Buying a small used car

My daughter is changing her 12-year-old Corsa and wants a similar 5-door manual hatchback, petrol, for mainly short journeys. Reliability is the key thing. She has about £4,000 to spend. What would you recommend, please?

Asked on 11 January 2012 by Johnbmw

Answered by Honest John
Previous shape facelift Fiesta 1.25 Style Climates seem to come out on top. That model of Fiesta has been very reliable.
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Good handling and comfortable ride. Tidy design. Reasonably spacious. Plenty of choice second-hand. Good reputation for reliability.