Another AU XR8 Ute

This is my nephew's new AUII XR8 ute. It was advertised on Carsales late in January 2025. A Canberra car, it was originally purchased in January 2002 from Klosters Ford in Newcastle. From there it made its way to Queensland before ending up in Canberra. Now it's back in NSW.
It's a relatively low-kilometre example with 180,000 on the clock. It doesn't seem to be highly optioned but it is in excellent general condition. The bodywork is straight and the paint seems original and good despite the replacement of the XR8 badges (often a tell-tale sign of a repaint). There's no rust to be seen anywhere.
This is the second AU XR8 for the family. I have one, an AUIII, also in Liquid Silver (UD code). I realise there's a lot of repetition in this video; it's just a function of a lot of small, unscripted video clips being joined together.
The car came with a second set of factory wheels (with rash), a good set of centre caps, and a genuine set of headlight protectors. When it was test-driven by my nephew, he checked the oil and it didn't register on the dipstick at all. Despite being low, the oil pressure gauge was within the normal range. The coolant reservoir was also full of rusty water - no green coolant to be seen. My nephew took a punt because of how well it sounded and drove. He had something to compare it to, mine, and that gave him some confidence to make the purchase despite the lack of maintenance. The tyres were shot, and it needed a few other things attended to for the NSW Blue Slip. All the oils and fluids have now been replaced.
Now it's on to Natrad Marrickville for a comprehensive cooling system flush and CATS at Banksmeadow for a transmission service. It's good to start the ownership experience with everything at its best. Just yesterday, like so many of these cars, the Low Coolant Sensor decided to pack it in. It’s as if it knew we were talking about it being a common problem just a few hours prior! They are no longer available to buy and finding a second hand one can be difficult. That’s the job ahead of us. Incidentally, I have a comprehensive video on this very problem (on RUclips) as my Low Coolant Sensor was buggered and the warning light on for years before I attended to it. I had trouble finding a replacement sensor and then I found 3 or 4 within the space of a month.
The VZ Commodore X6 One-Tonner which my nephew bought a few months back will now be sold. He got a quote to rebuild the engine; $8,000! (Finding the right Alloytec LEO engine as a swap was not a simple matter as there were too many divergent opinions regarding suitable engine codes and ECMs. It’s probably not a difficult question if you have the experience). With a high Alloytec engine rebuild quote, buying this XR8 was both an easy and good decision.

[@Paul-666]

Nice rig. I see it has the factory Ford cabin tidy behind the seats... Very cool option to have.

[@DPOSFS]

@@Paul-666 Cheers. I didn’t know they existed as it’s not on my one. 100% agree. I’ll have to chase one down.