Even though the Toyota Avalon wasn’t particularly big seller, there were still plenty of them made, so second-hand parts shouldn’t be a problem. The best bet is probably to take the broken handle to a parts recycler (we used to call them wrecking yards) and find an Avalon that is being broken up and recycled. That way, you’ll have a pretty good chance of finding a replacement handle that actually fits as well as one in the correct colour to match the rest of your car’s interior.

There are specialist Toyota wreckers (sorry, recyclers) in Perth and surrounds, but even generic wrecking yards are likely to have the odd Avalon lying around ready to donate its door handle. Toyota was also very good at sharing parts between models. So while you’re scratching around the wrecking yard, check to see if the inside door handle from, say, a Toyota Camry or Aurion or similar is interchangeable with your broken one.

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

We've recently reviewed the mid-sized frontrunners, which is where they should be looking, and the Toyota Camry wins on quality, driving and value. But if they need more space, then point them to the Skoda Superb, which lives up to its name and gets The Tick.