E-Fame vs Haters: The Death of Modern Car Culture
Published: 17/02/2014
Don’t like it? You’re just jealous! (Photoshop credit: Mestari Tikku) At what point does a following become a bandwagon? I’ve been following the highs and lows of one particular internet forum and its associated page on Facebook and have mused over this many times lately. The rise of social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and […]
Journey to the Centre of the Earth: Disaster Strikes
Published: 21/08/2012
It’s a very rare moment when the demise of a car seemingly devoid of any redeeming features reduces two grown men to tears, but I’m happy to admit that this was the case for us. For those who didn’t have a chance to read part 1, I had chosen an 850cc 3-cylinder Daihatsu Move to […]
Journey to the Centre of the Earth…in a Daihatsu
Published: 20/07/2012
“We’re going to die, aren’t we?” In fairness, my co-pilot’s response was to be expected. With a budget of just one thousand dollars, finding a suitable car to drive from Melbourne to Cairns via the Australian outback as part of the Shitbox Rally was always going to be a tough ask. Sure, there […]
Good Drivers Trump Good Cars
Published: 30/05/2012
By the time I’d finished with it, it had 13×5.5 Globe Bathurst rims, Ramflo air filter, cassette player and colour coded bumpers. Livin’ the dream. I’m probably showing my age a little here, but my first car was an orange 1974 Mazda 1300 sedan, which I bought from my parents. ‘The Jukebox’ really […]
Love Performance? Clean the Rubbish Out of your Car!
Published: 26/03/2011
Everyone knows someone like this. It might be a mate, a sister, a parent, even a boyfriend or girlfriend. A little while back, a friend of mine contacted me, concerned that her car was using chewing through the fuel a bit. That was, of course, a not-so-subtle hint that, being the only ‘car person’ […]
3/11 Tsunami and its After Effects
Published: 25/03/2011
There were a variety of subjects I had lined up for my column this month, but as I type, Japan has just been devastated by a 9.0 earthquake and tsunami. By the time you read this column, the mainstream media will have long moved on to other headlines, but I suspect that, like the floods […]
HID headlights: the Pros and Cons
Published: 13/09/2010
I will start by warning you that this column contains small snippets of facts padded out with large chunks of personal opinion, so don’t try quoting me word-for-word down at the pub and then suing me when you get laughed at or pounded into the carpet. This month’s topic is headlights, of the HID/xenon […]
Speed Limits vs Common Sense: Where do we Draw the Line?
Published: 9/07/2010
I’ve recently had two rather interesting experiences, both of which relate to speed and how it’s policed in our country. The first one cost me one demerit point on my licence and $220 – about half-way through a 7-hour drive to my in-laws’ farm, I got pinged by a highway patrol car with a […]
Life inside a Toaster: Owning the World’s Squarest Car
Published: 12/06/2010
As a car fanatic, working as an import broker is, for me, pretty much my ideal job: who wouldn’t want to sit and look at and talk about cars all day? But I have a confession to make – I’m a bit of a ‘car tart’. It’s the downside to being exposed to some […]
Personal Imports
Published: 12/01/2010
Even the most casual of PI readers will know that the Specialist and Enthusiast Vehicle Scheme (SEVS) allows makes and models not sold in full volume in Australia to be imported in small numbers for enthusiasts like us. It’s the reason why cars like the R33 Skyline now populate our cities in plague proportions. But […]
Diana, Destroyer of Minds
Published: 22/09/2009
Going back nearly 12 months ago, I received a lovely phone call from a lady I’d pegged to be in her mid-50s. Given that she didn’t fit my normal customer demographic, I very politely listened to her inquiry, whilst preparing to give her the 30-second introduction to importing: “unfortunately, because BMW sold the 3 […]
Diana and her Fairlady: a Tale of Pain and Suffering
Published: 25/08/2009
This isn’t the actual car, but pretty close! Going back nearly 12 months ago, I received a lovely phone call from a lady I’d pegged to be in her mid-50s. Given that she didn’t fit my normal customer demographic, I very politely listened to her inquiry, whilst preparing to give her the 30-second introduction […]
Cars available
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2015 Suzuki Carry 4WD KX
View DetailsAuction Grade 3.5B Odometer 24,000 Colour Blue Car Location Japan FOB Price ¥650,000 Est. Price (AUD) -
2012 Toyota Blade Master G
View DetailsAuction Grade 4B Odometer 132,000 Colour Silver Car Location Japan FOB Price ¥595,000 Est. Price (AUD)