Toyota Tarago 2006 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.’’ 

That confession has killed forever any vague claim to being "in". People movers aren't supposed to be a must-have item for yummy mummies yearning for slimmed-down shapes and sex appeal.But when you're more soccer mum than yummy mum, you want space, LOTS of added features and ... did I say space?Soccer mums are supposed to worry about these practical things, and just accept that mud, scrapes and spilt juice are a fact of life of the family car.But people movers for a while have included all the gadgets that make our modern cars virtual moving entertainment units, and Toyota's put a fair bit of work into the Tarago's look.They've put in sleek lines with a swooping nose and curvy rear, and the interior provides more options than a sandwich bar. When you want to check out gizmos in a family car, you might as well bring the family. So we let them loose and before long they found a middle line of seats that slide forward or back; rear seats for one, or two, or three. Or they can flip forward to give more storage for must-have family items, like bikes.As a one-time owner of the previous-shape Tarago, I still prefer the older model's feature of the rear seats folding flat then up to the side – opening up plenty of floor space.However, we did find a couple of extra handy storage spots, even under the rear floor. And no matter which seat you're in, Tarago has provided plenty of cup holders, storage spaces and safety-conscious airbags. Our gadget-mad mob quickly discovered drink holders in every row, and storage pockets all over the place, including a small flip-lid for the driver – somewhere to put the phone out of temptation's reach.Tarago used to be the sexier model of the people-mover offerings and was pretty much priced to match.Experts tell me that other "buses" handle better, have more power or give better fuel economy. This could be true, but I just can't help it – I'm a girl who loves a Tarago.My childless friends raise their eyebrows and think I'm slightly unhinged for talking affectionately about a people mover.My friends with children nod knowingly.LOVE IT LEAVE ITToyota Tarago GLi 2.4lPrice: $48,990LOVE ITPlenty of handy storage spots; all that space; sleek styling; great safety features.LEAVE ITThe speedometer in the middle and high up on the dash – that angle keeps me craning to check I wasn't going to get a ticket; flip forward rear seats.