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Dear advisor,

I would appreciate your advice. I'm looking into buying a used car. Due to my budget the likely candidates are imports - Toyota Vitz about 2006 - 2009 and Suzuki Splash around 2008 - 2011 (Is the NZ new Splash CVT too? It seems like the NZ new Yaris is a 4-speed auto) However, I'm concerned about these as they appear to use CVT. As you may know, there is some info on this CVT issue:
https://www.toyota.co.nz/about-toyota/toyota-news/2015/11/toyota-recalls-used-imports-due-to-possible-cvt-fault/

Would it be best to avoid these two cars altogether? What would be better alternatives under $8,000? Thanks again :)

Hi there,
Neither of these manufacturers had any real on-going CVT transmission complaints that we are aware of. A recall is fine, it means they have identified a problem and fix it for free.
Mazda have some pretty good options in the Axela (Mazda 3) or Demio (Mazda 2) models.

Thanks very much Cade, for your helpful advice :)

With these CVT cars is it still a concern that a lack of transmission maintenance (common with imports, it seems) may mean that there is a "good" chance of CVT failure?

How should a good condition CVT transmission perform? What are the signs and symptoms of a poorly maintained and/or poor performing CVT transmission?

Could the CVT fluid be inspected for colour and smell, similar to AT fluid from a conventional auto? Many thanks :)

Some transmissions may not even have a dipstick, but yes check the fluid is clean, clear, and not smelling burnt. Most faulty transmissions will feel like they are slipping, shuddering, or having a delay when drive is engaged.
It might be a good plan to call a transmission specialist and pick their brains as to what models they see the most.