Space would certainly would be a big plus. One of the reasons I'm looking for to replace Fiesta is a lack of boot space.

I'm somewhat reluctant to look for another Ford. Not big fan of available Seat options. Hondas seem to be rather expensive. Would Toyota Auris hybrid be a good long-term option?

Audi or BMW petrol would sound like a reasonable option only if fuel consumption is sensible, would you be able to tell me how trustworthy are the running cost metrics for 1.5L BMW, and 1.4 Audi TFSI engines? For town, A-road driving with efficiency in mind.

An Auris would be excellent for reliability and efficiency but precisely zero fun.

Bear in mind that running costs means more than fuel and tax. The cost to maintain a diesel is a lot more than a petrol and, if you only do a few thousand miles in short journeys, you'll be looking at DPF replacements. All service and parts costs for the premium German brands will also be higher than average.

and 1.4 Audi TFSI engines? For town, A-road driving with efficiency in mind.

The 1.4tfsi engine fitted to the Audi A4 is a great engine and very reliable especially in manual form, A friend of mine had two of these in a row and frequently achieved 50+ mpg on a run. Your car tax costs will be slightly higher for the petrol (until 2017 models when it all changes) but with your mileage I'd avoid the diesel as other costs would rather eclipse this many fold. In addition if you buy diesels beware Clean Air Zones eg ULEZ, as they have to be euro 6+ to avoid however petrol cars only have to be euro 4+.

Whatever you buy condition/history is all. Check service records / mot history thoroughly. Has everything been done - eg brake fluid changes, cambelt etc.

I myself have a 1.4 tsi Skoda Superb (barge) and I average mid 40's mpg.

Edited by Big John on 05/08/2023 at 18:56

I'm somewhat reluctant to look for another Ford. Not big fan of available Seat options. Hondas seem to be rather expensive. Would Toyota Auris hybrid be a good long-term option?

The Auris hybrid hatch only has a small boot however the Auris touring has much more space. They are very popular so are going for stupid money so with your budget it'll be older with higher mileage. Beware clocking on these, they take mileage well so it's harder to tell. When I looked a while ago for someone every car I looked at/researched had some sort of "issue" be it MOT records, import, no service history etc.They already have a 2007 Prius owned from new that has been bullet proof but is showing signs of decay now - under body rust, oil burning - saying that it just flew through it's MOT!

If I wanted a car to do 70,000 miles over the next ten years it wouldn't be an 8-10 year old BMW or Audi with probably well over 100k on the clock.

The problem is for the budget I don't know what it would be. The advent of turbos on most petrol vehicles you would have once looked at such as Mondeos is a potential expense you probably woukdn't want.

However on Autotrader there is a 2016 Toyota Avensis 1.8 with 27,000 in sensible silver which would be tough to say no to.

Edited by daveyjp on 07/08/2023 at 21:11

But how reliable are Audi VW Chains .

All Audi A4 1.4s are fitted with the cambelt EA211 engine.

Re Mazda I agree the petrol engines are fabulous but in my experience you have to be careful re rust as they get older.

Whatever the choice - condition is all!

Edited by Big John on 07/08/2023 at 23:55