Used Car Reviews

Gary Cooper is very happy with his 2012 Eos 155 TSI auto. It is well finished and comfortable, and he likes the roof and the fact that it has a back seat, even though there isn't a lot of room for anyone sitting in the rear. He is happy with the 6.0 L/100 km he gets on the highway, although having to use Premium

Ewan Kennedy road tests and reviews the used 1989-2014 Mazda MX-5.

Don Bate bought his 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe SLX diesel manual in 2011 when it had done 25,000 km. It has now done 72,000 km, 30,000 of which have been towing his 1750 kg caravan. He says the Santa Fe is a superb towing vehicle. It gets 7.2 L/100 km around town and 10.5 L/100 km towing on the highway. The clutch had to

Not a lot of new Ford Falcons are sold these days, so there's a shortage of late models on the used-car scene, but certainly no lack of offering built prior to 2010. For many years Falcon was a huge seller in Australia as the car suits the needs of many local buyers, particularly those in country areas. Built tough for Australia may sound a bit corny, but Falcon certainly answers to that description.Falcons have seating for five occupants, though four works better if they are all adults because the transmission tunnel takes up a lot of footroom in the centre-rear position. Legroom and headroom are ample for all but the largest adults in the remaining four seats. Comfort is very good and passengers can step out of a Falcon after a trip of hundreds of kilometres still feeling fresh and relaxed.The boot in the sedan is relatively shallow, but it's easy to load thanks to a good-sized opening. From the BA Falcon model onwards things are better, though the boot's still on the shallow side.Falcon station wagons are great load carriers as they are built on a longer wheelbase than the sedan so they have a long, wide, practical cargo area. The rear end of the BA is virtually identical to that of the older AU. Ford chose not to do an FG variant of the wagon. Instead, it created a Series III BF model to sell alongside the FG sedans. It wasn't a success, as SUVs were starting to make inroad in the wagon market, so it was discontinued in 2010.Handling is surprisingly good for a car of this size and mass. You wouldn't call it agile, but Falcons hold on when cornering at speeds far above those likely to be attempted by most drivers.Ford's six-cylinder engines all have a capacity of 4.0 litres but come in several formats, including one with a turbocharger. An interesting variant on the six-cylinder is a dedicated LPG engine. Very common in taxis, but less so in private cars (except in Victoria) this engine is all but indistinguishable from a petrol unit to drive. The LPG engine is thirstier than the petrol so fuel range suffers.The BA Falcon's six-cylinder engine is noticeably smoother and offers even better performance than the units it superseded. Ford fitted a 5.0-litre V8 to the AU, but it didn't have a lot more performance than the six-cylinder units and was on the thirsty side. Much better were the BA bent eights. There was a choice of two - both with a capacity of 5.4 litres. One has a single-cam cylinder head, the other a twin-cam setup.The EcoBoost Falcon has what many say is the best non-V8 engine of them all. It provides excellent performance and nimble handling, due to the lighter weight of the smaller engine. Buyers in this market segment can be on the conservative side and they stayed away from the EcoBoost in droves, so you can pick up a real bargain as a used-car.Automatics were all four-speed units until the launch of the BF, when a sophisticated six-speed ZF unit was installed. The ZF was originally only fitted in the topline variants. With the introduction of the FG range all received the six-speed auto, with the exception of the LPG powered models, which held onto the four-speed auto until the launch of the new-design LPG model in July 2011, when it received the six-speed.These are very simple cars to work on, with plenty of underbonnet and undercar spaceManual gearboxes are rare and probably best avoided in all but the sporting XR6 and XR8 because they can affect resale value. The manual was a five-speed until the BF series, when a six-speed was installed.Prices for spare parts, servicing and repairs are very reasonable and there are Ford dealers just about everywhere in Australia. Most spare parts for the Falcons covered here are readily available, although a few bits on some older cars may have to come from a wrecker.These are very simple cars to work on, with plenty of underbonnet and undercar space. We recommend having a workshop manual at your elbow before starting the work. Insurance prices are generally very reasonable and premiums for the everyday models are invariably at the lower end of the scale. It will generally cost more to cover a V8 Falcon than a straight-six, and more expensive for a turbo six.WHAT TO LOOK FORMany thousands of used Falcons will have been taxis at some time in their life. Be wary of one running on dedicated LPG; while these are quite common in Victoria, they are rare anywhere else in Australia. Signs of an ex-taxi are vinyl, rather than cloth, upholstery, severe wear both inside and out, holes where signs and a taximeter have been removed, and possibly a paint respray.Engine wear is indicated by a reluctance to start and smoke from the exhaust and/or the oil filler cap when the engine is revved after it has been idling for more than about a minute. Four-speed automatics can cause problems on hard-driven cars, especially if they have done a lot of work. Check they change gears cleanly and don't hunt up and down through the ratios.Be suspicious of any automatic that's slow at going into gear from Neutral or Park. Listen for a whining differential when driving at around 60 to 90km/h. Check the cabin for damage caused by bored kids. In station wagons have a good look at the load area for signs of commercial use.Rust is more unusual in these newer Falcons than old ones. If you do find rust the Falcon may have been poorly repaired after a crash.CAR BUYING TIPBig old used cars that have been looked after properly and driven correctly can be picked up for pretty low prices these days. Don't forget to have a professional inspection, though.

Judy Omerod has done 90,000 km in her 2006 Accord Euro and says it has been brilliant. It has never given her any trouble; it runs smoothly, accelerates quickly and is easy to manoeuvre in tight spots, and averages 8.6 L/100 km. Robert and Helen Palmer love their 2005 Accord. It is good to drive, comfortable, great

Ewan Kennedy road tests and reviews the used 2004-2014 BMW 1 Series.

Peter Huntington is more than happy with his 2009 Renault Koleos 6-speed auto diesel. He says the gear changes are seamless, the ride and handling is superb, and it returns around 8L/100km around the city and even less on country trips. His only quibble is the cost of engine oil and filters, which he says are expensive.Alan Sharp was looking for the flexibility of a wagon when he bought his two-wheel drive CVT Koleos in 2012 and he is happy with his decision. He says it is a pleasure to drive, is comfortable, has adequate performance, and there has been no problems to date. His only criticism is that it can be a tight squeeze with the rear seats occupied plus luggage.Superb is the word Bruce Barber uses to describe his 2009 Dynamique 4WD with the petrol engine and CVT transmission. It is smooth, quiet, comfortable, and powerful. It has done 65,000km and has been trouble-free. Brake pads were replaced at 50,000 km, and the original tyres were replaced at 60,000.Before his 2011 Koleos Expression CVT Bob Brown owned a Renault Scenic, which was unreliable and expensive to service. The Koleos, on the other hand, has done 90,000km and there have been no problem at all, and on top of that he's found the servicing costs to be much more reasonable. He adds that it's comfortable, has great storage, the folding seats allow great flexibility, and he gets 8.5L/100km.Norm Hill has done 65,000 km in his two-wheel drive 2011 Dynamique with great pleasure. The 2.5-litre motor pulls well and he likes the CVT transmission. His average fuel consumption is 9.5L/100km from a mix of city and country driving. To date there have been no problems with it, the tyres were replaced at 52,000km, but it's still on the same set of brake linings. He also loves the vast array of features it has, particularly the very practical two-piece tailgate.NEWThe Koleos was a product of the alliance between Renault and Nissan and made use of much of the all-wheel drive hardware available in the Nissan parts store.It was based on the Nissan X-Trail and used the same all-mode 4x4 running gear from the X-Trail.With its fresh, attractive looks there was little hint that the five-seater Koleos was a close corporate cousin of the conservative X-Trail.Renault introduced the Koleos with two levels of trim, the entry level Dynamique and the better-equipped Privilege, with 4x4 and 4x2 petrol and diesel models. The two-wheel drive Expression was added to the range in 2010 when it became the entry-level model.The petrol engine was a 2.5-litre four-cylinder unit producing 126kW at 6000 rpm and 226Nm at 4400 rpm, while the 2.0-litre turbo-diesel was available in two tune variants depending on whether you chose the manual or automatic transmission.When linked to the manual gearbox it put out 127kW and 360Nm, but was detuned for the CVT auto and put out 110kW and 440Nm in that combination.The transmission choices were a six-speed manual gearbox, a six-speed auto, and a CVT continuously variable transmission.Renault cleverly offered the Koleos in two-wheel drive form, in which it was a regular front driver, or four-wheel drive form when it had Nissan's well respected all-wheel drive 4x4-i system.With the 4x4 system the Koleos could be driven in two-wheel drive mode, auto or four-wheel drive with the flick of a switch.In auto mode, it ran in front-wheel drive until the system detected wheel slip when it would begin feeding drive to the rear wheels as well. The maximum torque split between front and rear wheels was set at 50 per cent.The cabin was stylish and modern, and quite roomy, although tall occupants would find the rear a little cramped.The fit and finish was generally of a good standard, and the materials used looked and felt of a decent quality. NOWAs can be seen from the feedback we've had from Koleos owners they are more than happy with their cars.None report any issues with them in the time they have been driving them, and they also report good mileage from brakes and tyres.Fuel mileage is also on the money with the claimed figures issued by Renault, which should give prospective owners good confidence of what they too can expect to get.No one has complained about the CVT transmission, or reported any problems with it, which should also give prospective owners some comfort in buying cars with this quirky transmission.As always check for a service record. Regular maintenance is critical to a long and reliable motoring life, so make sure the car you're thinking of buying has seen the inside of a workshop on a regular basis.Although the Koleos isn't a hardcore off-roader some owners could have taken them to the beach or down a bush track, and they're quite capable to doing that. Just make sure they haven't been beaten up in the process.Take a look around the body for dings and dents, check the rear bumper to see if it has ever been ripped off, and get down and peer underneath for damage to the underbody and components under the vehicle.SMITHY SAYSRefined, comfortable, safe and reliable. There is a lot to like about the Koleos.AT A GLANCE SPECSPrice new: $29,990 to $39,990Engine: 2.5-litre 4-cyl, 126 kW/226 Nm; 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo-diesel, 110 kW/320 NmTransmission: 6-speed man, CVT, FWD, 4WDEconomy: 9.5 L/100 km (2.5); 8.3 L/100 km (TD)Body: 4-door wagonVariants: Dynamique, Expression, PrivilegeSafety: 5-star ANCAP 

Ewan Kennedy road tests and reviews the used 1996-2014 Kia Sportage.

Graham Smith road tests and reviews the used Ford Falcon G6E 2011-2012.

The very French Peugeot 307 is stylish machine, though it retains a fair touch of conservatism in its shape to try and make it a timeless design. That has succeeded, the 307 reached us downunder way back in December 2001 and still looks fashionable enough today. The Europeans frequently use Peugeot 307s as family