Long discontinued Aussie cars treasured by remote communities
Once considered the fabric of the Australian automotive landscape, Holden Commodores and Ford Falcons have seen a sharp decline in ownership since the makers of the iconic vehicles ceased production. But in some remote Indigenous communities where long-distance travel on less-than-ideal roads is often required, the popularity of Aussie-made vehicles has never been stronger.
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00:00 When Valentine Palmer talks about his whip, he beams with pride.
00:07 I like the body, I like the sound, I like what's on here. It makes my feeling feel better.
00:19 His V6 manual Commodore is his connector to the far-flung corners of the Central Australian
00:25 desert. In Aboriginal communities like Amungana, east of Alice Springs, the now discontinued
00:31 Holden model is still the most popular choice of car.
00:35 Alongside its main competitor, the Ford Falcon, also no longer manufactured, the two Australian-made
00:41 relics have defied a trend seen elsewhere to switch over to newer alternatives. It's
00:47 thanks in part to the abundance of spare parts available from local junkyards.
00:52 Look for the part that's broken on your car. Look on that car if you have the part from
00:57 your car that's broken, you can get that part, put it on your car.
01:00 These parts have helped Lorenzo Williams beef up his 2004 Commodore and keep the wheels
01:06 turning. The Amungana resident learned the art of mechanics from his dad.
01:11 He's always asking me for help all the time. And he's always encouraging me to be a mechanic.
01:19 For long-time used car salesman Alan Thorpe, who's run his Alice Springs dealership for
01:26 more than four decades, he knows all too well the popularity of Commodores and Falcons among
01:34 his clients from out bush.
01:36 The local people don't want them. They want the flash with all the little trinkets on
01:41 it and the extra comfort and the better braking and all that sort of stuff. So they're not
01:46 looking for the same type of vehicle, you know. They're looking for comfort, speed,
01:50 fuel economy and out bush you're looking for reliability.
01:54 When you look after the car, the car will look after you.
01:57 A familiar mantra for the rugged desert landscape.
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