How to use these reviews complete sample review is displayed in A miniature on the opposite page. Let’s go through the review item by item, starting with: The Heading: vehicle is also sold under another name, this Suzuki Swift & SX4 other name gets listed in plain black following current models the main listing. Sometimes we list two cars, sold by two dif- The Suzuki Swift and the SX4 are slightly ferent manufacturers, under the same review. different versions of the same car. Therefore it’s For example, the 1988-94 Suzuki Swift was also easier for us and more useful for you if we put sold in some countries as the Holden Barina. both of these vehicles into the same review. Why? Often two different manufacturers (eg, Suzuki & Holden) will share the same car under It’s not just Suzuki that sells one car under different model names. In the case of the Barina, several different names: most of the carmakers do it meant that Holden could offer its customers it, and this can be really confusing if you’re a car a small car without having to spend billions de- buyer. Where a car is sold in different countries veloping and building it. Holden simply bought under different names, we put that country’s flag the cars off Suzuki. As the cars left the Suzuki or country shape next to the name. For example, factory, Holden Barina badges were glued on in for Australia and for Japan, and so on. place of the Suzuki Swift badges, and that was the only significant difference between the two Note that in the heading above, the word cars. This process is called re-badging. So, you Suzuki Swift is in bold red while the other name would say that the 1988-94 Holden Barina was is not. In every review, the name in bold red a rebadged Suzuki Swift. is the main listing. Where a same, or similar, continued two pages over ☛ All content © The Dog & Lemon Guide 2010. All rights reserved 1 Here’s a complete review in miniature 2 All content © The Dog & Lemon Guide 2010. All rights reserved ☛ continued from two pages back Below is a sample ‘snapshot’ section of the review, designed to give you most of the infor- mation you need straight away. How Safe? Some vehicles are far safer than others. In most cases we also include a more detailed safety summary just above the ‘tech specs’ at the end of the review. Overall Rating Quick Summary This is just what it says: a quick summary of what we think of the vehicle. Will the majority of likely buyers find hap- How Reliable? piness or sorrow with this particular vehicle? Reliability means different things to different That’s what the ‘Overall Rating’ means. Note people. To us, the ‘how reliable’ rating compares that there are five stars beneath the words: three this vehicle to all other makes and models of a are grey, two are red. So, ‘Not recommended’ similar age and mileage. More about this subject means the same as ‘two stars out of a possible a little later. five’. In practice we rarely give five star (highly recommended) ratings. Like honest politicians, perfect cars are rare. All content © The Dog & Lemon Guide 2010. All rights reserved 3 Please note that we tend to be very tough on unsafe or unreliable cars, regardless of how won- derful these vehicles may be in other ways. However, generally our reviews are based on FITNESS FOR PURPOSE, not economy, speed, styling or whatever. They do the job they were designed to do for the people most likely to own them. It’s silly comparing a Toyota to a Ferrari and then saying one is better or worse – it’s good or bad depending on whether it does what it is meant to do. A Toyota Yaris is a small, economical, unad- venturous car designed to provide cheap, reliable transport. It’s silly to condemn it because it lacks sportscar performance. You may disapprove of the Yaris, but the fact is, it runs well and cheaply – that’s what it’s de- signed to do. The Ferrari goes very fast, handles Also Consider well, and makes people look at you enviously. That’s what it is designed to do. ‘Also Consider’ offers you alternative vehicles that may also suit your needs. Both the Yaris and the Ferrari get good reviews because they do what they are meant to do. The problem with many vehicles is that they get passed from owner to owner, and end up being used for purposes for which they were never designed. For example, if you’re a rich businessman, then a fancy new BMW will probably suit your needs perfectly. It was designed for you and thus has superb fitness for purpose. The trouble is, a few years after you sell it, your new BMW ceases to have this same fitness for purpose – it is no longer a smooth–running luxury sedan for the discerning businessman – it is a semi–worn out former luxury car which is purchased as a Additional pictures are placed here. These ‘bargain’ at a car auction, and may prove to be may help you to distinguish between the various a liability to whomever owns it. versions of this vehicle. 4 All content © The Dog & Lemon Guide 2010. All rights reserved We hope the above two icons are self-explana- tory: We use three icons for New Zealand pricing: = ‘new or like-new’ = ‘average’ = ‘rough or high mileage’ Sub Models and two for Australia: Sub models are variations on the basic vehicle. Such descriptions mean a lot to some people = ‘new or like-new’ and next to nothing to others. You don’t need to know all the sub models in order to use the = ‘average’ review. If you want to know what terms like sedan Here’s why: Australia is a big country with higher or refer to, take a look at the sillhouette hardtop priced vehicles, so its vehicles tend to travel much guide in our article Types of Vehicles. higher mileages than New Zealand ones and they tend to stay on the road for much longer. If an Australian vehicle is old, then it’s usually very high mileage. Thus, average means different things in both countries. An ‘average’ condition 1998 Toyota Corolla in Australia is almost inevi- tiably a very high mileage car. Therefore, ‘average’ in Australia generally means that the vehicle is still usuable but has worn out at more or less the same rate as most other examples of that make and model. At the bottom end of ‘average’ for a 1998 Toyota Corolla the vehicle will be both rough and high mileage. That is not necessarily true in New Zealand, where ‘average’ generally means ‘not new but not ultra high mileage or a wreck’. Therefore, the New Zealand prices get a third category ‘rough or high mileage’, to distinguish them from mid- quality vehicles. Pricing All content © The Dog & Lemon Guide 2010. All rights reserved 5 How much is a car worth? The answer is: What Goes Wrong? however much someone is prepared to pay for it. No two car valuers anywhere in the world will ever completely agree on the theoretical value of a vehicle. The true value of a car is dictated by the marketplace. There’s a laughable myth that modern cars are reliable. Nothing could be further from Car buyers as a group can be clearly divided the truth. Some vehicles, notably Toyota, can go into those who naturally drift towards the con- for decades without major repairs. Others, like venience of a car dealer and those who would Alfa Romeo, spend much of their time at the rather brave the private car market. garage, especially as they grow older. Dealers tend to offer higher quality cars, or An unreliable vehicle is one that has at least cars that appear to be of higher quality. problems that affect the pleasure or prac- Some dealer-advertised cars are offered at higher ticality of ownership. Some cars break down prices because they are low-mileage, good condi- all the time. Some go for years and then break tion examples, whereas the average model will something that costs thousands to fix. Some leak be quite rough and therefore cheaper. However, water. On the receiving end they all add up to an car dealers will charge whatever the market will unpleasant experience that everyone is anxious stand, and because many people assume that to avoid. The easiest way to avoid problems is dealer cars are better, dealers regularly sell tarted to avoid the types of vehicles that give problems; up rubbish at outrageous prices, and then use a it’s as simple as that. variety of creative ways of avoiding payouts un- der guarantee when this rubbish breaks down. Except on some very new cars, when we sim- ply don’t know, we run a list of likely problem See also the following linked articles: areas. Some of these may be understandable by you, many may not. That’s okay. The ‘What • Bargain Hunting Goes Wrong’ listings are there partly to enlighten • Types of Vehicles you, partly so that you can compare our listings with your actual experience and partly so that • The Five Minute Car Check the mechanic that you employ to check out any • Finance secondhand version will have a handy reference. • Buying New We also list recalls under this section (more about this below). General Blurb You may notice we run certain warnings on virtually every review.