Daewoo Cielo Reviews

Owners of luxury European models and are up to four times as likely to be caught breaking the law compared to Japanese or Korean makes.Analysis of SAPOL and Transport Department figures shows Mercedes drivers are by far the worst in the state, recording 0.824 fines per vehicle in 2014/15.This compares to the least-fined of the large manufacturers, Isuzu with only 0.186 fines per car.Experts at a loss to explain the bias against luxury cars, and police have denied they give the drivers special treatment.Some of the more expensive vehicles are capable of extremely rapid accelerationIt is the first time the figures have become available because of a Weatherill Government reform called "open data", in which government departments are forced to release large amounts of information on their websites.RAA Senior Manager Road Safety, Charles Mountain said the nature of luxury cars, rather than driver behaviour may be to blame."Modern vehicles, particularly some of the more expensive vehicles are capable of extremely rapid acceleration and insulate the driver to such an extent that it may mask a driver's perception of speed," he said."Irrespective of the vehicle being driven, whether it be a luxury import or a reasonably priced runabout, it is important for their safety and that of other road users that they drive to the conditions and abide by the prevailing speed limits on the roads on which they are travelling."The type of vehicle doesn't determine if police take action, it is based on the nature of the offendingWhen asked a series of questions about the issue, SAPOL issued a one line response: "The type of vehicle doesn't determine if police take action, it is based on the nature of the offending".While Holden drivers amassed the most fines in 2014/15 with 72,847 there are 239,804 Holdens on the road.In comparison, Mercedes drivers were hit 13,157 times for only 15,959 registered vehicles.Only two non-luxury brands were in the top ten and six in the top 20 fined-per-registered-car for 2014/15.Other than Holden, which was the eighth most fined vehicle on the road, none of the large-volume, inexpensive makes is in the top 25 of most fined vehicles.There are some exceptions however, with the low-volume Dodge and Proton makes ranking second and third, Ferrari ranking thirty fourth and Jaguar thirty eighth.One of the cheapest vehicles on the road, the Chinese Great Wall is ranked highly at sixteenth.(Make - fines per car - total fines)1 Mercedes - 0.824 - 13,157 2 Dodge - 0.377 - 3183 Proton - 0.356 - 2684 Renault - 0.350 - 11495 Saab - 0.346 - 3886 Range Rover - 0.345 - 3517 Audi - 0.326 - 20748 Holden - 0.316 - 72,8479 Mini - 0.313 - 33110 Fiat - 0.309 - 31011 Daewoo - 0.305 - 147512 Jeep - 0.313 - 227013 Lexus - 0.293 - 95114 SsangYong - 0.289 - 21415 BMW - 0.284 - 503216 Great Wall - 0.284 - 290

... and the company itself is re-named and re-branded as GM Korea. The Daewoo signs will come down as General Motors looks to jettison the baggage tied to the name, both at home in Korea and in other countries including Australia. Daewoo was always known as a cheapie brand and - just as the Lucky Goldstar electronics empire was reinvented as LG with its 'Life's Good' kicker line - it is now looking to make a major shift. GM believes it will get a showroom bonus in Korea when it puts the Chevrolet badge onto its cars, starting with the Australian designed Camaro coupe. It is also confident that the new name will work better for export partners, including GM Holden. It has struggled from the start to convince Australians on Daewoo, and is also looking for a significant upward swing in quality and sales starting with the facelifted Captiva SUV that hits local showrooms next month. GM says the Korean change is part of a plan to position Chevrolet as a key global brand. The strategy is already working in Europe, where acceptance of value cars is working better with Chevrolet instead of Daewoo badges. In Korea, GM plans to use its global Chevrolet names including Spark and Aveo. "We have studied the brand issue in depth for a long time and have come to the conclusion that launching a new brand strategy and making Chevrolet our primary brand is good for all stakeholders, including especially Korean consumers," says GM Daewoo spokesman, Park Haeho. GM Daewoo already builds one of every four Chevrolet-branded vehicles sold globally and Korea is GM's center for small-car development and design.

And the VE Commodore was given just three stars. The latest Used Car Safety Ratings, taken from Monash University's Accident Research Centre (MUARC) crash survey awarded five stars to the Camry and Aurion on models built from 2006 until 2008. The results show that almost one in three vehicles have a "poor" or "very poor" crash test result. The worst result was for the 1990-96 Daihatsu Mira, while the 2004-07 VW Golf was the safest. The 1999-2002 Ford Fairlane/LTD, Holden's Statesman/Caprice and the 2003-5 Mitsubishi Magna/Verada line-ups all rated four stars.  Three-star ratings were also awarded to the 2002-08 BA/BF Ford Falcon, the Holden Statesman/Caprice range from 1994 to 1998 and the 2002-07 Holden Commodore VY/VZ range. The results also suggest smaller cars have improved in recent years, with the 1996-200 Volkswagen Polo scoring five stars and the 2005-2008 Holden Barina rating four stars. The ratings list showed that (excluding light-commercial utes) every vehicle class has at least one vehicle with an "excellent" five-star rating and of the 199 vehicles examined, more than a third scored either good or excellent. The survey rates occupant safety, as well as how other road users (cyclists, pedestrians, motorcyclists and other drivers) are affected in a crash, based on Australian and New Zealand injuries suffered by 5.4 million people from 1987-2008. FIVE STAR "excellent" Audi A4 01-08 BMW 5 Series 96-03 BMW X5 01-08 Chrysler Neon 96-99 Ford Explorer 01-05 Ford Transit 01-08 Mazda 6 02-07 Mazda MX5 Roadster 98-05 Mercedes Benz C-Class 00-07 Mercedes Benz M-Class 98-05 Mitsubishi Nimbus 99-03 Mitsubishi Pajero 00-06 Peugeot 307 01-08 Saab 900/9-3 94-02 Saab 9000 86-97 Subaru Liberty/Legacy/Outback 03-08 Subaru Forester 97-02 Toyota Aurion 06-08 Toyota Camry 06-08 Volkswagen Golf/Jetta 04-08 Volkswagen Polo 96-00 Volvo S40/V40 97-04 ONE STAR "very poor" Daewoo Espero 95-97 Daewoo Tacuma 00-04 Daihatsu Feroza/Rocky 89-97 Daihatsu Rocky/Rugger 85-98 Daihatsu Charade 93-00 Daihatsu Mira 90-96 Ford Festiva 94-01 Holden Commodore Ute VR/VS 94-00 Holden/Suzuki Scurry/Carry 82-00 Holden/Suzuki Drover/Sierra 82-99 Holden/Suzuki Barina/Swift 89-99 Hyundai Excel/Accent 95-00 Hyundai Getz/TB 02-08 Kia Ceres 92-00 Nissan Micra 95-97 Nissan NX/NX-R 91-96 Proton Wira 95-96 Subaru Impreza 93-00 Suzuki Vitara/Escudo 88-98 Toyota 4Runner/Hilux 89-97 Toyota Landcruiser 90-97

Opel is hoping to fill some of the vacant ground left by GM's sale of Saab and has publicly named Australia as one of its targets.  The Opel-built Calibra coupe, as well as the family-style Vectra and Astra, were sold here before GM Holden turned its small-car focus on Korea and the products being produced by Daewoo. The latest Barina, Viva, Cruze and Captiva all have their roots in Korea, although there is growing tweaking by engineers and designers at Fishermans Bend.  Holden is mostly noncommittal about the plan but Opel boss Nick Reilly - who, ironically, once led the GM team at Daewoo - is bullish. "Opel is an icon of German engineering. For markets such as China, Australia and South Africa, Opel can be a premium brand. We’ve got great, award-winning cars," Reilly tells Stern magazine in Germany.  The strategy is to rather focus on China, Australia and South Africa." Reilly has big plans for Opel, which was originally scheduled for sale as part of the GM bankruptcy proceedings in the USA. It survived the threat and is now intended to spearhead a prestige push while GM uses Chevrolet as its global value brand. "We have to be able to compete with Volkswagen; if possible, we should have an even stronger brand. And in Germany we should be able to charge higher prices than the French or Koreans," Reilly says.  "But we will not attempt to copy BMW, Mercedes or Audi." There are strong ties between Opel and Holden which go back to the 1970s. The original VB Commodore of 1978 was an Opel design, although the car's body was stretched for family work down under.  But Holden is not a supporter of the Opel push - at least, not yet. "From our end there are no plans to reintroduce Opel-sourced product into the Holden line-up," says spokesperson Emily Perry.  "Australia is one of the new potential export markets they are looking at. We're obviously working with them as they evaluate this market, but we've got nothing more to say." The last remaining Opel product in the Holden catalogue is the Combo van. Sales this year have just topped 300 vehicles, with 63 delivered in June.  The Astra convertible, which is discontinued, has also contributed 19 Opel-sourced sales through the first half of 2010.

Daewoo is a dirty name in the local car business, unfairly perhaps. The company came in the wake of Hyundai, when Korean cars were cheap and cheerful, little more than disposable white goods, and it vanished just as quickly amid the meltdown of the Korean economy.The brand no longer exists here in its own right, but it remains on our roads in the form of the Holden Barina, Viva, Epica and Captiva. Daewoo makes them all in Korea.Ask anyone their opinion of Daewoo and they’ll probably laugh, but many of those same people are likely to be driving Holden-badged Daewoos without realizing it.MODEL WATCHDaewoo began making cars already superseded by Opel. Under license from the European carmaker they made versions of the Commodore, but it was Daewoo’s version of the Opel Kadett that first brought it to the attention of local car buyers.Although it was designed by Opel and looked like an Opel, the Korea-built Daewoo 1.5i wasn’t much like an Opel. It was plain and simple, and lacked much of the refinement of its European cousin.Here, it hit the market with a low, driveaway price that was mostly attractive to buyers who would otherwise have bought a used car. It wasn’t a bad deal if all you could afford was a rusty old clunker that was well past its prime.But like other Korean brands Daewoo wasn’t prepared to be cheap-and-cheerful forever, it had ambitions beyond the bottom end of the market, and subsequent models, like the Nubira, reflected these ambitions.The Nubira arrived in 1997 and was a huge improvement over the cars that went before it.It was a small car similar in size to a Corolla, Laser, 323 or Civic, and there were sedan, wagon and hatchback variants.It was pleasantly plump with generous curves and full proportions. Its looks were nothing to write home about, but equally there was nothing about it that offended the eye.Inside, it had room for four in comfort, but five could be squeezed in at a pinch.There was adequate head and leg room front and rear, the driver could find a comfortable driving position and had controls that were sensible, logically laid out and fell within reach, while the instruments were clear and easily read.Oddly for an Asian car the turn signals were mounted on the left of the column in the European style, a sign of the company’s Opel connections.The Nubira was a conventional front-wheel drive car. Initially it had a 1.6-litre double overhead camshaft four-cylinder engine that gave 78 kW and 145 Nm, but that was joined by a Holden-made 2.0-litre engine in 1998 and that delivered 98 kW and 185 Nm.Its performance with either engine was nothing startling, although the extra torque of the larger engine made it a more pleasant drive.Buyers could choose from a five-speed manual and a four-speed auto. Again they were adequate, although the manual gearshift was vague and sloppy.At the launch the range was limited to the SX sedan and wagon, but this expanded in 1998 when the SE and CDX joined in.The SX was quite well equipped for its class with standard cloth trim, CD player, central locking, power mirrors and windows, fog lamps.Air was added to the list in 1988, the same year the SE and CDX arrived.The SE boasted air, power front windows, CD player, cloth trim and central locking, while the range-topping CDX also featured alloy wheels, power windows front and rear, power mirrors and a rear spoiler.An update in 1999 brought the Series II, which included a driver’s airbag and an adjustable steering wheel.IN THE SHOPThe Nubira is generally robust and reliable, although perhaps not up to the class leaders like the Corolla, Mazda 323 and other Japanese models.Body squeaks and rattles are fairly common, and the plastic interior components are prone to cracking and breaking.It’s important to ask for a service record as many owners of these cars tended to ignore the need for servicing. Services could be completely ignored, or they could have been done on the cheap by backyarders to save a few bucks.Missing oil changes can lead to a build-up of sludge in the engine, which can result in premature wear in areas like the camshaft.It’s also important to change the cam-timing belt as recommended, as they are known to break, sometimes before the 90,000 km change point. If you can’t find evidence it has been changed, consider doing it as a precaution.Even though they’ve gone from the market parts are still available for Daewoo models. Many original Daewoo dealers are still taking care of them, and Holden was keen to make sure owners weren’t let down when they absorbed the brand into their portfolio.IN A CRASHAirbags are the number one safety feature to look for in a car, and the Nubira didn’t get one until 1999 when they were fitted with a driver’s airbag. This makes the post-1999 models the ones to choose, particularly if it’s going to be driven by a young driver.AT THE PUMPExpect to get 8-9 L/100 km, which is around the average for a car of this size.LOOK FOR• modest performance• good economy• service record• airbags after 1999• poor resaleTHE BOTTOM LINE• Solid, reliable, affordable, the Nubira’s not a bad buy if you’re not worried about the badge.RATING65/100

Daewoo is perhaps better known and respected for its ads featuring Kane the wonder dog than for the cars it has built. There were even some who suggest the use of a dog was appropriate given the quality of the cars the Korean company was building when it arrived here with a rehashed Opel in 1994.Daewoo was hoping to follow in the tyre tracks of Hyundai who’d blazed a trail for other Korean car makers in the 1980s, but the company found it wasn’t as easy as they’d hoped.In the early 1990s Korean carmakers were still rightly regarded with suspicion, and their somewhat dodgy reputation wasn’t helped when Hyundai had to recall Excels for faulty chassis welding.That was the environment in which Daewoo was trying to establish its credentials. The first Daewoos were cheap enough, but based on an Opel from the early 1980s, they were a very dated design, and the build quality was generally below market expectations.The Lanos was one of the new generation of models to come from Daewoo. It was a fresh face for the company best known for its doggie ads, and started the move away from the original Opel-based model.By the mid-1990s Hyundai was setting the small car pace here with its innovative “drive away, no more to pay” pricing policy where it included the on-road costs in the price of the car instead of adding them on as was the general policy.It fundamentally changed the landscape in our most competitive market segment, making it tough for everyone trying to compete in the segment, and make a dollar at the same time.At the time Daewoo was still trying to make an impact on the market, so rather than compete with Hyundai by matching its drive-away pricing, it went a sizeable step further and offered free servicing for the entire warranty period.That meant that Daewoo buyers didn’t have to pay anything for the first three years or 100,000 km until the warranty expired.It was a huge incentive to try the relative newcomer, to take a risk on a brand that was yet to earn its stripes here.While Daewoo dealers appreciated the extra showroom traffic it created, they didn’t necessarily welcome the extra traffic it also created through their service departments. Daewoo customers, it seems, took the offer of free care literally, and headed off to their nearest dealer to have even minor things like failed light globes and punctured tyres repaired or replaced.The marketing men behind the ‘free care’ offer now say privately that they created a monster they’d never dare repeat.The Lanos was launched in the era of ‘free care’ so sales were brisk. It was an attractive small car with clean, smooth lines and available in a choice of four-door sedan, or three or five-door hatch.Power was provided by one of two single overhead camshaft four-cylinder engines, depending on the model.The SE models had a 1.5-litre version of the fuel-injected eight-valver which produced 63 kW at 5800 rpm with 130 Nm of torque, the SX models had a larger 1.6-litre engine which put out 78 kW at 6000 rpm along with 145 Nm.A five-speed manual transmission was standard, and there was also a four-speed auto available.Power steering was standard on all models, except initially on the SE three-door hatch, but that too got assisted steering from 2000.The SE three-door hatch was the entry model, but it still came quite well equipped with colour-coded bumpers, full wheel covers, cloth trim, split-fold rear seat, cup holders, remote release for the fuel filler cap, and four-speaker sound. The SE four-door sedan and five-door hatch also had central locking.For more there was the SX, available as a three-door hatch and sedan, which also boasted alloy wheels, CD player, power front windows, power mirrors, fog lights and a rear spoiler on top of what the SE had.Air-conditioning became standard across all models in 1998, which also saw the addition of the LE sedan and five-door hatch limited edition models based on the SE, but with power front windows, CD player, rear spoiler (hatch) and central locking (sedan).The Sport arrived in 1999. This was a three-door hatch based on the SX with the more powerful 1.6-litre engine, plus a sporty body kit, tachometer, upgraded sound, and a power antenna.Although dealers weren’t exactly enamoured with the free care because of the traffic it generated through their service departments when owners would come in to have the most minor things fixed, it meant that cars like the Lanos were better serviced than they might have been if owners had to pay for the servicing.The free care cover has expired for most cars now, and the earliest examples have now clocked up around 100,000 km, so anyone taking one on is gambling on their continued reliability when they will have to pay for servicing and any repairs that might be needed.Mechanically the Lanos stands up quite well, the engine is robust and doesn’t appear to give much trouble in service. The transmissions also appear quite reliable and give little trouble.While they seem basically sound the Lanos can be let down by the little things. The electrics can be a problem, they appear to have been put together on the cheap, and the chances of problems developing increase with time and mileage.Interior trim parts are another weakness, with breakages of cheap plastic parts a relatively regular occurrence.Barbara Barker probably would have bought a Hyundai Excel had it still been available when she was shopping for a small hatch in 2001, but she didn’t like the look of the Accent that had replaced the Excel. She liked the look of the Lanos and the way it drove, and free care offer, and bought that instead. It’s now done 95,000 km and the warranty has run out, so she’s now in the market for a new car, this time a larger hatch. She says it has good performance, is economical, and has generally been reliable. The exhaust has been replaced, it’s had the brakes replaced, and the idle stepper motor had to be replaced at the 90,000 km service.• attractive styling• well equipped with lots of standard features• zippy performance• reliable mechanics• jury still out on longevity• dodgy electrics• average build qualityApart from dodgy electrics and average build quality they’re generally pretty robust. Trade is reluctant to handle them, but low resale value makes them a cheap buy at the right price.

Daewoo 1.5i was already a dated design when it arrived on our shores in 1994. It was no wonder that it was the subject of some intense criticism from the motoring press who slammed its dodgy build quality and interior.The Daewoo started life as an Opel Kadett in the mid-1980s and at that time it was a well built and competent small car that was one of the most popular small cars in Europe, but something was lost in the Asian translation.MODEL WATCHDaewoo took over the Kadett design when Opel was finished with it. The German car maker had already replaced it with an all-new model before they palmed it off on the Koreans, so it was well and truly past its use-by date when it starting rolling off the ships at our wharves.It was no wonder it came in for some heavy criticism when it was up against up-to-the minute designs from rival companies, but with the help of a dog and some sharp pricing it quickly became a popular choice for buyers wanting a small car.For $14,000 you could drive away in a front-wheel drive three-door hatch that was quite roomy for a small car and had a 1.5-litre single overhead camshaft four-cylinder engine and five-speed manual transmission combination that gave it class-leading performance.The same car was also available with a three-speed auto trans and then cost $15,350.Standard equipment included a radio-cassette player with two speakers, but air-conditioning was an extra cost option.For just a little more you could have a more practical five-door hatch, and for those who wanted a boot and the extra security of a sedan there was a four-door available.The styling was bland, again not surprising given that it was originally penned back in the early 1980s and was competing against much more modern cars. The interior also came in for some criticism for its dull grey colouring and the fit and finish of the plastic trim components.On the road the Daewoo was praised for its handling which was safe and predictable, but criticised for its ride which was hard and harsh, particularly over broken road surfaces when it could become uncomfortable.Performance was punchy. With the Holden-built 1.5-litre fuel-injected four belting out 57 kW it was on the pace with its rivals, which were mostly powered by smaller capacity engines.Despite the criticisms the Daewoo was a popular choice for buyers wanting to get into the new car market, but couldn’t afford the heftier price tags of the cars with the better reputations. Not only was it a cheap and cheerful buy for people who simply wanted transportation and little else, it also became an alternative to a used car that came without the hassles that can be associated with a used car.IN THE SHOPReal estate agents shout position, position, position as the key when buying property. In the case of the Daewoo it’s condition, condition, condition.The Daewoo was promoted as a car that could be thrown away after a relatively short time on the road. It was never touted as a well-built car that would last and last, and retain its value over a long period.They were often bought by people who didn’t care what they were seen in, and didn’t treat their car with any care. They were the cars that were left parked in the street, in the hot sun, or under trees where they were exposed to tree sap and bird droppings that were never cleaned off before eating their way into the paint.Look for a car that appears to have been looked after and check for any service records that might exist.And take a ride with the owner to see how he or she drives, that way you will get a measure of how the car was treated while in their ownership.But the real issue with the Daewoo is the build quality, which was so variable some looked as thought they’d been through a dodgy crash repair even when they’d come straight from the factory. Look for poor panel fit with wildly varying gaps, uneven paint coverage and faded paint and exterior plastic parts like bumpers.Inside, expect rattles and creaks from the dash panel, they were common from new. Plastic trim parts are generally of low quality and prone to breakage or simply coming adrift. Door handles are particularly prone to breakage, and it’s not uncommon for the seat frames to break.Mechanically, however, the Daewoo is quite robust. The engine keeps going without giving much trouble and the gearboxes are also quite reliable. Check oil level and the quality of the oil to get an idea of when it was last changed, and look under the oil filler for any signs of sludge, which can mean trouble down the road.The bottom line is that the Daewoo was a throwaway car that delivered transport with few frills and little of the quality we’d come to expect of rival Japanese car makers, and even some of the other Korean companies. If you’re tempted by the low price, be careful and look around for the best car you can find.LOOK FOR:• uneven panel gaps and poor fitting panels.• low quality fit and finish of interior plastic components.• reasonably punchy performance• safe and secure handling but poor ride comfort.• broken body hardware and seat frames.

By an official measure, at least.This dating-almost-back-to-the-millennium crap can – a Daewoo Kalos in mild disguise – has had its crash safety rating bumped up from a bottom of the ladder two stars from five (the worst in an Australia-available new passenger vehicle) to a Commodore-matching four.Which is nice.But why did this need to happen? Why the sudden volte face?Because, according to Holden, there was nothing wrong with the dingy Daewoo dunger in the first place. At least that’s what it claimed back in oh-five when it succeeded the comparatively brilliant Opel Corsa (the 2001 Wheels Car of the Year, no less) in rebadged-as-a-Barina guise.This is despite the unanimous verdict among the motoring hack collegiate that the so-called Barina was a pile of pus. It’s just that certain of this fraternity neglected to write that.“It’s a nice package backed up by Holden,” one of these trilled unctuously.Yet I remember the gripless and squealing at no provocation standard tyres, the manual shift that moved like a breadstick being stirred through porridge, the steering that would have disgraced a pre-PlayStation video game, the hostile relationship between front and rear ends when in motion, and the unrivalled air of cheap nastiness that pervaded the whole construct.Equally one recalls the seething barely post-pubescent Holden operative assigned the task of taking me to task for permitting this to be said in Sydney’s Sunday Telegraph; a sensation uncannily reminiscent of the time I was menaced by a yapping poodle.Yet more indelible is the memory of a more senior Holden operative chuckling delightedly during the launch of yet another Daewoo (the dismal Epica) that great numbers of girls were attending dealer’s events designed to sign ’em up to a Barina. Talk about a Kalos attitude.So if the bogus Barina was critique-proof, why the need for improvement?Could it be that Holden – heaven forbid – wasn’t being perfectly Francis when they decried the original ANCAP verdict on the Kalos/Barina? Or have they just now stumbled on this realization, which means the company is seven years behind the rest of the world? 

The type of used car you buy could mean the difference between life and death, an Australian study says.The study found, for example, that drivers and passengers are 26 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured in a Daihatsu Hi-Jet microvan (made between 1982-1990), than a VW Golf hatch (1999-2004), the 2007 Used Car Safety Ratings report says.And the Transport Accident Commission believes the report's release could potentially slash the road toll by a third.Released in Melbourne yesterday, the study examined more than 2.8 million cars of 279 different types involved in crashes from 1987-2005 in Australia and New Zealand.Researchers rated vehicles on how much protection was offered to drivers and how much the vehicle was likely to harm other road users in an accident.Small cars and other vehicles built before 1990 performed worst for safety, with the Daihatsu Hi-Jet, Daewoo Kalos (2003-2004) and Ford Falcon XE/XF (1982-1988) poor examples.About two-thirds of cars in the worst performing category were light cars, including the Daewoo Kalos (now badged as Holden Barina) and the Hyundai Getz.Cars rated the highest for protection were the VW Golf and Bora models (built between 1999 and 2004) and the Holden Astra TS (1998-2005).Most four-wheel drives scored average or better results for occupant protection, but were more likely to harm or kill other road users.The report was conducted by the Monash University Accident Research Centre with support from Royal Automobile Club of Victoria, TAC, VicRoads and state and federal road authorities.VicRoads vehicle safety chief Ross McArthur said selecting a vehicle that met minimum safety standards was not enough.“You can get good performing cars that are cheaper and you can get cars that are more expensive that don't perform as well,” Mr McArthur said.“As a rule, the newer the car is, the better performance it has, but that's not always the case so you need to be informed.”The cost of a vehicle also did not necessarily mean it was safer, said RACV chief vehicle engineer Michael Case.Consumers needed to consider the safety ratings when buying a car to ensure its safety.Mr Case said structural design and safety equipment such as airbags played an important role.“Among small cars, the Toyota Corolla, the Holden Astra and the VW Golf have performed well and these vehicles are very affordable for used-car buyers,” he said.  Safety scoreVehicles scoring better than average in crashes:VW Golf/Bora (1999-2004)Holden Astra TS (1998-2005)Toyota Corolla (1998-2001)Honda Accord (1991-1993)Mercedes C Class (1995-2000)Peugeot 405 (1989-1997)Subaru Liberty/Legacy (1989-1993)Toyota Cressida/Mark II (1989-1993)Subaru Forester (1997-2002) Models that scored worse than average:Mitsubishi Cordia (1983-1987)Ford Falcon XE/XF (1982-1988)Mitsubishi Starwagon/Delica/L300 (1983-1986 and 1987-1993)Toyota Tarago (1983-1989)Toyota Hiace/Liteace (1982-1986 and 1987-1989 and 1990-1995).Source: 2007 Used Car Safety Ratings report 

Audi was 123% more likely to be stolen than the average vehicle, followed by BMW (117%).However, the other German luxury brand, Mercedes-Benz was up only 19% on the average.The 2006 Suncorp statistics do not provide actual numbers, type or age of vehicle, only proportions stolen.Vehicles below the average were Volkswagen, Ford, Mitsubishi, Mazda, Kia, Peugeot, Daewoo, Nissan and the least likely to be stolen was Daihatsu.The research showed that the more expensive the vehicle, the more likely it was to be stolen.The most stolen vehicles were those in the $60,000 to $100,000 bracket, despite the fact that these have better theft protection.Suncorp also released claims information on crash frequency which shatters the theory that the better the car, the better the driver.Claims where the driver was at fault for the accident were 10 per cent more likely for cars that were worth $60,000- $100,000. Alfa drivers were 58% more likely to make an at-fault claim than the average driver.Suncorp motor insurance general manager Daniel Fogarty said the results could suggest that drivers of prestige motor vehicles may feel safer in their cars, which could lead to over-confident attitudes, resulting in more accidents occurring.“On the other hand, drivers of new prestige vehicles may feel slightly more nervous on the roads than if they were driving a mid-range car, which might potentially cause more accidents, as the financial implications of accidents are higher,” he said.One of the most common types of claims that Queensland drivers made was for a single-vehicle accident.Holden Special Vehicles drivers were 50% more likely to make a single-car accident claim, followed by Audi (49%) and Chrysler (44%).Least likely to make such a claim were Daihatsu drivers at 30% less than the average.The statistics also show that if you lend your new car to a friend or relative there is a 12% chance that they will scratch or damage it, but a 93% chance they will also own up to it. Frequency of thefts1. Audi 123%2. BMW 117%3. Jaguar 100%4. Alfa Romeo 89%5. Saab 74%Frequency of at-fault accidents1. Alfa Romeo 58%2. Proton 19%3. Mazda 13%Frequency of not at-fault accidents1. Audi 102%2. Alfa Romeo 94%3. Proton 75%Frequency of single-vehicle accidents1. HSV 50%2. Audi 49%3. Chrysler 44% Source: Suncorp claims statistics for 2006