Toyota Problems

I couldn’t recommend the Cruze; there are too many problems with its auto transmission, as we have reported here at CarsGuide. Look at the Mazda2 or Mazda3, Toyota Yaris or Corolla, which are generally trouble free.

The Avenso Versis is a good all-rounder in the people-mover class. Other people-movers you could consider are the Honda Odyssey, Kia Grand Carnival, or VW Caddy Life, you could consider SUVs like the Ford Territory or Nissan Dualis.

The running costs will be much the same for all three cars you mention, but the Grand Carnival is probably the better bet given your needs for carrying three teenagers and two young kids. The rear seats in the Prado and Kluger are probably not as suitable.

As well as the spark plugs, you could change then plug leads, check the coils, and clean the throttle body.

The Yaris sedan is not likely to get a hatch-style update this year, just as the Corolla sedan lagged more than a year behind the hatch. Officially, Toyota spokesman Steve Coughlan replies: "We have no announcement to make. The Yaris sedan is currently available and remains available".

No, we haven't had other complaints about wheel alignment of the Aurion, but we hear reports of wheel alignment not holding. If your car had done more kilometres I would suggest there could wear in the steering that is causing the problem, but yours has only done 30,000km and shouldn't be worn to any great degree. I would take it to a suspension specialist, like Pedders, and have then give it the once over.

In this case I would be tempted to go for the older car with the fewer kilometres, as long as you were sure the odometer reading is correct.

With traction control etc. it shouldn't be prone to wheel spinning as you suggest it is. I would have the electronics checked to make sure all is in order in that area. As for the creaking doors, I wouldn't expect the doors to be creaking because of heavy towing. In fact I wouldn't expect them to be creaking at all at 68,000km and only three years old. I would suspect it's been used on rough roads in the bush.

In this case, Toyota has already done the bargaining with a price that is hard to beat. There's not much margin in the deal, but you might get some free floor mats.

It sounds as if you are Yaris fans but the Mazda2 gets The Tick and is best in the class. The i20 will give you better value and, with a five-year factory warranty, it's holding its value well on the second-hand scene.