Category: Used Car Review

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ALFA ROMEO MiTo 2009 – 2016

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2009 Alfa Romeo MiTo

Alfa Romeo MiTo Italian is a small three-door hatchback that has the sort of driving verve and excitement keen drivers just love. Prompt handling, lively engine (in some, see later) and a general feeling of liking to be in the car. The little Alfa is lovely to look at it and the gorgeous styling, inside and out, makes it stand out from the typically sensible German and upmarket Asian small cars in this market segment. Marking was poor, however. MiTo was overpriced when introduced here in July 2009 and sales… Read more

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TOYOTA TARAGO 2006 – 2016

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2007 Toyota Tarago

Toyota Tarago has been a favourite in Australia for close to 40 years. First models were really only vans with seats and windows but from 1990 they were purpose designed with all that meant in added comfort, safety and driveability. These are often past their use-by date and so are best avoided unless you can carry out repairs yourself. Spare parts are also likely to be a hassle. So in this review we will look at the Toyota Tarago from March 2006 that continues to this day with upgrades in… Read more

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NISSAN MAXIMA 2003 – 2014

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2003 Nissan Maxima

Nissan Maxima is a six-cylinder family car from Japan. The big Nissan can carry five adults if they don’t mind some shoulder rubbing. Mum, Dad and three kids works well. Maxima’s ride on roads is quiet and comfortable, almost in the limo class. However, it’s not quite as good on rough and course-chip surfaces as cars designed for Aussie roads. Handling is softer and less responsive than that of the local family cars, but are likely to suit most drivers. The Japanese giant is focussing purely on SUVs these days… Read more

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PEUGEOT 3008 2010 – 2016

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2015 Peugeot 3008

By EWAN KENNEDY, Marque Motoring CAPTION: A. B. C. 2017 Peugeot 3008 BODY COPY Since mid 2017 French maker Peugeot has been under new management in Australia. The result is a big marketing push on the all-new 3008 that was introduced at about the same time. Previous 3008 models appear to being traded in on the new ones so there is an upsurge of used ones at the moment. So it might be a good idea get in and do a deal on one if dealers are running out of… Read more

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TOYOTA MR2 1987-2006

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2000 Toyota MR2 Spyder

Toyota 86 and its close cousin the Subaru BRZ, not to forget the evergreen Mazda MX-5, show there’s still a place for affordable sportscars in Australia. To be honest we would rather spend time in any of them than join the craze for pickup trucks that are clogging our roads at the moment. Which brings up thoughts of owning an older Toyota sports machine that can be bought for as little as $2000 on the used car market. The pure Toyota MR2 – a rear-engined two-seat machine that’s a delight… Read more

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SKODA SUPERB 2009 – 2016

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2015 Skoda Superb sedan

For some inexplicable reason Skoda continues to be the most overlooked marques on the Australian market. This simply doesn’t make sense because the Czech manufacturer is one of the World’s oldest, is now part of the giant Volkswagen Group, and produces some excellent cars well suited to Australian driver’s needs and our local conditions. Skoda Superb is a classic example. It’s a large car that’s longer than the Commodore and Falcon, indeed it’s more in the Caprice, Fairlane range and has limousine-size rear legroom. However, it’s narrower than the big… Read more

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PORSCHE BOXSTER AND CAYMAN 2012 – 2016

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Porsche Boxster roadster and Cayman coupe are the same vehicle, except that there’s a folding roof in the former and a fixed one in the latter. They were introduced to provide a lower-cost model than the 911. However, some regard these smaller vehicles as being ‘not really a Porsche’ so they haven’t sold as well as anticipated. A sad situation as they really are great to drive and, because in some ways they are more practical and safer than the 911. Boxer and Cayman are mid-engined sportscars, meaning the engine… Read more

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LEXUS ES 2013 – 2016

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2013 Lexus ES 300h

The Lexus ES300 began life way back in 1991 as a re-bodied Toyota Camry with higher levels of materials and added extras. It was criticised by some as not being a ‘real’ Lexus, though that really didn’t hamper sales the way the purists had predicted. The ES disappeared from Australia in 2005 because the new generation released that year was built with the steering wheel on the wrong side for us – by far its biggest market was, and still is, the USA. Late in 2013 a new generation Lexus… Read more

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TOYOTA CAMRY AND AURION 2006 – 2016

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2014 Toyota Camry Hybrid

Toyota Camry is no longer built in Australia because the Altona, Melbourne factory was closed down in October 2017. An all-new fully imported Camry replaced the Australian one at that time. The stylish new 2018 Camry created a lot of buyer interest and already many Camry owners have traded in their cars on it. Meaning dealers may have an oversupply of used Camrys and are keen to drop prices to shift them. No promises, though. Toyota Camry has long been a major player here, first arriving in 1983 as a… Read more

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FORD FALCON 2002 – 2015

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2016 Ford Falcon XR8 Sprint

  Used Ford Falcons have long been favourites on the used car scene, especially with those living in the great Aussie bush. They are ruggedly built, seem to last forever if driven and serviced correctly, and soak up rough and ready backroads and dirt tracks much better than overpriced machines from Germany and the UK. Most Falcons are four-door sedans, station wagons and utes. Two-door hardtops and panel vans were also built back in the old days that are beyond the scope of this article. Ford Falcons have seating for… Read more