The first thing to check here is what’s called the clock spring. This is an electrical connector inside the steering wheel that allows the wheel to be turned to full lock and back while still allowing for electrical contact between the airbag and the rest of the car.

If this spring fails, the connection between the airbag and the systems that would trigger it in a crash are lost. Which means that in a big enough collision, the airbag would not fire and protect the driver.

Clock spring replacement is relatively simple but it’s still a job best left to the pros, as any time you’re messing with an airbag, you’re playing with a fairly violent explosive component. Get it wrong and accidentally fire the airbag, and you could be seriously injured.

Depending on what sort of noise the transmission is making, this sounds like a broken or worn out clutch. Without a properly functioning clutch, gears can be extremely difficult to select and can also cause horrible graunching, grinding noises when trying to select any gear, but particularly reverse.

If this is, indeed, the problem, you could be looking at thousands of dollars to remove the transmission, replace the clutch and reassemble the driveline. You might even find that the engine's flywheel is also beyond saving and needs replacing, too.

On the other hand, the lazy clutch could be a simple case of a leaking or worn clutch slave or master cylinder or even a poorly adjusted clutch system which is allowing the clutch to disobey what the clutch pedal is telling it to do. If that's the case, the fix could be quite simple and relatively cheap.

The point is that you need to know what the problem is before handing over the money, because the value of the same car with either problem will be vastly different. Perhaps finding a car with a properly working clutch and driveline is a better option.

The Trophy version of the i30 used exclusively the two-litre petrol engine. As such, it actually has both a timing belt and a timing chain. The engine has twin overhead camshafts, but only the exhaust camshaft is driven by the timing belt from the crankshaft. A short timing chain then takes drive from the exhaust camshaft to the intake camshaft. The engine also features variable valve timing.

The good news is that you really only have to periodically replace the timing belt (the chain should be maintenance-free for the life of the engine). The recommended replacement interval is every 100,000km.