My sister is due to receive £ 1500 for a Citroen that was stolen and burned out a month ago and is interested in a Focus size hatchback. I advised her against another petrol Xsara as they are unreliable and expensive to maintain. Her main choices would be a Ford Focus, Peugeot 307( I am advising her that pre 55 plate ones can be very troublesome) and a Vauxhall Astra. My advice to her would be the Focus and Astra are decent enough cars, but maybe to go for an old shape Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla as these are generally very reliable. What plate model of these would she be able to buy as she's not bothered about engine size or the best equipped one?