Articles by Graham Smith

Graham Smith
Contributing Journalist

With a passion for cars dating back to his childhood and having a qualification in mechanical engineering, Graham couldn’t believe his good fortune when he was offered a job in the Engineering Department at General Motors-Holden’s in the late-1960s when the Kingswood was king and Toyota was an upstart newcomer. It was a dream come true.

Over the next 20 years Graham worked in a range of test and development roles within GMH’s Experimental Engineering Department, at the Lang Lang Proving Ground, and the Engine Development Group where he predominantly worked on the six-cylinder and V8 engines.

If working for Holden wasn’t exciting enough he also spent two years studying General Motors Institute in America, with work stints with the Chassis Engineering section at Pontiac, and later took up the post of Holden’s liaison engineer at Opel in Germany.

But the lure of working in the media saw him become a fulltime motorsport reporter and photographer in the late-1980s following the Grand Prix trail around the world and covering major world motor racing events from bases first in Germany and then London.

After returning home to Australia in the late-1980s Graham worked on numerous motoring magazines and newspapers writing about new and used cars, and issues concerning car owners. These days, Graham is CarsGuide's longest standing contributor.

Used Honda Accord review: 2008 - 2013
By Graham Smith · 04 Nov 2016
Graham Smith reviews the 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 Honda Accord as a used buy. It's one of Honda's most reliable and classy sedans and it has plenty of fans New They carried the same Accord badge, but the cars, one simply called the Accord, the other the Euro, were quite different. The Euro was mid-sized
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Used Toyota Kluger review: 2007-2013
By Graham Smith · 28 Oct 2016
A reputation for build quality and reliability keeps the Kluger at the soft-roader summit New As the long-reigning king of the off-roaders with its LandCruiser, it was only natural that Toyota should also be a leader when the new breed of soft-roaders hit the market. Even if portrayed as vehicles for all climes and
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Used Nissan Pulsar review: 2013-2014
By Graham Smith · 21 Oct 2016
Graham Smith reviews the 2013 and 2014 Nissan Pulsar as a used buy. Recalls apart, the roomy, reliable Pulsar keeps pleasing owners. New Fancy a new car but can't afford it? Perhaps you don't want to cop the depreciation, which starts the moment you drive away from the dealer. The answer for you is a near-new car, one
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Used Skoda Octavia review: 2009-2012
By Graham Smith · 14 Oct 2016
Graham Smith reviews the 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 Skoda Octavia as a used buy. Under the plain packaging, Skoda's mid-sizer delivered affordable European motoring. New The Octavia was the flag bearer for Skoda when the Czech brand was relaunched here in 2007 after a lengthy absence. By then, the Skoda badge was part
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What the Australian Fords mean to us
By Malcolm Flynn · 07 Oct 2016
After 91 years and more than six million vehicles produced, there would be few of us that haven’t been touched by the Aussie Fords.
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Used Alfa Romeo Mito review: 2009-2015
By Graham Smith · 23 Sep 2016
Graham Smith reviews the 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 Alfa Romeo Mito as a used buy.
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Used Jeep Grand Cherokee review: 2011-2014
By Graham Smith · 16 Sep 2016
Graham Smith road tests and reviews the 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee as a used buy. New The Jeep’s distinctive grille, dating back to WWII, is hard to ignore. One of the most popular models to sport the seven-bar grille on our roads was the big, attractively styled WK Grand Cherokee launched here in
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Used Renault Koleos review: 2008-2014
By Graham Smith · 09 Sep 2016
Graham Smith reviews the 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 Renault Koleos as a used buy. The French brand’s wagon came from an alliance with Nissan. New The Koleos came from the alliance between Renault and Nissan. It was based on Nissan’s renowned all-wheel drive X-Trail platform, although with its
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Used Peugeot 207 review: 2007-2012
By Graham Smith · 02 Sep 2016
Graham Smith reviews the 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 Peugeot 207 as a used buy. Compact outside and spacious inside, the Peugeot had the angles covered for engine options and body styles. New Thanks to its long-distance rallying successes in the 1950s Peugeot once enjoyed a great reputation in this land,
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Used Kia Rio review: 2011-2014
By Graham Smith · 26 Aug 2016
Graham Smith reviews the 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 Kia Rio as a used buy.
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