Toyota Problems

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.

The car you want will need to have a towing rating of 3500 kg, which cuts the field down considerably. Your best bet is probably a used Toyota Landcruiser, it would tow your caravan, and parts are readily available in most parts of the country.

A number of vehicles of your vintage using that engine suffered from a lack of oil pressure due to accumulated contamination on the oil pickup. Remove the oil drain plug and inspect the oil pickup and make sure it isn’t clogged up with accumulated crud that could affect the oil pressure.

Check the brake fluid level, it could be a warning for low fluid.

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 passenger seat is not height adjustable on the new RAV4. You’d need to consult an authorised engineer about modifying the seat so it’s height adjustable. Contact the Roads and Marine Services people for advice. There is lots of information and road tests etc. on hybrids on Carsguide, or you could consult relevant dealers for product info.

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.

Carefully read your insurance policy to see if it specifically covers mechanical failures. They rarely do. Normally you have to take action against the person who supplied with the crook fuel, or the fuel company involved.