Articles by David Morley

David Morley

Contributing Journalist

Morley’s attentions turned to cars and motoring fairly early on in his life. The realisation that the most complex motor vehicle was easier to both understand and control than the simplest human-being, set his career in motion.

Growing up in the country gave the young Morley a form of motoring freedom unmatched these days, as well as many trees to dodge.

With a background in newspapers, the move to motoring journalism was no less logical than Clive Palmer’s move into politics, and at times, at least as funny.

How to transfer your vehicle registration

By David Morley · 09 Mar 2022

Car registration. Nobody likes paying it, but the fines for being caught on the road without it will soon wind up costing a lot more than the registration you would have been up for.

Read the article

The history of Ford's Geelong factory

By David Morley · 03 Mar 2022

It’s a bit hard to imagine now, but back in the very early days of Australian motoring, the Ford brand was represented by a fairly rag-tag group of dealers and importers attempting to sell against each other.

Read the article

What is the best time of year to buy a car?

By David Morley · 23 Feb 2022

When is the best time to buy a car? Well, in crazy, shook-up 2022, it depends somewhat on whether you’re buying new or used, but it’s also true that the old rules on this subject have changed lately.

Read the article

Best beach buggies available in Australia

By David Morley · 17 Feb 2022

'Dune buggy', or the more Australian 'beach buggy', is a pretty broad descriptor these days. As well as a new wave of recreational single-seater buggies and two-seat side-by-sides, there have been any number of home-made contraptions that have passed for a beach buggy over the years. Most of them have been crude, most have been fun machines and all of them have been dangerous.

Read the article

Mazda BT-50 2022 review: XS 1.9, plus SP

By David Morley · 11 Feb 2022

Despite being less than 18 months after Mazda unveiled its all-new BT-50 ute range, the brand has just moved to give the line-up a tweak with a new 1.9-litre base XS and top-spec SP 4x4 dual cab at either end of the price ladder.

Read the article

JDM cars: The Top 5 Japanese Domestic Market cars ever built

By David Morley · 07 Feb 2022

No doubt, you’ve heard the term JDM. And you’re possibly vaguely aware that it has something to do with Japanese cars. But what does JDM mean in car terms?

Read the article

How Rolls-Royce stands out from luxury crowd

By David Morley · 29 Jan 2022

Scientifically measuring the size of rain drops and studying the ancestry of highland sheep? Not your normal activities for a carmaker. But at Rolls-Royce, that’s exactly what’s going on behind closed research-department doors.

Read the article

Toyota 1HZ engine: Everything you need to know

By David Morley · 20 Jan 2022

Turbocharging diesel engines has been going on since the early part of last century, but these days, there’s hardly a single road-going vehicle that doesn’t feature a turbocharger to boost power and efficiency.

Read the article

Nissan RB26 engine: Everything you need to know

By David Morley · 20 Jan 2022

Thanks to decades of humdrum Australian family cars powered by inline six-cylinder engines, there’s a temptation to associate the straight-six with the mundane side of four-wheeled transport.

Read the article

The best old cars ready for EV conversion

By David Morley · 24 Dec 2021

One of the rapidly emerging themes around CarsGuide is the rise of the electric car. And within that, there’s a healthy debate going on around the conversion of conventionally powered cars to electric operation.

Read the article