Had that 1.8 engine in an Almera Sport hatch. Great workhorse - I took it from 50,000 to 120,000 before the car was written off in a shunt. No major problems, no timing chain issues but, as above, it was serviced regularly.

Tinos go up to about 2005 and are well within the 4k budget I would have thought.

Thanks for all the replies, so I went to see the c max and tried in my car seats, I could get them all in with the baby car seat on the outer edge, then the high backed booster in the middle and the 9 month plus one on the outher outer egde which meant I could get to all the seat buckles. But if I had to use 2 9 month plus seats and a high backed booster then I wouldnt be able to acces all the buckles easily. But I think I would find this in all 5 seaters unless the high backed booster went in the middle but then the eldest has to squeeze through to get in it. So I think for that set up I would need a big 7 seater like a Galaxy, or possible one of the ones with a sliding middle seat to stagger the seats, like a Renault Grand Scenic.......

Very hard, my partner always goes on about the reliability of Fords etc. but if I got a c max Id loose the extra seats and space, but I would save on insurance and tax.

The nissans look good value for money for our budget so will talk to my partner about that tonight.

Thanks

Does anyone know if the 5 seater Renault Megane 2005 reg has the same electrical problems as the Renault Grand Scenic? I like the look of the Renault and safety rating etc. but am wondering if the 5 seater version gets me away from the bad reviews of the handbrake and dashboard problems?