No 1 daughter is due to produce No 1 grandchild the turn of the year and we are looking for a four/five door replacement for the reliable 12 year old Toyota Starlet which has given its only owner (the wife) sterling service in its 91,000 miles. The impending event will require regular 200 mile return journeys (virtually all motorway) to keep tabs on the youngster (in the main by my wife in her Starlet replacement). The 'new' car will otherwise be used as a local runabout / shopping machine. But what to buy and whether to avail ourselves of the Scrappage scheme' also muddies the water! Longer journeys or those requiring extra capacity and / or the need to carry rear seat passengers will necessitate the use of our other 12-year-old car - my trusty Volvo S70 (with LPG conversion, of course). Your views would be much appreciated. We've spied the Toyota Yaris 1.3 petrol with low road tax, the Nissan Note and Micra and of course the Aygo. Then again we like the looks of the Suzuki Swift and Fiat Panda. I'm guessing at an annual mileage of not more than 7k. To add another variable a friend plans to part-ex his '56' plated Skoda Fabia (3 cyl engine) 5 door hatch within a few days - superb condition, 4 new tyres with just 17k on the clock and is open to offers so that he can arrange a 'no part-ex' deal. Help please.