Toyota Problems

Your budget of $5000 is a problem. Whatever you buy will be old and have a lot of kilometres on the clock. I wouldn’t recommend an early Kia Carnival, they had engine troubles, the Tarago would seem your best, even though the car you buy will have a done a lot of kilometres. Toyotas are generally reliable over the long term, parts are readily available for them, and they’re easy to work on for the average mechanic.

Yes, Toyota would be in breach of the ADRs if they were to disable the airbag.

The Corolla is a good choice; they are generally reliable and cheap to run. One word of warning, however, is that they used the Takata airbags, which are the subject of one of the biggest recalls in history. Should you buy a Corolla check to see if the airbag has been replaced. If it hasn't have it replaced, if it has check to see what the replacement airbag was as this might need replacing sometime in the future. I would recommend against buying European, cheap Euros tend to be expensive in the long run.

Could be a problem with the glow plugs. If the glow plug light doesn’t light up when you turn the ignition on it could be a problem with the glow plugs or the control unit.

I wouldn't recommend the Polo, it requires the more expensive Premium unleaded, it's got the dual-clutch auto, which can be troublesome, and it will be more expensive to service. The Mazda 2 or the Toyota Yaris are better choices.

That’s the problem with VWs, you can get six good ones in a row, but the next one could be a lemon. Rather than a wagon you’re probably looking at an SUV. I would suggest a Kia Sorento, Subaru Outback, or Toyota RAV4.

It is hard for a dealer to replicate a problem if it doesn't happen with any regularity, so persist with the dealer, and if that doesn't result in your satisfaction report the problem directly to Toyota (ph 1800 869 682).

It’s worth around $5000, and I wouldn’t hold on to it in the hope the value might eventually go up. I doubt that it will, and even if it does, it will take a long time for it to happen.

As you say, the choice is bewildering. All the models you have been looking would be suitable; you could also look at the Nissan X-Trail. I would go for either the Mazda CX-5 or the Kia Sportage, but that's not to say the others aren't worth considering. Why don't you go shopping and check each of them out to see how they fit your needs.