Ask The Guide

We'd like to think that our cars would last longer and not give us trouble, but the reality is quite different to that. The ZF 6-speed gearbox is a troublesome one that can fail, as yours appears to have done. But as Ford has pointed out to you your Territory is out of warranty, although that doesn't end Ford's responsibility to back the product. You could pursue a full payment for replacing the transmission from Ford, but I doubt you would have any success. Should you choose to do that contact your state Consumer Affairs people in Perth for advice and support. But in my view your best course of action would be to accept Ford's offer of part payment.

I agree it's a problem. Unfortunately Mercedes-Benz didn't respond to our request for information on how to solve your issue, so I would suggest you contact a sat-nav specialist outlet and enlist their help.

There are quite a few reports of problems with the dpf clogging on the latest 2.8-litre diesel, but a Toyota spokesman told us there is currently no service campaign or recall related to the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) on any of the three vehicles you reference.

The MX-5 is a great little sports car for someone looking for some fun on the road.

The earliest ones are getting a little long in the tooth and are looking a little tired.

Go for an NC model, that's from 2005-on, and you shouldn't go wrong. They're reliable, user-friendly, they look good, and they're great fun to drive.

Look for a low-mileage example and avoid any that look like they might have been used in competition.

The Falcon engine has a cam timing chain, so that's not your problem. If the auxiliary drive belt looks like it might be slipping, it could mean that it's worn, so have it changed. It won't cost you much to have it done. The oil leak could be from the head gasket, it might be sealing correctly. A head gasket change would cost you up to $1000.

If you're using mostly it around town, as I suspect you are, the consumption is about what I would expect.

Kia's own claims for fuel consumption for urban (city) use is 15.1L/100km, and the driving range is a little over 500km, smack on what you say you are getting.

The average of combined urban (city) and extra-urban (country) is claimed by Kia to be 10.9L/100km.

The bottom line is that it's a big blob of a vehicle with a relatively large engine doing the work, that's not a recipe for fuel low consumption.

I'd question their diagnosis of the engine coating burning off; I think it could be deeper than that.

The vibration could be coming from a variety of sources on the engine and in the transmission.

The dealer is doing the correct thing in getting the car in for a proper investigation that will hopefully reveal the cause of the problems.

At this stage, as the car is new you should co-operate with the dealer while they are trying to resolve the issues, but at the same time maintain a watching brief to make sure there is a genuine attempt to fix your car.

All of the cars you name meet your criteria of size, economy, performance and handling.

You could also add the Mazda3 and 6 to the list.

Of all of those I would nominate the Camry as the great all-rounder.

Ford's official fuel consumption was 11.3L/100km combined, now that's a blend of city type driving and country driving.

Given that, if you're driving mostly in the city I would expect you to get a little more than 11.3L/100km, so maybe it's not too far from what you should be getting.

It shouldn't be pinging on 91-octane fuel, and I'm guessing the engine is carboned-up.

I would give it a solid blast down the highway and see if you can blow the carbon out. You could also try an engine cleaner in the fuel.

Confirming genuine classics can be difficult and requires intimate knowledge of the make and model to be certain.

I would contact Holden's customer assistance people, give them the id numbers of your car and ask them to check against their production records.

If they can't do that contact a club such as an HSV Owners Club and ask them to help you. There isn't a club in the NT, so contact another state's club.

A guiding range for the value of your car is $38,000 to $46,000, but it can vary widely depending on originality, condition, kilometres done etc.