Category: Used Car Review

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HOLDEN ADVENTRA AND CREWMAN 2003 – 2009

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2003 Holden Adventra

And now for something really different for Holden lovers. Holden Adventra was an early entrant in what is now called the crossover SUV market. That is a vehicle based on a station wagon, but with jacked up suspension and protection added to the body and underbody. Subaru has been in the jacked-up wagon arena for a long time, more recently, Volkswagen, Skoda and Audi, which are cousins, also sell wagons. Buyer preference in Australia leans very much to vehicles that look SUV-tough, though and these are now huge sellers. Its… Read more

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TOYOTA YARIS 2005 – 2016

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2008 Toyota Yaris hatch

Toyota Yaris is a smaller brother to the big selling Toyota Corolla but is still a reasonable size and may well be all you need if you only ever need to carry one or two people. Indeed, a Yaris can be used as a family car when the kids are small. It was introduced to Australia in November 2005 and over 200,000 have been sold to date. As are plenty on sale at any one time smart buyers can take their time and hunt down the best ones. Yaris replaced… Read more

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MAZDA2 2002 – 2016

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2007 Mazda2

While Mazda3 and CX-3 have been grabbing all the headlines in the sales race, the smallest model of all, the little Mazda2 hatchback has been quietly working away in the background and keeping its end up. Mazda2 is quite spacious for a small car because its relatively tall body allows good headroom. It can work as a small family car if you are downsizing and the kids are in their preteen years, though it mostly sells to singles and couples. The great majority of Mazda2 bodies in Australia are five-door… Read more

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SUBARU LIBERTY AND OUTBACK 2003 – 2016

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2004 Subaru Liberty GT

Subaru Liberty is a no nonsense sedan or station wagon with a reputation for toughness and reliability. The Subaru Outback, launched in 1996 is based on the Liberty wagon and has increased suspension height, meaning it sits about midway between a conventional wagon and a 4WD. Outback is one of the earliest of the so-called crossover vehicles that have been increasingly popular over the last decade. As more and more SUVs are really just 2WD vehicles with a taller body, Subaru Outback is standing out from the crowd. In its… Read more

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LEXUS LS 2000 – 2016

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2008 Lexus LS460 Sport

In 1989 the Lexus LS400 was the first Japanese car to tackle the upmarket German machines Mercedes S-Class, BMW 7 Series and Audi A8 head on. Jaguar’s XJ was also in Toyota’s sights (Lexus is controlled by Toyota), though the British marque wasn’t doing particularly well at that time. Lexus tells us ‘LS’ stands for Luxury Sports, however there’s a lot more luxury than sport. Handling is certainly safe and secure but doesn’t provide the sporting enjoyment of the big name Germans and British sedans. The most noticeable feature of… Read more

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TOYOTA PRIUS 2003 – 2015

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2011 Toyota Prius

Toyota Prius wasn’t the first petrol-electric hybrid to go on sale in Australia, that honour belongs to Honda with its quirky Insight two-seater. But while Honda hybrids have come and gone over the years Toyota, and its luxury offshoot Lexus, have stuck consistently with hybrids. However, while Toyota has improved the Prius in the 15 years it has been on sale in Australia it hasn’t made big strides as seen in other hybrids, such as recent arrivals from Honda, Mitsubishi, Audi and BMW. This is possibly a result of Toyota’s… Read more

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PORSCHE 911 1998 – 2016

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2013 Porsche 911 GT3

By EWAN KENNEDY CAPTION: A. B. C. BODY COPY Porsche 911 is now in its 54th year and while it has changed significantly over the years it continues to follow the same iconic styling theme and mechanical layout. The 911 is a pure sports machine that used to have a relatively affordable price tag but which has become pretty expensive in recent years. The price rise is the result of the German company trying to push itself up into the lower end of the supercar field that’s dominated by the… Read more

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BMW 5 SERIES 2000 – 2016

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2011 BMW 5 Series Touring

BMW 5 Series is a quality midsize sedan or wagon that leans in the sporting direction in the endless compromise between sports and luxury. Handling is brilliant due to the near-perfect weight distribution that’s the result of rear-wheel drive and the positioning of the engine well back under the bonnet. Yet this handling is achieved without upsetting comfort to any extent. Some bad roads may sometimes catch it out, but it generally makes light work of rough surfaces. This makes it a quality grand tourer in the true sense of… Read more

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DAIHATSU SIRION 1998 – 2005

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2004 Daihatsu Sirion Sports

Daihatsu Sirion is a stylish well-built Japanese hatchback with an excellent reputation for reliability and low running costs. It wasn’t as successful as big brother Daihatsu Charade on the new-car market, but it’s a tough little critter and there are still plenty on the roads today. They can be kept on the road with a minimum of expense if you choose a good one, drive it properly and keep the maintenance schedule up to date. The new Daihatsu Sirion, released here in April 2002, was substantially bigger than the first-generation… Read more

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KIA CARNIVAL AND GRAND CARNIVAL 1999 – 2015

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2006 Kia Carnival

Kia Carnival is a South Korean seven- or eight-seat people mover that’s been on sale in Australia since September 1999. Well priced and strongly built it has been a big seller in its class for many years. The older models are getting on in years so we suggest buying one from the new series from January 2006 as it’s significantly better than the model it superseded. Despite the low price, even the entry-level Kia Carnival models usually have features like dual climate-control air conditioning, central locking, a decent audio system,… Read more