Matt Parker

• Position: Vehicle Benefits Specialist

A bit about me…

I grew up out in the quiet town of Picton about two hours outside of Sydney (although without the M5 in those days, it used to take a lot longer!). My parents ran a successful plant nursery so I spent a bit of my youth going to suppliers and customer's nurseries in my Dad’s three tonne truck or one of our vans.

When I hit 18, I realised that if I wanted to party all night long, study at university and enjoy the sights that Sydney had to offer, I needed some wheels and thus began my love affair with cars.  I eventually came to my senses though and bought an apartment closer to the city with my wife Melanie. We have been married a few years now and I’m loving every moment.

My AutoPackage

This time around (my 5th AutoPackage!), my Golf GTI was due for replacement as it was nearing seven years old. This one only has to transport me to and from work, plus a few little trips on the weekend, so size wasn't an issue. From time to time my son needs to fit in the back seat, so it had to have more than 2 doors and room in the boot for a pram.

After a lot of heated debates in the office about what I should buy next, I settled on a 2012 Hyundai Veloster. Although it's a brand new model, I'm sure it's going to be a popular one, and I'll be able to sell it for close to what I paid for it.

I love cars that look a bit different so this ticked the boxes, plus it is incredibly well featured for what is basically a standard car.

I have set it up on a one year program so that I can sell it while the sales are still running hot, to ensure minimum depreciation and maximum cash in my back pocket. This shorter aggressive term also delivers significant tax benefits.

My new Veloster

First car

1979 Ford Cortina Ghia Station Wagon. The best car I could get my hands
on for $850 as a P Plater. It was slow as a wet weekend but infinitely practical.

Favourite road trip

Las Vegas, Nevada to Anaheim, California. This road trip took significantly longer than it should have due to the fact that it was done at the end of a long weekend (Veterans Day in the USA) so the roads out of Las Vegas were choked with cars.

I didn't mind though, as I had a 2010 Mustang at my disposal fitted with a Sirius Satellite radio (100 channels of crystal clear sound). Staying on the wrong side of the road at 65 miles an hour proved easier than first expected, but my wife had to remind me a few times when coming to an intersection.

I got to experience a real American road house for lunch and some great desert sunset sights. Some good outlet-mall’s along the way too!

What I like most about Autopia

Definitely my colleagues. We are a big group of like-minded individuals and we all get along famously. The only time things get heated is when someone has a controversial opinion about what their next car might be, we usually all get involved in the debate!