Ford Falcon Advice

Truly Australian car brands – as in brands that mass manufactured cars locally, regardless of the origin of their overseas parent companies, became a thing of the past in 2017.

If not for Allan Moffat, the Falcon GT-HO would not command the same reverence that it does today. Moffat was ‘the man’ when it came to racing and winning in GT-HOs.

So important has the race become to our carmakers over the years that they have, at various times, created and built a number of special "Bathurst" models.Some, like the classic Holden Monaros and the Falcon GTHOs, have been specifically built to enhance their chances of winning the races, others, like the anniversary Ford GTs, have been builtto celebrate success in the great race.Whatever the reason is these models have become highly prized by enthusiasts and collectors, with the result that their prices have climbed to unthinkable levels in response to the demand.Buying one of these classics is full of pitfalls and requires careful and thorough research before you hand over your hard earned cash. Like any collectable provenance is important, so the first thing to establish is that the car you are considering is genuine. Lots of replica GTs, GTHOs, GTS Monaros, and XU-1 Toranas and others have been built over the years. Some are accurate replicas; others don't even come close to being authentic.No matter whether they are accurate or not, they are not worth as much as the real thing. Check the ID on the car's build plate, check also the numbers that are stamped on various parts of the body and make sure they tally with the ID plate.Consult the relevant carmaker to check that the numbers on the carare correct for that particular model. It's also wise to talk to an acknowledged expert in the model you're interested in buying to find out the critical things you need to look for in a genuine car.Car clubs are a great place to find the expert you need to advise you, so too are the many companies around the land that specialise in restoring these cars.

Among Australia’s many, many gifts to the world - Rebel Wilson, Tony Abbott, the cork hat, Clive Palmer, Vegemite, Dame Edna - perhaps the most profound, yet sadly unrecognised, is the ute.

Buying cheap second hand cars is a risky business. Buy the right car and you can look forward to many years of affordable, worry-free motoring, but buy the wrong one and your motoring dream could become an expensive nightmare. In buying a cheap used car you're potentially buying someone else's problems, but there's no

We take a look around the world to see what cars police services have come up with.

As the search continues for the next generation of highway patrol car, we reveal the tricks and traps for carmakers looking to break into the lucrative police car market.

The key to successful investment is to find a car that is sufficiently unusual, rare or notable that it will, in time, return you a profit should you sell it.

There are no deals on the just released, all-new version of the market-leading Toyota HiLux ute but big discounts have emerged on rivals fighting over the scraps. Here are the best deals — down your tools and go and kick some tyres.Ford RangerDiscounts on the Ranger are extremely rare, so we had to double check this one wasn't a misprint. The workhorse XLS grade 4WD four-door ute may lack the bling of the XLT and Wildtrak but it has the same strong 3.2-litre five-cylinder diesel engine and all the other Ranger attributes (including 230V power adaptor). The price of $45,490 drive-away after a $500 bonus is super-sharp. The RRP is $48,090 plus on-roads, so this is a discount of nearly $5000. Auto adds $2200.Nissan Navara RX 2WDNissan has a headline price of $36,835 drive-away for the base model four-door ute but there are a few caveats. This price is for the 2WD, not the 4WD, the 1 per cent finance deal must be repaid over just three years — then there's the massive balloon payment of $19,795, more than half the purchase price. Best to arrange your own finance and haggle harder on the price.Mazda BT-50Need a workshop runabout? The Mazda BT-50 single cab with 2.2-litre turbo diesel and factory dropside tray can be had for $26,990 drive-away, or $1500 less than the Ford Ranger equivalent.Mitusbishi TritonThe new Triton was well priced at launch earlier this year but buyers have avoided it in droves, due to either its ungainly looks or its mainly carry-over chassis. So Mitsubishi has made the price even more compelling. The GLX 4WD four-door is $36,990 drive-away, including alloy wheels, reversing camera and five-year warranty (which the Colorado lacks). But the best buy is the $39,990 drive-away GLS with Super Select (4WD can be used on sealed roads), larger alloy wheels, rear-view camera in the central display screen, sports bar, hard tonneau cover ... the list goes on. If Mitsubishi fitted the new Pajero Sport nose to the Triton it would have a winner on its hands.Holden ColoradoThe Colorado — one of the first cars to suffer from General Motors cutbacks during its development in the global financial crisis — has been in permanent discount mode since it went on sale a couple of years ago. It is not rated as highly as newer utes. But the basic LS 4WD four-door (pictured, LS-X) at $35,990 drive-away (after a $1000 bonus) is sharp buying if you're on a budget. At that price, the equivalent Isuzu D-Max ute can't get close.Ford Falcon XR6 UteWant to buy one of the last homegrown utes? The XR6 ute limboes to a new low: $31,940 drive-away after a $500 discount. That's with six-speed automatic transmission, 18-inch alloy wheels, alloy sports bar and eight-inch colour touchscreen. This is about $5000 off the full RRP for the XR6 ute and about $10,000 less than the Commodore SV6 ute.