Toyota Corolla Problems

The damage seems extensive, and being an old car I would say it isn’t worth fixing.

Hi Sam, I can’t offer financial advice as to whether a lease, car loan, or private loan will be preferable for your individual situation. Leases have been a great way to get into a late-model car while assisting your tax situation, though you do have to be aware of balloon payments due at the end of the lease term. Also consider the value of the car once you’ve racked up plenty of kilometres up and down the M1 freeway each day getting to Newcastle. I’d suggest speaking to an accountant or financial advisor first.

Try a Toyota Corolla, Mazda 3, or a Ford Focus. All would seem to fit the bill.

It would have been made in Japan. You can check the build plate, which should be in the engine bay, and will show where it was built.

Go for a car from a well-respected brand, such as a Toyota Corolla, Mazda 3 or Hyundai i30. All will give you economical motoring, low maintenance, and should hold their value quite well for the next couple of years or so.

Buying for an 18-year-old male is a difficult task. What you think he should drive is probably not what he would like to have. The best approach is to buy the latest model you can afford, because that will be the safest, have the best economy, and be worth the most when you want to sell or trade it. Your budget would suggest a four-cylinder small car of around 2012/13. Something like a 2013 Toyota Corolla would get you 5-star safety, be quite economical, and relatively easy to sell later on.

There are lots of cars that would be reliable and within your budget, but none would have a turbo. Turbos are not the thing you want for reliability, and any you might find within your budget are more than likely to be old and to have been thrashed. I would suggest a four-cylinder model from a respected brand such as a Toyota Corolla, Hyundai i30, Mazda3 etc.

The best approach is to buy a car from a well-respected brand, and stick with an Asian brand such as Toyota, Mazda, Hyundai or Kia rather than an European one. Models to consider would be a Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Hyundai i30 or Kia Cerato.

Use a 5W-30 A3/B4 oil from a quality brand.

If there’s no obvious problem with the way the car is running, it could be that the engine needs a tune-up, new spark plugs, leads, air filter, and a cleaning of the throttle body.