I'm thinking about buying a magna/verada of 1996 onwards.I quite like them.I would like to get some feedback on what these cars are like.

1)Are these good for going for long distances? Are they comfortable ?
2)What about fuel economy for either the 4 or V6?
3)Has anyone fitted either later model bucket seats or bucket seats from another make?
4)do these models have any common faults?
5)has anyone modified their cars to improve its performance,etc?
6)whats the station wagon like?

Thanks.

1. Really comfortable and sits well on highways and the like. I find it more comfortable than any other big car I have been in.

2. I have heard bad things of the 4cyl and my 6cyl 3.0litre manual does about 9-12 depending on how i drive it.

Not sure about the rest buddy but you should buy mine :D.

Best fuel economy you can get if from a manual paired with a 3.5L :)

1) Comfort - Get a verada if possible. They're usually not a large increase in price but huge increase is comfort and luxury.

2) I agree with NOOBshoes, economy is usually 9-12L per 100kms.

4) As with all cars, there are many small but common faults. Here is the thread relating to all of them:
http://www.aussiemagna.com/forums/showthread.php?t=95151

5) So many people on here have. You'd have to browse through some of the big members machines to see everything.

3 & 6) I'm not much help here. I haven't found a real difference with 3rd gen wagons compared to sedans.

Any of the 6cyl models are fantastic I think, they're all comfortable, go well & are a great value cars compared to anything else in they're class.

I averaged 9.5L/100kms over the weekend with highway and city driving clocking up some 600kms along the way

We have a 97 TF Advance 3 litre Manual. It is an excellent car; very roomy; big boot; more than enough power (much more than the speed limit allows). It returns fantastic fuel economy driving freeway/country in fact better than my 4-cylinder Toyota. If you look underneath it has a lot of very impressive thick metal sheets/pressings all intended to contain the central passenger cell in an accident.

Only downside is an enormous turning circle and a steering feel that seems as though the steering shaft is a rubber band especially compared to my MX5 which feels as though it is on rails and can do u-turns in small streets.

In regard to fuel economy, I used to travel a lot for work and hired Magnas. My experience, which was mainly city driving, was that the 3 litre had vastly better fuel economy than the 3.5 litre.

Thank you for all your replies here.It certainly seems these cars have a lot to offer.You have given me a lot of information here.

Despite what people have said on here about the 3.5l / manual combo the 3.0l / manual combo is actually a fair bit better on fuel than the 3.5

I used to have the 3.0l in my car and I used to get mid to low 8's / 100km now I get mid to low 9's / 100km with the 3.5l.

Longest I've driven is Melbourne to Adelaide (7.5 hours) in one stint with a 10 minute lunch break and I felt fine afterwards / during the drive. And yes the seats between the 3rd gen models are interchangeable. So if you're wanting to upgrade seats or replace worn out seats you can do so easily.

Probably the most common problems with these cars are the split CV boots & engine mounts.

Thing I love about the magna is that it holds its own in the market. My family and friends say that "it's just a magna" but I can always say back to them "at least it's reliable" or "at least it has working aircon" or "at least I can fit a pram and luggage in the boot" as my friends/family have either commodores that break down weekly, commodores/falco's with no aircon, or gas falcons that have no boot space whatsoever. It's also quicker and nippier than the above listed cars.

TL:DR Magna's are very good for the price you pay

Magnas are a delight to drive long distances. We regularly do long trips in our TF manual (on gas). The longest was from Roma (Qld) to Cooma (NSW) in one day. We didn't set out to do it in one hit - the road just unfolded and when we got to our target destination it was too early to stop so we went on for an alternative place, only to decide that even that was too early, so we ended up coming home in one day. Total distance about 1530 km. And we were not excessively tired at the end of the trip. More importantly, I was not still driving at midnight or later (whilst I was safely tucked up in bed) - I was very relaxed. And I was driving all the way.

I wouldn't say that it is the roomiest car, but it suits our needs. Having said that, we are on the point of buying a new ASX to replace the dear old thing. It certainly has not cost us very much - I service it every 7500 km and it has only had 1 set of brake pads recently replaced and a new set of spark plugs and leads. It even still has the original clutch at 248000 km and there is no sign of it slipping yet. The main reason for selling it is that we are getting too old and stiff to easily get in and out of it, hence the new ASX. Magnas are a seriously underrated car on the current market.