hey ausbluesman i also drive an EA - to be honest they are pretty shit - although they are smooth to drive and parts are relatively cheap - they are basically a mechanics nightmare - the computers fuck up and run rough for no reason. also the 3 speed auto (what i have) is really sluggish. my corrola 4 speed manual was so much better off the mark but really the straight 6 has alot more power and rear wheel drive is so much funner to drive.
also fuel consumption is pretty shit on the EA (well it is a six cylinder) but I guess if your not flogging it - its pretty good
anyways the EA was probably the most problematic falcon brought out due to it being the first e-series with a lot of stuff being changed - the EB had alot of these problems fixed (but series 1 still used the same throttlebody injected engine)
but the EA is still running fine now and it is more unpredictable than unreliable
EDIT: I am good at contradictions
