Avant is quite right, but sometimes with these known problems the vehicles become so cheap used that the risk can be worth taking, but the car must be bought for a song, test driven extensively to be certain it's all good at present, and generally otherwise it wants to be well looked after.

If it gives you 2 years and dies but cost you less to buy than the depreciation alone of an equivalent manual Auris over the same period, you're well in pocket.

Some canny buyers have been enjoying cheap motoring due to poor reputations no longer valid, ie much improved Laguna 3's could be bought for next to nothing almost new, due entirely to the awful reliability of the previous model...generally this doesn't apply to vehicles with the right badges, especially German cars, where they can be barge pole jobs yet still command quite ridiculous used values due to very invalid premium desirability image.

Yup, Multi-mode automated manual gearbox is best avoided, even Honda and Toyota couldn’t get it right and both gave up in favour of much more robust CVT boxes instead. The later Auris uses the CVT. What is your budget again and where roughly do you live? I’ll take a quick look in your area at what is available and what I’d recommend you look at.

Be aware the Toyota Hybrid is different again. It's called a CVTe but it's actually an electronically controlled epicyclic geared transaxle with an engine at one end and two integrated motors/generators. Very few oily bits and very reliable and capable of star-ship mileages.

Some drivers dislike a either the the CVT or hybrid cars as some driving styles make the engine rev quite a lot. This is not usually a probelm with drivers who have a more gentle driving style.

Avoid at all costs the Toyota automatically operated manual.

Edited by Big John on 18/01/2019 at 20:47