Subaru Problems

With your budget you would be looking at a 2010/2011 VW Beetle, which had a regular automatic transmission and not the troublesome DSG that was fitted in later models. That’s a big tick for the Beetle. The Citroen C3 is a decent car, but an orphan in the sense that there weren’t many sold and you won’t find a dealer on every corner. As for the BMW, they’re too expensive to service and repair if you use a dealer, and they have too many niggling issues that spoil the great driving experience. The Subaru Impreza is well worth looking at, but my pick of that bunch would be the Volvo C30.

Without wanting to get involved in a family feud, the best choice is the Subaru Forester. It rides a bit higher like an SUV but is a classy family wagon. It gets The Tick from me and remind her that it's the safest in the class.

It sounds like the right time to move into an all-new Forester, to power you across the divide and into retirement. No matter what you do with repairs to the current car, it’s going to be a gamble.

The XV will be fine around town but is very small in the boot, and the same goes for the CX-3. If you want a similar cabin and boot space to the Liberty then go for the CX-5, but also have a look at the new Kia Sportage.

Until this week I would have said the Passat was fine but I've just run into a problem with a VW test car. I would now punt for the Liberty, which has just been updated and gets The Tick.

Both the CX-5 and the Tribeca are good choices; they're capable, well built and reliable. Others to consider are the Kia Sportage and Sorento. While they are Korean like the Captiva, unlike the Captiva they're very good cars, well built and reliable.

The CX-5 is still best in class but a new Kia Sportage has just arrived and promises to be just as good. I’d steer you towards a Subaru Forester or Outback. They drive like a car, are more refined and easily handle country roads.

Sadly, the Jumbuck has gone the same way as the Subaru Brumby — the world now wants bigger utes. In any case, the Jumbuck was based on the old Mitsubishi Lancer, which meant it was barely safe, and Proton has insufficient funds to develop a new model.