Subaru Problems

No, the transmission can be used the way you use it without suffering because it's changed more than it might if it were left in auto mode.

You don’t say what makes it hard to get in and out for you, so I’m taking a stab in the dark. There are a couple of possibilities, one being that the doors are too short and don't open wide enough, another is that it’s too low. A move to a mid-size hatch like a Mazda6, Honda Accord or Subaru Liberty would probably address the first, while a high-riding SUV such as a Kia Sportage, Hyundai iX35 or Mitsubishi ASX would help with the second.

Yes, I agree that SUVs are a good choice of vehicle for older drivers; as you say they afford you a good view of the road ahead and your surroundings, and they're easier to get in and out of. They are, however, larger and that can make them awkward for older drivers who have a greater tendency to bump into things. If you choose an SUV the CX-5 is a good one. Should you decide against the SUV you could look at the Mazda 6, Subaru Liberty, Toyota Camry, Kia Optima or Honda Accord. All are good cars. Another to think about is the Subaru Outback, a high-riding version of the Liberty.

If you don’t want a convertible, which rules out the MX-5 as my easy first pick, then the 86 is the car for driving enjoyment on a reasonable budget. But don’t overlook its Subaru twin, the BRZ, which is my choice of the two. Both get The Tick, having shared our Car of the Year award.

You'd like to think that once fixed it won't happen again, particularly as it is happened to you once before, but no one can predict what might or might not happen in the future. No one can guarantee 100 percent that it won't happen again, but Subaru should be able to explain what caused the problem and give you a reasonable assurance that it wont re-occur. The dealer's responsibility is to fix your car; Subaru's should be to explain what happened and why so you can get back to driving your car with confidence. If the dealer doesn't want to help go directly to Subaru and ask to talk to an engineer. If you don't get any satisfaction go further up the company ladder until, if necessary, go all the way to the top. If the repairs are going to take some weeks as you suspect you should ask for a loan car so you're not without wheels.

The Suzuki is the best bet, by far. Avoid the older Audi, it's likely to be too costly in terms of service and repairs, the Impreza is a good car, so too is the Liberty, but the best is the Suzuki.

The XV is the narrowest vehicle of its type, no other SUV we checked was as narrow, which makes your quest a difficult one. Finding a vehicle that has more grunt isn't difficult, you can check the specs of the various cars on the web, but I think you'll have trouble finding a car that fits your width needs. You might need to rethink the type of car you want.

This is not the first time we've heard of this problem, although the Subaru costs seem high. Company spokesman David Rowley responds: "We will be contacting the customer directly, due to the extenuating circumstances, to try to get a fair and reasonable outcome. We're also evaluating the creation of an emergency kit of these components to lower the customer costs on the rare occasion that such an event occurs."

Both are very good cars, they're well designed, well built and reliable. The Outback is the more fuel-efficient of the two, but it has a CVT auto where as the Sportage has a conventional automatic. You should drive the Outback to see if you like the CVT before making your final decision. Clearly the more frequent servicing of the Subaru means its running costs are slightly higher, and the shorter warranty could have an impact later on. It's a line-ball decision, but for mine I would probably go for the Kia.