Unlucky break: Will travel insurance protect you when you need it?
Australians are big travellers and even the cost-of-living squeeze hasn’t changed that. But as the cost of everything from flights to food creeps up, is it still worth buying travel insurance?
Toyota paint peel proves power in numbers
When paint started peeling off his Toyota Corolla in great chunks, Chris McInerney thought maybe he had done something wrong.
Road danger: Hyundai owners warn of car failures while driving
Mandie Cowley was driving with her daughter on a busy regional highway in Victoria when her Hyundai started losing power.
“The only place I could pull over was on a bend and there was a lot of trucks. I was absolutely petrified that a truck was going to come up behind me and hit the car,” she said.
Michael Steele’s son, still a P-plater, was driving his Dad’s car at a similar high speed on a country highway in Queensland when it made a grinding sound.
"And it just came to a halt, nothing was working. He was very lucky to get it to the side of the road,” Michael said.
Nina Persin’s partner was driving at 100kmh on the Pacific Motorway, in south-east Queensland, roads still slippery from the floods, when his engine seized up.
“There was no warning light, nothing,” she said. “When the engine seized, the brakes stopped working, as did the steering wheel. My partner had huge difficulties steering the car away from the right-hand lane, avoiding the trucks on the road, towards the left lane.
“I don’t even want to imagine what could have happened."
Second best: Are used cars still worth your money?
If you've been shopping for a secondhand car recently, you've likely noticed they're still not cheap, especially if you want to avoid ending up with a lemon.
The pandemic caused production delays and a shortage of new cars, driving up demand for the next-best option. While prices for used cars have come down somewhat, they are still higher than pre-Covid levels.
According to the Moody’s Analytics' price index, the average used car now costs 20 percent less than its peak in May 2022 but is still 40 percent higher than pre-pandemic levels.
Sure thing: Are new car warranties a safe bet?
For many of us, cars are our second most expensive investment after our home. So it's only right to want some peace of mind when it comes to buying one.
Enter: the car warranty. In Australia, most new cars come with a manufacturer's warranty. That warranty covers you for a set period of time, usually three years. But in recent times, we've seen an increase in the number of brands offering longer warranties. Up to 10 years in some cases. It's a persuasive marketing tool.
Total recall: The rundown on car recalls in Australia
If you hear the words “recall” and your car make and model in the same sentence, it can send you into a spin. That's probably because car recall is almost always associated with negative thoughts, such as danger, the potential for accidents, and maybe even expensive repairs.
But are car recalls always bad? Is there ever a good time for a manufacturer to announce a recall?
Up in the air: What is going on with Qantas?
J.R.R. Tolkien once wrote, "Not all who wander are lost." But if your wander is booked with Qantas, you could be. That is if your flight was cancelled and you opted for a travel credit instead of a refund.
Complaints about Qantas have been mounting on social media since Australia's borders reopened and people have been trying to use their flight credits. According to some reports, it has been almost impossible to get through to the airline, let alone redeem the credits.
The right path: Don’t let fines take their toll
If you live in a major city where tolls are part of your everyday commute, you probably don’t give them too much thought – until the next time you hear they’re going up again.
But if you don’t use them very often, or are visiting from out of town, it’s easy to get stung by tolls. Particularly if you don’t have an electronic tag or pass that makes it easy to pay as you drive over tolled roads.
Before you know it, that one unpaid trip on a toll road could add up to a lot of pain.
Driving prices: How to make your fuel dollars go further
Holding your breath every time you head to the petrol station? Wondering whether to fill up or just put in $50 and hope the price takes a dive by the time you need to top up?
Between the pandemic and the ongoing war in Ukraine, we have become used to prices going up at the pump over the past few years. But with the volatile situation in the Middle East changing almost daily, there are increasing concerns not just about the cost of fuel but of supplies drying up.
Ready to travel? Here’s how to see Australia without blowing the travel budget
If you’ve been feeling trapped within your own state, you’re probably more than a little excited at the thought of the country opening up. But you may be worried about blowing your travel budget with unexpected expenses.
Travelling in this Covid recovery period is not without its challenges. The pandemic has brought unpredictability to almost everything we previously took for granted — from border restrictions and other new travel requirements to the inevitable price rises, there’s a lot to catch you unawares.
So how do you plan an affordable getaway in this era? We’ve rounded up some top tips from budget travel experts.