Toyota Corolla 2006 Problems

The world is your oyster here, Myra, and there are literally hundreds of makes and models that will do what you want as well offer the five-star safety rating you’re looking for. Your priorities are spot on, too; safety and the driving characteristics (in this case, steering weight) are very important in how you relate to the car and enjoy driving it.

Since you’re not too concerned with what brand you buy, the best advice is to short-list a few cars that fall within your budget and then go and test drive each one, checking that it steers the way you like it. Even small hatchbacks nowadays have the safety and performance to take you pretty much anywhere the road goes. But for longer journeys, you might appreciate features such as cruise control and a full-sized spare tyre.

You have a good budget, so your choices are numerous. The Corolla is a very good choice. I would steer clear of the European brands, which includes the Ford Fiesta, as they tend to be more troublesome than cars from Asia. All I would suggest is that you stick to the tried and true Japanese brands, Toyota, Mazda and Honda.

The Impreza is a good choice with all-wheel drive safety and a raft of airbags, so too is the Corolla, but you could also consider the Mazda3. It's best to stick with the recognized Japanese brands, European brands can be appealing, but they tend to be more troublesome and more expensive to service.

The recall continues to get bigger but Toyota spokeswoman Bec Angel says: "There have been no incidents or injuries reported in Australia as a result of this condition. We will be contacting all impacted Toyota motorists in the coming weeks to let them know when parts will be available. Mari should call the Toyota recall helpline on 1800 987 366 to check whether her vehicle is impacted, quoting the Vehicle Identification Number from her car."

The Corolla has been overtaken by better rivals, led by the Volkswagen Golf and Mazda3 which both get The Tick. You should test drive them before committing to any Corolla, even the Levin ZR.