I've helped my disabled 78 year old neighbour buy new cars every four years because previously she could not negotiate a sensible price. We've bought three Nissan Micra autos which have served her well. She wants to buy another new car now that the current one has done 20k miles and is four years old (yes I know, but don't ask).

However, since Nissan moved Micra production to India a Nissan mechanic has told me that their warranty claims on this model are increasing. This has put me off suggesting another Micra. What are the sensible alternatives with a proper auto gear-box? She did however complain that the 1200 cc auto Micra did not have quite as much get up and go as she would like!