I am looking for a reliable modest tow car for a modest sized caravan, and I was wondering if anybody has advice. My starting point was a 1.9 diesel Focus, say 2-3 years old, with a tow capacity of 1500kg. However, I have seen on Autotrader a lot of 1.6 diesel i30's at reasonable prices, which can pull 1400kg, and this should be enough. I am also attracted to the Octavia which has a similar load capacity.

While in the Skoda showroom, I was much taken by the Yeti because of its excellent rear visibility - good for reversing, but of course there are not many secondhand Yetis around yet.

Somebody made a comment about only buying diesels new, presumably because of doubts about servicing by previous owners. Do people think that is a significant issue at present?