Holden Barina TK (2005-2012)

work and back..everyday and just short roadtrips it's been serviced on most due dates.. and I haven't asked mechanic about 12v socket outlet located.. I have asked about if I can turn the traction control off.. and he doesn't know if it's possible either.. Show details

Not bad – You get what you pay for there an alright car if you have a bit of mechanical knowledge and youtube common problems. when I brought my tk barina it had an iratic idle done a Google search and you need to replace the idle control and throttle position sensor (dont ring holden) it'll cost 50-100 dollars on ebay for both parts. holden will try… Read more

replace the whole throttle body which is not needed. It does leak a little oil but not much Suspect the rear main will change when clutch goes one day. the rocker cover needed replacement as was leaking an hour job just look it up on YouTube. There an alright car for what you pay and if you don't have mechanical knowledge get the part numbers and get them yourself much cheaper its literally a Daewoo ebay gets probably better parts at fraction of price and get an local mechanic to do the work dealerships always rip you off.

Love my car – Bought for 3,850 in mid 2021, 160,00kms. when bought no issues from pervious owners. now sitting at 206,5000 kms, affordable to fixed, no unexpected issues. spacious sedan car with nice and clean interior, was easy to learn to drive in whilst on my L's and P's. Show details

Excellent for a used car – Bought my manual 2010/my11 hatch 4 years ago for $6000. With regular oil/filter services and general maintenance this car has been a great daily driver for me. Only just about to do the timing belt and water pump and it's at 206600km. Have never had a more reliable car, cheap on fuel $48 to fill tank ulp. It's not huge on grunt but for it's size it can go pretty fast Show details

love it – Brought a 2012 black holden barina (sedan) i love it so much! the clutch is very easy to use have had no problems with it all. its good for everyday use easy to steer, radio is easy to use and very convienent with the Bluetooth system and a very spacious boot..  Show details

I wouldn’t recommend 2009 barina , was a complete lemon – In and out of mechanics and auto electricians and still couldn’t be fixed , idling at 2000-3000 rpms. Has 129 000 km’s. I always get my services on time and only drove it to and from work 10mins each way because I couldn’t rely on it going any further. Body and inside immaculate…… just a absolute lemon . Don’t do it. Show details

This car is a P.O.S light a match and put it in the tank – New timing belt water pump and pulleys front and rear crank and cam seals new clutch rocker seal sump seal gear box seals just to stop it from leaking worst car iv ever brought gonna get rid of it to the next poor joker Show details

Total piece of crap! – garbage.. lemon.. rubbish.. run away from it.. it'll cost you thousands to fix just to keep it going! burn the crap! i bought one .. timing belt.. wheels.. electronics do crap knows what's going on.. central locking works on its own.. engine lite in.. i hate this red p.o.s! Show details

Worst car in the world – This car is the worst car ever made. First the power door stopped working, then a/c stopped working, coolant reservoir needed replacement, had to replace engine mount, and oil light was on with loud rattling engine noise, mechanic said rocker cover needs some work as there were oil leaking up to the spark plugs so changed all the spark plugs and… Read more

new rocker cover gasket but didn’t fix the problem, after visiting few service centres, mechanics could not fix it so finally had to replace with another 2nd hand engine. The car is still at the mechanics. So buying this car was one of the biggest mistake i ever made in my life. I just want to get rid of it. Already spent around $5000 just on repair so I will not spend anymore after this rather sell it to the scrap. Always reminds me of a dude I met at the traffic stop in Sydney who told me about his worst experience with this barina and he finally gave up and sold it. please do not buy this or even take it for free, it is just a trouble.

I love my car – Economical on fuel, good little zippy car. Mine is a manual. I only gave it 4 stars as I feel sometimes the car doesn’t feel like it’s on the road, a little too light and not sturdy like it’s solidly on the road. Probably because it is so small. I love it though. Easy stereo, not too bad blind spots just the panel at your front right makes it… Read more

hard to see when doing sharp right hand turns but I just sit up and look around more.

It has an excellent turning circle and it’s small so generally it should.

I will buy this same car but in a newer model. I love the Barina!

Vision Issues with Windscreen Glass – I had minor vision issues on the test drive, becoming worse over the years to the extent where I have now only done 8,700km in 6 years. Two problems, Astigmatic Windscreen and ripples, just in from the left edge and top/bottom edges of the windscreen glass. My understanding this is not a Holden issue but an assembly line issue as it occurs at… Read more

random in many brands. RAC and Holdens talked about decommissioning and recycling the car. The car is now considered unsafe to drive. History: http://www.aveoforum.com/forum/f118/av3o-wa-2011-holden-barina-sedan-garage-entry-17246/

Can't fault it – Purchased second hand as a daily driver to work due to its fuel efficiency. It is fuel efficient and then some. I would have preferred auto but manuals are cheaper. I was told to keep up to date with services and timing belt changes and I'll never have any issues.  Show details

Such a waste of money – Bought it second hand and have to pay over $3000 to get it back to managable condition. The lock actuators are bust, the suspention needs replacing and the engine always smells like burning oil. Be warey one buying 2nd hand because its going to cost you. Save yourself time and money and go for a Mazda.  Show details

Brilliant little around town car – I've had my second hand 2010 Barina for quite a while now and it hasn't skipped a beat. I purchased it with 139,000km and all seems well. It has been exceptional on fuel. Whilst it doesn't have the luxury of a Mercedes, it is somewhat nice to drive being quite zippy.  Show details

Great first car – Driving experience: very zippy and easy to drive for a number of reasons. Can accelerate very quickly, narrow size (can park easily into small spaces) and great turning circle. Only downside is lack of cruise control which makes longer drivers more tiring. Interior: dashboard is good aesthetically and the CD player also has aux in capabilities.… Read more

Missing Bluetooth compatibility however due to age of car, expected.

Reliability: Have had this car for just over 6 years, being the second owner, and had not had any major issues. Most recently, the aircon has broken and requires 2 parts to be replaced at a cost of $1200. Apart from this, had some minor issues with the spark plugs but overall great for the age of the car and time I've had it. Running costs are minimal - full tank of petrol is $40 and I usually get about 5-6 hours of driving out of it.

It's a simple car. What more do you expect? – I remember getting myself a nice sporty red manual one a while back, then we sold it as the new wife didn't drive stick. Anyway, a bit more down the line and we bought another one second hand that was automatic. Nothing wrong with the car yet. It runs well, is fuel efficient and gets us from A to B with little fuss. I mean everyone wants a… Read more

bigger engine so they can cruise the highways without revving so high, but it's a small car. What do you expect?

Would I get it again? Maybe a newer model, but at the price point, there's not many other comparable cars of this calibre.

Fold down back seats adds room to the boot.

Problems, problems and more problems – Bought my Holden Barina 2006 TK Automatic Sedan at 101,000kms in 2014 with no problems (2016 - 133,000kms). I purchased the car as a 16 year old learning to drive from A to B, and now as an 18 year old on my green P's license, I am considering buying a new car because the cons outweigh the pros... CONS - Window stuck down (Auto-electrical… Read more

problem)

- Gear stick is stuck. Have to press down on the auto-lock button next to the gear stick to unlock and shift gears.

- Engine light is stuck on. Have had it looked at and there was no apparent problem with the engine, but have had the mechanic wipe it off the dash with a device but it keeps coming back.

- Cup holders are flimsy.

- Air conditioner is terrible (Takes a long time to heat/cool) Apparently the aircon/radiator was also leaking.

- (I'm not the best with mechanic terminology...) My coolant hoses leak all the time, even after getting them repaired

- Unnecessarily revving at times

- Stereo is pretty quiet at its highest volume

- Buttons on the side of steering wheel hardly work (To control the stereo volume/skip/pause)

- The arm rests and door handles are of poor quality - Have to wrap duct tape around the handles as my passengers have cut their hands on them.

- Car alarm goes off, for no reason, quite often.

- Sometimes when car comes to a stop or drives at a very slow speed (in a drive-thru for eg.) it will jolt and jerk. My car is an automatic so it seems a little bit odd for it to be doing this.

PROS

- Gets from A to B (Sometimes. Due to constant coolant/radiator issues)

- Lots of interior space

- Big boot

- Pretty good on fuel

- Easy driving - Good steering, breaking, etc

- Very quiet car

Overall, this car would be great if I had the spare time to see a mechanic CONSTANTLY and afford to fix all of the problems consistent with this model. I don't think I would recommend this car to my friends/family as I do not feel safe when driving it.

Problematic now after many years of reliable and economical use – My Barina has been very good to run since buying it in 2008 second hand. 2004 model. No mechanical problems since, but in the last 12 months the indicators and odometer display work intermittently. When they feel like it. The headlights even refused to turn off once. I've taken it to the auto electrician. It has them baffled. Auto electrician says… Read more

they have never seen anything like it. Holden dealership wanted to charge me an unaffordable price just to test it on a computer before telling me the problem would have to be most likely fixed with something like a new computer control module that controls the entire car. Needless to say, I refuse to spend far, far too many dollars that may or may not fix the problem. Have read bad owner reviews about the model prior to mine and they were all dreadful. Terrible costly problems mine never had. Now I'm on tenterhooks waiting for something else to happen like it did to the many others who had problems with their model. Other than that, my Barina has been a "go everywhere " car. All the simple solutions have failed to fix my electrical problems.

Amazing! – I own the 2012 Holden Barina. Honestly the best car ever! This is my first car but I have had NO PROBLEMS with it! My friends have all bought cars and have had a lot of issues and some that have bought the new 2015 model and have had issues. I would highly recommend the 2012 Holden Barina if you are looking for a great trouble free first car. … Read more

Uses hardly any petrol as well! Great for traveling, easy to clean inside and out. A great inexpensive car!

Handles great and is very comfortable. (I am the second owner and bought with 26,000km, had it 5 months now it's on 46,000) I love driving it.

Expensive price tag on a cheap quality parts! – Bought this car brand new in dec2010 from Gibbon Holden gosnells, sine then it gives me nothing but problems. First 6 month it stalled 3 times, break doesn't work well, took it to the dealer as expected they always says nothing is wrong with the car it doesn't run well, not fuel efficient. and just 3 weeks ago one of the mufflers snapped. Brought… Read more

it to Holden they said the whole exhaust need to be replace. Holden refused to replace it for free even though it's under warranty. When asked how much is it? They were happily gave you a price of $700+ beware Holden are daylight robbers and overprice their services and products. Did not give an honest diagnose and their after sale service is zero. I went to a different place, they told me to just replace the rear muffler. I don't trust Holden or their dealers anymore and would not recommend them in my lifetime.

Check the brand of engine !! – Just following up on my 2012 review of Bluebell, my Holden Barina. At 60,000 I dutifully went to a friend that is a mechanic and asked him to change the timing belt, as per the maintenance manual. He ordered in the parts, I took the car in and was having a nice cup of coffee. He came in after about 10 minutes, grinning, and said "Well, that's… Read more

finished". I asked how and he said "You have a Suzuki engine and it doesn't need changing until at least 100,000 kilometres!" He had talked to Holden in Adelaide and they confirmed that my car was manufactured in a Daiwoo plant in Korea to Holden specifications and had a Suzuki engine!" That's a new kind of hybrid to me.But that explains why I haven't had the motor problems that others have reported I guess. I've now done 75,000 km and am about to put my 3rd set of tyres on as the last 45,000 have been mainly stop/start around town. Oh well, that's not Holden's fault. And, as I said in my last review - I LOVE my Holden Barina !!

Worst Ever – This car is a lie, for starters is not a Holden, it's a Daewoo. I had to put a new motor just after the warranty (3 years). The radiator does not last long, changed twice, the water reserve leaking, breaks failing all the time, very unsafe. I bought it brand new. Bad choice, not recommended, never buy Holden again.  Show details

Another Holden Money Maker – The TK Barina is an carry over component vehicle meaning all parts have been taken from another production vehicle in this case all interior and engine mechanical set up is from the JF Holden Viva a disappointing car. On the case of failure components most cars suffer are shock absorber failure mostly leaking at seal on front and rear at approx.… Read more

50,000km, Radiator transmission tank seal failure causing transmission to drop fluid level, Timing belt is a replacement item at only 60,000km with water pump most pumps are leaking by this time. Lower control are bushes dry out and crack causing a groaning noise in the front end. Drive wise the car has no torque and the auto version is badly calibrated holding some gears far to long on down hill roads. Poor tyres bring out the horrible ride and there is no road feel through the steering. Most Air conditioning units fail at the 5 year mark requiring the replacement of the Compressor and receiver dryer unit at approx. $1000. I'd buy a older Toyota Corolla in place of this vehicle any day its not worth the heart ache as many as my customers have experienced.

Worst most expensive car to own – We had a 2007 no problems written off in January 2008. Replaced with another 2007 model. We have had radiator head gasket breaks rotors head gasket two radiators clutch clutch arm wiring and more. Most not covered by their warranty. It has cost us half the value of the car new to keep it on the road complete joke. Every part is the cheapest they… Read more

could use we have since found. The rotors need replacing every 10 to 20k should last triple that the rotors ware so badly after 5k that the whole car shidders when slowing down. Yet after market rotors which only cost $30 will give you 60k. Total waste of time and money. Holden have lost it and i'll never purchase another one.

Front wheel bearings – 20008TK barina hatchback brought from new now travelled 64000km need to have the front wheel bearings replaced. They were sendinga vibration threw the body of the car which could be felt by all in the vechile. Spoke to Holden customer service in Melbourne and stated the need bearing checked by Holden deakership for replacement cost of parts only. Bearing should last a lot longrr that this. Iwill never buy a barina again  Show details

Much maligned but better than many – Purchased our TK 08 Barina new in 2007 & still have it. Had to have the solenoid switch that allows you to shift gears replaced under warranty as it was sticking, but since then have had no issues in the 7 + years we have owned it. Sure it's a basic small car made on the cheap, but that's exactly what my wife & I were looking for as a town… Read more

runabout. We test drove a Toyota Yaris, a Suzuki Swift, a Mitsubishi Colt & a Mazda 2 before deciding that they weren't really worth the extra money considering that they were often deficient in power, size & convenience to the Barina. Most other makes were more expensive for parts & servicing too. If you aren't looking for anything more than a basic good looking little car, there's nothing wrong with a Barina.

Clunk Clunk Barina – I have a 2006 TK Barina Sedan and it is a very unreliable death trap. Sensors seem to always need replacing, needed engine rewired, new water pump, new spark plugs, new abs module, dodgy AUTO transmission, stalls when accelerating, now the engine clunks and needs new catalytic converter. The interior is horrible and feels like cheap maccas… Read more

toys. The door armrests are so plasticity that any pressure on them feels makes a squelching cracking noise. When going over a bump, the car rattles and when going around a corner, the car squeaks and crackles so much it sounds like its made out of a packet of smiths chips!!

LOVES FUEL!! ALWAYS THIRSTY FOR FUEL THAT'S FOR SURE!!!!!

I was so sad when i bought this thinking of great HOLDEN reliability, only to find out its a dodgy rebadged DEAWOO :'(

I think they have improved the new Barinas (TM Models) but i still cant trust holden anymore :(

Something that the barina owner's manual doesn't tell you. (Holden Barina TK 2007) – Without going into a lengthy explanation here's what I found out about the Dash board Fuse Box information and markings. The 10amp fuse marked as "spare" also controls your electric mirrors. So if you re-deploy that fuse in an emergency situation make sure you replace it ASAP or you won't be able to adjust the side mirrors. I edited my owner's manual to include this info. Hope this helps out. John  Show details

Ok but not great – We bought our tk new in 2009. We have done 106,000 Km in this time. It has been reliable but there are things that need work. At 60,000 km we were told The brake disks need replacing as they are too thin to machine!!! They lasted as long as one set of pads, ridiculous. We also have a newly developed oil leak, and aircon is draining into the… Read more

passenger foot well. I won't be buying another anytime soon. you are also required to change timing belt every 60,000 on this model. Yet they recommend 15k services. We have been doing every 10k as this engine needs all the help it can get. Not a lot of power and not even that fuel efficient.

The perfect small car – Drives well. Handles great. Fuel efficient. Excellent for work or play. Not just a girls car. Well done Holden on another great little car.  Show details

Love my 2006 Barina TK! Only small issues – Have owned my little black manual Barina TK for 2.5 years now and it's at 115,000kms. I bought it cheaper to counterweigh getting the timing belt changed, but since then all i've had to get is a new battery at around 100,000kms, then my last 3 services have been around $200 for the typical fluid changes, etc. My Barina starts first go every time.… Read more

I even had a prang and had to get the bumper and bonnet replaced and I've still had no mechanical issues besides the air conditioner condenser, which is my own fault. It has quite a bit of power, probably being the manual, and it's fun to drive.

The only issues that I have with my Barina is that the previous owners fitted it out with King suspension, which I find makes the front end suspension a bit loud and clunky. The boot latch broke, which I had fixed for $30 which ended up just being something slipped off. Otherwise, have not had any major problems, touch wood!

Best car I've owned – I've had my Holden Barina for over 6 yrs now. Brought her brand new with only 37km on click. I've not had an ounce of trouble and have only just brought a new battery now from purchasing my car in Nov 08. I am looking at upgrading and privately selling her. Car has a few minor scratches with only 67000 on clock.  Show details