Mazda Problems

It’s possibly a faulty sensor sending the wrong signal to the ECM. Have it checked by your dealer or mechanic.

The Corolla is one of the better small cars, it’s both fuel-efficient and reliable, if serviced well and not abused. Others to consider are the Mazda3 and the Hyundai i30.

A new master cylinder would cost around $100, a shock absorber about the same.

That’s a sexist question that I’m not prepared to answer in the form you’ve asked it. The GT tag is thrown around today by marketing wiz kids with no knowledge of its history, the result is that cars get badged with GT stickers that really aren’t true GTs. The Mazda2 GT is a Mazda2 with a few extra goodies, but sadly no extra grunt or suspension tweaks. If you want to look cool it might appeal, but if you want a real performance-oriented small car try the VW Polo GTi or its bigger brother, the Golf GTi.

You’ve covered some important things, like reversing cameras. All of the current cars come with ISOFIX baby seat mounting points, which are also must-have items when you’ve got kids to transport. It probably comes down to what your wife is comfortable driving, so I would suggest test-driving a number of different cars before making your decision.

It's hard to give you a definite recommendation, as most cargo measurements are in litres rather than floor length, but I reckon most mid-size wagons and large SUVs would do the job for you. 

Most of these have a flat boot floor with the seats folded, and likely have ample body length for sleeping. 

So Mazda6, Skoda Superb or Ford Mondeo wagons are worth a look, plus large SUVs like the Mazda CX-9, Kia Sorento and Hyundai Santa Fe. 

Don't be afraid to try them out for size at the dealers either. You'd certainly test out a mattress before buying right?!

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.

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.