Nissan Problems

I would suggest the Soul could be ruled out on the basis that it won't have a high resale value when you want to sell it on. Your budget will limit your choices, if you could stretch it another $3000 you could look at the Honda HR-V or CR-V, or Kia Sportage.

CVT failures are quite common in the Murano, so you're not on your own in that respect.

You should contact Nissan directly in writing setting out your reasons you think the company should help pay the costs of repairs on your car.

CVT failures in the Murano are quite common and Nissan should be doing more to support owners here who have put their faith in the company only to be let down. You are correct in saying that a component such as a transmission should not fail to the extent it needs replacing at such low kilometres.

If Nissan rejects your claim go to the consumer affairs people, or you could try taking them to VCAT.

You haven't given us the weight of the caravan you want to tow, which goes a long way to determining the best car for you. We'll err on the side of caution and go for cars with a towing capacity of at least 2500 kg that fall within your budget. It's always best to go for the latest model you can afford, which means around 2103 in your case. I'm guessing you're over the Pathfinder given your experience with the holed piston in your current car, but the Nissan is an option for you. So too are the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Mitsubishi Pajero, although the Pajero's rear suspension is prone to sagging when heavily loaded and I would rule that out on that basis. If you can stretch your budget a little you could consider the Landrover Discovery 4, which does everything you want well, but is the most expensive of this bunch. For me the pick of the bunch for me is the Toyota Prado, for performance, economy, and reliability. The only issue for you could be that the Prado's towing rating is 2500 kg, the lowest of the cars we mention here.

You have clearly done your homework, from which you should be able to decide which is best for you. Without knowing what your needs and wants are all we can advice is that the three cars you have honed in on are good choices.

The private price guide is $6000-$7500; the trade-in range is $4000-$5500; the dealer would offer around $4000. Yours, having such low kilometres, would be worth the top end of those price ranges.

I wouldn't recommend buying an old Patrol with the 3.0-litre turbo-diesel engine, such as the one you are looking at. It's right in the zone of death when it comes to the turbo-diesel engine, and it will have done a million miles.

It can be a good idea to buy the last model in the line, all the problems have been well and truly sorted out and it's usually the best built. The downside is that it will lose a little more in value when the new model comes out and buyers turn away from the old one. The 3.0-litre turbo-diesel was a problem when it first came out, and we got lots of reports from owners with blown-up engines, but the reports have stopped coming. That suggests the problems have been sorted and the engine is performing well.

I am reluctant to recommend any European car, particularly those from VW, because of the problems that have soured the ownership experience for so many people. Rather than those you name I would be looking at the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V or Suzuki Vitara.