Nissan Problems

Things are about to change after a major price cut of more than $20,000 for the all-new V8 Patrol, which was hugely overpriced when it first hit Australia.

The Avenso Versis is a good all-rounder in the people-mover class. Other people-movers you could consider are the Honda Odyssey, Kia Grand Carnival, or VW Caddy Life, you could consider SUVs like the Ford Territory or Nissan Dualis.

The Jumbuck only got a two-star safety rating from ANCAP and the Mighty Boy was regularly rated in the bottom 10 cars sold in Australia for safety. You should not consider either but get something like a pre-loved Nissan Navara.

There are changes to the latest Patrols including repositioning of the gearlever but the basics are still the same. The biggest problem is that resale will be based on the build year, not compliance. Even Nissan insiders admit you should push for a bigger discount than the recent cut from $93,390 to $69,990 for the 2015 Patrol.

Looking at seven-seater SUVs, the new Kia Sorento is excellent in all areas to earn The Tick and the Nissan Pathfinder is a good choice. One of them should work for you, your budget and your towing duties.

Buying a grey import is always a gamble. As a car it's decent enough, but I would want to know whom it is I'm dealing with when I'm buying one. I would ask who imported the car, what is its history before it was imported, when it was imported, does the dealer support it with spare parts and servicing.

Any car from the 1990s is really old and outdated, on safety, equipment and the risk of a mechanical failure. You would be far better served by coming as far as you can afford into the 2000s.

Yes I think you have a case, not because the dealer did anything wrong when they did the seals, but because the transfer case shouldn't need replacing on such a new car. I doubt you would get a full replacement, but you should be able to get part of the cost of repairs refunded.

The CX-5 is a clear winner for what you want and is virtually a weekly recipient of The Tick.

If it's fuel-injected pumping it won't make any difference, in fact it could confuse the computer and make it more difficult to start. Check the fuel pressure and depending on the result of that check the fuel pump.