Ask The Guide

Earlier models were trouble, but the later ones appear to be reliable. I wouldn’t be concerned about signing up for it.

 Both have a 3500kg towing rating, so will tow most caravans with ease, but you also need to be aware of the Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) and Gross Combination Mass (GCM) and make sure you don’t exceed them when loaded.

You need someone you can trust to do the right thing and fix your car. If you’ve given up on the dealer, as it seems you have, go to an independent specialist VW mechanic.

Talk directly to Toyota’s customer assistance service (1800 869 682) and clarify what part was replaced, and why they say it isn’t covered by the warranty.

The MG6 had a warranty for three-years/100,000 km when released. The company announced a six-year/unlimited kilometre warranty in 2016, but that didn't apply to the 2013 MG6.

The reality is that things do go wrong on cars and sometimes we have to pay to have them fixed. Your car is eight years old. I wouldn’t quibble with it; I’d just fix it.

Take it back to the dealer and ask for it to be fixed again. Maybe they have to replace the whole unit.

They are of a similar age, so there shouldn’t be much between them in terms of accumulated mileage. The SP25 is better equipped and sportier model, but I would still go for the Maxx being newer and a little cheaper.

Toyota did have a spate of diesel engine failures some years ago when it was discovered that the fuel injector seals were leaking and letting fuel into the oil stream.

Sludge would build up on the oil pickup and eventually it be blocked and the engine would lose oil pressure. As you say the pickup can be inspected through the oil drain hole, so you should be able to see if there is a problem there. It is worthwhile changing the injector seals every 45,000 km.

It’s not possible to say that you won’t have any problems with the Colorado, and there are a lot of people who have had problems of all sorts with it. If you’re unsure, don’t buy it.