Fender Bender

The Radness concludes

Sat, 05 Dec 2015 06:21:54 +0000

Tim, Mike and Dan bid farewell for another year and do it as only they can, by announcing the Fender Bender Raddest Car of the Year awards. Which dog’s breakfast will win the WTF award for ugliest car? Which stunner will take out sexiest car? Let the boys take you on a motoring journey of 2015 and probably get it wildly wrong.

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Harajuku girls

Sat, 28 Nov 2015 06:20:48 +0000

Tim, Byron Mathioudakis and Matt Brogan chat with James Cockington, author of Turning Japanese: 50 Years of Japanese Motoring in Oz about highlights and lowlights of the Japanese auto industry in Australia. We also kick off the brief campaign for this years Raddest Car of the Year Awards. It’s gonna be a doozy!

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Australia gets Rammed

Sat, 21 Nov 2015 06:19:18 +0000

Another day, another new car brand enters the Australian market. Dan, Mike and Paul Maric set take a look at Dodge sub-brand Ram and what it means for the likes of the Toyota HiLux. Also, Paul makes everyone hate hi a little bit by driving a McLaren 650S in Dubai.

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Taxicab Confessions

Sat, 14 Nov 2015 06:07:01 +0000

Tim, Mike and Kez take a look at one of the biggest social media fails of the year – the #YourTaxi campaign from the Victorian Taxi Association and ask who still uses taxis and why? Is Uber the taxi of choice now? The gang also takes a look at the newest luxury brand on the block – Hyundai’s premium offshoot, Genesis.

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Turning Japanese

Sat, 31 Oct 2015 09:57:39 +0000

Dan, Mike and Kez venture to the land of the rising sun for all of the crazy, kooky wackiness that is the Tokyo motor show. Mike drives a Mitsubishi Pajero Sport on Mt Fuji and Dan gets behind the wheel of the unfortunately named but brilliantly executed Subaru Levorg.

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Modern classic

Sat, 24 Oct 2015 05:11:13 +0000

Tim, Mike and Dan chat with the always delightful Paul Mathers from Motorclassica about this year’s event and his picks for the show. We also tyrn our attention to the always cool Tokyo motor show and Mike hauls arse in a Range Rover Sport from Sydney to Melbourne, because he can.

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Commercial break-down

Sat, 17 Oct 2015 05:03:38 +0000

Tim, Dan and Kez Casey look at the best and worst in automotive advertising. Spoiler alert – we hate ‘It’s a Mitsi’. Dan releases his inner bogan for a quick spin in an HSV V8 wagon, and we ask the question, why in God’s name is Leonardo DiCaprio producing a movie about the VW emissions scandal?

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Beaut utes

Sat, 10 Oct 2015 07:26:43 +0000

Dan, Mike and Matty Brogan compare some of the best-selling utes in Australia to find out which one is best. Another Chinese brand – Haval also arrives Down Under – will it survive? And the boys look at the best selling cars for the month.

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Football, meat pies, kangaroos and sponsorship

Sat, 03 Oct 2015 08:26:34 +0000

Dan and Kez Casey shun the AFL Grand Final and talk about the all-new Toyota HiLux, which made its debut at… you guessed it – the AFL Grand Final. They also go deep into the workings of Hyundai’s environmentally friendly ix35 hydrogen fuel-cell-powered SUV.

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Filthy German

Sat, 26 Sep 2015 08:24:52 +0000

Tim, Mike and Kez Casey go further into the VW scandal and ask, what the hell were they thinking?? Mike takes a trip to France to drive in a legendary Alpine sportscar and Kez checks out the BMW X6-aping Mercedes GLE Coupe.

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Dirty diesel and the injectors

Sat, 19 Sep 2015 05:28:06 +0000

Tim, Dan and Tony O’Kane join forces to dissect Volkswagen’s naughty diesel emissions cheating device, but thankfully it’s not all dry. In fact it gets decidedly, ah, wet when the boys take a look at all the sexy metal from the Frankfurt motor show.

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Aussie Aussie Aussie

Sat, 12 Sep 2015 05:10:28 +0000

Tim is joined by the delightful Paul Maric who gets all Aussie and tough talking about a final hotted-up Ford Falcon. Tim then brings the butch tone down considerably by talking about how good the fabulous new Suzuki Vitara is.

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Snow you didn’t

Sat, 05 Sep 2015 05:49:51 +0000

Dan, Mike and Kez Casey head to chilly Mt Hotham to drive some Audis in the snow. Why? Because they can. Kez takes a look at the new-gen Mini JCW to find out if the auto is any good, and the gents look at what is coming up at the Frankfurt motor show.

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Muscle worship

Sat, 29 Aug 2015 06:49:42 +0000

Tim, Mike and Feann head to the gym to check out lots of hot muscle… cars. Muscle cars. The boys chat with journo Steve Normoyle who contributed to the book, Ford: The Muscle Car Classics 1969-79 about all things Ford. The chaps also get in a tizz about Jaguar’s new BMW 3 Series rival, the XE. And not just because the sporty model is called the XE S. Rude word!

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Baby got hatchback

Sat, 22 Aug 2015 06:49:38 +0000

Dan and Mike welcome newcomer Amanda to the Fender Bender fold, and try and convince her that hatchbacks are good things, but her American brain ain’t taking none of that! Dan goes back in time and drives a classic Citroen 5CV, and the boys look at what government ministers think the future of the Aussie auto industry will look like.

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Braking good

Sat, 15 Aug 2015 06:45:43 +0000

Tim, Mike and Matty Brogan get into the nitty gritty around the importance of safety tech, specifically autonomous emergency braking, and ANCAP CEO Nicholas Clarke calls in to give us the lowdown. Matty B drives a car that looks like a Beluga Whale – the Infiniti QX80.

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Mounting Everest

Fri, 07 Aug 2015 20:37:15 +0000

Dan is joined by Mike and Feann Torr, and the boys go all the way to Thailand to drive a car designed and engineered, but not built in Australia – the new Everest SUV. Feann gives some sage advice on driving in the snow as the lads chat about Audi’s all-important new Q7.

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American beauty

Sat, 01 Aug 2015 06:34:44 +0000

Fender Bender introduces its newest recruit, American correspondent Amanda Palacios to talk muscle cars and lots more. Meanwhile, Dan, Paul Maric and Feann Torr get all hot and sweaty over the Lamborghini Huracan and Aventador.

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High School Reunion

Sat, 25 Jul 2015 06:33:01 +0000

Tim tells Mike and Dan about the time a week ago when he tried to impress people at his 20-year high school reunion by turning up in a fancy BMW only to discover that everyone else had had a BMW. Or something else fancy. Which begged the question – with so many premium cars around now, is there anything special about owning a European car?

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AMGee whizz

Sat, 18 Jul 2015 06:22:27 +0000

Dan, Paul Maric and Kez Casey go deep into the week of motoring, and while Kez goes all sexy and drives a Toyota Aurion, Dan has a bit more fun on Mt Panorama with a bunch of Mercedes-AMG models.

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Light years

Sat, 11 Jul 2015 06:45:24 +0000

Tim, Mike and Byron squeeze themselves into the light-car segment to look at what is on offer at the bottom end… of the new-car market. They also question Ford Australia’s marketing approach and ask why women are charged more at the repairers then men.

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Watch this space

Sat, 04 Jul 2015 06:43:39 +0000

Dan hosts the lovely Kez Casey and newbie Paul Maric as the chaps discuss all the juicy goss from the week in motoring. Dan takes a walk through supercar-maker McLaren’s HQ in England, while Paul details the connectivity between the sublime BMW i8 hybrid sportscar, and the Apple Watch.

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Italian stallions

Sat, 27 Jun 2015 06:42:58 +0000

Tim, welcomes Byron Mathioudakis and Feann Torr back to the JOY studios, and after attempting to work out a drag name for Feann, the boys get down to motoring business. This week the big news is Alfa Romeo’s new high-powered Giulia sedan that is set to reinvigorate the faded Italian marque. The boys also take a look at Holden’s sexy new mid-sizer, the Insignia VXR.

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New classics

Sat, 20 Jun 2015 06:41:30 +0000

Tim, Mike and Matty Brogan shovel through the motoring goings on in the past week, including having a look at the sedate looking Peugeot 308 GTi. Does it need to look meaner? Also Matty B offers advice on staying safe on the roads this winter and we chat with the always fabulous Paul Mathers from Motorclassica about what we can expect from this year’s automotive extravaganza in October.

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Sorento moon

Sat, 13 Jun 2015 06:40:15 +0000

Dan, Mike and Byron Mathioudakis trawl through the week’s motoring news, looking at a whole bunch of stuff including the new super high-tech BMW 7 Series. Dan takes a deep dive into the massively improved new Kia Sorento which is way more than just a family hauler.

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Oh, what’s the feeling?

Sat, 06 Jun 2015 06:38:16 +0000

Why oh why oh why do so many people buy Toyota cars? Reliability? Relatively low cost of ownership? Or sexy design? It’s probably not the last one, but Tim, Mike and guest Feann Torr dissect why Toyota is so well loved in Australia. The boys also talk about the best driving cars in the country today.

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Radio Gaga

Sat, 30 May 2015 05:40:49 +0000

After a two-year absence, Fender Bender returns to JOY 94.9’s annual Radiothon and celebrates all that is awesome about JOY and volunteering. With the theme of Re:Member (geddit?) Tim, Mike and Dan cast their minds waaaaaaaay back to chat about what the very first car they ever drove was. The boys chat with Mike Frith from Motorfrenz about the terrific GLBTI car club and what it offers, and they reveal their secret car shame.

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Parallel lines

Sat, 23 May 2015 05:29:54 +0000

It’s a Mike fest this week as Dan is joined by Mikes Costello and Stevens to gab about everything from Audi’s cool new synthetic petrol, potentially deadly airbags and the merits of the under-appreciated Kia Soul. Also, FCAI boss Tony Weber calls in to discuss why so-called parallel importation of new cars from overseas dealers is a terrible idea.

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Sexiest show ever

Sat, 16 May 2015 03:55:56 +0000

Tim and Mike gather once again to dissect the week in motoring news, and this show was as sexy as it gets. Not only do the boys take a look at the latest federal budget and what it means for car buyers and small businesses, Mike also reviews the new Toyota Camry – in graphic detail. Oh yeah, hot!

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The prodigal son returns

Sat, 09 May 2015 03:10:43 +0000

Fender Bender fans are in for a treat with the return of the esteemed Jeremi to the airwaves. He is joined by Dan and Mike who talk all thinks Skoda and the final Holden Commodore, while the boys get behind the wheel of some diverse product – Mike samples the Porsche 911 GT3 in Europe and Dan goes all tradie in a Renault Trafic.

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