Toyota Tarago 2005 News

Jimmy Iskandar, from Casula, has been ordered to pay $31,762 by Parramatta Local Court for odometer tampering and other offences. The cars were bought from licensed car dealers, private sellers and auction houses, and were tampered with as follows:• On 12 February 2010, Iskandar purchased a 2004 Mercedes-Benz E320 sedan for $30,000. The odometer reading at the time of purchase was 210,000 kilometres. He subsequently sold the car with the odometer reading showing at 91,000 kilometres.• On 15 February 2010, Iskandar purchased a 2006 Toyota Aurion AT-X sedan for $16,990. The odometer reading at the time of purchase was 191,244 kilometres. On 29 March 2010, he sold the motor vehicle to Rana Motors Pty Ltd with the odometer reading 149,520 kilometres.• On 19 August 2010, Iskandar purchased a 2006 Toyota Camry Altise sedan for $6,000. The odometer read 152,153 kilometres but on 27 January 2011, he sold car privately with an odometer reading of 88,580 kilometres.• On 29 August 2010, Iskandar purchased a 2006 Toyota Camry Altise sedan, with an odometer reading of 170,000 kilometres, for $8,000. The same day he sold the motor vehicle to Rana Motors Pty Ltd with an odometer reading of 55,723 kilometres.• On 9 November 2010, Iskandar purchased a 2008 Toyota Camry Altise sedan from Hertz Australia Pty Ltd for $14,000 with an odometer reading of 68,826 kilometres. At the time of the sale in January 2011, the odometer reading was at 35,059 kilometres.• On 5 January 2011, Iskandar purchased a 2007 Toyota Camry Altise sedan for $9,000. The odometer at the time of purchase was 149,750 kilometres but when sold, the odometer had been wound back by more than 100,000 kilometres.• On 15 February 2011, Iskandar purchased a 2006 Toyota Camry Altise sedan from Rana Motors Pty Ltd for $8,000 with an odometer reading of 121,429 kilometres. Two months later he sold the car for double the price with an odometer reading of 46,118 kilometres.• On 14 April 2011, Iskandar purchased a 2007 Toyota Aurion Sportivo sedan with an odometer reading of 155,709 kilometres. On 9 August 2011, he sold the car with a reading of 55,944 kilometres.• On 13 May 2011, Iskandar purchased a 2007 Toyota Aurion Prodigy sedan from Highway Car Sales for $14,000. The odometer reading at the time of purchase was 140,105 kilometres. Four months later he sold the car for $15,000, using his business card with an expired wholesalers’ licence number. The odometer had been wound back by over 90,000 kilometres.• On 9 August 2011, Iskandar purchased a 2005 Toyota Tarago GLi van for $11,000 with an odometer reading of 177,623 kilometres. Two months later he sold the van for $20,000 with an odometer reading of more than half the figure.• On 18 September 2011, Iskandar purchased a 1997 Toyota Tarago GLi van for $4,000 and sold it two months later for $4,500. The odometer discrepancy was more than 48,000 kilometres.• On 17 December 2011, Iskandar purchased a 2005 Toyota Tarago GLi van. The following month he sold the van for $1,500 more to a church group, with the odometer reading reduced by almost 60 per cent.• On 15 February 2012, Iskandar purchased a 2007 Toyota Camry Ateva sedan for $10,000 with an odometer reading of 153,148 kilometres. He subsequently advertised the sedan for $15,500 with an odometer reading of 59,000 kilometres.Fair Trading Commissioner Rod Stowe said it was fortunate for Mr Iskandar that such offences do not attract a prison sentence.“While Mr Iskandar pleaded guilty in court, unfortunately he did not make the same admissions to his hapless clients and he stood to make a significant amount of money from his duplicity in the process,” he said. “Odometer tampering is a serious offence and poses a significant detriment to the consumer.’’ 

These are two recommendations University of Queensland researcher Bronwyn Griffin expects to flow from her study into the incidents which is to be handed to Parliament by July next year.  She was speaking yesterday (FRIDAY MAY 21) at a demonstration of vehicle rear blinds spots held on the forecourt of Suncorp Stadium as part of an awareness campaign for national Fatality Free Friday (FFF) next Friday."Nothing replaces parental vigilance," Griffin said pointing out that in Queensland 196 children were seriously injured in low-speed accidents and 18 killed in the past five years.  "Queensland has the highest death rate in the nation probably because we have a higher proportion of four-wheel drives," she said."However, technology such as rearview cameras can't be trusted completely. It's a great aid, but it doesn't eliminate the problem. Also, it's not affordable to all families."  However, FFF founder Russell White said it was wrong to pigeonhole all four-wheel drives as a problem and pointed out with his demonstration that a Commodore sedan with a boot-mounted spoiler has a blind spot 15m long compared with 3.6m for a Land Rover Discovery.The demonstration also included a Holden Barina with a 6m blind spot and a Toyota Tarago with 10.1m.  "I would have expected the 4WD to be the worst, but you can't pigeonhole them as all the same," he said."Some of our sedans are a bigger problem. It depends more on the design of the vehicle rather than the type.  "The Disco has a big window in the back with a low tailgate while the Commodore has a high boot and a spoiler."Rear architecture of the vehicle clearly plays a huge role in visibility and we need to ask manufacturers if they ever take this into account."  While 4WD vehicles were involved in 10 of the 18 fatalities, passenger cars accounted for most accidents causing major injuries and 84 per cent of vehicles involved in low-speed run-over incidents were passenger vehicles.Griffin said most of these accidents happened in home driveways.  "Unfortunately most often it's the mum or dad that is driving," she said.  "With the decreasing size of homes these days the driveaway is an attractive place for children to play, but it's not a safe place."She recommended parents walk around their car before getting in, supervise and remove children in the area and separate their driveway with a physical barrier form the rest of the yard.White also suggested drivers should learn to adjust their rearview mirrors for better vision.  "But even with the mirrors correctly adjusted every vehicle will have a blind spot and we need to be aware of the size of that even in a small sedan," he said.  Drivers who wish to take part in Fatality Free Friday can register their interest online at www.fatalityfreefriday.com

Sales soared and Toyota went all the way with a chisel-nosed Tarago that was the class act of the field.Every big brand had some sort of people mover for drivers with more than four in the family. Some called them, unkindly, Catholic vans.But they were mostly just converted delivery vans with three rows of seats, built to a price and with little concern for safety, comfort or equipment. A head-on crash meant the driver's legs would be first on the scene.People movers have never really recovered from the backlash against those evil originals, and the rise and rise of four-wheel-drives has also made life tough.Some people just don't want to be seen in a boring, boxy people mover, even if the newest of the breed are morphing into crossover cars that do more with less.The latest Mitsubishi Grandis and the Honda Odyssey point to the future. They're shorter and smoother but still pack lots of positions and choices into the cabin.They could spark a revival, particularly if petrol prices put real pressure on hulking seven-seat four-wheel-drives, but the current sales figures don't suggest that will happen soon.Kia sold 461 of its class-leading Carnivals in July to take its year-to-date total to 3199, but that was nearly half the total number of people movers, only 8579 going on to Australian roads in the first seven months. In contrast, big sixes totalled 103,677.People movers still fill a role, particularly if you really need to carry a lot of people for more than a sprint to the shops.Most carry seven in reasonable comfort. Among the official people movers, only the Volkswagen Kombi is rated as a nine-seater. The pricey Toyota Tarago and VW Caravelle seat eight.Still, people movers have come a long way on safety, comfort, refinement and equipment, and the benchmark Honda Odyssey is set for a huge sales rise very soon.A PEOPLE mover is no longer a box on wheels, nor is it an embarrassment to its occupants.The new Ford Territory is hot, and happily carries seven people if fitted with the rear seat. A Holden Crewman combines work-and-play duties, and the Toyota Kluger is a seven-seat family van disguised as an all-wheel-drive.Families want a vehicle that sits between traditional passenger car and hulking bush basher, and carmakers are rushing to fill the void.In coming years we can expect a rush of crossover vehicles that will blur the lines between traditional market segments.The Territory is already doing the job of an old-fashioned Falcon, albeit one dressed up in a macho body with a high-rider seating position, a classy finish and plenty of equipment and versatility. Luggage space is tight with the third row of seats up, and access to those seats could be easier, but it is a winner with families.The Crewman, the Cross8 in particular, is aimed at part-time parents who want family wheels with a bit of excitement. The upright back seat isn't all that comfortable, but the person making the buying decision – and using a Crewman for work – will be sitting up front.1. Honda OdysseyLowdown: Attractive body and Honda quality boosted by a top-value price.Verdict: The smooth new Honda shows how people movers should be done.Plus: Refined, classy, good looking.Minus: Not a huge amount of space.Rating: 18/20THE newest member of the Honda family is more quality stuff from the company that gave us the pace-setting Accord Euro. It comes with only seven seats, but that's no real handicap because the 2.4-litre engine has 118kW of power and impressive response. Letdowns are suspension that thumps over bumps, child-seat anchor points in the ceiling block the rear view, and loss of the V6. But to cap the action and really rattle its rivals, prices open at $38,790 and the fully loaded luxury model is $45,290.2. Chrysler VoyagerLowdown: The incredible hulk of the people-mover class is the one to buy if you have a big family and equally large budget.Verdict: An American "minivan" that's great for heavyweight hauling.Plus: Roomy and versatile, with V6 power.Minus: Costly, and not the best right-hand-drive conversion.Rating: 17/20THE American carmaker says this is the Rolls-Royce of people movers. There's space for seven with innovative roll-out rear seats and armrests in the front. The 3.3-litre V6 is punchy, if a little thirsty. Also available in a long-wheelbase model and all-wheel-drive. Prices start at $53,490 (SE model), step up to $59,090 for the long-wheelbase machine and go all the way to $78,590 for the fully loaded four-wheel-drive.3. Holden ZafiraLowdown: The innovative Holden was developed in Europe for three-row family work and Opel's original has been smartly tweaked for Australian sales.Verdict: Not the biggest of the bunch, but a good drive for smaller families.Plus: A good drive with impressive quality.Minus: Poor space in the tail, second-row bench has to slide forward for access to back seats.Rating: 16/20THE Zafira is close in concept to the now-dead Mitsubishi Nimbus, with a compact body that has Tardis-style third-row seating. It has excellent suspension tuning and good punch from its 2.2-litre four. The price is pretty nice, too, at $32,890, and the TV commercial with a youngster sketching on a baby is one of our favourites.MITSUBISHI GRANDISRating: 16/20Price: $43,990Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinderSMOOTH lines, nicely built and well equipped, but hit hard when the Odyssey arrived. Definitely worth a look for those dollars.MAZDA MPVRating: 15/20Price: $50,665Engine: 3.0-litre V6THE multi-purpose vehicle has been left behind by the zoom-zoom models in the Mazda family. Quality is impressive and it drives nicely, but few people seem to want a Mazda people mover.TOYOTA AVENSISRating: 15/20Price: $43,100Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinderNICE to drive with good access for kids in back, but minimal luggage space with third row up. Too costly for what it is, and shows Toyota doesn't really care about people movers in 2004.TOYOTA TARAGORating: 15/20Price: from $52,460Engine: 2.4-litre fourTHE faded former champion. Still has a great name. Desperately needs a V6 engine to justify prices that go up to $72,620.VOLKSWAGEN CARAVELLERating: 15/20Price: From $59,990Engine: 2.8-litre V6BOTH Volkswagens are in a run-out situation, with no turbodiesels left. The new turbodiesel T5 could be the pick for long-distance families.HYUNDAI TRAJETRating: 15/20Price: From $32,990Engine: 2.7-litre V6ONE of the newer models in the Hyundai family, and punchy with its V6 motivation. The price is good but it shapes as a big-box deal for people who are more worried about practicality than quality.VOLKSWAGEN KOMBIRating: 14/20Price: $39,990Engine: 2.5-litre four cylinderTHE Kombi has a great name and drives better than you'd expect, with austere but quality finishing. Not as flashy as some.KIA CARNIVALRating: 14/20Price: $29,990Engine: 2.5-litre V6THE easy sales leader but doing it on value. Is much like its Hyundai twin but with a little more equipment and a price that makes it a real winner.MERCEDES-BENZ VITOArriving early next yearPrice: TBAEngines: TBATHE Vito people mover will be available in two models, with the upmarket version getting leather seats and all the fruit. Worth a look.