Holden Problems

Ford was having heaps of trouble with its dual-clutch automatic transmission back then, so it would be wise not to take the risk of buying one. Holden was in just as much trouble with the torque-converted auto in the Cruze, and I would urge you not to go down that route either. Instead of those, consider a Toyota Camry.

They have a lot or problems with the automatic transmission. If you really want to buy a Cruze buy one with a manual gearbox. Apart from the automatic transmission problems they aren’t too bad in terms of reliability. Parts aren’t expensive and they don’t a lot to service.

No, there is no warranty or cooling-off period that goes along with a private sale. It’s a case of buyer beware. If they were concerned they should have had it checked before buying it. It seems to me that they have changed their mind about the car and want to get out of it.

The transmission in the Astra is a conventional torque convertor unit, the one that gave the trouble in the Cruze was dual-clutch manual/auto, a different ’box altogether.

There were a number of owners reporting problems with the torque convertor shuddering back in 2012 and requiring the convertor to be changed.

Mitsubishi and Toyota make single-cab 4x2 cab-chassis with petrol engines, but they’re not available with the extra-cab, and the petrol engines are basic four bangers. I don’t believe there is a model that is an exact fit with your needs.

There’s no good reason to not buy a Falcon, parts will be available for many years yet. There’s the Commodore, but it too is out of production. Other than that there’s no similar sized car available for you. You need to think about getting an SUV, such as a Toyota Kluger, Kia Sorento, Mazda CX-5.

If it’s a regular model it will have a 1.8-litre engine, but if it’s a SRi it will have s 2.2-litre.

I wouldn’t recommend the Cruze, there have been too many problems with them. The Toyota Corolla, Mazda3 and Hyundai Elantra are all good, reliable cars with plenty of performance for the class. Any one of them would be a good choice.

You’re right, there have been a lot of problems with the Cruze gearbox, and Holden have replaced a number over the years. That said you can try to get some help in replacing the transmission by calling Holden Customer Care on 1800 033 349.