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Articles by Neil Dowling

Neil Dowling
Contributing Journalist

GoAutoMedia

Cars have been the corner stone to Neil’s passion, beginning at pre-school age, through school but then pushed sideways while he studied accounting.

It was rekindled when he started contributing to magazines including Bushdriver and then when he started a motoring section in Perth’s The Western Mail.

He was then appointed as a finance writer for the evening Daily News, supplemented by writing its motoring column. He moved to The Sunday Times as finance editor and after a nine-year term, finally drove back into motoring when in 1998 he was asked to rebrand and restyle the newspaper’s motoring section, expanding it over 12 years from a two-page section to a 36-page lift-out.

In 2010 he was selected to join News Ltd’s national motoring group Carsguide and covered national and international events, launches, news conferences and Car of the Year awards until November 2014 when he moved into freelancing, working for GoAuto, The West Australian, Western 4WDriver magazine, Bauer Media and as an online content writer for one of Australia’s biggest car groups.

He has involved himself in all aspects including motorsport where he has competed in everything from motocross to motorkhanas and rallies including Targa West and the ARC Forest Rally.

He loves all facets of the car industry, from design, manufacture, testing, marketing and even business structures and believes cars are one of the few high-volume consumables to combine a very high degree of engineering enlivened with an even higher degree of emotion from its consumers.

Looking to reduce the cost of new car ownership? Leasing could be the answer
By Neil Dowling · 25 May 2022
The good news is that a competitive car market has given buyers a huge choice of makes and models to get exactly the car they want.You probably already know the bad news - getting into a car can take months and months longer than it did before COVID and,
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Hybrid, PHEV or full electric? 2022 Kia Niro running costs compared
By Neil Dowling · 10 Apr 2022
Life wasn't meant to be easy and fuel prices are doing their best to ensure that adage sticks long and hard.The fuel hike comes as another kick in the teeth for motorists who have had two years of dwindling new-car supply, soaring used-car prices, poor pa
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Don't expect used car prices to come down any time soon! New industry data reveals overblown prices are here for a while longer
By Neil Dowling · 09 Apr 2022
Never has it been so hard to get a used car at an affordable price and, faced with global economic uncertainty and the effects of climate changes, it may not get a lot better in the short term. 
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How long before an electric car starts paying off? 2022 MG ZS EV vs ZS petrol running costs compared
By Neil Dowling · 03 Apr 2022
Your petrol car is cowering in the garage and your wallet has surrendered as a potentially long winter of fuel price discontent hits motorists.If you own a petrol - or diesel or even LPG - vehicle right now, any escape to an alternative will undoubtedly b
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Could Cupra be the next Skoda in Australia? | Opinion
By Neil Dowling · 02 Apr 2022
Fledgling brand Cupra hasn’t put a tyre on bitumen in Australia yet but it’s already poised to become something of a cult offering within the wider Volkswagen Group.
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Toyota HiLux SR5 or Ford Ranger Wildtrak? Which of Australia's favourite dual-cab utes is cheaper to run?
By Neil Dowling · 27 Mar 2022
No wonder that sales of the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger are so close - their load-carrying and performance specs are practically identical.Prices are close on a spec-by-spec basis, as is fuel economy and power outputs.
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Diesel Toyota LandCruiser or petrol Nissan Patrol? Which of Australia's favourite off-road SUVs is cheaper to run?
By Neil Dowling · 27 Feb 2022
Fat tow ratings, hefty payload capacities and locomotive torque to pull that four-wheel caravan or weekend cabin cruiser are the playgrounds for carmakers who devise big 4WD wagons for active buyers.
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Petrol V6 or petrol-electric hybrid? 2022 Toyota Kluger price and running costs compared
By Neil Dowling · 30 Jan 2022
Think of something roomy and safe and inexpensive to buy for the family and there's a decent choice, now made all the more interesting by the growing hybrid community. Why hybrid?
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Best new car deals: Updated January 2022
By Neil Dowling · 19 Jan 2022
Strong buying in 2021 sees the new-car market rally bouncing into 2022, and while that means a fresh flow of new vehicles, demand is still overpowering supply. 
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Is Mazda's innovative new engine worth it? Running costs compared for 2022 Mazda3's fuel-saving SkyActiv-X mild hybrid and traditional petrol options
By Neil Dowling · 16 Jan 2022
Car buyers are being hit by a wave of new technology, with a lot designed to reduce emissions and lower fuel use. Everything from electric vehicles to hybrids and hydrogen.
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