Is the 157kw ef-au i6 enough to get a young guy in big trouble?

[HULK_I6T]

A family friends son is about to get off his Ls and onto his Ps..

his parents have an EL falcon futura with the 157kw 4.0 i6 motor. Completely stock, they may have bought it new. Car is in great condition.

they want to give him the car and they will buy something new.

I suggested that as safe as they are, 157kw is a fair bit of power to give to a young fella with little experience. Then as young ones do they mod the car a bit for some more grunt. Their mates will no doubt have commodores which they have to race.

These cars can get pretty dangerous if driven irresponsibly, you cant really teach maturity to a young guy so maybe they should rethink giving him the car. To add to that they are pretty thirsty and he wont get too far with it working a casual job whilst going to uni next year.

I suggested maybe a ford focus or festiva, but giving them 157kw up front can leave them in trouble more ways than one.

am I being alarmist? Is the ef-au 157kw i6 too much for a young inexperienced driver full of testosterone?

[Professor Farnsworth]

for once can you please not mention commodores in one of your threads

if an EL Futura is too much to handle he should consider walking

[Franco Cozzo]

EF/EL handle like outright poo in poor conditions so regardless of engine they can catch you out big time with a slide.

EF/EL also seem to be rather slow though, they aren't much chop, take it from me I have an EL Fairmont Ghia turning 138KW at the rears and it wouldn't beat my Focus by much.

FWD cars only for 17/18 year old males with douchebag friends, theres some nice FWD cars out there, Honda Integra Type R DC2 does 147KW and its factory with an LSD and handles like its on rails, the hard part is finding one which hasn't been molested, there are a few out there with one owner older man type owner.

DC5 is the newer variant, 6sp box and has A/C and sound deadening but its more expensive.

There is also the Type S which has all the luxury extras, minus LSD but some more power, leather seats and 6 stacker with decent stereo.

Forget a Festiva, bullet proof car, only 57KW but its deadly in a crash, it holds up like a coke can.

If he is anything like my apprentice was at work you want the kid as far away from RWD cars as possible, he was constantly trying to bag up the rears in the ambos in the car park when I told him to take them out of the workshop and park them.

[MrEL]

Seriously. Are you for real or indeed the full quid?

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

There is also the Type S which has all the luxury extras, minus LSD but some more power, leather seats and 6 stacker with decent stereo.

http://www.carsales.com.au/private/d.../?Cr=2&sdmvc=1



Nice place to be and only fits one other passenger unless his other friends have no legs.

[hedgehobb]

Big trouble in little ef-au.

[LoudPipes]

Originally Posted by HULK_I6T

These cars can get pretty dangerous if driven irresponsibly,

It doesn’t matter what the power output is, 157 or 57kw, it’s a lump of moving metal.
If you drive it irresponsibly, it’s not safe.
Irresponsibly has nothing to do with age.

[rdmr]

If you gunna be a ****** behind the wheel a green machine is dangerous.

EF/ELs are perfectly fine, even in poor conditions when driven responsibly. And they won't send you broke either, no more so than a ****** festiva.

[graham_h]

my Vauxhall Viva only had 58hp
I had it airbourne many times drove it like an idiot
Went every where flat out because it was low powered
Better to educate the young bloke, that's what I'll be doing with my two lads

[Bushbasher]

If he's going to be stupid enough to do something silly it won't matter what he's driving, He'll still hit something at speed if he's not been taught to handle a car in the first place. If he hits hard in a fiesta he's less likely to get out of it than if he's in an EL. Take him out on to a clay pan and teach him how to handle a slide and what the consequences are of going too hard into turns.
Instead of scare mongering, Hulk, why not be a good neighbour and offer to actually teach the kid to some car handling skills.

[Dr Smith]

It doesn't matter what power it has or even what car he drives, you can get into trouble with any vehicle. My daughter is 12 so I have a few years to go however I would focus on finding a car with the greatest level of active and passive safety features I could afford and then send her off to the best advanced driver training course IN THAT vehicle so she has an understanding of her cars dynamics in a controlled environment. She won't learn my bad habits and I'll have some comfort in that the first time she gets into a skid/slide she has better understanding of what to expect and hopefully how to handle it. That is the best thing I could ever do for my child.

[LG17]

A 36hp VW Beetlle is too much power in the wrong hands.

[Iggle Piggle]

Agree with most of the above, but also need to know if the EF has more than 162000km on it and spent a fair amount of time idling in the Macca's waiting bay.

[XD 351 Ute]

Regardless of power output, you can most certainly damage yourself for keeps with anything that has wheels.
If the said learner has no respect for anyone else, let alone themselves, or their chosen mode of transport, then they may as well continue to walk everywhere.

Education is the key, and as others have stated teach the young person in all aspects of driving, and make sure they understand what they are about to do.

If they have next to no experience, then I would suggest time spent in the paddock in an old bomb, or a trip to the local kart track would be most beneficial, along with plenty of bookreading type education as well.

Keep it balanced, keep it enjoyable, and work at their comfort level to ensure that they have all the basics covered before attempting to get out on the roads.

Ed

[commonrails]

Originally Posted by Professor Farnsworth

if an EL Futura is too much to handle he should consider walking

Some people are still able to get themselves into trouble under the power of their own two feet, I think theres a web site dedicated just for it…... youtube!

[Auslandau]

Its done more than 100,000 k's? OMG. Think of the children!!!!

And why do you suspect he will be racing commodores? Does everyone do this these days?

You can get in trouble on a push bike!

[EF Hoon]

Whats it any of your business anyway what your mates son is going to drive? Put the keyboard then the bottle down.

[Falcon SXR8]

Some people injure themselves walking to get the mail................anything can happen

[Maka]

The question is not about how much power is safe or vehicle choice. The question is can he be safe / mature enough operating a car when his parents aren't around with a back seat full of mates? Attitude is key, ability is secondary & car choice is last for the inexperienced teenager imo.

Attending a drivers course is a must or teach him the mindset first then go to a private paddock & teach him how to control a car - remind him that learning the car control part is not a pass for acting like a gooba on the road!

cheers, Maka

[fgpsi]

Please. Most of us had V8's for first cars with massive blowers. He'll be fine

[minheim]

If the falcon has been well maintained then it will probably be much better/safer than cars of a comparable price or dearer. As a trade in, a well maintained falcon of that vintage is worth very little so it should be a win win for the son and them. So long as he is sensible he should be ok and if not then it probably matters little what else he buys unless he spends considerably more coin for extra airbags

[TOMZY]

Driver eduction course is highly recommend.

For me, once you experience or see a serious car accident, it haunts you for life!

Keep the burnouts and racing at the track.

Some people just have a death wish.... Doesn't matter if there behind a Honda civic or there mates Clubsport

[Grippy]

I agree with Maka, a defensive driving course for a young bloke on his P plates will be the best investment his parents can make. An EL will not be dangerous for the kid, full size, rear wheel drive sedans are great to learn in.

[Ford_The_Win]

So many mates, so many questions. How on earth do you keep up Hulk?

[DJM83]

Not if its done 162000kms...

So everyone with a modded falcon, will race their mates in a commo.

Just when i thought your threads couldnt get anymore crap, this comes along

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by HULK_I6T

am I being alarmist? Is the ef-au 157kw i6 too much for a young inexperienced driver full of testosterone?

In the hands of an idiot even a Lightburn Zeta is dangerous !

[XR6_661]

ELs go well. Ahhh takes me back to when I had mine when I was 18/19, lock to lock single peggers in the wet.

Good times!

[BLU-220]

FFS hulk can you post a thread about something interesting to read or do you like to see how many response you get.

[xxx000]

Originally Posted by Ford_The_Win

So many mates, so many questions. How on earth do you keep up Hulk?

so very true

solving all his mates problems one at a time

[Dash_XR]

They are nearly 20 years old, you'd probably be lucky if it still made 100 at the wheels and kept it through an aging gearbox. I wouldn't stress to much like everyone agrees you can drive like a moron in anything.