Holden Barina Problems

Take it to a mechanic or an auto electrician, who will be able to sort it out for you.

Those early Barinas were prone to oil leaks. I guess that you have had it repaired before, but without success. If it's fixed properly it shouldn't leak, but it could be that it needs a better sealant, or the surface of the rocker cover might need machining flat.

Regular 91-octane unleaded is the specified fuel for your car, but you could also run it on E10 ethanol or Premium unleaded as well.

The mechanic's advice is wrong, follow the service book info.

There's certainly a problem with it. If it's not overheating it must be leaking. Have the radiator checked for leaks, check the radiator hoses and clamps, and check any fittings on the engine that have coolant flowing through them.

It's an electrical or electronic fault that's causing your car to go into the default limp home mode. It's not possible to say exactly what is wrong, do that you need to take the car to a mechanic and have them diagnose the problem on their equipment.

The relative complexity of today’s cars means that sometimes things happen that are difficult to explain, particularly if error codes aren’t showing up. It’s then a question of changing things until the cause is found, which it seems is what the dealer is doing.

The mileage is low for that model, which is a plus, but the price is about average for a private sale. It's not a bad buy, but if you could get the price down to $7000-$7500 it would be a much better deal. The Barina was criticized for it low safety rating when it was first launched but by MY11 it was four stars, which is pretty decent.

The Barina was only rated at 2-stars by the safety testing authority ANCAP. Holden upgraded the safety equipment in the Barina in 2008 and ANCAP raised it to a 4-star car. As you're thinking of buying for your daughter I would recommend you buy a 2008 or later model.