Ford Territory Problems

The recall was to inspect the front-end on the Territory when it became obvious there was a widespread problem with the front lower balljoints wearing out prematurely. It related to the early models, which included yours. It was an inspection and some balljoints that were worn were replaced, but it didn't fix the problem. The balljoints still wear and as a rule require replacement every 75,000 km or so for the rest of the car's life. There was change to the design of the Territory front-end in in 2010 and that fixed the problem. I doubt you'll have any joy getting Ford to replace the joints for you free of charge; your car is now 11 years old and well out of warranty.

You're not the only one and Ford is not the only brand. Ford Australia's customer service boss, Steve Kruk, replies: "The price for the SZ is $195 and it's $295 for the SX from 2004-2011. The reason our Ford map upgrades are more expensive is that we need to build a unique map system for the integrated Ford Sat Nav. The NavMan  and Garmin are generic and they can spread the cost over millions more customers – but it is not integrated with the vehicle".

The three cars you name all have merit, none has any major issue to be concerned about and all fit your needs, but you will have to shop around to find them within your age and budget limits.

It's an interesting put-down of the Mercedes-Benz. The Territory is an all-round good car that has been developed for Australian roads, it might be more comfortable than the 'Benz, but I wouldn't say it was of a better quality. You could also look at a Toyota Kluger or a Kia Sorento, both of which would handle the roads well, be comfortable and are of a decent quality.

The Kia Sorento, our Car of the Year in 2015, gets The Tick from me. It has everything you want and need and is a good drive, with a seven-year warranty. If it's out of your price range, go for the smaller Kia Sportage.

I would keep the Territory going as it should still have plenty of life left in it. Most of the three-tonne tow-mobiles are quite costly, even dual-cab utes.

Both are very good cars, they're well designed, well built and reliable. The Outback is the more fuel-efficient of the two, but it has a CVT auto where as the Sportage has a conventional automatic. You should drive the Outback to see if you like the CVT before making your final decision. Clearly the more frequent servicing of the Subaru means its running costs are slightly higher, and the shorter warranty could have an impact later on. It's a line-ball decision, but for mine I would probably go for the Kia.

I would think your chances are good, if you can show that you bought it believing it to be RWD. From what you have told us the car was incorrectly described in the advertisement and in the paperwork, so you should be entitled to get you money back on the basis that the dealer misrepresented the car to you. Go and talk to him and try to work out a satisfactory resolution.

It sounds as if you want a sporty SUV and, with that budget, I’d be advising a late-model BMW X5.