Buyer Guide

Diesel has changed; it's gone mainstream and spread its oily little wings into many corners of the car market.

I'm looking at buying a 1985 Toyota Crown Royal, but I don't know much about them. I'm wondering where I could find out more about Crowns, i.e. what problems to look out for etc. so I'm not buying a lemon.

 

What would you expect to pay for 2001 VX2 HSV R8 Clubby 180,000 km, auto, and original with books?

I have a family of five and my children are tall. I want to buy a two or three-year-old SUV or bigger car to fit seven people, as we occasionally have extra people to take with us. I need a car that has room for tall adults in all seats including the back. Any suggestions? Most SUVs have seats in the back for small children. I am thinking that the Pajero or Prado may be the best? All of the recommended popular SUVs do not fit my children in the back row! I am also thinking of looking at the Tarago as it is a smaller van, but I am hesitant to get a bigger van.

Unfortunately, the easiest way to do things is often the most expensive, and that's certainly the case when it comes to buying a car.

I'm considering buying a 2019 Hyundai Kona electric car and wonder if there is a buyers guide or a discussion on what a buyer should consider when buying an electric car for the first time?

I'm looking to buy a 2004 HSV Clubsport SE 5.7. The seller wants $14,400 ONO, it’s got 180,000 km on the clock, and the service books are up to date. What issues should I be looking out for? The car I am viewing is very clean inside and out, drives good, steers good, but I’m unsure if the price is about right. Any info would be much appreciated.

I've seen a few BMW X6's under $30,000, which has piqued my interest in one. Compared to the X5, RR Sport and Touareg's pricewise they seem cheap. Would they be fine to buy one now with 150,000 km on the clock for another 150,000 km motoring with usual maintenance? Or should I look for another soft roader?

We’ve all heard the term fuel-efficient bandied about and although it’s a very common term when talking about cars, what exactly does it mean? At the very basic level, fuel-efficiency refers to the distance you can travel on a amount of fuel. Let’s break it down. Even with a one-litre difference in fuel efficiency, the owner of Car B will need another 147 litres of fuel and spend an extra $183.75 than the owner of Car A. All that from an extra one-litre per 100km. What qualifies as fuel efficient, then? Anything that is listed as less than 6-litres/100km or more than 16.5km/1-litre is considered to be pretty good. Fuel efficiency measurements  The first (and most common) reference is litres per 100km (litres/100km). This is how many litres of fuel the car needs in order to travel 100km. You’ll often see it referred to as ‘fuel economy’. Rule of thumb on this one: the lower the number of litres stated, the better the fuel economy. Not as frequently used in Australia, kilometres per litre (km/1-litre) is another way to look at a car’s fuel consumption. In this instance, the higher the number of kilometres travelled the more fuel-efficient. Petrol vs diesel? Petrol is the most widely-used fuel in Australia, however diesel is becoming more popular. In the last 10 years, diesel sales have almost doubled and the idea that diesel is reserved for dirty, smelly trucks has long gone. Generally speaking, diesel engines are more fuel efficient than petrol engines. They use compression ignition (instead of spark plugs), which results in a more efficient fuel-burn. This requires a more high-tech engine design, which is one of the reasons why diesel cars cost more than petrol. Modern diesel engines are often turbocharged and have a lot of pulling power (also known as torque). It can shift through gears more quickly than a petrol engine and runs at lower revs per minute. All of this means it uses less fuel at each stage than an equivalent petrol engine would. What about LPG? LPG presents many benefits, but strictly speaking, fuel economy is not one of them. In terms of cost, you’re getting a more economical deal with LPG but fuel consumption after an LPG conversion can increase by up to 40 per cent, so you’ll be filling up more often. However, LPG can be up to 60 per cent cheaper than petrol, litre for litre. So the consumption increase is more than covered by the cost savings.

April’s cooling weather may be the perfect time to take to the road in a new vehicle made for the long-haul holiday. There is a fresh crop of SUVs on the market and with it, a few great deals to sweeten the purchase. Here’s some deals to help you get out and explore.