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HOLDEN COMMODORE: THE BOGAN HOON MACHINE

Growing up in Plumpton, then Riverwood, then Blacktown, if you saw a Holden Commodore on the road, you could pretty much guess the type of person behind the wheel.

Their appearance, personality and values. And no, that’s genuinely not an exaggeration. The car had a strong association with bogans and housing commission suburbs. 

While I am generalising to a great deal, families and blue-collar workers drove Commodores too for the convenience and cost aspect, but for the most part, the car carried a very specific personality with it.

The media loved to hate the Holden Commodore. It was quickly branded a hoon car, and to be fair, the stereotype didn’t come from nowhere. The classic Commodore driver was doing burnouts, drifting through suburban roads, overtaking a car doing the speed limit on the wrong side of the road in a 50 zone, or just being an outright f*ckwit followed by some road rage. It was genuinely common to see Commodores with dents, missing panels, or mismatched doors rolling around like nothing was wrong. I feel like this has been a major contributor to why police all across Australia target Commodore drivers when they see them drive past.

It’s also why it’s such a gem to find a pristine Commodore on the road. Just like the average Honda Civic driver, the cars were beaten to their limit, literally. Buying a second-hand one, while incredibly cheap, the odometer was most likely rolled back and was 5km away from just no longer working.

Not to mention, it wasn't summer in Australia if you didn't see at least one Commodore overheated on the side of the road when driving on the motorway.

Despite all of these connotations, the Holden Commodore never really died in Australia, even though the model and brand had been completely retired. The car lives on through culture more than production.

These days, it’s not just the stereotype behind the wheel. You see a lot of South Asian and Middle Eastern drivers showing the Commodore the same kind of s3x spec appreciation it got back in the day – clean builds, attention to detail, pride in the car, for the most part at least, still thrashed though. At the same time, there’s been a slow transition on the roads toward Mustangs. Honestly though? Compared to a Commodore, I’d take the Commodore any day.

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