Nissan Problems

I'd question their diagnosis of the engine coating burning off; I think it could be deeper than that.

The vibration could be coming from a variety of sources on the engine and in the transmission.

The dealer is doing the correct thing in getting the car in for a proper investigation that will hopefully reveal the cause of the problems.

At this stage, as the car is new you should co-operate with the dealer while they are trying to resolve the issues, but at the same time maintain a watching brief to make sure there is a genuine attempt to fix your car.

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.

There are few choices in the medium SUV market when it comes to a manual gearbox, and even fewer options when you add in your towing needs of 2000kg. Most medium SUVs have automatic transmissions; the few that offer a manual mostly don't meet your need to tow 2000kg. The only one that meets both your requirements is the Nissan X-Trail, which has a 6-speed manual option and is rated to tow 2000kg. It has a space saver spare.

Space-savers are intended for emergency use to get you to a place to repair or replace the punctured tyre. They're not intended to be driven on for long distances, or at high speeds. Nissan has undoubtedly tested them and they are rated for the X-Trail, so I don't have any problem with them, although I would prefer a full-sized spare.

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.

You are right to be suspicious when on average a car of that age would have done well over 200,000 km. Check the car's service book to see when and at what odometer readings the car has been serviced since it was new. That should give you an idea if the odometer is correct. With so little use it should be pristine inside with little wear on the seats and the carpets.

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.

The Trax is good value for money and stacks up well against all comers in the class. The 1.4 turbo is the best engine, and it has a conventional auto instead of a CVT that most of its rivals have. Others to look at are the Suzuki S-Cross, Ford Kuga, Nissan Qashqai, Mazda CX-5 and Subaru XV.