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.

Getting the Jeep would be overkill if you don't go off-road and it seems you've answered your own question in favour of the Nissan. I give the Pathfinder The Tick and it tops the Kluger for me.

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.

Generally I don’t recommend buying extended warranty, as I don’t believe it offers value for money. It’s mostly a way for dealers to make more money out of the deal, but having extended warranty does give some people peace of mind and that’s perfectly understandable. If that’s what you feel then go ahead, but carefully read the warranty documents so you understand what it covers and what it doesn’t.

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.

Any car from the 1990s is really old and outdated, on safety, equipment and the risk of a mechanical failure.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.

You need to talk directly to the dealer and explain that you believe they have sold you a car with defective engine mounts and ask that they replace them for you. Even though the warranty has expired they might be willing to fix the problem on the basis of goodwill, but you will only know that if you talk to them.

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.

It's genuinely not Nissan's doing, as it takes a couple of years for local mapping to be collated and updated into a format for the satnav fitted by overseas makers. We're all being spoilt by Google maps.