I'm 19 and currently considering buying an 05-Reg Honda Civic Sport. I like the model, and from my research they are reliable and well built considering they've been looked after. My current approach is to find one which has a mileage which is slightly under average for its age (so around 50-60K on the clock). Would you say this is the correct approach? or would you advise to get one with more miles in to benefit from a lower price because of the longevity of the cars?

Also could you tell me anything about the fuel economy of the 2005 Civics? They're supposed to fetch anywhere between 33-53mpg but I can imagine that this decreases with age. Have you any idea how much this decrease may be?

Finally the most relevant question is: is this the right decision. Insurance isn't an issue (which I can imagine would be the first problem because of my age) but I'm currently looking for a car which looks good, is reliable, will return good mpg for daily commuting and monthly 60 miles trips to university over the next four years with little problems. Not too fussy about little things which may need changing, but I'm switching from a Vauxhall Corsa which commonly has issues and so would like not to have to fork out regularly because of faults.