Holden Problems

If you really love the Caprice keep it. Even with some repairs it will not cost as much as a baby car and that gives you that enjoyment.

No one knows but I’d say it is very, very unlikely. The feds get a lot of money from LCT takings.

I would go for an i30. It's a former Carsguide Car of the Year and you will get a car with the remainder of the five-year warranty

Trust me on this, and take a test drive in a Skoda Superb. It's a silly name but it's in that price bracket and it's a truly great car. It will also have similar cabin space to your Commodore.

The guiding range if it were sold privately would be $14,000-$16,000.If it were traded in it would be valued at $11,000-$13,000. On average a 2009 Calais would be expected to have done 80,000-130,000 km. The car you are considering has done considerably more kays than the average 2009 model, but at $10,000 it’s priced well under the market value. You should check for oil consumption, there have been reports of the 6.0-litre V8 using oil. Apart from that it comes to condition.

The Ranger gets The Tick and is a clear winner from the Amarok. The all-new Navara is not even close. But we're expecting a new Mitsubishi Triton and Toyota HiLux in the first half of 2015, so check back nearer then.

What you need to find is the factory instruction drawings, which will tell give you the information you want. My first suggestion would be to check Holden car clubs, you could also talk to a wrecker specializing in old Holdens, or talk to Rare Spares.

First you need to make sure you have all of the documentation relating to your claim, and hopefully supporting it. If the dealer won't come to the party take your claim to the Motor Traders Association of NSW and ask for their advice. You could also consult the Department of Fair Trading. Failing that legal action is always available to you.

Without knowing anything about its condition it’s hard to give an accurate value, but the private price guide is $5000 to $65000 and the trade-in price guide is $2500 to $4500. On that basis the asking price seems reasonable, but try offering them $2500.