How to overcome the bitter taste of buying a new lemon
Read article60 more Buying & Ownership articles
Spanning 2026, 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2018, 2017, 2015, 2014, 2013
First job as PM, Bill: rid car industry of overcharging spivs
A royal commission into the car industry is needed as Honda, Fiat and Range Rover continue to fail consumers under Australian Consumer Law.
Read moreIdiot lights, wallet flushes and other tricks of dealerships and car fixers trade
What do you know about the Idiot Light? Gravy Work? The Complete Brake Job? The Wallet Flush? Today we give you some basic rules on how to avoid the tricks.
Read moreCorvette Z06 is the best sports car ever made in the US
I was dropping the yellow Corvette Z06 back to Hertz at Los Angeles airport. The check-in woman said: "Do me a favour, start the engine again." Put a 484kW supercharged 6.2-litre V8 at one end and four big exhaust pipes at the other and the sound scares the kiddies.
Read moreAudi Q7 from Southern Classic Cars spends 13 weeks off the road
Here we go again. You may remember the story of Elvis Boustani and his Audi Q7. On June 1, 2011, Elvis took delivery of what he thought was a new Audi from Wollongong's Southern Classic Cars.
Read moreV12 espresso just the shot
A heathen's guide to present buying for metal maniacs. Given that most of us live on coffee, the magnesium, titanium and aluminium V12 Espresso Veloce — 'the most beautifully-engineered espresso machine in the world' — is a winner at $14,500.
Read moreCar-sale scams: how to avoid buying a lemon
When you are buying a car you're thinking with your heart, not your head. You're already dreaming about you and the object of your affections/lust/wallet cruising up and down Brisbane's hot hipster heaven, La Trobe Terrace in Paddington.
Read moreMelbourne City Lexus does the ES 350 model switcheroo
A funny thing happened on the way to writing this column. It wasn't just that motoring editor Phil King was in the office (the big boss was here, that's probably why).
Read moreEveryday classics for the rest of us
Hundreds of emails of abuse complain I only talk about expensive cars. So today our panel of experts recommends four non-Australian classics under $30,000 — starting with the BMW 2002, the car that saved BMW financially and reputationally.
Read moreAll you wanted to know about Ice Driving and staying in a hotel to escape the Nazis
There's not a lot to do in Mitandersfors in Sweden except drive the 260kw BMW M3 rally car around the ice track sideways, occasionally sticking it into the snow so badly that the truck has to tow you out.
Read moreThe case of the $2440 Hilux key
My old friend Ken Waterford rang me yesterday. Ken and Lynee and their two boys, Wylie and Carl, farm wheat on an 810ha property near Come By Chance (pop: 187 when Ken rang) in northern NSW.
Read morePetrol prices, ethanol and second-hand imports all cost motorists
New year's resolution for all governments, car companies, petrol companies, petrol retailers and other leeches who live off those of us who own cars: get your hands out of our pockets.
Read moreRevhead's guide to gift shopping
I'm tired of Christmas already. So today as promised the Weekend Australian motoring section petrol head gift guide. These are not meant to be gifts for anyone else but you. As Phil King always tells me: 'there is no I in loser'.
Read moreWrap a little red Corvette
Mother's Day gift ideas guaranteed to bring tears to your dear old mother's eyes — from the woman who invented Mother's Day and hated how we commercialised it.
Read moreTank that elevates you with the Riviera's glitterati
Pip pip readers! It's the kiddies' school holidays. Can I suggest you forgo the Pam Pam and head instead to Acturial's garden party in St. Tropez today, featuring Barrichello's racing suit and Schumacher's seat belt.
Read moreWant to fly high? A used jet will drive your dollar further
A few years ago, I told you to buy them but you ignored me. Now they've gone up faster than your babysitter's boy/girl/other friend when you pull into the driveway. Yup, according to the Wall Street Journal, "the value
Read moreSpeed cameras in focus for Magic Pudding fans
You and I are the magic pudding for state and federal governments. No matter how much of the pudding you eat, it keeps coming back as a whole pudding. NSW Roads Minister has commissioned a $156,000 study to ask motorists if they like speed cameras. Speed cameras in focus for Magic Pudding fans.
Read moreCar servicing experiences leave a lot to be desired
Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the dealership. The service manager smelled her now, and the vibrations – erratic and sharp – signalled distress. Car servicing leaves a lot to be desired.
Read moreRunning hot: Beemer image on fire in South Korea
36 BMWs have caught fire in South Korea, plus Monterey Car Week highlights including a 1998 Mercedes-Benz AMG CLK GTR for $6 million.
Read moreLow-level speed fines and road-safety fanfare miss the point
A few weeks ago, five children under 16 were killed when a Nissan Navara ploughed into a tree at Buxton. And what do our governments do? Commission a $156,000 study asking if motorists like speed cameras. Low-level speed fines and road-safety fanfare miss the point entirely.
Read moreFrom fake bestsellers to the trade-in trap: how dealers really make their money
Nobody tells you the truth about buying and selling a car. Here are five things dealers hope you never find out – from the trade-in shell game to why bestsellers aren't always bestsellers.
Read moreRod Sims to rescue as bad airbags threaten many a make
ACCC boss Rod Sims warns 50,000 cars on Australian roads have dangerous Takata Alpha airbags requiring urgent replacement.
Read moreGet a grip: Why change should get you fired up
It's the season to get depressed and angry. People are being killed on our roads and the politicians' answer is more speed cameras making record revenue. New Year's resolutions: teach your kiddies to drive a manual car and fight back against the madness.
Read moreIf it has been in a movie, buy before its driver dies, and save
Marilyn Monroe 1956 Ford Thunderbird sells for $675,000, plus the 1970 Porsche 917K from Le Mans sells for $19 million.
Read moreYou didn't ask, so here it is: Definitive guide to The Five Best Cars To Buy Now
Yes, it's here now. You didn't ask for it and we delivered. Direct from the Kensi Hotel in downtown Stepney, it's the announcement of the five best cars to buy now. The FBCTBN is an international award judged by a panel of two legends in their own lunchtimes.
Read moreFive fabulous funmobiles for your shocking shopping list
Five future classics to buy now: Ford Mustang Bullitt, Holden and Ford V8 utes, Honda S2000, BMW M3 E46, and Porsche 944.
Read moreYou may use the whole road - tell that to the Mack truck
The full Targa Tasmania story: 283 cars, 566 drivers, 400km of subsonic travel, a Lamborghini in a cow paddock, and a Mack truck on the wrong side.
Read moreJag a D type deal, tax rip-offs and more Mazda Madness
<p>The 1955 Jaguar D Type copy, yours for $900,000. Just by buying The Weekend Australian today you've saved $28 million.</p>
Read moreLexus runs rings around those codgers on a cruise
<p>Like last month, when antitrust investigators pulled a surprise raid on BMW HQ in Munich; like Subaru admitting unqualified workers had done the quality checks on their cars; like a week earlier when Nissan suspended production at all of its Japanese factories for the same reason.</p>
Read moreSnakes alive, the Beemer's vanished. Pity it wasn't the Mazda
<p>Standing majestically and surveying the grazing cattle, the golden pastures, Goulburn (Australia's first inland city), the historic Bunnings and the Wakefield Park Raceway is the 15-metre-high, anatomically correct Big Merino.</p>
Read moreBuy some unsung heroes and watch their prices zoom ahead
<p>Today we want to make you money. First tip: don't throw out that old Holden or Ford or other rust bucket, they could be worth real dollars.</p>
Read moreColluding Germans pulling a swifty on millions of drivers
<p>What's coming the way of the European automakers will make the gunfight at the OK Corral look like a family picnic. And the rest of the Western auto industry isn't far behind.</p>
Read moreShitbox Rally: a hole in the tank and pain in the gut
<p>As you know quite a few people believe David Icke's theory that many of the world's most prominent figures belong to the Babylonian Brotherhood — a group of shapeshifting reptilian humanoids determined to control the world.</p>
Read moreTribute to Rock Hudson, Doris Day and the shores of Lake Zurich
<p>As you probably know my business editor is one of the many tens of motorcycle enthusiasts (or as I like to call them, temporary Australians) who read a paper.</p>
Read moreTop 10, unlucky 13, blah blah … but aren't Alfas just great?
<p>The US Consumer Reports has just named its top 10 cars for 2017. To make the list a car has to beat the competition in serious road tests, predicted reliability, owner satisfaction and safety.</p>
Read moreTales of mice and men in a 1990 BMW 318, with 328 Alpina engine
<p>We were somewhere around the incorrectly named Regency Park in Adelaide when the smell began to take hold. It was a mouse-in-the-toaster smell.</p>
Read moreCitroen's retro architects can't bring heat like Lamborghini
<p>If you have an $800,000 Lamborghini Aventador or a $6 million Lamborghini Veneno sitting under the carport don't let the kids over-rev it because the makers of the VW-owned Italian supercar have just let the world know they could catch fire.</p>
Read moreAirbag drama explodes everywhere except here
Yup. It's good news week for car owners. Over the last few days GM in the USA decided to recall about one million SUVs to have their airbags replaced. Then the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it want
Read moreSweet TV rights deal eludes LeMons 24 Heures des Citrons
The biggest field ever in the 24 Hours of LeMons at Wakefield Park, plus the WART team switches from BMW to a purple Nissan Pulsar.
Read moreSolar panels on a car dealership? The end is surely nigh
Pope Francis sells his custom Lamborghini Huracan at Monaco for $1.2m, plus Uber flying taxis and Audi recalling 1.16 million cars.
Read moreBuying a classic car can cost a bomb so here's some tips
About now you have read every book ever written. There's only one answer: buy your first classic car. Here's how not to lose too much money.
Read moreCustomer service stalls after Fiat woes fuel driver fury
Adelaide contractor Richard Bulfa's Fiat Ducato has been towed and repaired most of the time since he bought it in 2016, with life-threatening issues.
Read moreLunch was a treat - Targa Tasmania Day 3
Push-starting the BMW 10 times a day, Hells Angels helping at a petrol station, and shepherd pie with wallaby meat for lunch in northeast Tasmania.
Read moreFrom Florida to Artarmon via Perth for a Mini makeover
Amelia Island auctions review plus David Brown remastered Mini for $175,000 and the 1975 BMW 2002 Turbo world record price of $250,000.
Read moreThe '80s technology that's allowing crooks to drive off in your motor and why it's hard to stop
They're coming for your car – and they don't need your keys. The CAN bus, invented in the 1980s, has become the master key for modern car thieves. Here's how it works and what you can do about it.
Read moreNo need to exhaust yourself: choose the right gear
It's the Weekend Australian motoring column's Christmas gift guide. V8 BBQ grills, Jaguar V12 engine tables, Ferrari office chairs, and a Porsche Wanker T-shirt. Something for everyone.
Read moreSome like it hot: the amazing story of BMW's fantastic flaming fire-starters
Did you know you can buy a really good toaster for $29? Best of all, if the 2 Slice wide slot catches fire you can return it and get your money back. You have more consumer rights when you buy a $29 toaster than you do when you buy a $40k or $200k car.
Read moreIt's back to the future as Sean Connery's Beemer wins (used) car of the year
The WART team gathered at the corner bar of the Kensi to name the best new cars for 2020. CV-19 means dealers are low on stock and that means you'll pay more and find it harder to do a deal.
Read moreSovereign comfort: the 2025 Mercedes-Benz S-Class for the Limousine Left
A recent study showed that more world leaders choose a Merc than any other brand.
Read moreGentlemen, start your engines! Targa Tasmania rolls out from Launceston
The Weekend Australian Rally Team competes in Targa Tasmania, a world class tarmac rally over 2000km with 40 competitive stages on closed roads.
Read moreFive best rides sub-$35K and did I mention it is Targa time?
Five performance cars under $35,000 that don't say you are a brown cardigan wearing accountant, plus Targa Tasmania preview.
Read moreDodgy characters and polished reputations
You've all seen the doco The Wolf of Wall Street, starring our own Margot Robbie. But the motor business? It's full of dodgy characters, but they project an image of the greatest of them all, Wocka Bentley.
Read moreTraffic lights, speed camera, action on corporate front in the battle for Redflex
Don't you love companies with rivers of gold? Like speed and red light cameras. Redflex shareholders vote to give Arizona-based company Verra Mobility a virtual worldwide monopoly on catching motorists going through red lights and speeding.
Read moreMini parcel that potentially gives big bang for your buck
Please don't say we didn't warn you. BMW is recalling 140,000 electric Mini Coopers because the car might catch fire or – as the mini meisters call it, "cause a thermal event". There's no recall in Australia yet so if you are driving a Mini don't park outside your house.
Read moreNot taking the mickey: Michael McMichael is real
Have you or anyone you know won the lottery? I thought so. No one ever wins the lottery. It was the same in Lonnie when talking to other competitors in Targa Tasmania. Many were surprised to meet the Sultan. Not surprised when I introduced him as my father but surprised that he really existed.
Read moreCaught on film: a snapshot of why governments are addicted to speed cameras
Think you're being treated unfairly when the fun police pull you over? Think you're lucky you're here in peace-loving, nuclear sub-building Australia. The USA is the home of the free and the land of the brave, which it needs to be, as a New York Times investigation showed that police have killed more than 400 unarmed Americans during traffic stops in the past five years.
Read moreHoly smoke that's a new way to hot-foot it
We're doing 125km/h. We could see the corner was 20 seconds away and we needed to take it somewhere around 40km/h. That's when the car suddenly filled up with acrid smoke.
Read moreCar buyers feel the burn
The 93,572 owners of Hyundai Tucsons that are prone to spontaneously combust are told to sit tight. Tony and Sue Waters' Range Rover burnt to the ground after 10 tows back to the dealer. The story of Australia's broken car recall system.
Read moreUnreliability comes at a price for new car buyers
Great news, Australia! The Chiko Roll is back on the Mountain. The Chiko Roll company will sponsor Betty Klimenko's Erebus Motorsport Camaro with Brodie Kostecki and Todd Hazelwood at Bathurst.
Read moreA brief rundown of your rights at the dealership service department
You know things have reached a new low when a dealer's service department rips off a young woman with a disability. Which is what a Hyundai dealer did two weeks ago.
Read moreForget being sensible: Why you should buy a life-changing performance car
Ignore the oxygen thieves telling you to be sensible. Buy a car that will change your life. From a $15k Audi S3 to a V10 BMW M5, here are five cars that make you feel like a human again.
Read more61 articles in Buying & Ownership
Browse full archive