I wonder if I could get the benefit of collective wisdom on 2 car changes?

At present my wife drives about 6000 miles pa in a 1998 Civic 5dr 1.5vtec. This car has been in my family since it was a demonstrator and has been fantastic to own. Very little unscheduled expense, good fuel economy and 100% reliable. It is also smooth and pleasant to drive, if a little unexciting. However it is now 12 years old, has 120,000 miles on the clock and is getting more than a bit tatty and one day soon will need an uneconomically expensive repair such as clutch or engine mounts. Even if nothing goes badly wrong, it needs a few bits and pieces doing such as trackrod ends, broken door lock, wing & door skin replacement which at garage prices would soon exceed the value of the car.

I drive 12,000 miles a year in a 1999 Mondeo mk2 2.0 zetec which is also tatty aethetically. It has cost quite a bit more than the civic to keep on the road and is set to cost even more at the next MOT with various drop links and the rear shocks clunking merrily away at the moment. I very much like driving the car, with the torque, steering feel, handling and cabin comfort appealing to me. I don't like the 32mpg fuel economy and repair bills!

We tend to drive in Mondeo at weekends and on holiday because it is bigger for our young family, but apart from my personal driving pleasure it makes no sense for me to have the larger car from day to day.

The first assumption that I'm willing to have challenged is that both cars should be changed as soon as funds allow. I know that there is an element of "better the devil you know" but I really don't see much point in spending more than a car is worth on repairs (and certainly not more than once - which I've already done with the Mondeo).

So I think I'd like something like a Belingo or Corrolla Verso (prob the latter) for my wife to drive and weekend / holiday family duties. (Incidentally, she has no interest in what she drives but would like ease of access and ease of parking)

With family duties taken care of, I need a vehicle with at least 4 doors, 40mpg combined fuel economy, low maintenance costs and a good reliability record and with the equivalent mid-range grunt and driver appeal of my Mondeo 2 litre. All for about £5k. I'm not particularly concerned about image / badge and am not wholly convinced by heavy-feeling germanic car quality i.e. depth of engineering reliability more important than the "door thunk"!

I've shortlisted the following:

Focus / Mazda 3 1.6 diesel - have driven and liked both but my budget would involve highish mileages and concerns about diesel reliability

As above but 2.0 petrol - not sure if I'd get near 40mpg on my town & country commute

Previous gen Civic 2.0 Type S - fuel economy again?

Current gen civic 1.8 petrol - not sure if in budget without mega miles?

Accord 2.0 petrol, Mazda 6 1.8 or 2.0 petrol, Mondeo 1.8 or 2.0 petrol - fuel economy?

Any opinions or thoughts on my conundrum?