It's the car buff gathering known for blowers, burnouts and boobs, and is widely condemned as an annual inconvenience among Canberrans.

But the Summernats festival held on the first weekend of every January also offers a revealing insight into why Australian-made cars are on a downward slide, based on a Drive poll of more than 100 attendees.

Much like the Bathurst 1000, Summernats is Falcon-versus-Commodore heartland. Large sedans are as de rigueur as thongs, tattoos and sunburn during the four-day festival in Canberra's northern suburbs. So when less than half the people Drive spoke to said they'd consider buying the latest Commodore or Falcon it paints a clear picture of why the locally-made cars are on the way out.

It's clear that even at the holy grail of internal combustion, there's already been a shift away from locally-produced large cars. Many proud hot rod and show car owners tow their vehicles into the Exhibition Park complex behind imported dual cab utes and SUVs, and for the first time, a rotary-engined vehicle took out this year's coveted Grand Champion mantle: an immaculately presented Datsun 1200 ute, something that would have been considered sacrilege in the early days of the 28-year-old event.

Fading fast: the latest Commodore and Falcon variants drew interest from the Summernats faithful but most won't buy them. Photo: Sam Hall

Organisers say more than 109,000 people attended this year's Summernats festival, with 1900 vehicles entered into various show car judging and burnout competitions. Of those, preliminary organiser figures reveal only roughly 20 per cent of cars entered wore a Holden badge, while 10 per cent were locally-produced Fords.

Drive visited last weekend's event in the last ever Ford Falcon XR8, along with a matching Holden Commodore SS-V Redline, to gauge the feeling of some of the country's most avid enthusiasts. In some regards, both vehicles are on a hiding to nothing in showrooms, with Ford and Holden due to shutter their manufacturing operations within the next three years.

While 70 per cent polled said they owned a Falcon or Commodore, only 43 per cent of those said they would consider buying the updated model before both Ford and Holden cease their manufacturing operations in Australia.

Fading fast: the latest Commodore and Falcon variants drew interest from the Summernats faithful but most won't buy them. Photo: Sam Hall

Why? In the case of the Falcon, the majority of respondents said there wasn't enough changes or updates in the new model to warrant upgrading. Another 15 per cent said they baulked at the FG X because of the recent omission of the XR8 ute and various station wagon variants.

"I walked into a Ford dealership ready to buy an XR8 ute, only to be told they weren't building any. I walked straight out," one respondent said.

In the case of both Holden and the Ford, 80 per cent of pollsters agreed large cars had simply lost their appeal among buyers because of the competitiveness of the import market, not because they were any less relevant.

"You can go out and buy a Hyundai i30 for little more than 20 grand, and the quality of that type of imported car has come a long way," said a respondent.

"I love the Commodore but I've had such a good run with Toyotas over the years that I wouldn't change," said another.

Only 35 per cent of respondents felt that people had shied away from large cars because of their inferior fuel use (both the four-cylinder EcoBoost Falcon and 3.0-litre V6 Commodore now consume under 8.5L/100km combined).

Meanwhile, others had shied away from both Holden and Ford models due to poor experiences.

"We wouldn't even consider a Holden or Ford anymore," one couple said. "They're not well put together, they just fall apart. We've had Mazdas lately and wouldn't have anything else."

Fading fast: the latest Commodore and Falcon variants drew interest from the Summernats faithful but most won't buy them. Photo: Sam Hall

The overriding consensus among 85 per cent of respondents was that locally-produced large cars were simply too expensive for the average buyer. It seems their sentiment is shared by the majority of Australians, with sales figures this week revealing Ford suffered a 10th straight year of decline in 2014, while Holden posted its worst annual result in nearly a quarter of a century during the same period.

"When you're asking about $35,000 for a base model Falcon or Commodore, you may as well rule a big line through many prospective buyers," one respondent said. "Many families today require two cars, so it's hard to justify buying a V8 Commodore when you could instead have two credible imported cars for the same price," another added.

Even in Ford-versus-Holden heartland it seems the shift to imported cars is already underway.

What Drive's poll revealed:

*70 per cent of those polled owned a locally-produced Ford or Holden

*Only 43 per cent of those would consider buying the updated version

*35 per cent of respondents felt that excessive fuel use was a reason for people not buying large cars

*85 per cent of respondents felt that the price of large cars – both the Falcon and Commodore start from about $35,000 plus on-road costs – was a disincentive to prospective buyers.

What they said: how the Falcon and Commodore were received at Summernats

"I'm a Ford man but I much prefer the look of the Holden. The last few years have been the best for both of them, it sucks because they are closing down at a time when they are both great cars and only getting better."

"I love the Commodore but it was time for me to upgrade so I bought a Hyundai, you cant beat it for price and equipment."

"I don't think these cars have been marketed correctly for today's market. Especially the Ford, there are cars on the market that are not as good as these, cost more and people by them, it doesn't make sense."

"I wouldn't buy a Ford or Holden anymore, they fall apart and are crap compared to what they used to be years ago, they were once solid now they're crap."

"I personally think the Holden is on par with the world market. Years ago both Commodore and Falcon had problems and weren't quite there but now they are. I think people will realise that when there gone and be sorry for it."

"That Falcon looks like the old Mondeo, it's s***."

"The Commodore looks like its made in China with those big headlights and spot lights."

"The Falcon looks like an Aston Martin at the front."

"The Commodore looks awesome - tough and smart - best looking Aussie car."

"I'd prefer the Holden interior, exterior and handling with the XR8's driveline. That would be the ultimate Aussie car."

-With Mark Short

Interested in buying Ford Falcon? Visit our Ford showroom for more information.

Interested in buying Holden Commodore? Visit our Holden showroom for more information.