Wouldn't be that keen on either Skoda for the reasons mentioned, though it is worth bearing in mind that the version of the DSG fitted to the 2.0 diesels (on both Octavia and Superb) would be the more robust 'wet clutch' version. They certainly can be reliable, especially if looked after properly (easy enough to establish) and driven with a degree of mechanical sympathy (virtually impossible to establish).

The Mazda?, no way!. Maybe if it was a new car, and it was being used in the manner suitable for the engine, but a 2nd hand version could far too easily be a ticking time bomb.

The Volvo?, well I'd be wanting to verify gearbox type before plumping for one of them. Ford used to own Volvo, and I'd be wanting to ensure that the mechanicals of this age of V60 didn't come from a Mondeo. If it does, that would probably mean the Powershift automated manual (like the DSG), which also doesn't have a great reputation. Even, ignoring that, there are a grand total of 6 V60 diesel auto's on Autotrader (nationwide) which are younger than 2013.

How many miles does your husband cover?. Because simply spending 1-2 hours commuting doesn't not neccessarily mean you need diesel. Circa 15k per annum is generally considered the point where diesel makes more sense than petrol.

Hi my husband does around 15,000 miles a year

That is a tricky one, certainly with your wanting auto. Personally, I just don't have much faith in automated manuals, certainly used, where you don't know how the previous owner/owners have driven the car.

Without the auto aspect, I'd go straight to the Honda Civic estate. Last (2017/2018) of the previous shape (current Civic not available as an estate) are available within your budget. Massive boot (much bigger than a V60, which is actually not that big), spacious cabin, reliable, refined, comfortable and the 1.6 turbo diesel will easily exceed 60mpg. But alas, it was never available as an auto.

Another suggestion (with a caveat), is the Toyota Auris hybrid estate. Budget is enough to get into an example as young as 2018 and the boot on these is comfortably bigger than a V60 (though not as big as the Civic's). The caveat is regarding the benefits of the hybrid system on the main road. A lot of folk reckon that you'd just be pulling deadweight, that the battery wouldn't be doing much, if anything (I'm not convinced that this would be the case). So maybe some research, reading up on owners reviews etc, to find out how much contribution the battery makes at motorway speeds beforehand. But bear in mind, the faster you go on the motorway, the less battery assistance you'd get. So if you were doing 70mph, I'd expect some assistance, but at 85mph, probably little or none. But from a reliability point of view, you'd struggle to find anything better at any price, than one of these.

BTW, the boot capacity of your V40 is 335 litres (pretty meagre for a car of that size), the V60 manages 430 litres (again, pretty meagre for an estate of that size), the Civic estate has 624 litres, and the Auris estate gets 530 litres.

V70, 2.4d, can’t really do better.

Can you find one for sale (with the stipulations of being younger than 2013, and up to 60k miles)?. None on Autotrader. Up that mileage to 70k and there is one (a 2014 model with 61.5k miles).

Personally I'd agree though, get an older one with a bit more miles, no probs!.

V70, 2.4d, can’t really do better.

Add another £1k to your budget and you can jump into a Volvo XC70 with reasonable mileage.

Nice place to be in and your two dogs will agree.

www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105192833478?m...1

As nice as it is, going by what the OP has told us about the usage, I can't see any benefit to an XC70 over a V70. And as for the (big, i.e, heavy) dogs?, well the boot space is exactly the same (as the V70) so the only difference will be it being harder for them to get in as they get older due to the increased ride height.