Hey boys and girls just joined as i could soon be a potential ford owner, I'm looking to buy an EB II S falcon, firstly whats your opinion on these cars? One im looking at in particular is quite cheap but will need some work for roady, 5 speed manual, with 250 on the clock, its not going to be an everyday car, more of a fun/play car with a few mods and hopefully learn a few things along the way, basically i just wanna know what r some major things to look out for? the guy says it needs a new winscreen, and front "suspension", obviously an 18yo car comes with its flaws but i just wanna atleast be able to get it on the road hopefully within $1000, so are there any major common problems/design flaws i should be looking out for that will make the car a nightmare to get a roadyworthy certificate?

The good thing about older falcons is that parts are cheap and easily available.
I dont think they have any major issues besides the usual wear and tear. Overall a good car.

Ive had an EB II S for about 3 years and its awesome.

The only issues specific to this car i can think of are:

* The metal around the hole in your firewall where the clutch cable goes through can fatigue and tear. I got a mate to weld a steel plate in there for free and its tougher than ever. You'll feel your clutch pedal / friction point moving closer to the floor as it starts to flex.

* The plastic used for some interior bits, centre consoles a good example, is made out of the worst material known to man. Some kind of plastic which degrades super easily.

* You'll have manual windows which can get play and eventually refuse to wind.

* Inconsistant brake wear (probably most falcons). Brakes feel like their pulsing as you slow down. I got slotted DBAs and Ultimates and it still kinda does it when they're cold.

* It'll make a gnarly sound everytime you go into reverse. I had this with both my T5s (had an XF) and found if you engage 5th then reverse it doesnt make a peep. I never read any further into it.

* It won't have an LSD and will have 3.23 (3.27 maybe) : 1 ratios. I found the best solution was to grab a cheap set of gears off ebay ($100 bucks for my 3.45s) and get a mini spool. Then you will learn and have fun at an alarming rate.

Thats all i can think of atm. My over all advice is that they're one of the dopest falcons you can own (good suspension, accessible parts, loads of cheaps mod options to unlock fun levels of power, rwd, manual).

But obviously any car can be a lemon so suss it out thoroughly before buying.

Good luck.

its cos the Borg Warner T5's dont have syncro in the reverse gear. if you engage it into any forward gear then reverse you should be fine.

my 5 speed eb crunches going into 1st and reverse with the clutch right in, but yeah there a great car

yeah mines a bit iffy when going from 2nd to 3rd, due to too many failed attempts at quickshfting!

mine used to be a hire car in murwillumbah and it has been flogged most of its life, but hey wouldnt most do the same if they hired a 5 speed falcon. it used to come back to the car yard with blown motors all the time, and tires. but the only thing that didnt screw up for some reason was the gearbox and diff

i've owned a EB 1 'S' for two years and it's been a great car. does long trips to Melbourne, Horsham etc etc often and lots of city driving.

Only thing common with the early Falcons are bottom ball joints, tie rod ends, wheel bearing adjustment, and rear caliper pistons seizing.

Also don't let any of this discourage you, all cars have issues, at least you'll be prepared.

They are still an excellent bang for buck car. Mine had 280 thou on the clock and still makes good power.

mine has 290,*** and still pulls hard

Fukin go for it mate, i've gone thru 2 eb's and an ed there good value for money and plenty of room inside, lots of boot space, and good power from a stock 6, i'll admit thay wont kill anything in your path but good for a everyday or a moddified car, plus most parts r cheap as f**k, just go on ebay man, lots of bargans.

Thanks for all your replys, i called 2 days ago, called back today and wham its gone, looks like ill just have to keep looking, another option is an EA, also very cheap, 280 on the clock, 5 speed manual, but not really too fond of the look, and from my research the EB seems to be quite a step up so puts me off a bit, and its been on gas, anyway i wont give up and keep my eye out for any early bird E series falcons that are going cheap, they seem good value for money, just getting them along with a T5 is hard!

Sorry for the double post but, anyone know the differences between an EA series 1 and series 2? the one im looking at is an EA II S.

http://www.falconfacts.net/falcon/ebfalcon.html

You'll find a lot of reasons here to pick an EB over an EA....

Also browse the other E series articles, heaps of good info.

find a cheap EF/EL..... they have alot of refinements inside & out compared to the EB/ED

but if your determined to get a boxcar, stay away from EA and EB series 1......