My dream AU, turns out to be not so much of a dream - Ford Forums - Mustang Forum, Ford Trucks, Ford Focus and Ford Cars

AUboy · 05-29-2002, 06:18

*UPDATE*
Picture, day of purchase!

http://www.fordforums.com/gallery/data/3662AUXR.JPG

Sigh...

Since the AU XR6 was released and advertised on TV(The liquid silver one) I said to myself " Mike! Your going to buy that car someday sonny! "

It turns out I got the car a lot sooner then I anticipated. I worked from year 10 until Uni(present) and I found myself in a position to buy a car with a tiny bit of assistance from my old man.

Deciding which car to buy became more difficult then I first expected. I was tempted to switch to the dark side and buy a GTS-T, however being 6'5 did not make life comfortable in a Jap car, nor did the price of insurance. With that out of the question the option remained to get the Supercharged VT SS that my cousin was selling, however insurance was again a hurdle.

So as if it was a stroke of fate I ended up in a Ford car yard. The salesman came up to me and asked if he could help me. I replied that I would probably be interested in viewing any 2nd hand EL/AU XR6's he had in the yard. He said there was one that would probably suit my budget, and he invited me to take a look.

So I go along and wham! There is my dream Liq Silver XR6. We check on insurance and it seems I am eligible.

Alas here I am with my S1 AU XR6 and all I can seem to do is find something to gripe about. Basically I have saved up another $1,500, however I dont want to mod anything without knowing roughly what it will look like. The problem here is that I have yet to see a modded SERIES 1 AU XR6 in my entire life so I have no idea what to touch atm. Also my hands on experience with cars is not fantastic.

Here are my gripes:

* Front of the S1 XR looks like a missile compared to the S2/3
* S Rims are starting to bug me
* Car needs major lowering, however I need to decide what rims to buy before that happens. Got my eye set on the S2 Tick fords I think. Finding a good price is the next step.
* Considering saving a bit more and just buying a kit without spending money on rims.
* Car *feels* slower then my friends VS Executive. The car is just so smooth that you cant feel its kick. My dad's EL Fairmont feels faster. Don�t really want to race my dad's car for obvious reasons including killing someone or losing my ability to drive a car at all eheh.

In any case I have 1,500 to spend at the moment and I really dont have much experience in the car mod business. If you people have any experience with S1 AU owners would have modded their machines I would appreciate the advise.

I try to read as much of the posts on here as possible to learn a few things, however when you guys start talking technical I start getting confused. I think I need a webpage that explains the dynamics of each engine component.

Cheers people!

Hope I did not bore you with my long story ;p

BLACK XR6-VCT · 05-29-2002, 16:12

Unfortunatley $1500 dosn't go a long way these days.

I would definately put 17" rims on, and you will probably find that
the car dosn't really look like it needs to be lowered anymore. Or perhaps you could do this at a later stage.

As far as engine mods, try this link: http://www.autospeed.com/A_1274/page1.html

Good luck.

MrPlow2 · 05-29-2002, 17:11

Front of the S1 XR looks like a missile compared to the S2/3

it does look a little blunter than S2/3 but they still look great. the tickford bodykit should fix things up

S Rims are starting to bug me

S1 Tickford 17s are the way to go

Car needs major lowering, however I need to decide what rims to buy before that happens.

that's for sure! stock XRs need to be dropped at least an inch. i'd go for 1 1/2 inch up front and just over 2 inches down the back. you can drop it more but then you'll have problems with scraping (trust me on this)

Got my eye set on the S2 Tick fords I think. Finding a good price is the next step.

go for S1 Tickfords man! gotta love the machined look! S2/3 look too blunt - wheels need to look sharp

Considering saving a bit more and just buying a kit without spending money on rims.

don't do that dude. it'll look like crap with 16" wheels and a bodykit which was intended for a car with wider rims.

Car *feels* slower then my friends VS Executive. The car is just so smooth that you cant feel its kick. My dad's EL Fairmont feels faster. Don�t really want to race my dad's car for obvious reasons including killing someone or losing my ability to drive a car at all eheh.

it's the stupid gearbox. you don't get that kick in the back feeling, but once you get it over 50km, it flies!

In any case I have 1,500 to spend at the moment and I really dont have much experience in the car mod business.

$1500... my suggestion to you is to shop around for a set of S1 17" tickfords. i picked up mine second hand for $1000 including tyres (2 brand new, 2 slightly worn). i know Tempe Tyres in sydney has relatively cheap Tickford wheels most of the time - some brand new, some off brand new cars, some second hand. considering you're in melbourne i don't know if this would work out for you. so, melbourne guys, can you suggest any cheap wheels places?

if you can get the wheels at the right price, you should have a few hundred bucks left, and that MIGHT be enough to get a cat-back exhaust, but most probably, the wheels are going to cost you most of your $1500.

another possibility would be to get the car lowered (shocks and springs) and do the exhaust (cat back)

XLR8 · 05-29-2002, 17:15

This was my AU1
http://www.trueblueford.com/RobsAU1xr8.html

I loved it, subtle changes can make a lot of difference. Try and look for HSE's car on here ( My Fave) and he will help you with any questions.
Dont be disapointed you are young and have a great car!!

XLR8 · 05-29-2002, 17:18

also try various trading post for kits etc.......

XR8Sam on here has a S1 with S2 side skirts and rear bumper, looks awesome.

XR_Strider_GuY · 05-29-2002, 17:25

AU_Boy realising your limited budget i have a suggestion, as this was my project of dressing up an AU1 XR8 (if i ended up with one) but not spending the earth.

AU1 17's
AUIII side rocker(side skirts off falcon SR)
AUII rear bumper
add the bi plane wing(top part)
and AU1 front bumper skirt piece

I think it's relatively cost effective and will definitly improve the look of the AU1. Skirts will toughen the overall profile of the car and the AUII bumper will sortout the rear droopy look, as does the biplane spoiler.

Just my suggestions.

RAPTOR · 05-29-2002, 17:27

AUboy, you are suffering from what is known as the "sickness".

No matter how sweet a car you have, how many mods you make, how much money you spend, you will continue to ache for something just a little bit more.

There is no known cure for the "sickness" though there are many sufferers. Consider FF as you clinic and the members as your support group.

IMHO $1500 would be best spent on wheels &/or suspension.

rsgerry · 05-29-2002, 17:30

hhhmmm...and there was me thinking that you were going to tell us all about the many problems you are having.

if it was me, i would be going for the S1 tickford rims to start with.

SM · 05-29-2002, 17:43

OK $1500. My AU1 XR8 started out looking the same as yours except for an extra exhaust tip. First thing was the rims. I got a $500 trade in on my 16"s and then went a little overboard with the 18"s, I'm very happy with them but still think that the AU1 17" rims look awesome. Body kit came next from Laminge, thanks again big fella. It was series 2 side skirts and complete rear bumper and skirt. I picked up the front skirt from Canberra car styling. Clear side indicators, T series intake, KN filter were some of the cheap and easy mods that were done also. It didn't happen overnight, took about 12 months from start to finish. Haven't dumped it yet, just waiting to get those 265's of the rear to avoid any scrubbing. Check out these photos for comparison.

Before

http://discussions.fordforums.com/sh...ghlight=xr8sam

After side skirts and rear skirt and wheels

http://discussions.fordforums.com/sh...ghlight=xr8sam

The finished product + the new toy

http://www.fordforums.com/gallery/index.php?photo=91

Good luck.

HSE2 · 05-29-2002, 18:25

Hello.

I have a series one and have doen all you talk about and more.

It has a series 2 front and wheels has been lowered, brakes interior and some engine mods.

I would post a picture or two but it probably won't help in that it is something you have to see in the flesh. In some respects the car looks better than the later models, because it combines the best features of past and present. Have a look at the web site Rob has mentioned and if you need a further help don't hesitate to contact me