Towing

My parents are looking for a used car to replace our VW Multivan, which has been very unreliable. We are looking for something with five seats, good rear legroom as we are quite tall, the ability to tow a box trailer up to 1000kg and, above all, that's reliable. I have a shortlist but just wanted a second opinion on the Nissan Dualis, Suzuki Grand Vitara, Honda CR-V and Mitsubishi ASX.

We are looking to replace our Discovery 3 and don't believe we can get into a new or near new Discovery 4. We need an SUV to cart the family and I drive it as my work car and do about 25,000 km a year, so it needs to have good on-road manners. But we also need it to be good off road for the weekend and be able to tow an 8x5 trailer and/or jet ski. Is the Discovery Sport something we should look at, or is there something else around $50,000 we should look at?

I am considering buying a 4WD for country trips and towing a 17-foot boat weighing about 1600 kg. I wouldn't do any serious off-roading. I am considering a Mercedes ML 320 or 350, as they seem to be reasonably priced when compared to a similar age Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Just wondering how they compare regarding maintenance and running cost?

My big concern in that Mercedes cost a lot to maintain, particularly if you require mechanical repairs.

We would plan to keep it for at least five years. Which do you think would be better value?

I am considering purchasing a 2010 Volvo XC60 diesel. I am about to retire and was looking for a vehicle that would serve long term with some small caravan towing. Are parts very expensive compared to other similar vehicles?

I am considering buying a 4wd for country trips and towing a 17-foot boat weighing about 1600 kg. I wouldn't be doing any serious off-road driving. I am considering a Mercedes ML 320 or 350, as they seem to be reasonably priced when compared to a similar age Jeep Grand Cherokee. Just wondering how they compare regarding maintenance and running cost? My big concern in that Mercedes cost a lot to maintain, particularly if you require mechanical repairs. We would plan to keep it for at least five years. Which do you think would be better value?

I am looking for something to pull my catering trailer, which will not be more than two-tonne. I was thinking of a diesel Toyota Landcruiser, as I am interested in doing some events interstate. But I was thinking this might be overkill. Is there a 4x4 that is less expensive on fuel that would be appropriate?

You recently had a Head-to-Head between the Porsche Cayenne and Volkswagen Touareg. My wife and I are looking to buy a vehicle to start towing a caravan. The maximum will be 3.5 tonnes and visiting numerous national parks around the country will be the limit of our planned off-roading. We are newbies, so reliability and related back-up are important considerations. Currently, we are considering a 2016 VW Touareg V6 TDI or a Land Rover Discovery 4 SDV6 HSE. Are there other vehicles we should check before making a decision? What's your verdict?