Maybe uonda civic ? Mazda 3 you mentioned

A Civic within this budget (8th gen, 2006-2011) would probably have the i shift automated manual. which you don't want.

You'd be safe enough with the Mazda 3 though.

Another old favourite at this budget would be the Ford Focus

But with arthritic knees, I'd be inclined to look at cars with a slightly higher seating position. Two which spring to mind would be the Ford Fusion (the 1.6 not the 1.4) and the Nissan Note. Both very reliable and offer a decent amount of space within a fairly small footprint.

Very comprehensive reply Andy. Ok here goes

I'm looking gor something to.gp football and local shops and back . The odd maybe once a month 2 hour long journey but usually my.journey is max 45 mins one way once a week . The rest max 30 mins

I'm not too fussed how good the car is MP3 and all that Jazz ( see what I did there)

My annual mileage will be about 5k / 50 to 100 per week

Seats well just me and few lads to football and back .

I'm looking for cheap and reliable to run, tax insure etc over something that will attract the lads.

Maybe uonda civic ? Mazda 3 you mentioned

I could maybe push to 3

4.5k if it would make a difference , as I bought a jazz in October 2021 and 6 months later not keen on it anymore :-/

One of the downsides of petrol TC autos, especially ones older than 10 years (before some makes introuced small-capacity turbo petrols) is that they are, in addition to lower mpg, they have higher CO2 and thus VED tax rates, mainly because they'll be cars that will be pre-2017 VED rate changes.

My (gen-1) 2005-built Mazda3 (1.6 petrol manual) has a CO2 rate of 172 and is VED group H, now costing arounf £250, the auto version may be even higher. The newer gen-2 models improved on that score but you'll end up probably the same as my car.

Whether your budget could get a gen-3 car (2L auto), which will be a VED group D (pre March 2017) or the standard rate (post March 2017) of around £155, I don't know - probably not for the higher trim levels you're looking for.

I found that they are also a bit lower than the first two generations of the mazda3, so getting in/out for you may be more of a problem. Driving wise they are decent enough for your needs.

I'd say that you may need to sacrifice some spec to gain a newer car that will be in better condition and more efficient (and thus will cost less to tax and fuel), whatever you go for.

Finding a car that impresses your mates looks or performance-wise might be something you might need to scrifice in the current climate of high costs and uncertainty. Many people will sort of be in a similar situation in the London area (especially as Mayor Khan is looking to extend the ULEZ zone) and thus petrol cars in particular will be even more sought after.

The Fusion and Note, as BBD says, are useful cars that make good use of the space - my sister used to own a Fusion (admitedly the diesel) and it was a nice little car albiet in upper trim levels. The same VED and efficiency issues as for the Mazda will be in play, though looking at the Note perhaps a bit less so than for the Fusion. Parking is likely to be much easier with these two as they are compact and boxy.