It’s not that you can’t buy a new car, it’s just that you might not want to. Why dump a ton of money on a flashy new vehicle would you could spend less money on something that’s even cooler? These cool cars are budget-conscious and, better yet, they’re still hot. The following list was compiled by myself and a good friend who’s been in the car game for years. We hope you enjoy.

Land Rover Defender

I can remember a time when a Land Rover was the car to have. Kids these days may be badgering their parents for something else on their birthdays, but the British four-wheel-drive off-road utility vehicle is still hip as far as I’m concerned. Fun fact: in the 1980s the Australian Army ordered Defenders made to their own specifications, called the Land Rover Perenties, some of which were 6×6 drive with turbocharged 3.9L Isuzu diesel engines.

BMW E30 318iS

The BMW E30 318iS – a.k.a. the “mini M3” or the “poor man’s M3” – was available for only one year. Along with the new model came a new engine, the most modern available in the E30 range, and excellent weight distribution that has led to frequent comparisons with the famous E30 M3. Rumour has it that the 318iS out-performed BMWs own 325i, prompting the company to restrict its power so sales of the more expensive 325i weren’t affected. 41,234 models were made in total, ending in 1991. Our top cool car pick for this list.

Mercedes-Benz 300CE

The Mercedes-Benz 300CE is a rarer two-door coupe version of the 300 E sedan. Much of the car’s engineering and many of its features were advanced automotive technology at the time of its introduction, and since many of those innovations have been adopted throughout the industry. Following its introduction in 1992, the 300CE was re-designated as the E320 in 1993 and complemented by the less powerful (but also less expensive) E220 in 1993.

Datsun 260Z

The Datusn 260Z was the first generation of Z GT two-seat coupe, sold by Nissan Motors in the US for the 1974 model year only and until 1978 in the rest of the world. The car was designed by a team led by Mr. Yoshihiko Matsuo, the head of Nissan’s Sports Car Styling Studio, which explains why it’s still just as cool today as it was 30 years ago. The 260Z claimed a few updates over the 240Z, including an enlarged engine with a longer stroke to 2.6 L, better climate controls, additional stiffness in the chassis, a rear sway bar, and a redesigned dashboard.

Fiat 124

The Fiat 124 won the 1967 European Car of the Year award, following its introduction in 1966 via a spectacular publicity stunt in which it was dropped by parachute from a plane. The popular mid-sized family car produced many variants, including a station wagon, a four-seater coupé, and a two-seater spider convertible. Tally up the vehicle’s original production run and its licensed variants manufactured worldwide, and the 124 becomes the fourth biggest selling single automobile platform of all time. A killer cool car for this list.

VW Karmann Ghia

The Karmann Ghia was an unexpected, but welcome, departure from Volkswagen’s function-focused Beetle. Styling by Luigi Segre of the Carrozzeria Ghia (a famous Italian automobile design and coach building firm) and bodywork by the German coach-builder Karmann came together to produce a surprisingly sporty car for VW. It was a success – more than 10,000 were sold in the first year and production was quickly doubled. The Karmann Ghia went on to gain fame on American television as the car driven by CONTROL Agent 86 Maxwell Smart in the opening credits of the third and fourth seasons of Get Smart.  

Porsche 928 S

You really can’t go wrong with a Porsche. The 928 was originally intended to replace the iconic 911 and although that’s not exactly how history worked out, the 928 is a special car on its own. Porsche has manufactured only six front-engined models since its inception in 1949, one of which is the 928. After the original iteration took the top honors at the 1978 European Car of the Year competition, the “S” model debuted with a few modifications and became, at least according to Porsche itself, “the fastest street legal production car sold in the US.”

Volkswagen Beetle 1200

There will never be a time when the Volkswagen Beetle is not a classic, universally beloved car. Although designed in the 1930s, the Beetle was only produced in significant numbers after 1945. It’s now the longest-running and most-manufactured car of a single design platform, worldwide. The original was internally designated the Volkswagen Type 1, and marketed simply as the “Volkswagen,” but later models were designated VW 1200, 1300, and 1500 to indicate engine displacement. Still one of the coolest cars on the road.

Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV6

The Alfa Romeo Alfetta is an executive saloon car and fastback coupé produced from 1972 to 1987. The GTV6, a version of the GTV with the SOHC V6 2.5 L engine from the Alfa 6 luxury sedan, was released in 1981. Its most noticeable feature is a bulge in the hood, a necessary modification in order to clear the top of the intake. The GTV6 was a successful racing car, including winning the European Touring Car Championship for an unprecedented four years in a row, and it appears briefly in the James Bond movie Octopussy.

Leyland Moke CALI

If you want a car that’s really going to stand out, this is it. The Mini Moke (also known as the Austin Mini Moke, Morris Mini Moke, and Leyland Moke) takes its name from “Mini,” the car with which it shares many parts, and “Moke,” an archaic term for donkey. For a brief period around 1972, Leyland Australia produced a variant of the Moke commonly called a “Californian.” The original Californian had a 1,275 cc engine and immediately recognizable trimmings in ‘Op-pop verve’ black and white tiger striped vinyl or ‘Orange Bali’ vinyl.

1977 Toyota Celica GT

‘Affordable’ is often a broad term for a second hand car but look close enough and you’ll stumble upon one of the greatest classics to ever come out of Japan – all for the decent price of about AU$20,000 for a good example. Officially known as the TA22, this classic first generation Toyota Celica was affectionately deemed the Japanese Mustang. And rightfully so as it also sported the right design cues, engine and drivetrain combo to wear that label with pride. Depending on the model, buyers could choose from a 1.4-litre four-cylinder right through to the range topping GT model in Japan which came with either a 1.6-litre or 2.0-litre twincam engine. The GT model also featured upgraded creature comforts and aesthetics in the form of hood flutes, power windows, air conditioning and aesthetic GT upgrades. Spruiking their sporty nature, they only came in manual transmission.

Second-hand Cars FAQ

The post Coolest Second-Hand Cars That Are More Affordable Than You Think appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

At the end of 2019, the index of Australia’s top 200 public companies, the ASX 200, had been on a tear for 12 months, increasing in value by an impressive 23.4%. Then, in four weeks, the market fell 40%. WTF happened?Coronavirus has materially impaired the short-term investment outlook for almost every company. The global pandemic is forcing people all around the world to stay inside, not spend money and close their businesses (hopefully temporarily). This inevitably results in consumers spending less money.People aren’t taking out loans to buy houses, cars or to start businesses. They stop buying clothes, eating in restaurants, drinking in bars and travelling interstate and overseas. They spend less on dry cleaning, coffee and furniture.If you did grade 10 economics, you might remember the principle that your consumption is someone else’s income. If nobody is spending, nobody is earning. Subsequently, the business owner has to lay off staff to reduce expenses, which causes less spending and less earning. It’s a vicious cycle.Every company on the stock market is counting on you to consume their goods and services, at a margin, to make them a profit. Now that you are spending less, or perhaps even nothing at all, those companies’ profits will likely fall and the share market is now trying to predict how much they’ll fall by and for how long they’ll stay low.This partly explains why, as the situation evolves, we’re seeing the price of shares go up and down like a yo-yo, as investors try to work out how a new piece of information is likely to affect a company’s profits both this year and beyond.The share market, in the short run, is an aggregated ‘best guess’ at an uncertain future and is incredibly susceptible to a range of proven biases.Fortunately, rather than price reflecting our fickle short term expectations, long term share market returns are significantly more aligned with intrinsic, practical, rational metrics that reflect a company’s ability to generate profits, pay dividends and grow sustainably; the true value of investing your money in a company.To quote Phillip Fisher, author of “Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits” (a guide to investing that has remained in print ever since it was first published in 1958): “The stock market is filled with individuals who know the price of everything, but the value of nothing.”This article is of a general nature only and does not consider your objectives, financial situation or needs. You should consider the appropriateness of the information in light of your objectives, financial situation and needs before acting on it and obtain copies of any relevant disclosure documents. Seneca Financial Solutions does not warrant the accuracy or reliability of the information in this report. Luke Laretive, Seneca Financial Solutions, it’s Directors and it’s associated entities may have or had interests in companies mentioned. They may have or have had a relationship with or may provide or has provided investment banking, capital markets and/or other financial services to those companies mentioned. Luke provides clients with a daily note, which you can access here.

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The post Australian Stock Market: Expert Explains WTF Is Going On appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Exercise apps are great for working a sweat, and your mum’s pilates routine is great for ‘toning your tummy’, but when your goal is to maintain a hard-earned benchpress PB or an Olympic squat record, neither cut it.As the rest of the nation merrily makes the best of it and is content to yoga their way to enlightenment, you are gnashing your teeth at lost gains. So what do you do? Gnash no longer: DMARGE has spoken to a self-professed fitness freak (and F45 fitness ambassador and trainer) Cory George, to get the down-low on how best to maintain your guns from home.His advice was surprising: rather than tell us to lift our sofa and curl our TV’s, as proxies of what we would have been doing in a gym, Cory challenged our core premise: “In my experience, the diehard lifters who are trying to isolate a specific area of their bodies are going to find it challenging to maintain mass without weights. Instead, they might want to consider prioritizing cardio. For most, this is actually a great thing!”

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A post shared by Cory (@coryg_) on Feb 27, 2020 at 7:09pm PST

Fellas, let us introduce you to a new – and often overlooked – rule: time under tension. “There’s one rule for trying to gain muscle on resistance days, and that’s ‘time under tension.’ This refers to how long that muscle is under strain during that set. So, serious conventional lifters can focus on tempo controlled movements and high reps. For me, that looks like 300 push ups, sit-ups and squats every night. I’ll add 50 more reps every week.”This is simpler than you’d think.

• Chest – Push-ups
• Arms – Dips
• Core – Plank
• Legs – Squats

Then, to add in a bit of balance, Cory says you may as well chuck in a few of the more ‘general population exercises’ F45 recommends (and which F45 experts can take you through if you sign up to their program): “I can lead you through a balanced 45-minute at-home F45 session including movements that hit all muscle groups with only a few planes of motion, including jump-squats, squat-pulses, moving planks and mountain climbers.”

“Join me by logging into the Challenge website or Challenge app, where existing F45 members can join the sessions on-demand. New members can contact their local studio for details to sign up.”

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The post Maintaining Muscle: Use This Technique To Preserve Your Gains appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

If there’s one thing 2020 has taught us, it’s that we can, in fact, work out effectively at home whenever we need, providing we have the right equipment. Yes, a proper gym will give access to trainers and some of the very latest and potentially very best in weights and machines, but being able to workout in the comfort of your own home is a luxury many of us have come to love.And while it may be true that you can use something as simple as your sofa to complete your workouts, having some dedicated equipment to hand is going to help your gains no end. Fortunately, there is a whole world of at-home gym equipment out there waiting to be discovered, with pieces ranging from exercise mats to full-body workout systems and cardio machines such as treadmills and bikes, you can be sure of finding capable and affordable products that will allow you to target specific muscles, keep you lean and above all else keep you healthy.Whether you’re living in a small flat or a large luxurious villa, it is more important than ever to keep yourself fit and healthy and below are some of our favourite pieces of equipment that will help you stay fit and healthy for now and for the foreseeable future.Time to throw away that gym membership.

At-Home Gym Equipment FAQ

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The post Best At-Home Gym Equipment For Conquering Your Workouts appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

As the strange 2019/20 summer draws to a close and winter's somewhat 'icy' grip takes hold, it's time to start thinking about reds. As enjoyable as an Aperol Spritz or Rose tastes, they tastes quite as good when the thermometer drops below 10ºC and instead it's time to get cozy by a fire with a gla...

↬ Click here to view the full article/gallery on D'Marge

The post This $15 Award-Winning Australian GSM Wine Is Not To Be Missed appeared first on DMARGE.

Let’s get a few things straight. It’s not advisable you go to the supermarket frivolously in these times, let alone bounce interstate. However… if you must fly in the time of Coronavirus, you might like to know what you’re in for.Fortunately for the curious, I got stuck in Melbourne last week after being informed a friend I had hung out with 10 days previously had Coronavirus. Though I managed to avoid catching it, taking the test and putting myself in self-quarantine was enough to ensure I missed my (planned) flight home (before the travel situation got even more hectic).This is how I found myself, last Wednesday, on a peak hour flight back from Melbourne to Sydney (since then flights have been even further limited). I say peak hour, because the flight directly before mine was cancelled and those passengers were bumped back to mine. Even so the plane, as you can see, was half empty.That said, some areas were more crowded than others – something those who made the mistake of rushing for the front seats (off first!) quickly discovered, as they found themselves not-quite-social distancing.Instead, it was smarter to resist the temptation to be first out the can, and choose a back seat or row further towards the tail. Not that I can talk – when we were offered the chance to change our seat at the gate or via an app, I chickened out (but was fortunately already booked into a relatively uncrowded area down the back).The lounge, on the other hand, was quite busy, and Qantas was taking measures to reduce the possible spread of the virus with such considerations as making usually-communal magazines available on request, as seen below.Other observations? There were no temperature checks upon boarding or disembarking – not that you would have expected this, as it was a domestic flight, and it isn’t the policy of any airline to do this currently, but given my overactive imagination I half expected it.There were also plenty of frequent flyer seats available (this mattered last week but isn’t quite so relevant now everyone’s got a year’s free extension of status), as well as a rather empty looking bus station.All in all, it was a boring but eerie journey: I’m no germaphobe but I was definitely on edge.

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The post The Sad New Reality Of Flying Domestically In Australia appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Emirates has announced various responses to COVID-19, as the situation continues to develop. Most interesting, this morning, was the report that Emirates will continue to operate some passenger and cargo flights to Australia until further notice, “as long as borders remain open, and there is demand.”“The situation remains dynamic, and travellers can check their flight status on emirates.com,” Emirates said this morning in an email.Flights to most destinations, however, will cease from the 25th of March. This does not include cargo service, which will remain in operation, as will routes to 13 countries including, as we mentioned, Australia, as well as the US, the UK, Switzerland and Singapore. This is in response to requests from governments and customers to aid in the repatriation process.HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Group said: “The world has literally gone into quarantine due to the COVID-19 outbreak. This is an unprecedented crisis situation in terms of breadth and scale: geographically, as well as from a health, social, and economic standpoint.”

“Until January 2020, the Emirates Group was doing well against our current financial year targets. But COVID-19 has brought all that to a sudden and painful halt over the past 6 weeks.”

The Chairman and Chief Executive then added: “As a global network airline, we find ourselves in a situation where we cannot viably operate passenger services until countries re-open their borders, and travel confidence returns. By Wednesday 25 March, although we will still operate cargo flights which remain busy, Emirates will have temporarily suspended most of its passenger operations.”

“We continue to watch the situation closely, and as soon as things allow, we will reinstate our services.”

The Emirates Group has also undertaken a series of measures to contain costs, as the outlook for travel demand in the short to medium term has plummeted. Notably, this includes the Presidents of Emirates and dnata – Sir Tim Clark and Gary Chapman – who will take a 100% basic salary cut for three months.Emirates is also encouraging employees to take paid or unpaid leave in light of reduced flying capacity, and introduced a temporary reduction of basic salary for the majority of Emirates Group employees for three months, ranging from 25% to 50%: “employees will continue to be paid their other allowances during this time [and] junior level employees will be exempt from basic salary reduction,” Emirates said to media in an email.In addition, the airline has been implementing enhanced cleaning and disinfecting measures on all of its aircraft departing Dubai as a precaution, and worked closely with airports to implement screening measures as required by the local authorities.

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The post Emirates Grounded Flights: Airline Responds To Pandemic appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Whether your thumb’s sore from scrolling through Bumble or whether your throat’s hoarse from arguing with your partner, as the world goes into lockdown many of us are now facing the realities of isolation.But there’s a ray of hope. Or at least a distraction. And it comes in the form of a trending Reddit thread entitled, “What did you learn from your first relationship.” While at first glance this may seem juvenile, it contains insights relevant to everyone from the 25-year-old Tinder addict to the 40-year-old married businessman.Is your relationship low-key dead? Better than you thought? Is there anything you could be doing to be a better partner? The responses to the aforementioned thread, in which the author writes: “I’m 20 and just got my first girlfriend ever. She’s my first everything. What red flags were practically invisible to you back then?” may hold all sorts of answers.So, here are all the lessons the users of Reddit’s r/dating_advice community took from their first relationships, which we can all learn vicariously from.

Don’t compromise too much

Compromise isn’t a magic word. As the top comment on this Reddit thread puts it: “I learned that I shouldn’t change who I am or what I want from a relationship just because I liked someone and was lonely. Being happy alone is better than feeling unhappy in a relationship.”

Don’t think you can change someone

In response to the above comment, another user wrote: “Going along with that you can not change your SO, doesn’t matter if you think it will better them or the relationship eventually they will lose their connection with you and themselves. Doesn’t matter how strong the relationship is, they have to want to change.”

Don’t be greedy

This one’s a gem, reflected in the huge number of upvotes: “Don’t expect what you will get from it but watch out for what you do get in return. Always have an abundance mentality.”

“Relationships are like 2 people reading a book. Sometimes, one person is a few chapters behind or ahead. The most important thing is communication to keep the 2 readers in sync.”

Don’t get complacent

“My first relationship lasted 12½ years,” one user revealed. “I learned that comfortable doesn’t mean it’s working.”

But also, don’t assume everything always has to be perfect

As another user points out, “Discomfort permits growth and change.” So if you and your partner aren’t challenging each other, things could go stale: “if you dated someone just like yourself or passive you can’t change or grow.”

“I’m sure you’re comfortable with some challenges and growth. Healthy relationships should have a bit of both not just 100 compromise and agreement.”

Know what you want

As the previous user suggests, you don’t need to want the exact same things, but as this following one points out, you do need to know what you want: “I learned that I wanted to date someone more social and active. She was really sweet, and cute as hell, but kinda boring and never had an opinion.”

Know your limits

“Not really flag (as it’s a no-brainer), but if she cheats, it’s over. No exceptions,” one user wrote. While this is just one user’s personal policy, many agree. Whether or not this is a deal breaker for you (it is for most), you need to know where your limits lie.

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The post First Relationship Advice: Everything You Need To Know appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

As Monday rolls around and you begin the inevitable slog of working from home, it can be hard to get out of your Pijamas, let alone to get up and do jumping jacks. But if you follow the lead of fitness professionals, and apply their tips for getting geared up to workout, you might find your self-isolation much more enjoyable (or rather, tolerable) than it was previously.Enter: Cory George, F45 fitness ambassador and trainer, who has given DMARGE his top tips on tricking your body (and mind) into wanting to workout from home.

“Working out from home can sometimes present a big challenge for your fitness journey. Personally, I thrive off human interaction and camaraderie but, due to the current situation globally, we must adapt.”

“As someone who is always traveling and living out of hotels, when F45 studios are not an option, at-home workouts have been my go-to” Cory told us. But never fear: even if working out at home is as foreign to you as spending Friday night sober, Cory has some tips that should help you make the transition.

 

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Which one of these from today’s Gravity got the best of you (Don’t worry about Adele) Push-up Jacks Mountain Climbers Wide Plyo Lunges Squat Pulse Combo x 4 Comment below#f45sweatcheck #f45athome #trainwithcory

A post shared by Cory (@coryg_) on Mar 20, 2020 at 3:25pm PDT

As for preparing your mind, Cory says he likes to “start by finding a clear and uncluttered area.” Then, “once I’ve created space, I eliminate all distractions (phones, TV, games, etc.). If I’m following a program online or through the F45 app, I’ll use my iPad and turn off iMessage so nothing can interrupt my session.”

“The same goes for using my phone – I switch it to airplane mode to make sure I’m not interrupted by notifications.”

Of course, then there’s music: “Lastly, I load up the jams! Typically, I start off by listening to ‘feel good’ tunes while easing into a few mobility flows and then, once I start feeling the warmth circulate through my body, I switch over to the workout playlist and go to work!”Physically, Cory sets himself up for a good workout too, with a few well chosen techniques: “Warm-ups depend on how I’m feeling and what workout I am about to do. If my muscles are tighter than normal, I go through some static stretches before moving through a more dynamic flow.”“Once I’m in my more dynamic flow, I’ll choose between six to eight stretches for about 15 to 20 seconds each. I’ll hold the stretch longer if it feels really good. I always like entering my workout with a little sweat and heat.” Corey then told us, some of his favourite moves are:

• High knees/ butt flicks
• Hip mobility swings
• Side to side lumbar twists
• Hip thrusters
• Push up to arm rotation
• Groin to hammy stretch
• Side lunges
• Burpees or tuck jumps

 

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Our first F45 at home series to help with our members across the World maintain their shape during our current situation. We want to encourage our team to continue with their path to health and wellness! No equipment no problem – your body so now your new Machine. During this time you are going to come across a lot of at home videos from people all over. Some will be great and others will be mehhh not so much. The key thing here is to actually follow something people ACTUALLY do to achieve their bodies. Now F45 isn’t the only thing I’ve done to create my frame, but for the past few years has been a major component to the success of my new endeavors in health and wellness. We’re excited to bring to you your new pathway until we can get back into the studios we know and love! This is actual footage of a highlight to my last lap with our first at home Gravity session. No wayyyy I made it through the full 40 second timer! Tonight was brutal _ 3 Pods 9 Stations 40 sec of work / 15 sec of rest _ 1) One legged burpee 2) Squat Jump + Burpee Pyramid 3) Squat Pulse 4) High Knee Singles 5) Moving Plank 6) Linebacker 7) Lateral Tuck Jumps 8) Moving Planks 9) Inchworm _ No water bottles, vacuum cleaners, dogs, or babies just good old fashion work. Good luck!!

A post shared by Cory (@coryg_) on Mar 18, 2020 at 8:38pm PDT

If you’re interested in joining (or already an F45 member), Corey also told us F45 Training is now releasing its first at-home workouts, to help you stave off your dad bod from home in these trying times.

“This is a super exciting announcement as it can be tough and time consuming to manage your fitness programming that aligns with your goals and now F45 has done the work for you!”

“Active F45 members can access the workouts via the F45 Challenge website and F45 Challenge app, bringing our members the world’s best in-studio workout right to them. F45 members will get the same great workout as the F45 sessions they know and love, and I will be there to guide them every step of the way.”

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The post Workout Motivation: How To Trick Your Body Into Wanting To Workout appeared first on DMARGE Australia.