8 rmb to the US dollar now I get 7.1. The Chinese Goverment has just drop some export tax benefits to slow exports down and slow the exchange rate movement. Inflation is hitting China badly at the moment and they have just introduced mandatory annual leave (up to 7 days a year!), not long before GM, Ford etc all move to India - Suzuki's already gone there and many Chinese Companys have stuff made there, they look at India down their noses exactly the same as you look at China

[cheapracer]

Originally posted by Melbourne Park


Not every car has to be right hand drive. Many classic cars - such as corvettes and porches - can be imported here and driven in left hand drive - they just have to be old enough.

To my limited knowlege, you cant register LHD cars at all any more, not even in the NT.

[cheapracer]

Originally posted by phantom II
Oh sweet Jesus, here we go again. Aren't there communist forums some place else sides here.
Don't worry all, there is hope. Obama will save us. There will be no more of those nasty corporations to worry about.

"Communism is a socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of a classless, stateless society based on common ownership of the means of blah blah..."

I have no idea what a Communist Country is, I dont live in one. I live in a Country where the difference between the haves (Benz SL600 V12) and have nots (live in a hole in the ground, no lie) is far wider than anything I ever saw in my life in Australia. You work here, you can do very well - your stupid and lazy, you'll starve to death (and you'll do it in the middle of the footpath and no one will give a ****, they may even complain they had to walk around you). I get my shoes cleaned a couple a times a week by a nice old lady, if I dont she might not eat.

Classless my F***ing ass, this is as Capilatist and as greedy as you can get, this aint 1960 anymore.

[Melbourne Park]

Originally posted by cheapracer


To my limited knowlege, you cant register LHD cars at all any more, not even in the NT.

You can - they have to be over 15 years of age, and be for hobby or enthusiast usage (therefor not daily transport).

If you don't believe, then do an internet search.

If you don't have any luck then, and you really want to find out, then I could do a search for you.

[cheapracer]

Originally posted by Melbourne Park


You can - they have to be over 15 years of age, and be for hobby or enthusiast usage (therefor not daily transport).

If you don't have any luck then, and you really want to find out, then I could do a search for you.

No that explains it, Hod Rod clubs etc.

Thanks ;)

[phantom II]

What you say is true except that currencies are not governed by the free market directly. You have hit on the most important thing in our capitalist system. Currency trading is the most wonderful thing. It is mostly shenanigans and it is like taking candy from a baby if you want to profit from this chicanery. Money is my game. Unless you float your own company, the stock market is for losers.
Get a book called "Currency trading for Dummies" by Brian Dolan and read all the suggested books. Subscribe online free to Currency Trader Magazine. The March issue has an interesting story on your $. A strong Ausie stock market performance and strong connections between commodity prices make the AUD a multi-commodity proxy even more than the Ruble and the Peso and the Rand. The Japs hide their currency value by buying the AUD mostly at your high interest rate to buy other currencies to finance offshore interests. The BoJ intervenes daily to manipulate their currency.
For those of you who understand geo politics, international trade and commerce and know math pretty well, trading currencies is for you.
If you don't know why we are in Iraq, don't trade currencies. If you lean to the left you will fail because you are a failure.
We all fighting inflation now and currencies are manipulated for a purpose. Without China, our inflation would be worse. We are all in it together and cooperate at crucial levels. To try and get the upper hand is called competition. The Japs are like the Smokey Yenicks of currency trading.
China will concentrate on its domestic market from now on and Asian markets are reflected in the Japanese Yen, its pairs and crosses. The value of a currency does not necessary reflect the health of the country or region concerned. The English are the masters and the Europeans still prefer mercantile trade.
Daimler Chrysler made more on currency trading than selling its cars. Car companies are the most skilled currency traders and Jap companies take thinking outside the box to another level. You thought you knew the car business, didn't you?
China and India have changed the game. Commerce and only commerce brings about just law. International commerce brings about international law. It is written. Tis a wonderful time to make money.
Now all we need is a cure for liberalism.

Originally posted by Melbourne Park


Toyota rates its manufacturing operation here highly. The Camry plant here produces the Toyota's second highest quality cars, and is only beaten by a Japanese plants. Hours per vehicle rates are also good.

Many manufacturing plants here are first class. They have to be though, as its tough to compete with artificially held low currencies.

The reason our dollar has increased, is due to exports - mostly from Queensland and Perth - of raw materials to Asia. Also our high interest rates have attracted foreign capital, which also puts up our dollar. Finally our stable government adds a low risk premium and further has pushed up our currency. High currencies hurt exports, and make imports cheaper. Cleverly, the Chinese have fixed their dollar to the US, and have thereby circumvented the free market processes, and thereby are increasing their volume manufacturing exports. A free market would see their dollar float, and with a much higher value, China would not be exporting as many goods.

[McGuire]

Folks should take all their investment advice from Internet message boards. You just can't go wrong, really.

[Melbourne Park]

Originally posted by McGuire
Folks should take all their investment advice from Internet message boards. You just can't go wrong, really.

You can go broke in an instant too!

[Bill Sherwood]

Originally posted by McGuire
Folks should take all their investment advice from Internet message boards. You just can't go wrong, really.

Indeed.
In fact I use Youtube for all my technical research - an example here of some of the incisive & intelligent comments that people often make there.

[Nathan]

Originally posted by McGuire
Folks should take all their investment advice from Internet message boards. You just can't go wrong, really.

Originally posted by Melbourne Park
You can go broke in an instant too!

So where does that leave you two, and the people reading, giving/receiving engineering and automotive advise over the internet??

M.P. those who go broke investing obviously didn't do it wisely. Why would you put all your chips in?