You might find that the ignition barrel has collapsed internally, jamming the whole thing up and refusing to start the car. But before you call in the locksmith, try this: The ignition barrel on this car also operates the steering lock mechanism. If the key has been removed and the steering locked at a particular angle, you can have these very symptoms next time you try to start the car.

What’s happening is that the steering lock is resting against the little mechanism that frees it when you turn the key, making the key feel like it’s jammed. The solution is to pull the steering wheel one way or the other until you feel it move a millimetre or two. At that point, you might find the key will now turn freely.

No, the manual and automatic versions of the Crewman are rated to tow up to 1600kg and 2500kg respectively with a braked trailer. This is to protect the clutch of the manual versions which could easily be damaged trying to tow the automatic's 2500kg.

It's generally accepted that the more progressive take-up from rest of an automatic transmission makes it the better solution for a tow-car in the first place. And that extends beyond any single make or model.

If you're looking for a dual-cab ute with an emphasis on comfort and performance, then a Holden Crewman suddenly comes into sharp focus. These are around for the money you're talking about and even though some of them are getting close to your age cut-off, they provide ride quality and dynamics that even modern dual-cab utes struggle to reproduce.

The Holden in question is not an off-roader by any means, but it can do all the sorts of things that ute owners love them for. By going down this route, you also side-step the potentially troublesome common-rail diesel problems that can include blocked DPFs and internal clogging from soot and oil. If you can find one, there was even a V8 version of the Crewman which, if you find a good example, will provide lots of reliability and even more performance.