Ford Problems

With local production shutting down the big-car choices are getting fewer and fewer, but right now you can still buy a Calais if that's what you like. You can also buy an equivalent Falcon or Toyota Aurion. There are more expensive cars, from the likes of BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi etc. that would suit, but they come with a much higher price tag than a Calais. Others you could try are a Skoda Superb, a Honda Accord V6 Luxury if you're prepared to give up a little in size, and there's also the Chrysler 300C.

We asked Ford to confirm the claims of your Ford salesman, and while we were told they would get to us after checking with their technical people they haven't. It's a tricky situation given that there is an on-going class action suit over the transmission, so I'm not surprised we didn't get a response from Ford. I doubt the claims very much, I suspect there's no truth in them, and the salesman was spinning you a line hoping to land a sale.

You're not alone, there are lots of reports of the Ranger sagging to the left; the springs are clearly not up to the job. Ford's answer in most cases is to stonewall and hope the owner goes away. Keep the pressure up on Ford, but also consider going to Queensland's consumer affairs department. Sad to say, the least painful solution would be to go to a suspension specialist and get the suspension uprated.

It seems to me that they're quite different cars; the Golf R is an under-the-radar raider, the Mustang an in-your-face statement. If you want an exhilarating drive on those weekends away go for the Golf, if you want a more leisurely fun drive with a high look-at-me factor go for the Mustang. For my money I would choose the Mustang. There is talk of a twin-turbo Mustang coming as a GT500 Shelby in 2018, possibly with a 5.2-litre V8. Not sure if it would make to Australia.

Ford deleted the spare wheel in the WT Fiesta, saying buyers preferred to have more features than a spare wheel. Instead the car came with a 'Mobility' kit, which could be used to inflate a punctured tyre to get you to a place where the puncture could be repaired.

As a guide you could expect to get $1500 to $3000 for your Laser. The RAV4 is a sound choice. You could get into a 5-star safety rated 2014 RAV4 for $20,000-$23,000, a similar 2012 model for $17,000-$20,000. You could also consider a Kia Sportage, Honda CR-V, or Subaru Forester.

The Fiesta dual-clutch gearbox in your car is trouble, pure and simple, as many other Fiesta owners would happily tell you. You could get the gearbox independently tested, but I fear that Ford wouldn't take any notice of the findings. Ford is facing a class action suit from owners affected by the problem, and I would suggest you consider joining that if you feel you are unlikely to get anywhere with Ford.

Both are good choices. The Mazda is more restrained, the Ford sportier. If you want a sporty drive I would go for the Focus.

We haven't had any other reports of problems like you have experienced. You don't say what engine you have, but if it's a diesel you have the Powershift automatic transmission, which has been troublesome in other Ford models, such as the Focus.