Well, My father and I are looking at some new cars and we are looking at a BA xr8's. What problems did/do they have, as some one told me the quad cams had a few problems with them and what not.

the 5 speed manual is s**t in the ba xr8s ive heard the auto is better or get the newer ones with a 6 speed.

There is nothing wrong with the 5-speeds. My brother has a BA XR8 ute with just under 90,000km on the clock and there is nothing wrong with it. He has had te usual BA falcon porblems with it such as steering rack creeking simple fix with grease adn the heater not working but the problem wasnt broken it just fell back wards so it just popped back in.
It does have starter motor noise but thats not just a problem with the 5-speeds its a bit of a problem with any gearboxed XR8
Dont throw out the idea if the 5-speed
Griffo

Nothing specific to the Boss motors, just the usual BA quirks like handbrake needing adjusting, crappy fitting interior trim, bonnet cables etc.

make sure you test drive a few, even some you have no intention of buying, just to give you an idea of what they go like. from what i've read, heard and experienced there seems to be a bit of variation in the performance of the xr8. some are quite tardy whilst others seem to really go. my work colleague has one that seems a lot better than most. one of the mags also drove one that did a 13.9 1/4 and they commented that it was different to others they'd tested.

my mate's one has exhaust, intake and generic flash tune and is pretty level, if not a touch in front of his mate's xr6t with flash tune(240 odd rwkw). most would say a flashed xr6t would walk on a xr8. either way they are both well into the 13's.

as thats the only personal experience i've had with one thats all i can comment on. the only problem he has had so far is something to do with the heater. (dash out job i think)

I've had one for the last three years and have had no problems at all.

the 5 speed gear boxes are rubbish. my utes done 80k and its already in need for a new one. over heats, leaks fluid, wont change gears, noisy. i would suggest getting a 6speed if you want a man (especially if your going to do work to it)

but like other ppl have said, just go out and take some for a drive and if there's one your keen on get a mechanic to have a look at it

things to watch for

*pre 11/03 cars with stock brakes will have brake shudder issues...
* timing chain guides/tensioners on early cars (most should have been fixed under warranty, just causes a rattle on startup)
*early ones had air mix shafts in the heater box that snap/fracture, again most have been fixed under warranty and wont do it again as there is a new level shaft.
*creaking in the steering - fix by applying loctite anti sieze to the rack studs and retorquing to 80nm
*bent sway bar mounts (not a problem as such but theyre a good indication of a hard life)
*bonnet cables brake if the latch isnt adjusted by bending a tab on it. Again should have been fixed under wty and adjusted. Easy to adjust if not already adjusted.

i think thats about it hey...

edit: check that both doors lock/unlock as they should, we're starting to see a few (AU onwards) where the actuator fails and thus the doors dont lock.. if its not the drivers door the only way u will know is to try opening it when the car is locked...

at $295 per door fitted u wanna check it before u buy one

edit again:
the only problem ive seen with them 5 speeds was some of them had a seal on the top of the box (where the selecter comes out of it) that was too stiff and would cause them to jump out of 2nd and 4th gear.. easy fix

the diff... there are quite a few out there that have excssive backlash, making the car a bit noisy back there as if something was loose, mind you it doesnt get much worse