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Volkswagen Golf 2013: A reliable replacement car

Asked by Ian

I currently have a 2013 Golf TSi and I am looking at trading it in for something that is reliable, cheap to service and with cheap parts. The Golf has done 86,000km and the turbo has just died. It's costing me $3000 to replace and has broken down on me before and I'm fed up with it. I am looking at Toyota Corolla, Hyundai i30, Kia Cerato. Which car would be best?

Answered by CarsGuide

17 Jul 2020 David Morley

All the cars you’ve nominated would be good choices and will give you some peace of mind because they all use conventional technology. That is to say, none of them in their most affordable, basic forms uses a turbocharger and none of them have a complex, dual-clutch transmission that has been so troublesome for Volkswagen and plenty of other manufacturers, too. At least, that’s if you stay clear of the Cerato GT and the i30 diesel and N-Line, because those variants do have a dual-clutch transmission. The Corolla? A CVT transmission, no matter what variant you buy, but it’s one of the better ones out there.

Yours is not the only voice calling out for a simpler, more reliable motoring experience, Ian. But any of the three makes and models you’ve named should do the job for you with minimal hassle. Neither of them offers up too much in the way of excitement, but as solid, dependable designs, they take some beating.

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