Best SUV with a Split Tailgate?
Hi John,
I am looking for a split-tailgate mid size car, AWD or 4WD. Needs four doors, diesel preferred but petrol OK. I had a 1998 Sport range rover which was perfect (perhaps a little bigger than I needed) but wanted something newer (no more than 5 years old) and cheaper to run and service. Needs to tow a standard trailer or surf boat.
Thank you,
Kristina
Should I be Worried About My Daughter's Volkswagen Golf?
QUESTION
Hello John,
I heard you on 2UE talking about a lady that had her Golf off the road for 14 weeks and having a dispute with VW Aust and her insurance company. Just wondering what has happened as I bought my daughter a VW Golf 2011 TSI and it is now being taken to VW Group for 1 month to try and fix a problem re fuel injectors...they think??? and will also fix the gearbox re: the recall.
Do you think that there maybe a connection with the two cars? Would appreciate our opinion.
Enjoy your show on 2UE at the weekends......and Gazza.
Kind regards,
Victoria
ANSWER
The Honda Accord, or the Mercedes-Benz CLA 200?
QUESTION
In August we sent you an email asking your opinion on the new VTiL Honda and you very kindly phoned my husband to discuss this along with some other options.
We still haven't made a decision re the choice of new car but yesterday had a look at the new Mercedes-Benz CLA 200. A report in Saturday's Daily Telegraph was most complimentary and we like the look of it.
Have you had a chance to drive one John and if so what is your opinion?
Robin and Dianne
ANSWER
Dealer Delivery Rip-off
Dealer delivvery charge: $2k to deliver a car worth less than $40k? You've got to be kidding me - that's a thinly masked rip-off. Here's how to avoid it.
Three Car Dealer Rip-offs to Avoid
You're buying a new car. It's an endurance event. Towards the pointy end of the deal, three of the most useless offers will be made to you - guaranteed. It's got me stuffed how they can do this to you with a straight face ... and expect you to come back and purchase a car next time. The three rip-off offers (which are tidy little earners for the dealership) are:
Zero Per Cent Car Finance Trap
Interest rates are at record lows, and new car marketing campaigns centred on zero per cent finance have arisen. It’s an effective selling tool, but if your IQ is in fact greater than the room temperature there’s something decidedly wonky about zero per cent finance. Here’s why.
Local Car Makers Face Oblivion
The Australian car industry is racing to oblivion
Making cars in Australia has gone steadily downhill since about 1970, although recently the pace of that decline has accelerated.
See also Why Holden Should Hang its Head in Shame.
Incredibly, in 1970, we managed to make 475,000 cars Down Under. During that decade, Australia produced a broad range of cars including Minis, Leylands, Valiants, Chryslers, Nissans, Renaults, and Volkswagens … as well as Fords, Holdens and Toyotas.
Fast Forward to 2011: Just 224,000 cars...
Why Holden Should Hang its Head in Shame
Too much sucking on the taxpayer teat; not nearly enough viability, sales or job security. Here's the backstory
Holden should hang its head in shame. Stevie Wonder could see that this mob is preparing an Australian exit strategy, and yet it keeps begging for more public funding. Even this week, Holden has the gall, the arrogance, the extreme corporate hubris to do so within just a few days of sacking another 100 Australian workers.
FBT POLICY: Governmental Golden Goose
OPEN STATEMENT TO KEVIN RUDD & CHRIS BOWEN
Gentlemen, your car industry policy is a betrayal of the national interest. It's policy as PR, selectively enacted to re-elect Kevin Rudd. Your decision to eliminate the 20 per cent FBT concession on new car purchases, in the absence of any industry consultation, has had two immediate effects. First, you have effectively terminated the jobs of 300 voters employed in the salary packaging car finance sector. You gave this industry and these people no time whatsoever to prepare for the dramatic change you’ve foisted upon them.
Kevin Rudd FBT New Car Fiasco
Kevin Rudd (a.k.a. Tantrum Man) has hurled a major speed hump in front of the car industry – and it’s a big problem for you if you use salary sacrifice to help pay for your car.
For 27 years now we’ve had ‘salary sacrifice’ concessions. Tax-efficient car ownership. Ongoing stimulus for the car industry. This week, think again. Salary sacrifices, novated leases - they’ve basically just been taken out the back and executed, North Korean-style.
Holden Handouts Get Ridiculous
Queensland farmers' concessional loans are being described as a "hand up, not a handout". Whereas, at Fisherman's Bend in Victoria, where Holden's head office is based, handouts with no strings attached from Federal and state governments, are just a regular day in the office. Business as usual.Holden's not actually in the business of making cars any more. It's in the business of hosting subsidised 'jobs'. The cars are just an unfortunate cost of doing business.
Enough's enough - it's time to break this welfare dependency cycle. There's no way Holden's manufacturing operation can survive.
Holden's Latest Cash Grab
The Australian newspaper is today reporting that Holden is 'playing double or nothing' with the Federal Government - demanding an additional $265 million on top of the $275 million in taxpayer funding already pledged.
How to Buy a Car at Auction
In the market for a late-model used car? Bypass the retailer, and buy from the wholesaler. The discounts are huge. In this report I take you inside a public car auction, and we track the cars all the way to used car dealerships. Find out how much money you can save, by bypassing the dealer and going straight to the source.
Volkswagen Australia Defective DSG Recall Fiasco
How Volkswagen Australia and its dealer network mis-managed public safety, destroyed brand loyalty and trust, and eroded public confidence in its cars and in its underlying corporate culture.
This is basically a textbook 'how not to' course in corporate mis-behaviour and demonstrates how little empathy exists within many corporate cultures.
One death, hundreds of outraged customers, thousands of potentially defective cars with lame duck DSG transmissions - all stonewalled by corporate denial.
Australian Motor Show RIP
Two kinds of people go to motor shows: car perves and actual buyers. Shazza and Dazza climbing through a C 63 AMG might view the experience as somewhat more entertaining than a visit to Centrelink but they don’t really constitute an asset as far as the car company exhibitor is concerned
Is a Hybrid Car Economically Rational?
If you’re in the market for a 'green' car, is hybrid the way to go? Does the fuel you save from driving a hybrid save you money, or just cut your emissions? Let's find out...
Common Car Dealer Tricks & Traps
Negotiating with a car dealer is like swimming with sharks. The dealer will do anything to get that signature on a contract and a deposit paid. He wants to wrap you up, right now, and he has a sophisticated armada of lies and half-truths at his disposal to get you across the line
Is the price right?
Never take the dealer's word that the price he's offering is a great deal - he doesn't want to offer you a good deal because that would mean a bad deal for him. The dealer has a considerable array or resources deployed against you
Depreciation Distasters ... and how to sidestep them
If the purchase price is too high, or the resale is too low, the funding gap – paid by you – is excessive. Sadly, people often get the purchase right, but they forget all about depreciation. It’s no good saving $10,000 up front if you lose $15,000 more to depreciation
Negotiate smart: Separate your transactions
When you’re buying a new car, you're usually conducting three simultaneous financial transactions: Buying the new car, selling the old car and purchasing the finance. Dealers love this, because it makes them rich. You need to checkmate them on this.