Car Torque with Matty J Jan 22, 2026

What factors impact Australians when buying a car

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Car

Volvo S40

The Volvo S40 T5 is a small car made by Volvo that has a turbocharged engine, which helps it go faster while still being fuel-efficient.

Term

turbo

A turbo is a part that helps the engine get more air, which makes it more powerful. It allows the car to go faster without needing a bigger engine.

Car

Suzuki Samurai

The Suzuki Samurai is a small SUV that people love for its ability to drive off-road. It's simple and tough, which makes it popular among adventure lovers.

Part

bumper bars

Bumper bars are the parts at the front and back of a car that help protect it in case of a crash. They can get scratched or damaged, especially in parking situations.

Car

Pajero

The Pajero is a type of SUV made by Mitsubishi. It's built to handle rough terrain and is great for driving in different conditions, like off-road or in the city.

Car

Honda Odyssey

The Honda Odyssey is a family minivan that has a lot of space for passengers and luggage. It's popular among families for its comfort and safety features.

Concept

road worthy list

A road worthy list is a list of things that need to be checked or fixed on a car to make sure it's safe to drive. It helps ensure the car meets safety standards.

Part

drive belt

The drive belt helps run important parts of the car's engine. If it's worn out, it can cause problems with things like the battery and air conditioning.

Car

Swift

The Suzuki Swift is a small car that is easy to drive and park. It's known for being good on gas and is often chosen for city driving.

Car

Mercedes-Benz 380

The Mercedes-Benz 380 is a luxury car from the early 1980s. It's known for being comfortable and having a powerful engine, making it a nice car for long drives.

Term

traction control

Traction control helps your car keep its grip on the road, especially when it's slippery. It stops the wheels from spinning too much when you accelerate.

Term

ABS unit

The ABS unit is a part of your car's braking system that helps prevent the wheels from stopping completely when you brake hard, allowing you to steer while braking.

Car

Ford Orion

The Ford Orion is a small car from the late 80s and early 90s that many people remember for being affordable and practical. It's a classic car that some collectors still like.

Car

Mitsubishi Magna

The Mitsubishi Magna is a car made by Mitsubishi, popular in Australia. It's known for being roomy and comfortable, which makes it good for families.

Part

power steering pump

A power steering pump helps you turn the steering wheel easily by using fluid pressure. It makes driving smoother and less tiring.

Part

front bump stops

Front bump stops are parts in a car's suspension that stop the suspension from going too low. They help protect the car from damage when hitting bumps or potholes.

Part

rear wheel bearing

A rear wheel bearing is a part that helps the wheels of a car turn smoothly. It supports the weight of the car and makes sure the wheels can spin without much friction.

Term

Front-wheel drive means that the front wheels of the car are the ones that get the power from the engine. This is how many cars are designed, and it can change how the car drives, especially when turning or speeding up.

Car

Magnet

The Magnet is a small car made by General Motors. It's designed to be easy to drive and good on gas, making it a popular choice for many people.

Part

rocker cover gaskets

Rocker cover gaskets are rubber seals that keep oil from leaking out of the engine. If they wear out, your engine can lose oil, which is not good.

Term

hot restarting issue

A hot restarting issue happens when a car won't start again after being turned off for a little while. It can be caused by problems with the fuel or electrical system.

Car

Civic

The Honda Civic is a small car that many people drive because it's dependable and gets good gas mileage. It's been around for a long time and is very popular.

Part

starter motor

The starter motor is a part of the car that helps start the engine. If it doesn't work, the car won't turn on, which can be really annoying.

Term

V6

A V6 engine is a car engine with six cylinders that are arranged in a V shape. This design helps the engine run smoothly while providing decent power and fuel efficiency.

Car

Lexus IS 250

The Lexus IS 250 is a luxury car that offers a comfortable ride and good performance. It's a popular choice for those looking for a stylish and reliable sedan.

Term

one-owner car

A one-owner car means that only one person has owned it since it was bought. This can be a good sign because it usually means the car was well taken care of by just one person.

Car

Honda Accord Euro

The Honda Accord Euro is a version of the Honda Accord made for Europe. The 2013 model has some design changes that make it look different from earlier versions.

Car

Tesla 13 Model

The Tesla Model 3 is a smaller electric car that people like because it's cheaper than other electric cars and can go a long distance on a single charge. It's known for having a lot of cool tech features.

Term

cost of ownership

Cost of ownership is how much money you spend on a car over time. This includes things like gas, repairs, insurance, and how much value the car loses. It's important to know this before buying a car.

Car

Ford Ranger

The Ford Ranger is a type of truck that people use for work or outdoor activities. It's popular because it's tough and can carry a lot of stuff, which is why you see many of them on the road.

Car

Tesla Model

The Tesla Model Y is a type of electric car that looks like a small SUV. It's popular because it doesn't use gas, is good for the environment, and has a lot of cool technology inside.

Concept

resale value

Resale value is how much money you can get back when you sell your car later. Some cars keep their value better than others, which is important if you plan to sell it in the future.

Car

Volvo XC90

The Volvo XC90 is a large SUV that offers a lot of space and comfort. It's known for being safe and stylish, making it a good choice for families.

Term

transmission

The transmission is what helps your car move by transferring power from the engine to the wheels. If it breaks or needs to be replaced, it can be very expensive.

Car

Toyota Land Cruiser

The Toyota Land Cruiser is a large SUV that is very reliable and can handle tough terrains. Many people trust it for long-term use because it rarely has problems.

Car

Ford Falcon

The Ford Falcon is a big car that many people used to drive, especially in Australia. It's known for being reliable and having a lot of room inside.

Car

Toyota Camry

The Toyota Camry is a popular car that many families drive because it's dependable and gets good gas mileage. It's known for being comfortable and lasting a long time.

Car

GMC Typhoon

The GMC Typhoon is a powerful SUV from the 90s that was known for being fast and fun to drive. It's not very common today, which makes it special for car collectors.

Car

Mazda Cx90

The Mazda CX-90 is a roomy SUV that's great for families and has a lot of nice features. People like it because it looks good and is fun to drive.

Car

Mazda Cx7

Car

Land Rover Range Rover

The Land Rover Range Rover is a fancy SUV that can drive on rough roads and looks very stylish. People talk about it because it's a symbol of luxury and adventure.

Car

Toyota Prius

The Toyota Prius is a car that uses both gas and electricity to drive, which helps it save fuel. It's famous for being good for the environment and getting great mileage.

Car

Ferrari 250

The Ferrari 250 GTO is a very rare and expensive sports car that people love because it looks amazing and has a lot of racing history. It's one of the most sought-after cars by collectors.

Car

Porsche 911

The Porsche 911 is a famous sports car that looks really cool and goes very fast. It's known for being one of the best cars for driving enthusiasts.

Car

Bmw 8

The BMW 8 Series is a fancy car that's designed for long drives and comfort. It's known for being stylish and having a lot of modern technology.

Car

BMW M3

The BMW M3 is a fast and sporty version of a regular BMW car. People talk about it because it's fun to drive and has a lot of power.

Car

BMW 750Il

The BMW 7 Series is a big luxury car that's very comfortable and packed with high-tech features. People talk about it because it's one of the best cars BMW makes.

Car

Nissan Skyline

The Nissan Skyline is a cool sports car that's famous for being fast and easy to modify. Many car fans love it because of its racing history and how it looks.

Car

Ford Mustang

The Ford Mustang is a classic American car that is known for being fast and looking really cool. It's popular because it's fun to drive and has a lot of history.

Car

Bmw 3

The BMW 3 Series is a small luxury car that's known for being fun to drive and comfortable. Many people like it because it combines style with good performance.

Car

Nissan Micra

The Nissan Micra is a small and budget-friendly car that's easy to drive around town. It's popular because it saves money on gas and is simple to park.

LIVE

This is a professional radio, gentlemen.

And it's front wheel drive.

Sorry, have you got anyone you want to thank?

Just myself.

And now we do the after hours.

Uh, gentlemen, what would you go for?

They see us in there.

Okay.

And because it's not a super car, it's not.

Automated perfection comes in the form of two letters A and U.

Long live my LTD.

Welcome to Car Talk.

It's Shuzanna here in 90.9 North West FM.

It's me, Matty J.

I'm here today online with Mr. Edward Bunting,

who seems to be driving a vehicle.

Scotty Doe Johnson and Mr. Jim Barlow.

How are you gentlemen?

Good, thanks.

Hello, boys.

Good to see you.

Edward Bunting, you're on the road.

I'm on the road.

I'm in a Volvo S40 T5 sedan.

Okay.

Is this a recent acquisition?

It's not mine, as long as it's my friend.

But, um, it was at my house, so I thought I wasn't going to drive it.

Okay.

And what do you think of said Volvo?

I like these.

This is a...

Are we up to car updates yet?

No, I mean...

I like these.

These cars are a good chassis from an era when Volvos were nicely put together,

not out of China.

Not that they're not now, but, you know, just the vibe, Swedish vibe.

Um, yeah, and really nice motor.

That five cylinder two and a half litre turbo was the same in the Focus, I think.

It's a five.

You would know that motor well, Matthew.

Just a really nice, torquey, suspensioned, good sized car, the S40 T5.

And this one's a bit special.

It's done 46,000 K from you.

Oh my goodness.

Where'd you find that?

Well, my friend found it interstate.

Um, likely a deceased estate or someone who stopped driving.

But yeah, it's got a great service history.

And I think it'd be the lowest mileage S40 T5 you will find.

Is it all-wheel drive at this one, or is it?

No, this is a front driver, but you could get them in an all-wheel drive.

Yeah.

That was an option.

I mean, that'd be sort of the ultimate sort of do everything car, wouldn't it really?

Pretty much, yeah.

Anyway, no, it's a good thing.

It's a good thing.

But I will be back on the laptop soon.

I just thought let's kill two birds and go try and sell an Odyssey.

So is someone coming to look at it tonight?

Someone's coming to look at the Odyssey at quarter past eight.

Sounds good.

So we'll let you do your job and we'll get around to everybody and then we'll get into some updates.

Scotty, how are you doing, man?

You got some fresh ink?

I do.

I got it done on Wednesday on my arm.

I don't think I can really show it off the best on there, but how's that?

That's cool.

Holy crap.

That's awesome.

You got that one.

Done on Zeven's do.

Yeah, yeah.

And it's killing it well.

It's just at that peeling and itchy stage at the moment.

So that's why I got baggy t-shirt.

But since I'm inside now and rolled it up because it keeps kind of just lightly rubbing on and just making it extremely itchy.

Now you just wanted to show off your guns, Scotty.

Let's be honest here.

I wanted to do that.

I'd be topless.

Did you do the design yourself, Scotty?

No, actually, it was something that I kind of thought of that I wanted.

So for people that can't see, it's a katana that's in the ground.

And then there's the samurai armor is all on the ground as well.

And then there's nice mountains in the background.

It's got the birds flying in the nice trees around there too.

The only idea that I had was having the katana in the ground and the birds circling around.

Yes.

The rest of it was all hers.

Oh, right.

Yeah.

So I had such a basic idea as like I've had that idea of what I wanted for about 10 years or more.

And yeah, put that together.

And she's like, oh, is this kind of what you're thinking?

And when I saw her, that's even better than what I was ever thinking.

Yeah.

It looks really cool.

I'm a fan.

Can't wait to see it in real life, Scotty.

I think it looks really cool.

Jim, how are you doing, man?

Not too bad.

Thanks.

I've been catching up with some friends.

I think it's the first school holidays where people have been coming up to me rather than

me down to them.

So that's been a nice pleasant change.

Yeah.

Let's get into some car updates.

Jim, you've got a big one.

We'll get to yours last because yours is a pretty big one.

But Eduardo Buntingness, your latest updates, Eduardo?

Well, yeah, as we said, Volvo, not mine, just driving it.

I've put the Lexus that I purchased, did I tell you about the Lexus?

Yeah.

So I've popped that into the panel shop.

I had to wait a week for him to come back.

So he's doing the bumper bars and some other little tidy ups on it where the nice old

lady first owner had scraped a few things.

But that car really, it drives so well.

I'm a big, big fan of that.

Every time I'm in it, I just sort of, it rates higher and higher with me.

So much so that I thought, maybe I sell my Pajero and put a tow bar on this.

Could I tow my caravan with the Lexus?

And you probably could, but then it doesn't do everything else that the Pajero can do

in terms of carrying and things.

I'm like, as much as it's a beautiful car, I just don't think it quite fits the brief.

Yeah.

What else?

The Honda Odyssey belonging to, or ex, belonging to me, but ex David Prince that was bought

on this very podcast.

No one in the Prince family seemed to want to take it on.

So that's for sale.

There is a guy coming to look tonight and yeah, we'll see if we can move that.

It didn't have a massive road worthy list on it, but it was just time and fiddly.

Like the worst of it was oil leaks, leak or leaks, which is a matter of washing down

the motor underneath, which is a really messy job.

No one seems to want to do that and then work out where it's coming from and then go about

replacing that.

So I sort of put it in that I can't be bothered really stuffing around too much more with

it.

So, but the other things other than the oil leak on the road worthy list were really not

major like replace the drive belt, front link pins, front ball joints, the spare wheels

grew, you know, like that's it.

It sort of wasn't crazy.

Like time, everything else was fine.

So it's, so someone will have a good car out of that.

It just needs some of the best to get that, that oil leak really.

I feel like I sold something.

Oh, that little swift.

I sold that.

I might have mentioned that last time.

I think that's it.

I don't think there's any other cars anywhere.

My friend knows I still have investigated why that's pissing out.

Keybox oil.

But I'll get to that.

No, no more car updates.

It's took the Benz.

Benz has been on a few good drives, you know, the three eight.

So that I'm happy with that now in terms of it's, yeah, it's turned key driving well.

And that's all.

Lovely.

Scott.

My car up dude.

Mine's annoying because there was things that I wanted to do.

And yesterday I spent four hours on the car and accomplished nothing.

Just the things I wanted to do just didn't work.

Or I just couldn't get things undone.

So I thought, you know what?

I've got the wiring for the, for the blade for the cruise control for sick.

Take a look.

So I take out the ECU and have a look at the pin that's meant to go into.

I see that's already got a blue wire in there in that spot already.

Oh, cool.

So it should be working.

I need to have a look at the connection and the clock spring supposedly.

So I thought, okay.

All right.

That's, you know, if it's already in there, then where's this blue wire go should be going

to that clock spring and it should be working.

That's as far as I've gotten because the steering column shroud.

I cannot take the bloody thing off.

Geez.

Okay.

The two sides will undo, but then across the top, it's just won't undo.

And oh, so annoying.

Is there, is there, is there screws behind the wheel?

No, I can't see any screws at all on it anywhere.

It's just, yeah, it's those two spots on either side that just won't come undone.

I've tried everything and now obviously I've got little marks in the plastic where I've

tried even using those plastic tools that aren't meant to really leave marks, stupid

marks on it now, which is a little bit frustrating.

Sorry.

We know a guy.

Yes, we do.

And kind of just left that in the wind for now.

I thought I knew how to do it.

There was, you turn the wheel and you can see these two little holes and I thought, okay,

that must be it.

You put something in there and it releases a clip.

No.

It doesn't release or do anything.

It didn't work.

And then I thought, oh, I wonder if I just kind of have a look at the whole traction

control on how to do that.

That's cool.

I got an idea.

I know how to do that.

I'll just have to remove the air box to get to the ABS unit and there's a pin there and

you just run the wire from the pin and run it through and I've got the switch.

The only thing that's stopping me with that now is, so I've got the original parola switch,

but on the back it's got, I guess, four metal prongs.

So I kind of need, I guess, the female version to put that in so then I can put wires into

it, if that makes sense.

Obviously that makes sense to people.

Yeah.

And I'm not sure where to find that.

So I'll try and dig around and see what I can suss out with that.

Worst case, you just run some wires off them.

You make like a little blade connector and then just the clip onto them and then you

just run extra wires.

Yeah, true.

Since there's kind of the round ones, like the bullet connectors kind of slide on that

here.

I think all it needs is power and ground and then it should work as a switch.

So you said there's four, so four usually means power, like ground, either a constant

or an illumination for it to light up when your headlights go on.

So usually that's kind of the four with a switch.

I've got the whole ride off of a guy doing it and making it work.

So it seems pretty simple with what he's done to get it to work.

And then everyone thought that you press the button and then it only turns traction control

off until he hit 40Ks and it goes back on.

They actually hold down the button for about five seconds and then it turns it off.

Oh, cool.

Nice.

So I thought, yeah, that'll be cool.

Anything else tried?

Oh, yeah, that's right.

While I was still stuffing around, I tried tightening the handbrake, which is, I guess,

a foot brake in these cars, kind of like the Orion.

And because it feels like I don't really have a handbrake at all and it's tightened.

I think it's a little bit better.

Not 100% sure.

I was tightening and winding it up quite a lot up near the top before I could even feel

any kind of change.

I've got a guy that might be coming out on Sunday.

He's going to have a look at it and do the timing belt and stuff for the skyline as well.

That's awesome.

Yeah.

Fingers crossed he can come out on Sunday, a little bit unreliable.

He does awesome work and everything.

I love it.

But yeah, just when it comes to him actually being there and coming out and kind of communication

is a bit off.

Yeah, okay.

So not really holding my breath on that one.

Yeah.

Getting the garage done though.

So I've got someone coming out doing the garage where they put the brushless seals all around

there and the padding inside it too.

So it will keep it nice in there.

So that'll be all done.

The next step in the garage is lighting.

Yeah, that's my favourite bit.

That'll be fun.

The lighting there is just your basic globe.

One globe in there and it does nothing.

Yeah, absolutely.

It creates a lot of shadows.

It doesn't light up anything.

Just the shadows.

Yeah, I think that's it.

So a lot of talking and nothing got accomplished.

Yeah.

Happens sometimes.

That's part of the process, Scotty, part of the process.

So that's you, Jim, updates with you, my friend.

Firstly, Scotty, did you wash the blade?

You know what?

I haven't yet.

Over these whole holidays I haven't washed it yet.

Oh Scotty, what are you doing?

I've even bought a clay box.

I wanted to clay by the rear because it's all kind of got these dirt marks that just

don't really wash off properly.

I haven't even serviced it yet.

I still got the stuff sitting there.

Scotty, don't.

It's black.

Poor form, Scotty, poor form.

Oh no, tell me about it.

I'm looking forward to seeing how the garage comes along though because I'm very jealous

of those modifications you're having made to yours.

Yes.

Yeah, be good.

Okay, so I'll try and condense everything because I haven't been on for a little while.

Firstly, before I forget, quite a while ago now, I had a great day out with Floyd in

Trulgan taking me on half of his shift driving his buses.

That was really, really enjoyable.

I went an electric bus, which I hadn't been on before, so that was really, really interesting.

And you just had a great time talking about shopping and everything, being a bit jealous

of the fact too that he knows a year in advance exactly where and what he's doing,

where is it?

That stage, I still had no idea what I was doing next year, so that was cool.

But yes, that was really good and a shout out to him for making the day so enjoyable.

In terms of car updates, so when I was last on, I said that I was looking at potentially

getting something for people to guess and the closest person was David Prince.

So I have, for those who don't know, bought a Mitsubishi Magna.

Money came out with me for the initial test drive.

The car itself is a Platinum Silver 2005 TW VRX, so it looks quite similar to the one

that Ed Bunting had for a little while, last year of production, and it's a manual.

Three and a half litre full body kit.

Yes, and the short amount of time I've spent driving it has been enjoyable.

What was good is that I was able to sort of have it briefly, which I'll get to in a moment,

when there was a Christmas Magna meetup and I had managed to not let Mr Ribblesworth know

that I got it yet, which was very hard actually because I would go to share stuff with him

and then go, nope, can't do it yet.

So seeing him and the others quite happy with it was really pleasing and then we had a great photo shoot.

There's a set of factories in Mordi Alec that have really good murals on them.

So we had some photos done in front of that, which came up really well, I think, thanks to Nadine

for taking those pictures.

Is that where that colourful one is?

Yes, yes, yes.

I wonder where that's located.

I keep seeing pictures of cars in front of it.

I'm like, this looks amazing.

It's like it's set up for cars.

Yeah, actually had somebody ask me, oh, is that AI?

I'm like, no, no, no, no.

It's a real thing.

It's a real place.

So, yeah, I was going to say.

So, but the bit has been a bit more challenging than I was expecting is that, you know,

when I bought the car, it didn't come with the road worthy.

So bought the car, had it inspected, there were six things.

Two of them were very minor.

So one of those was polish the headlights and then remove the rear tint because it was bubbling.

That was fine.

And the other four was left rear wheel bearing, rocker covered gaskets,

so typical magnet stuff, power steering pump.

And the other one was front bump stops.

And I had also noticed that sometimes it had like a hot restart issue with very driven at once.

They really want to restart.

And so what I would sort of do then is like alternate between keys and it seemed to be quite okay.

So I booked it in with my usual place to have the road worthy stuff done.

They had the car for four days.

Apparently when they went to do the rear wheel bearing, it had started to gouge into the wheel hub.

So they had to replace that as well.

And then I got a call after they had it for four days saying, you know, you can come and get it.

So as I was getting ready to come and get it, I said, cool.

So what's the total bill?

And I said, oh, I've done half the things.

Okay.

So I went and this was like the 20th of December or something.

It's okay.

I went and got it.

Then went and showed it to my aunt and uncle.

And then when I went to leave, uncle was like, do a burnout.

And I said, dude, it's a front-wheel drive magnet.

You can't do that in a magnet.

However, unintentionally, when I left his street, I might have coloured the road in somewhat.

That was fun.

It was very impressive.

You're getting used to the clutch dumpings.

Yes.

Well, hopefully I will in good time because then after I picked up the car with those things being done,

I went with my mum to get it actually and because she wanted to relive memories of her driving magnets and stuff.

And so when I went to go pick it up, I booked in for the 6th of January to have the rest of it done.

And so that was all booked in.

And then when I walked up on the 6th of January, it wasn't in their system.

And so they said, oh, we can't get to it until Thursday.

But I said, well, it was definitely booked in.

And so they were sort of shuffling around and stuff.

They gave me a loan car.

And so the magnet has now been with them since last Tuesday, waiting for power steering pump,

rocker cover gaskets, front bump stops.

And then, I'll be honest, I was actually very happy with my car when I did this because I had previously said to them about the hot restarting issue,

but they kept acting as though they didn't know what I was talking about.

And so even though it drove there perfectly, when they went to move it inside, it wouldn't crank at all.

And so I was a bit like, well, I did try and tell you it was having a problem.

Anyway, so you're lucky that that never happens at a mechanic gym.

I know my civic every time it goes, it behaves itself.

Whereas the magnet was like, yeah, well, I'm going to show you the gym wasn't lying.

So that was nice.

So when I rang them today, they have, they did finally get the right starter motor, but it's cranking and not turning on.

And from what I can gather, it's sort of like an immobiliser issue or something.

But then I was told that because they can't get to start, they haven't done the other three things at all yet.

So it's only been with them now for a total of 12 days at this point, which is frustrating because I have missed it quite a bit and I can't do other things to it if I haven't got it.

But anyway, on the other point, which was interesting about the car itself, when I went through the owners manual went to the front of it,

and I discovered that it was originally purchased by Australian wall testing for proprietary limited and had a custom plate as a brand new car, which was Dr. Wall as in D-R-W-O-O-L.

Because it has had, I think, three plates in a sense.

So I was quite interested to see what the original one was.

And it was, it was like, so that was interesting.

When I get it back, I found where the headquarters of that place are, which have been the same for the last 50 years.

So I'm going to have a photo in front of that before it gets sold, hopefully, assuming I get the car back before 2047.

And what else was there?

Oh, yeah. And I also sent an email to Mitsubishi Australia because I shared a picture of the Magna in like an Aussie build cars page and I got quite a nice message from somebody about production numbers for it.

And so I thought, well, I'll just confirm that Mitsubishi Australia and it was confirmed.

So in, in VRX spec in Emanuel, they were only 154 and in silver, they were only 34.

So yeah, which is cool.

I didn't have to pay anything for that either.

So it's quite cool how they, how they still offer that service.

That's, um, yeah, that's, that's, I did that with, with all my, all my forwards ages ago and, but I don't think they offer the service anymore.

So, so you're lucky that Mitsubishi still does, which is really cool.

Yes. So that was quite a pleasant surprise.

So again, assuming I get the Magna back before Magna 45, I am sort of thinking about potentially, you know, trying to get the original number to say back on the car.

And of course, I do quite like the fact that even though people can sometimes complain that Magna's are not properly Australian, it's like, how, how more Australian could you get them being bought by a wall testing authority?

And, you know, therefore I think some lamb skin, lambs will see covers will be in order for the car as well.

Oh, you need to get in front of a real gym.

Oh yes. Yes. Absolutely.

As to Scotty's dismay.

As long as you get the proper, the proper wall ones, you know, the premium wall ones.

Yes. I wouldn't, wouldn't go any of this synthetic crap.

And not the, not that, the, those ones we used to sell at super cheap was like 20 bucks or something.

And it was kind of like off cuts stuck together of this.

It was horrible.

Yeah, I remember those.

They were, they were horrible.

We haven't told them in a while, but geez, they were bad.

Shocking.

Yeah.

So, yeah, that's, and then also I'd had a look at, I went and had a look at a second gen Magna, which came upon Facebook as well.

And that had been owned by an elderly lady for a long time.

And that was a V6 executive TS.

But for the price, it needed a bit more doing to it than what I was sort of prepared to consider.

So passed on that.

But yeah, keep looking and see how we go.

That's it.

Well, congratulations.

You won the purchase.

That's exciting.

Thank you.

You've officially gotten your Magna, Edward Bunting.

You know, you would have had a brother if you kept the, the, the all drive.

Yeah.

The only differences between those two cars, Jim would have been mine was all drive yours isn't.

Correct.

Yeah.

Is that right?

And yours is manual.

Mine was auto.

Yeah.

And yours was 04, but other than that, that's it.

Did yours have, did yours have, yes, did yours have leather?

I can't remember.

No.

Okay.

Yeah.

Normal clock.

Yeah.

Very nice.

Up quick updates with me.

Bought a car.

Not for me, but for family member the other day.

Yeah.

And a second gen called Euro.

Nice.

Yeah.

Great car.

So this person in my family has been interesting to deal with after selling their vehicle for

personal reasons, then requested me to find another car.

And I said, well, I can help with that.

And the foot we were originally meant to go look at a Lexus IS 250 in, which was a one owner

car with 111,000 Ks on it.

It's, it was a 2009.

I know.

Bit of an advancing car.

And that was 100, 100,000 Ks on it.

Correct.

Yeah.

111,000 Ks.

2008.

You know, he didn't cool seats, which I didn't realize they had, which is, which is pretty

cool.

And that, you know, it was, you know, really nice.

The option that was a one owner car at a Lexus dealership.

So I booked in to go see it.

And I was five minutes from the place and they called me and said, yeah, we just sold the

car.

I'm like, yeah, great.

So that wasn't fun.

So then the second choice was not as high a spec, but a base model accord Euro 2013.

So it's a, it's a built December 12, but sold 13 model year 13 accord Euro.

So it's a, it's a, it's a facelift.

So it doesn't have the orange indicators.

It's got the, you know, the cleary blue on the indicators on the side.

It's in white.

It's in a good color.

Yeah.

Cloth interior.

I just, every time I drive one of those cars, I just think these drive so well.

Like they, it's such a nice car to drive.

But like it's, I still think they're not as good as the first generation accord euros.

Like the touch points aren't as nice.

Um, you know, like the door handles are all got that, that, that kind of peely kind of

IS to IS 200, you know, first gen, you know, dashboard feeling stuff that they just, it

just, it feels a bit cheap there and a few other bits and pieces, but to drive it's,

it's magnificent.

So that's got 130 on it, which is nothing for a case series and, you know, full service

history.

That was, that was at a VW dealer of all places.

So yeah.

What sort of money was that?

So 2013 full service history, 130 on the clock.

They wanted 16.

I said, absolutely not.

I got off a 14 out the door.

So, which is, you know, kind of what they, what they, what they sort of go for, I suppose

they, I mean, they go for 15 grand with 200,000 on them.

So I thought 14 for that's pretty okay.

He's happy with it.

You know, we picked it up this afternoon, drove it home.

Yeah.

No issues there.

So, you know, I was looking at other ones and, you know, like they do case these cars,

like they, people do case in them and they still want about, you know, 13 to 20 grand

is kind of where they, where they sit.

So I thought for 14, it's not, not a, not bad buying.

And it'll be a car that it would outlive that person in particular.

So, so yeah, that's, that's been pretty much my updates.

I wanted to talk to you guys about the cost of ownership of a vehicle.

Now things coming to play like, you know, fuel pricing and servicing and, you know, reliability.

What do you guys think are the most important points that, that come into cost of ownership?

Do you think that still today in today's market with people straying away from, from EVs?

Cause like there was a big jump and then people are kind of going back.

Do you think they've realized that the cost of ownership with EVs is not as inverted commas different to an internal combustion engine?

And do you think that's still, that cost of ownership is still a big factor in owning a car when you see every man and their dog

driving a ranger up there, you know, out on the, out on the road.

So what do you think the current climate is here in Australia, gentlemen, with this?

I think people get very hung up on fuel consumption.

They don't look at the big picture and the biggest cost of ownership of any car you buy new or new is resale.

So, and it's an unseen cost.

So people forget about it, but you know, you go and spend 65 on your Tesla model three, you drive it for four years.

And if that car's worth 30, yeah, you've paid no fuel, but you've just done 35 K in four years in resale.

If you bought Prado for, I don't know, say the previous shape Prado, you know, 75, you spend a five grand in fuel per year,

so you might spend 20 on fuel, but you've lost only 10 in resale, you know, like, you do the sums and you're often,

you're often better off buying something that's got great resale, even if you're paying for a bit of fuel along the way.

Yeah.

And like, I was having this, that same kind of chat with the person that bought this, they're called Euro,

because they were like, oh, you know, it's quite pricey for what they are.

And I said, yeah, because they're a good car.

Like, you know, the Japanese know how to do reliability and those are called Euros are pretty bloody reliable.

You know, I guess that has to come into play in a lot of ways then.

Resale is massive.

And yes, everyone's got fuel.

Let's put EVs to the side for a minute.

Everyone else has got fuel, you know, some better, some worse, whatever, you've all got fuel.

But the resale is the hidden one that people just don't factor in.

And that's where you can get certainly very buying prestige.

If you go and spend 120 something and you're not on a guaranteed buyback program over many years,

you know, you come to like, here's a real world example.

My friend used to be a Volvo service advisor.

And he said there was a couple who bought a brand new XC 90, which is the big Volvo.

Going back sort of 15 years or something.

So biggest, biggest you can get in the Volvo range.

They paid somewhere around 90 for it.

I think it was.

They had it for five years at the end of they serviced it along the way.

He added up the service bills because he could see all the receipts.

They'd always brought it to that dealer.

It was something like 20 grand worth of servicing.

It needed a transmission after five years and 100 and whatever thousand K was up for a 20.

That was going to be, you know, some massive bill.

But the car then as it sat there was worth like 11.

And so he was like, this thing has cost them over $100,000 in five years.

Now that is horrendous.

You know, had they bought a Land Cruiser for 90.

A, you probably wouldn't have had anything go wrong with it like needing a transmission.

But B, this thing is still worth 78 grand after five years.

You know, so incredibly different running costs sort of A to B.

And you get that wrong.

That will cost you far more than a bit of fuel consumption.

I think you're right there.

And us as Aussies, like we had this big thing, especially in the 2000s.

You know, like, I think it's a big factor to what killed our Aussie car market.

The fuel consumption on these big Aussie sixes is just too much.

Yeah, it's just too much.

It's just too much.

And I think that, you know, that that perceived, you know, you know, cost when

when the cars themselves were like what you get into a, you know, an XT Falcon

or an Exec Commodore or Magna for like sometimes when they did a sale in the 20s,

you know, high 20s or low 30s.

You know, it's not, you know, you weigh that up.

I'm like, it's actually not not bad value in, but that's that's not what people look at.

They look at the, you know, the number, which is, which is interesting because the,

because the Japanese brands, they, they do dominate in terms of perceived reliability.

Like they're not perfect.

But, you know, you'll, you'll get, like you said, at like a lane cruiser that'll

you drop 15 grand after 150,000 kilometers on it, you know, because it's a lane cruiser

and it's got it's got that reliability.

You're getting almost what they paid new for them.

You know, there's just such an appetite for those cars.

So if you get it wrong and buy an odd ball that's got shit resale or something that's,

yeah, just, just gonna not last after five years in a terrible resale.

It's a very expensive exercise.

I mean, the best thing to do is like, like you've just gone and bought a secondhand Japanese car

that's known to be a very good model, you know, $14,000.

You know, you could put another hundred thousand on that and still get six for it.

Yeah.

In percentage terms, you might have lost a bit, but in raw dollar terms, it's bugger all,

you know, over the next five, six, seven, eight, nine years, it's nothing.

Yeah, absolutely.

So if you want to play the resale game, yeah, go buy secondhand, buy Japanese, buy something

around 10 grand that's good and service it well.

You know, that's, that's the cheapest recipe you'll ever get.

I'm sorry.

I listened to our good friends at Redriven.

Morris mentioned that there was a BMW XM and they're like, they were like 400.

On Redriven.

Did he do one?

No, they were talking about that.

They want to do one, but they were, you know, brand new, they were close to what?

400 K, like with, you know, he's like, after a year, they're like, sorry, after like two

years, they're less than half the price, which is just insane.

Imagine dropping 400 grand on a car and losing $200,000.

Like that's, you do the sums.

That's like $3,000 a day or something.

It's just, it's just, it's an insane amount of money.

It hurts.

I would, I would rather buy my $14,000 accord euro that'll, you know, lose, even if I lost

10 grand after five or six years, that's better than losing $200,000 in, you know, in two years.

Ouch.

What about you, Jim?

It's like, you know, the perceived reliability.

Well, the other thing I was going to add in terms of the cost of the car over the time

that you have it to is the cost of insurance and obviously with the more difficult responses

that emergency management has to take.

If there is an EV on fire as opposed to a conventionally powered car, you know, I think insurance

companies are a bit more wary, perhaps of, for example, if you've got an electric car in

an apartment complex or you've got it somewhere where there's a potential for it to be greater

hazard to those around you, as opposed to if you just owned Camry Hybrid, for example.

So obviously, if you're losing a lot more money in the resale value of the car that you

have bought and you're having to pay a lot more in insurance premiums to have said car,

then sure, while you're not having to stop at the petrol station to put fuel in it, you're

losing far more elsewhere.

And I think the other aspect of it, too, is I don't, it's Australia, when we've never

been particularly good at rapidly adapting to new technology, it's taking a long time

for recharging places to become more user friendly to always work when you rock up.

And Australians like things to be convenient when they go to a petrol station, unless there's

some other bigger issue going on, they can rock up, stop the car, put fuel in it and go.

Whereas so many times with electric charging stations, they haven't got the right app on

their phone or it's not charging properly or it's not discharging properly or it's going

to be several hours because there's a queue in front of them or whatever the case may be.

And so if they think, okay, I'm saving the planet, but then it's also far more convenient

for them to be having said car and they're losing cost elsewhere, then I think in the

long term they'll sort of go, well, this doesn't actually make any sense for me.

And especially if, say, it's a person that perhaps lives in the country, again, you can

look at the claimed ranges, but when you're actually operating it on the highway, which

as we know is the worst place to operate an EV, then it significantly affects your range.

When you have a petrol powered car, you don't have to worry about it having less fuel range

because it's cold, whereas obviously if it's battery powered, you have got that issue too.

So, yeah, there's a whole range of those things.

And I think because, sure, we are getting more and more data, but because they're still

so new to the market, you don't really know what the long term reliability of these are.

And I think we're already having that issue where a small collision can run off the car

because the cost of repairing it outweighs the cost of the car, which, again, using a

very common example doesn't happen with a land cruise or a recovery.

Yep, thanks, Bob.

Scotty.

I guess the other cost you also got to think of is not just your insurance, but red gel

as well.

They're going up all the time by a lot.

And it's mainly the TAC that's kind of connected to it.

That's going to constantly keep going up.

The odd thing with insurance is it can mean, like, for example, for me, where I am,

my parents are probably about five minutes away.

It's cheaper insurance.

So if I do my insurance of where I used to live there, it's a couple hundred dollars cheaper

than where I am now.

And they're just five minutes away.

So it's just kind of, yeah, it's pretty stupid jumping on electric cars and stuff.

I think moving away, yeah, for now, people realising hybrids are probably the better option

because you're pretty much getting both best of both worlds with hybrids because I kind

of see a huge boom in that market.

To add to that, Scotty, you still need to own the hybrid for a long time and do the case

to make it worthwhile.

We've talked about buying a Camry and a Camry hybrid before.

The Camry hybrids were three to five grand more on an average basis.

You're not spending that much money on fuel for the five years if you're just on regular driving.

So you need to own the car for a longer period of time to make that worthwhile.

Yeah, and I wish that's how people's brains work, but they don't.

They just look at the now and they see like, oh, you know, I can get this many K's out of this car.

You know, it does 700 kilometres out of a tank or whatever, however it might be, you know,

three litres per 100 K's, all that kind of stuff.

They just get really hooked on that and go, oh, yeah, already saving and not really realising

how long you would need to have that for.

I think that was the whole point with solar panels and that to begin with before they did rebates and things.

You know, how long you had to take until you actually started to save a bit of money,

but now we've got rebates on that.

If you're going to buy a new car, just lease them.

You know, don't go all out and buy a brand new one because no matter what, it's going to lose money.

If you do want to buy a car outright, as Matty and everyone's saying, just go secondhand.

It's always going to drop.

There's no way you're not buying a car to invest and make money.

The only way you're going to do that is if you're already buying like a classic or something.

You know, you can't pick of what's going to be the next classic because that could be 15 to 20 years from now.

So that's a long time that you need to hold on to something and store it.

Yeah, absolutely.

No, I completely agree with you.

So I put this, I put into chat GBT, which I don't use often, but everyone's like, well, you're going to talk to GBT.

I'm like, OK, so I put in the question.

So cost of ownership issues for Australians.

And it came up with these four dot points.

High fuel prices influenced buying decisions.

Servicing and parts availability matter more than brand prestige.

Japanese brands continue to dominate due to perceived reliability.

And Chinese brands are gaining traction due to value pricing, value, sorry, value pricing, but trust is still debated.

Now, I don't know if I agree with all of those things because, you know, high prices influenced buying decisions.

We've discussed that's part of the reason why the big Aussie 6 doesn't exist anymore.

But the servicing and parts availability matter more than brand prestige.

Do you guys agree with that?

I don't know if I do.

Not so much.

Did it mention that part accessibility?

It did.

So servicing and parts availability matter more than brand prestige.

Yeah, than brand prestige.

I disagree because, I mean, like all the people that are buying MGs and they can't, can't get parts and have a collision.

Yeah.

Correct.

But then, but like, for example, brand, but do they affect, like there's like, oh, well, it's just a, it's just an MGA.

It is what it is.

But does that matter more than brand prestige when there's people buying, you know, true to $50,000 land rovers and stuff, you know, you know, Ranger Everett and, you know, XYZs and BMWs and stuff like that with big money.

Do, you know, do you think, well, I mean, you were made a good point earlier, sort of like a lot of people that buy these cars are just leasing them.

So like, they just, they do like a lease plan on their, on their servicing, right?

So, you know, it doesn't really bother them that their service.

Oh, you're, you're, you're, you send real changes $4,682.35.

Um, you know, it's, they're like, oh yeah, whatever.

It's part of the lease.

It is what it is.

Do you think that that matters more than, than, than having a, you know, a, a, you know, BN brand in your driveway?

It would matter to me.

Mm hmm.

Okay.

I would like to know that the parts for this car that I'm potentially buying are going to be around for quite a while.

Yeah.

And accessible, not something where I've got a bit of panel damage and these panel beaters don't want to fix things anymore.

They just want to buy panels.

It should be accessible.

I shouldn't have to be waiting months.

You know, there's people waiting months on parts for BYD is another one.

So, you know, we've got MG taking forever BYD taking all of a long time just for all kinds of cosmetic parts on the car that really need to look into that.

You know, if I'm being hit by another car or something like that, I don't want to be that inconvenienced where you can't even get a rental.

You know, a lot of times you might have your insurance.

It might not cover where you can get a rental.

Yeah.

You're out of having a car that should normally be maybe a week or two could be months because Australia's markets not big.

So they're not going to have all the parts here.

America's a bigger market.

They'll be able to get parts like that in no time.

And because we're just such a small fish in the in the sea, we're not considered that important.

So when it comes to panels, engine parts, whatever it might be, yeah, it just takes takes a lot longer.

And that that would probably, yeah, that would really, really worry me because how because they're smashing out models that fast.

Yeah.

Until the next one is out, how long am I going to be able to pick up, say, a side skirt or a front bumper for this BYD in five years time?

Look, I hear what you're saying.

And to an extent, I completely agree.

Like, okay, if you if you're buying like a, you know, limited run car and Typhoon Rebumper, if you buy, as you guys know, my horse through behind that.

If you're buying something that's a bit rare and special, I get if your parts are harder to come by, I understand that.

That's your choice to buy an enthusiast in VertiCommerce car.

But for your standard stuff like a BYD, you know, that's just a standard car.

Like the fact that you're having to wait, or even with MG, some of the waiting times are horrific, as you were mentioning earlier, Jim.

You know, I think that if you're selling the cars here, you should already have a backlog of parts ready to go.

You know, just bring a couple of container loads.

You know, every time you got another shipment, you know, just some parts.

Here's some fenders.

Here's an engine.

Here's this.

Here's that.

Because at the end of the day, consumers, especially in this market, and this is another one of good old church here with these points of Chinese brands gaining traction due to value pricing, but their trust is still to be debated.

This is a debating point about people's trust with the companies.

They'll be like, well, you know, yeah, I saved 30,000 by buying a, you know, a VAL-H6 GT over, you know, Mazda CX-7, sorry, or CX-90, whatever the hell it's called these days.

But I can get a part if I can get my parts with Mazda.

I don't know if I can get my parts.

I don't think I'm going to be able to get my parts with, you know, with, you know, GWM.

You know, I'm just using an example like I could be, I could be one that's really wrong.

But the, you know, this is, yeah, it's an interesting debate to be had, guys.

And there's not going to be an aftermarket area for this kind of stuff.

No.

You're not going to have someone pick up BYD and replicate and make body panels or parts or upgrades or anything.

Like, there's just no way.

If there is, hey, I'll eat my hat.

That's fine.

But I highly doubt that's going to happen, especially with the new MGs.

There's no way.

Yeah.

There's going to be some company that's going to make these aftermarket bits and pieces, which,

which I think might have happened with, did that happen with Ford?

Yeah.

Like, like the fake one?

Yeah.

There was some for like FPV kind of rear parts and that.

Yeah.

Made aftermarket and stuff like that.

Not original.

It's never going to happen.

No.

These days, you just throw away.

Yeah.

And that's another, that's a, that's another big point.

But like the funny thing is all of those parts came from China, you know, all the aftermarket, you know, it's there.

Yeah.

And we can't get them.

Where's, where's the logic there?

Like that, that for me, that doesn't make any sense.

So, so, so yeah, parts availability, I think it's a big, a big factor for, I guess people in the under $50,000, you know, like, let's just say under $70,000, you know, where that's where most families are buying their, you know, then inverted commas, new car under 70.

You know, unless you're, you know, Peter and you're a doctor and you've been working in the industry for four million years and you're, and you, you buy a new Mercedes every two years.

No one is really buying, you know, S classes besides people like that.

You know what I mean?

Like that there's, there's a, there's a clear distinction.

I mean, okay, I guess, I guess we didn't go, we all didn't go to Wesley college.

So we wouldn't know much about, you know, having a Range Rover in the driveway since, since birth.

But the, the, the impact of, of parts availability, I guess really affects people in that, in that price bracket.

Would you agree, Jim, like in terms of, in terms of, in terms of that, because, because they're the ones that are buying the bulk of like, like a Mercedes class that might sell what 10 a year.

Oh, no, there's some more in Australia than that.

But like in the grand scheme of things, they'll sell, you know, a million, like 100 to one, 100 mgs, MG threes to one S class, you know, so to speak.

But the availability for MG three parts is still limited.

How does that make sense?

Yeah, I do agree with that.

And also going back to Scottie's point before two, it reminded me of how until I think it was 2024, you get a cherry motor.

But now a motor is a separate brand.

So how is that going to affect parts availability in the future and a lot of things like that.

Which brands people want and which ones sort of come and go, which will obviously make tracking down those things harder.

And why would you bother doing the aftermarket for that when it's, you know, fleeting, basically.

Well, Jim, I've got a question for you.

Like this is how out of date I am with new cars.

The new motor, is that based off the cherry motor?

Like they've just completely wanted.

I think it is still based off the same thing.

But if, but in just Googling it quickly, whereas before it was like the cherry motor and the motor was part of the cherry line.

I'm gosh, I'm so bored even talking about this is that now, like, I think it's a motor and J crew are sort of like joint brands together from what I can sort of gather.

And I think J crew being sort of like the, the premium variation, I think.

But the fact that these are just going to keep spring up and down.

I get a bit sort of like the dawn of automation as well of automotive.

Sorry, as well, you know, like there are so many brands that turn of the 20th century.

And then, you know, by the end of the Second World War, they've been whittled down significantly.

I think it's a bit like that until they figure out what sticks, what doesn't stick and those sorts of things and then move on, move on from there.

But it's going to be very hard to access those parts.

But I, going back to the main question, though, I just, for the average punter, I don't really see the parts availability really being a question.

I think it's what can I get for the money that I'm after?

Does it fit the needs that I have?

Does it have the features that I want?

Unfortunately, I would indicate that for most people, they're probably not thinking it's through enough.

I mean, I, as I said to you, I saw an example where someone bought a brand new car and drove it home and then went, oh, I should have got the seven seat option.

So they were selling it straight away.

And you're like, okay, did you like suddenly grow two children underneath like, you know, in Christmas tree?

Like, yeah.

I saw that.

I know what you used to use.

Yeah.

This guy bought a brand new Honda ZLV.

Yeah.

It's got, how many Ks?

Like 30 Ks on it or something, Jim?

73.

Yeah.

And he's selling it because he knew it.

He now needs a seven seat.

I'm like, and Jim comes up with the points.

I was like, how do you now need a seven seat?

Like, for what did you, did you, did you not know your wife was having triplets?

You know, like, what is, what is, what is going on?

Like, this is, this makes no sense to me.

Yeah.

All right.

So, so let's go through these points.

So high fuel prices, prices influence buying decisions.

Yeah.

I disagree.

Disagree.

Scotty.

Because it means full range of Raptor.

Yeah.

There's plenty of those.

I just feel so many people are leading towards hybrids and things.

Yeah.

Okay.

Yeah.

That's a fair point.

Hmm.

Are they leading towards or is it that like, say, for example, with Toyota, that's the

only option you've got to choose?

Hmm.

Cause like, yeah.

Yeah.

Cause I think apart from like the, the, the high ACE and the high Lux now, you can't get

a non hybrid in their life anymore.

So, um, is it that you're picking it or is it that that's what's just available?

Good point.

Yeah.

I would have to probably kind of try and look into it a bit more.

I remember it was the biggest sticker that you'd see on a car is it's fuel consumption.

It was massive.

It was what everything was all about.

It's probably changed now.

I mean, as you said, all the Raptors that are getting around Dodge Rams.

Do you want to go?

I do get your point though.

Cause several years ago, I spoke to a sales person when they had like the Prius C was

still a thing.

And, you know, person's playing to me that basically people come in and they go, oh,

that's ugly.

And then they would see that sticker and go, oh, yes, please.

I'll get that because they would just see the number.

Um, and again, it's the same thing.

Like if you, you know, live in the country by a hybrid, because usually less fuel will

actually on the highway uses basically exactly the same because it's having to car up a big

battery.

So it, and, and then, you know, what is the point in buying say a hybrid, but then driving

it like stolen, you're not going to save any fuel that way.

Um, so, but people just see that one number and go, oh, I'll get that.

Yeah.

If I can't person it's valid, but it's also like, mm-hmm.

Not in the long term, but.

So we're maybe on that one.

Uh, servicing and parts availability matter more than brand prestige.

Do we, did we agree with that on, or we kind of like, it's a bit of both as well.

Honestly, probably think that people don't even think about it.

I don't think they give a shit really.

Yeah.

I think it crosses their mind until they have an accident and it happens to them.

I don't think they think about it.

Yeah.

The only thing I will say though, with that one, because I don't think I quite heard servicing

before, um, is that especially like, say the European brands and stuff, when they sort

of make out, oh, it only needs to be serviced once.

There'd be 30,000 case.

I don't think people do.

Oh, that's cool.

I know, like it's terrifying, but people sort of think, oh, that's really great.

I won't have to service it except for them.

It wouldn't be, I wouldn't be surprised if like the person who's getting it on lease

or whatever sort of thinks that that's a bit of a win.

You know, it's the funniest part.

You're right.

Yeah.

And you, you make a good point there, Jim, but you know what the funniest part about that

is Land Rover slash Ranger.

I don't, I don't, I don't, I don't rag you on about it a little bit, but they've got 25,000

kilometer service intervals and I'm just like, you are the one company that needs to be

more like, like what is, what is wrong with you?

Yeah.

Can they just say that because, you know, in that time limit that, that timeline, you'll

already be in there like 10 to 20 times anyway.

Yeah.

That's brilliant.

The next point is a bit of a contentious one.

Japanese brands dominate the Australian market due to perceived reliability.

I don't think that's the case.

I mean, I mean Toyota dominates the Australian market a million to one, but taking Toyota

out of it, second is Ford who just sell the Ranger, which is not exactly known for its

reliability.

And then, you know, the rest is pretty much, you know, your Chinese cars and stuff in there.

So I don't think that, I don't think that points valid anymore.

Would you guys agree?

Yeah.

I'm happy to agree that you're saying they're true.

And from my understanding with the end of 2025 is that sure, while most vehicles came

from Japan, the second place was China and then Thailand.

So it'll be interesting to sort of see if that shifts over the next couple of years,

but it's, you know, you could argue that some of the mainstream Japanese brands have perhaps

that they're eye of the ball for a while.

And if people can sort of see potentially better values of money elsewhere and to the

average person who's just taking a car for a quick test drive around the block, they're

not going to sort of know quality differences until they've had the car for a while.

Yeah.

Sorry.

Yeah, I've heard some not so great things about the Nissan Patrol lately.

Um, yeah, I don't think people are looking at that as much with reliability.

They're looking at the warranty.

Yeah.

So I think where they're coming out with that whole seven year unlimited K warranty and

that's what's kind of hooking people in because people didn't see Hyundai or anything over

there is something decent to begin with.

You know, everyone's going, oh, they're not reliable, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah,

but they're selling with that seven year warranty.

And I think they're kind of proving a bit of a point still.

There's people out there saying you'll key up.

But I think overall people are looking at that warranty more than they are looking at

reliability.

Yeah.

Absolutely.

And that's a big point.

And the last point that they've come up with before we finish up with this is Chinese brands

gaining traction due to value pricing, but trust is still debated.

Hmm.

So they are gaining traction due to their, their cheap prices.

But do you think the trust issues are still, are still arising?

I mean, Cherry's had the second bite at the cherry this time coming into the Aussie market

doing a lot better.

They saw about like three cars in their first attempt.

You know, GWM, you know, Great Wall Motors has been here over 20 years now, you know,

like they're like, you know, in, you know, in one shape or another, they're, they're,

they're soldering on, which is, you know, they're doing well.

MG is just on fire at the moment.

They're just smashing everything.

How long would it take for them to get the same trust levels?

Like, like it took Hyundai and Kia forever to get to that level.

Like it took them all a long time, but I think the Chinese are getting there a lot quicker

than we expect them to.

They're just going to continue to flood the market with models and makes that I can't,

I can't keep up with of what's going on and what's coming out anymore.

And they all kind of just blend into one brand for me at the moment.

Yeah.

I mean, they're packed with so much technology.

There's not even options and not even optional extras.

It's just what they come with standard.

And that's what's kind of hooking people in the most is what you're getting.

So you're getting your bang for buck with these cars.

I think it would be interesting in just branching out a little bit in say,

maybe five to 10 years if we'll have, say, records dedicated to Chinese vehicles,

where you can pick up panels and things like that.

You get it for all the European cars and stuff.

You know, you've got their specialties,

especially areas for your Toyotas, things like that.

I wonder if there's going to be one just for your Chinese vehicles where they got all the BYD parts

and all that kind of stuff ready to go.

So if you need a panel, yeah, they've got them.

It's interesting because you mentioned an important point earlier, Scotty.

They've kind of got a perceived notion of being throwaway.

Does that mean that people will be like,

well, it's not important getting this car fixed.

I'm just going to throw it away and get another one.

Do you reckon that's going to come into play more and put those records not in business?

I mean, I think that would always be a secondhand market, regardless of parts.

But yeah, I don't know if it's going to be the same as if it's going to be as potent as Rick has used to be.

If you know what I mean.

Yeah, you're right.

The other thing on that too, MG in Australia recorded a 41.9% sales decline in 2025.

Really?

Yes, even though they've had a flux of new models come in,

apart from the percentage increase in the Sybestar and one other model,

everything else has dropped significantly.

So now that could just be maybe that it's just adjusting, you know,

things like the MG3, the new one,

obviously you're a lot dearer than the previous one, things like that.

But there has been quite a sharp decline there.

So it'll be interesting to see if that's an anomaly or if that sort of continues.

So yeah, it's interesting to watch it pan out for sure.

All right, last point.

What do you think is the most important point of a cost of ownership experience?

One line, gentlemen, one line.

Scotty.

The most important.

Yeah.

What is the most important factor of cost of ownership?

What would you say?

Reliability.

Reliability. Jim.

Servicing cost.

For me, I would agree with Ed with what he said.

I'm going to say resale because that's that'll kill you.

Bloody hell.

But Ed, it's been our quiz for us tonight.

Tell us about the quizzes at any theme related tonight or is it any?

Not really any theme.

It was just kind of what I could throw together at lunchtime.

So, you know, let's crack on.

Question one.

Which legendary supercar featured the first production car application of a magnesium engine block?

Magnesium engine block.

A legendary supercar, which was the first production application of a magnesium engine block.

It was brought in to reduce weight.

We get an era.

60s.

Okay.

I was thinking a little bit newer.

Matthew, I'm going to say the Ferrari 250 GTO.

No.

Scott.

What else?

Scott.

Is it the Lamborghini mirror?

Geez, you're all going very Italian.

No.

Oh, okay.

Jim Barlow.

Anything from you?

There's my first two thoughts.

So that's kind of put me in a bit of a bind.

Magnesium.

No, I'll pass.

Okay.

The Porsche 911 1968.

Oh, really?

Really?

It was used in racing, but Porsche bought it into production with a two liter engine to reduce weight.

Molten, hot, magma.

Magnesium.

That's cool.

I like it.

Question number two.

What was the original name of the company that we now know as Mazda?

Geez.

I know this because we went to the factory and they were explaining it to us.

Yes.

Matthew.

Shies and haws.

Don't know if you've mentioned it on here too.

We have, yeah.

This is not a good start.

Matthew.

Yes, Matthew.

It was something go.

I think that's...

The letter G and the letter O are in second word.

Yeah.

Is that half a point?

No, that's not half a point.

It's all right.

Okay.

Geez.

All right.

Thank you.

Yeah.

Well, they're not together in the second word.

So, you know, I'm figure that's a bit less.

All right.

So no one on that?

No.

It is Toyo Kogyo company.

Yes.

That's right.

They originally specialized in manufacturing cork before moving into machine tools and then vehicles.

That is right.

They're a cork.

They make cork.

They actually make a car.

Yeah.

Same thing.

The cork gaskets.

The cork gaskets are good.

What was the first?

Question three.

This is now.

What was the first mass production passenger car to be powered by a straight five cylinder

as in an inline five cylinder diesel engine?

Matthew.

Yes, Matthew.

The Mercedes Benz?

Which Mercedes Benz?

Which W123?

And which specific engine?

The 300D.

Correct.

The legendary OM617 engine, which became world-renowned for its durability, often reached over 500,000

miles.

I'm going to give an extra point here.

What does the OM stand for in the OM617 code?

That is good.

In fact, all Mercedes diesels have OM at the start.

They do.

What does OM stand for?

I know they've all got OM, but I don't know what it stands for.

It's probably a name.

Matthew.

Orthopedic.

It's probably simpler than you think.

Orthopedic massage.

From the shaking of the diesel.

Absolutely.

You'll be loosey-goosey in the spine.

No, it's simpler than you think.

Any other guesses?

Oh, Mercedes.

I'll give you a clue.

What is a diesel run on?

Diesel.

Which is basically what?

Oil.

Blue.

Correct.

Is it mechanical?

Motor.

What power is the car?

What's the name for engine?

Motor.

Yeah, OM.

Oil motor.

I can't give a point for that because no one really got it.

Oh, my goodness.

Oil motor.

OM.

They're very simple people, the Germans, aren't they?

Really simple.

Yeah, exactly.

Question four.

What was the first production car to feature a drive-by-wire

electronic throttle system and in what year was it introduced?

So who was first with your drive-by-wire?

I want to say it would be European because...

Yes, I'll attest to that.

It was European.

I want to say it was on a really techy car.

Matthew, I want to say BMW 8 Series.

Matthew, you are correct with BMW.

I'll give you half a point for that.

I'll take the point for that.

Take the point for that.

Anyone else want to guess what BMW you had it?

Jim.

Yes, Jim Balov.

I feel as though I've gotten the name wrong but was it the M1?

No.

Oh.

Scott.

M3?

No.

It was the 750iL in 1988, the E32.

Big girl.

V12.

Oh, okay.

V1.

And they used the electronic thingy to synchronize the two banks of cylinders.

Because they used that engine in the 850 as well.

Yeah, but that's not where it was first.

I was trying, Edward.

Yeah, I know you're trying.

I appreciate.

Question five.

In Quinton Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, set in 1969 but made only a few years ago,

Brad Pitt's character drives the 1964 Volkswagen Carmen Gear.

What hidden mechanical mods were made to the movie car for the actor to drive?

What did they do to that Carmen Gear?

That's a great question.

Matthew, I want to say because a hydraulic handbrake?

No.

Okay, I'll be up.

Scott.

What?

They made it auto.

Correct.

That is half a point.

Really?

Yeah, and there was one.

And they said, not that Brad couldn't drive a manual, it was just easier for filming.

And what other thing, there'll be another half a point if Jim can guess the other thing they did to that Carmen Gear.

Wow, I've had an auto.

Geez.

No, I don't know.

They put a Subaru engine in it.

Oh, okay.

A Subaru motor and an auto.

There you go.

Question six, which 1990s car was the first mass production model to offer a color shifting chroma flare flip paint directly from the factory?

So you could order chroma flare paint on this car.

Matthew.

Yeah.

You said 90s.

90s.

You could get it on a Nissan Skyline GTR, but I don't think that's the answer.

You could get it on a Mustang at the time, I believe, like the New Edge Mustang, whatever it was called.

I think I'm going to say something.

I mean, I want to say it'll be like a Volta or not a Volta.

Maybe an Audi.

I want to say an Audi, you know, A2 or something.

No.

Jim, I'll just say something mum game like a BMW 3 Series.

No.

Scott.

Well, mine was a GTR.

I'm going to give you half a point, Scott, because you got the manufacturer right.

It was Nissan and it was the Micra.

Oh, get out.

Really the Micra.

Yeah, it had a purple to green shift that predated most luxury applications of that style of chroma flare paint.

That's pretty much the colour change that is Midnight Purple 2 for the GTR.

I want to come from that and they kind of changed it a bit and poured it into that.

Yeah.

Exactly.

That's cool.

Question seven.

In the 1930s, what unusual organic material was reportedly mixed into automotive paint to create the first shimmering metallic effects?

Matthew.

What did they put in it?

Did they use glitter?

No.

What else did they put in it?

Organic material.

Oh, it's organic.

Sorry.

Okay.

Organic.

Yeah.

That's that's throwing me organic.

Okay.

Anyone?

No.

I don't know.

Yeah.

These are tough, right?

These are good.

Jim or Scott?

I feel like something that's not good for you.

A spistos.

Spistos giving you the glitter.

That would be too far from the truth to be fair because it is metal based, right?

My guess is mercury.

It is not.

Jim.

I've got no idea whatsoever, so I'm just going to say gold.

No, it was fish scales.

Really?

Apparently from herring scales, they were used to create a pearlescent luster

before modern synthetic marker was introduced.

Jesus Christ.

That makes sense.

Yeah.

Question eight.

According to a famous automotive urban legend, Henry Ford only offered the model team black to save money.

What was the actual technical reason for the switch to black only in 1914?

Matthew.

Yes.

Because the wall was happening, so they had no other paint to use.

No.

Okay.

I just thought maybe because it's just cheaper.

No.

Jim, you're it.

I guess because the paint was made in-house and it was more convenient.

No.

It was drying time.

The black Japan enamel in inverted commas was the only paint that dried fast enough to keep up with the speed of Ford's new moving production line.

Yeah.

You could get it in red, blue, green, gray, etc.

That's amazing.

What the hell?

I know.

Question nine.

In 2007, Lexus Australia released a highly limited IS-250X model to celebrate a specific milestone.

What was the milestone and how many units did they produce?

I'll give a point for each.

What year?

Sorry.

2007 IS-250X model.

Yeah.

What was it celebrating the IS-250X?

Matthew, I want to say that they made 2,000 of them.

And the reason for the X was for...

I should know this.

My friend had one.

15 years of...

No, it can't be 2007.

Maybe...

Yeah, I want to say for their time in Australia or something.

No.

Okay.

I mean, it's celebrated a certain milestone of them in Australia.

Yeah.

Anyone else want to guess what that milestone is?

Jim, could I go with maybe that by 2007 they'd racked up 100,000 sales?

You're on the right track, but not the right number, Jim.

Oh.

Scott?

Oh.

Is it...

I've got to say 10,000 sales.

That's what it was for.

And they've made...

They've produced 1,000 of them.

No.

We're on the right track.

So I think it was the 5,000 IS-250 in Australia.

And they only made 260 units to maintain exclusivity.

I had one of those in a manual.

Yeah, good car.

Lucky last question.

The Stephen Bradbury Mitsubishi Magna commercial.

I don't know if we've seen that, but there is one.

It leveraged his iconic 2002 Winter Olympics win to promote the Magna's all-wheel drive system.

In the advertisement, Bradbury highlights the importance of stability.

What was the tagline that he says at the end of the ad?

It was like the new all-wheel drive Magna.

And then it cuts to him and then he says this line.

Doesn't fall over.

It could have been that, but no.

Don't I buy a Magna and do a Bradbury?

Should have bought a Toyota, but no.

Got anything?

Don't fall on your way to the dealer?

I like where these are going.

No, it was you always keep your feet.

And trust me, I know how important that is.

That was his tagline.

I've watched the ad today. It's worth a glance.

I know you've got to go.

I've got to run.

Thank you, boys. Have a good week.

I actually learnt quite a lot. That was really good.

Thanks, Ed.

So quiz results.

Jim, you get to score.

Scotty on one, and I take the cake by 0.5.

Scotty, sorry.

So very low scoring.

But, you know, that's, that's how it is.

I would just questions that really got me thinking.

And just, you know, the reasons as to why they use the black paint.

Magnesium engine block as well is like, what could that be?

I was thinking later than the 60s.

So I'm glad he gave us at least a decade to think about.

I mean, it wouldn't surprise me that it was still the 60s

because like they were experimenting with magnesium,

like a lot of them, like the racing wheels,

like the mini lights and stuff,

they were all made of magnesium back then.

Yeah, you're right.

So just to save weight.

But then they went a bit cheaper

because magnesium is quite expensive.

But yeah, really interesting quiz.

I was today as old when I learnt that Steven Bradbury

had a funny line in a, you know,

I think that's a podcast.

I think so too.

Just letting you guys know,

I will be at the drags on Friday night at Calder.

The guys are more than welcome to come.

My brother is racing his, his stupidly fast F6.

This, this Friday.

This Friday.

This Friday night.

Awesome.

So I mean, I know Chad's in.

I know Ed said he was going to come.

Jim, you're, you're a possibility.

Scotty.

Yeah, I mean, I'm not really far away.

Yeah, no, you're not far away at all.

Just on the road.

So, so, so Lucas, he's, he's both,

he's doing both role racing and dig racing from a dig.

So, and they've got some passion passenger rides

and he's trying to convince me to go in

and I'm still kind of wetting my pants.

I'm a little bit nervous.

That would be good.

I did a drift run around there

in a 385 rear wheel kilowatt skyline.

That was good.

That would have been sick.

That would have been mad.

So yeah, well, it'd be interesting to see what the

700 kilowatts pretty much puts down.

What time?

It starts at 6 30, but I think he's only,

you can get there a bit earlier for like scrutinering

and things and.

Yeah, he's got to get there early.

I did pick up his wheels today.

He's just some stockies from,

from down the other side of town where I've always

picked up the person's vehicle.

And they're just, there's just a set of,

you know, old BA, you know, Tickford,

not son of BA, BA like XR6 wheels.

That he's got Mickey Thompson's ready to go on for it.

Very sticky.

So he's actually, he's going to try to do it properly.

I said, well, yeah, I'm interested to see what it does.

But being a manual, I think we'll hurt it.

Yeah.

If it was an auto, that'd be a 10 second car all day, all day.

But yeah, it became, it'd be good.

We can, we can all catch up.

Oh yeah.

We all got to have a bet what we reckon the fastest time will be

over the runs that he gets in.

So not just like the first run or anything.

Overall, what do you think his fastest time would be?

I think we can, we can discuss that just before the first run

of the night.

Yeah.

I reckon that'll be fun.

So yeah, we'll definitely do that.

But hopefully see you guys there.

That'll be, it'll be good.

Yep.

We'll discuss called apart next week on the show.

Yep.

Scottie's golf tip of the week.

Golf tip of the week.

Come back to me.

See if I can think of something.

We, we can.

Jim's car, car taking.

I think that's what we.

Yes.

That's what we've said along with things.

Yeah.

So if anybody thinks that their car needs a bit of exercise or a

bit of a long stretch, then let me know.

Happy to have a watch.

You'll have a thousand kilometers in a week.

Pretty much.

Yeah.

So, so yes, Jim.

I've got a good tip.

Yep.

It's got to go for it.

So the whole time I remember I was saying that hybrids, I

can't hit them.

I suck.

And I was looking at something else.

Funny thing happened to me.

My brother's got a hybrid.

He goes, oh, just give it a go.

I can't hit them.

All right.

I've done it a million times.

Drop the ball down.

Bang.

Hit it a month.

Oh, if you are going to choose a new club or a hybrid or

anything like that, please go to a professional place.

It's always that right now.

Get it sized up and make sure you get the right one and don't

just pick one off the shelf like I did.

What I'm going to do now is I'm going to go back.

I'm going to because they can take second hand ones.

I'm going to sell it to them, find one, help them, get them to

help me fit it properly.

And I can have a hybrid that I can actually start hitting.

There you go.

You heard it.

You first get sized up gentlemen and ladies for that matter that

play golf.

Like it's your Facebook page.

It's a cartel of TORQ.

Many of you have sent me any of our previous episodes.

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Gentlemen, honor is always and I'll see you next time.

Take it easy.

See ya.

0:00

82:19

What factors impact Australians when buying a car

Mercedes-Benz 380

Magnet

About this episode

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