The four best used cars for under $40,000 (and the one you should avoid)

The Ford Ranger is the best drive for a dual cab on the market.

Now that Jim Chalmers has put lipstick on an economic pig (thanks economist Leith van Onselen) and King Albo is looking to subsidise bread and water for the masses, it’s the right time to look at buying a used rather than new car.

Used car sales are going down like the Chinese EV carrier off the coast of Alaska this week. (The car-carrier, Morning Midas, filled with hundreds of EVs was evacuated by the US Coast Guard 400kms off the coast of Alaska after an on-board fire engulfed the cargo ship. Who said EV batteries were a safety risk?)

Anyway, to make sure we get our best preloved metal right we put together a panel of car industry veterans (some more veteran than others) who have seen it all and probably enthusiastically participated in most of it. The only reputable car dealer on the east coast of this great land, Andrew Miedecke (AKA Mad Andy), owner of Miedecke Motor Group and Brocky’s driving partner; Ralph Ali, 40 years in the business and owner of Ralph’s Prestige Mechanical, where Porker and Fezzer owners get their grease and oil changes; David

Toyota Corolla is great value.

Wheatley, a lifetime in car sales and service; the CEO of a major car importer who doesn’t want to offend his dealers by us naming him; and of course, Michael McMichael, rally driver, racer and BMW and Kensi specialist.

We have indicated prices, but you need to bargain. On EVs bargain harder: “They can’t get rid of second-hand electric cars.” “If you are buying older than 10 years old … Toyota, Toyota, Toyota.” “I always recommend any Hyundai and Kia. The Korean cars are very reliable and have long warranties.” “Of course, no matter what, the single most important thing is the service history – partial or unverified history is the short fuse to problems.”

“And one last thought – one of the most common triggers for someone selling their car (privately or trade-in) is because their mechanic has warned them about some problem about to blow up in their face. Back to service history!”

The top 4 and the worst 1

1. Toyota Corolla: “Reliable, frugal, great resale.” From $20k.

2. Ford Ranger: “Simply the best drive for a dual cab on the market.” “Hard ride but above average reliability.” Around $40k

3. Hyundai Kona: “A real joy to drive, handles like a Porker, goes like a family car, some electrical problems”. Under $20k

4. Hyundai i30: “Only buy one from 2018 on.” “Looks good, goes slow.” “Solid as a Subaru Forester.” $20k.

Skip the early models of BMW’s 1-Series.

One to avoid: BMW 1-Series (2004-11): “The first-generation 1-Series is tricky to buy well, given that many of its engines suffer serious flaws. That would be bad enough on its own, but even if you get a reliable example, the original 1-Series is cramped in the back, harsh-riding and has a joylessly dark and dismal interior, with some cheap materials smattered about the place. It’s best avoided.” The Telegraph UK. From $4k.

F1 is more safety cars than strategy

Welcome to the Spanish Grand Prix, 2025 edition – where the race direction felt more like a bad school excursion than a Grand Prix. Max Verstappen may have taken a bruising, but it was the safety car that stole the show.

After Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes expired in a gravel trap, marshals were slower than a wet Q1 session. It took two laps just to launch a recovery vehicle, and another two to satisfy F1’s obsession with reshuffling the grid like pensioners at the pokies. In IndyCar, they’d have had Kimi cleared before Sky Sports got Ted Kravitz’s mic turned on.

Meanwhile, Verstappen – already battered by Leclerc and Russell – copped a 10-second penalty for a tap at pedestrian pace. George Russell, who had thrown his car into a corner like a kid tossing toys, walked away penalty-free. And yet it’s Max the media wants banned.

Cue the outrage machine: “BAN HIM!” scream the same pundits who once celebrated Nigel Mansell for bulldozing past rivals like a moustachioed tractor. Verstappen’s move was dumb, sure. But dangerous? Spare us.

The Hyundai i30s are great from the 2018 model onwards.

Let’s be clear: the real problem isn’t Verstappen. It’s F1. Between the safety car bureaucracy and a rule book written in interpretative dance, the sport has forgotten what made it great. Drivers aren’t gladiators anymore – they’re traffic cops on a simulator.

Now to Red Bull – the team that’s racing ahead on Sunday and losing half its staff by Monday.

Seven key figures have walked in the last year alone. Adrian Newey? Gone to Aston Martin. But the really critical exit? Team boss Jonathan Wheatley. A real loss in terms of tactics. No way he would have stuffed up the strategy like Red Bull did on Sunday. Anyway, Jono is off to lead Audi’s new F1 project.

Aussies, demountables and a Porsche named Yasser

Seven more sleeps to the race that never sleeps: the 24 Hours of Le Mans: Now with added Australians and women. The world’s most famous endurance race – a high-speed, daylong war of attrition where drivers battle fatigue, traffic, rain, mechanical failure, and each other across 300+ laps at over 330km/h. It’s not about who’s fastest for one lap. It’s who survives the night. Last year the gap between the first and second cars was 14 seconds. The gap between first and last was 84 laps.

Five women will be racing this year – more than F1 has seen in decades.

There’s Porsche factory ace Matt Campbell, from Warwick, Queensland, in the Penske-run 963 Hypercar. He’s joined by Stephen and Brenton Grove in the Pro-Am class. Steve and Brent created an empire based on demountables. Last year, South Australia’s Yasser Shahin, won the LMGT3 category on his very first attempt, driving a Porker. This year Yasser will be driving a BMW M4 LMGT3.

Albo’s Mustang Militia: Seven Blokes, No Women, One Circuit, No Apologies

Tune in next Sunday for the Mustang Challenge Le Mans Invitational. Look there’s a heap of drivers in very quick Fords but only seven count. Direct from Albo’s Australia in the drivers’ seats around the Circuit de la Sarthe are: Andrew Miedecke (see above); pet and chocolate entrepreneur, Tony Quinn; Tim Miles; David Wall; Keith Kassulke; Hadrian Morrall and Cameron McLeod.

We report. You decide.

Next weekend: F1 Montreal is 2 hours vs. Le Mans being 24 hours. F1 is in imitation France vs. Le Mans in real France. F1 is 70 laps vs. Le Mans 370 laps. Val Bottas holds the Canuck record: 1:13 vs. Mike Conway in a Corolla lapping the French countryside in 3.17.

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