Articles by Graham Smith

Brett Radford is looking at a 2008 Subaru Forester sports wagon for his 17-year-old son. The asking price is $11,800, but with no trade he says he could get it for $10,000. It has had a small hit at the rear, but it has been repaired and inspected by the RTA. He wants to know if it is a good buy, and also if it has a

Graham Smith road tests and reviews the used Hyundai Tiburon 2002-2010.

Peter Mifsud wants to buy a 4WD wagon and he’s confused by the many choices available. He’s not a serious off-road enthusiast and says his old VY Commodore has got him to where he’s needed to go, but he wants a car that will tow his 1000kg campervan and he’s got around $20,000 to spend.NEWThe new Sportage released in 2011 was a revelation. No one saw it coming, but they should have, as Kia has been a make on the move for some time now.No longer the poor cousin of the car business, the brand you bought if you couldn’t afford anything better, Kia is now a well-respected maker of cars that deserves a place on our shopping lists.The new Sportage of 2011 was one of the models that signalled the arrival of the Korean brand as one to be taken seriously.A compact SUV, the 2011 Sportage boasted a new body with smart looks, new engines, much improved on-road manners, and five-star safety.The range boasted three models, the two-wheel drive Si and the four-wheel drive SLi and Platinum. It’s the four-wheel drives we’re looking at here given our reader’s started preference for a four-wheel drive.Two engines were offered. One was a 130kW 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, the other a 392Nm 2.0-litre turbo-diesel.There was only one transmission, a six-speed automatic and that fed into an on-demand four-wheel drive system that in essence drove the front wheels until it was deemed necessary for traction to send some of the drive to the rear wheels.Although it wasn’t a traditional four-wheel drive system as fitted to a heavy-duty off-roader it was surprisingly competent in the bush.The cabin had seating for five, it was quiet and comfortable, and in the Platinum you got everything you could wish for, from an eight-way power driver’s seat, adjustable steering column, leather trim, dual-zone climate control air-conditioning, a decent sound system and a reversing camera.Kia’s fit and finish has come on in leaps and bounds in recent years and it now compares favourably with any other brand in its class.Safety was also on the money as ANCAP recognized when it gave it a five-star tick. With six airbags, ABS brakes, and dynamic stability control it has quite an arsenal of safety gear. NOWSportage 4WD models are rated to tow up to 1600kg with trailer brakes, so they should comfortably tow the Mifsuds’ campervan weighing just 1000kg.With its high riding stance and ground clearance, along with its on-demand four-wheel drive system it should also be capable of handling their limited off-road needs, provided they don’t want to go rock climbing or something like that.Owners generally praise their Sportages, they rarely criticize them.They are not only well built, they are reliable and few problems of a serious nature crop up with them. We hardly ever hear of issues at CarsGuide, which suggests they are getting the job done for their owners in the field.Kia issued a recall notice in January 2014, which related to an issue with the seat belt pre-tensioner. Check the owner’s manual to confirm the recall rectification has been carried out. If you’re in doubt about it speak to a Kia dealer.Also check the service book to make sure all recommended servicing has been done. Missing services is a recipe for disaster, a failure to change engine oil regularly is just asking for trouble.Even though few Sportages will have seen duty in the rough going inspect your potential purchase carefully, particularly underneath where any damage as a result of off-road is likely to be readily seen.

Jenny Cerroti is looking to buy a second hand car to replace the one that was recently written off. She needs a biggish car, as she drives long distances with teenagers and their surfboards, and often tows a trailer. She likes the high driving position of a four-wheel drive, but it doesn’t have to be four-wheel

Paul Noone wants to buy an SUV for about $20,000. He is tossing up between a 2008 Toyota Kluger and a Ford Territory, but he's wondering whether it's also worth looking at the 2008-09 Jeep Cherokee. NEW Jeep is the most famous name in off-road vehicles. Jeeps won a reputation for toughness and their ability to go

Samuel Cass is shopping for his first car and has his eye on a 2006 Holden Commodore Omega V6. It's priced at $6500 and has done 167,000 km. He wants to know if that is too many, and he also wants to know about any problems that have afflicted this model. NEW The VE was Holden's first $1 billion program, with nearly

Daryl Eaves bought a 2009 Ford Focus petrol manual as a second car, but is disappointed with its fuel consumption, which averages 11 L/100 km. He says that it's mostly used on short trips and asks if the poor economy warrants further investigation or should he simply lower his expectations. NEW Sales of mid-sized cars

Carsguide reader Ramon Cruz is intending to test drive a 2003 BMW X5 4.4i, which has done 180,000 km, and asks if we could advise him of what he should look for with this model? New The surging popularity of SUVs made it inevitable that every carmaker would join in, even carmakers like BMW that are noted more for

Robert Gray is considering buying a 2001 Mercedes-Benz C200. It is a one owner car that's done 77,000 km, it has the service manuals, and the asking price is $13,000. He wants to know how they compare for economy and parts cost of other cars? NEW The move by Mercedes-Benz into the medium market was designed to spread

Jackson Rowe is considering buying a two to three-year-old Nissan X-Trail. It would be the family's regular day-to-day car, but he also wants it to tow a medium-sized 'tinnie' and a small trailer of wood out of the bush. He asks if the X-Trail was up to it, and he's also concerned about reports of troubles with the