Another vote for a Mazda 3, we’ve a 2.0l manual hatch, can get 60mpg on a long run & normally aspirated, so no turbo to go wrong & still a fair bit of torque. Should be able to get a pretty good low mileage pre 2019 for £10k

As others say, avoid diesels, to make the emissions standards they have several systems that go wrong often and expensively (EGR, DPF, etc).

If you want low tax, then it’ll be pre 2017 petrols, you can pick up a decent Ford Focus that’ll be £20 tax or tax exempt, same with a few other types, but anything post 2017 will be 180/190 to tax as the emissions standards were changed then.

To be honest there’s probably a dozen cars that’ll fit the bill, but you ask on the internet and you’ll get positive/negative experiences as it’ll all be personal, the big thing is how and where to buy, after recently getting another car similar to your requirements, i found that:

Facebook Marketplace – Has a lot of dodgy cars being sold on, several people doing repairs and selling on categorised cars that look cheap. You then have the people selling their car because they were offered a lowball offer by WBAC, Carshop, etc, but trying to get the same money as you’d pay for those.

Carshop/Carbase/etc – Basically a warehouse operation with a conveyor belt approach to selling, if you see something then go for it, but do a bit of checking, will come with 3 months warranty to cover peace of mind as well, but they can be an absolute nightmare to deal with as well.

Cinch/online – As above, but without the test drive, you do get 14 day ‘peace of mind’ returns on it though.

Local approved dealers – This can be less painful as it’s local and more personal experience, but again, you’re buying a car they want rid of quick, so check everything you can.

Local sales garage – Starting to get into auctions territory 😂

As above, the car, well there’s loads of choices, it’s how you’ll buy it that’s the hard part, the car you’re looking for is something a lot are looking for and it’s still a hard market to find something quick and without issue, you’re effectively looking for a car that someone else has sold because they’re worried it’s getting close to having an expensive issue, it’s why i’d avoid electric as well, just too much can go wrong with the earlier models, and you’d require getting a supply for the house as well, so more upfront cost.

If you want low tax, then it’ll be pre 2017 petrols, you can pick up a decent Ford Focus that’ll be £20 tax or tax exempt, same with a few other types, but anything post 2017 will be 180/190 to tax as the emissions standards were changed then.

We ran into this buying the Fabia. Some cars early 2017 were £20 tax, others later 2017/2018 were at the £180 rate. But, the purchase price for identical cars was £500ish more because of the cheaper tax – which made no financial sense.

As a petrol it is proving way cheaper than diesel – as our old Ibiza estate did. Less maintenance. Almost as many MPG, I would say maybe more on town/local pootle journey’s. On a long run it is 55mpg, sometimes 58/59mpg indicated, around town 47-50mpg.

Civic 1.6 diesel?  Fantastic engine, smooth, quick enough, extremely economical, £0 tax.  EGR valve heats up quickly, so less likelihood of problems with short runs.  Well built.  loads of space inside.  Infotainment system isn’t very good, but you can’t have everything.

Cinch/online – As above, but without the test drive, you do get 14 day ‘peace of mind’ returns on it though.

We bought from Cinch, happy with the car and process. Just as described.
We have just made a warranty claim (electric window switch failed) and apart from a slow set of calls to the help centre and slow comms from them, the claim is underway and the car will be fixed next week after a wait for a spare part at our local Main Stealer.

Our local Main Stealer had identical Fabia estate in to Cinch – it was same miles, plate etc, just an auto instead of manual. The price was £10k instead of £8300 we paid, and the car was really, really poor cosmetically, dodgy tyres and with no service history…we went Cinch.

“Yaris/Jazz if a small car will do.”

Bought a Yaris a few months back to replace my 16 year old Astra estate which was a tardis. Nothing wrong with the Yaris, it’s lively but am struggling with a small boot. Son’s new XL roadie was a big struggle, the Toller will also be a struggle when he’s old enough, if I’m having a clear out for the tip then can’t fit much in.

Also, was shocked at used car prices.

All day and every day. Done 80k in ours (hers).  Parents bought one too after we did.

2 litre Skyactiv naturally aspirated engine (168hp MX5 spec engine is rare, most are 120hp). Unburstable. Chain drive. No real known issues. 45mpg constant without any attempt at trying – 50 if you do.

1.5 is available but a bit weak, especially for motorway driving.

Extremely reliable – two coil springs in 80k, serviced by me on the drive. Brakes etc dirt cheap.

SE-L (below) has 16″ wheels, very very comfy ride and, Sport Spec has 17″.

Good to drive. Has a little bit of Mazda zoom-zoom in the steering feel and handling, whilst not being in any way sporty.  Interior fit and finish is more Golf than Kia. Cloth seats show zero wear after said 80k of family abuse.  Has a screen, can be upgraded to Android/Apple BUT crucially retains full suite of buttons for climate, volume, radio station etc. Easy to use (my mum has one, thats evidence enough).

Loads on Autotrader – 10k, 2014 on, 2 litre, manual. Sorted.(Get a Red one!).

My enthusiasm for a Mazda 3 has been dented by being reminded by MrsIHN  that a friend has one, and although it’s a hatchback the boot lid when closed is too low/angled to allow them to have their golden retriever in the boot, which thwarts our greyhound transporting ambitions. We need something with a squarer back.

Also, when we buy something we’ll be looking to keep it for 10+ years, so that knocks any thoughts of an second hand EV on the head too, right? I know they’re getting better, but the batteries don’t have a 10yr+ lifespan do they?

My enthusiasm for a Mazda 3 has been dented by being reminded by MrsIHN  that a friend has one, and although it’s a hatchback the boot lid when closed is too low/angled to allow them to have their golden retriever in the boot, which thwarts our greyhound transporting ambitions. We need something with a squarer back.

Maybe you just need a small or medium-sized estate?

I have an older Skoda Octavia hatch and it’s fine for whippet transportation, although I do put the rear seats down and pop his cage in there.

Maybe you just need a small or medium-sized estate?

I’d be happy with an actual-sized estate, but it’s a game of softly-softly-catchy-larger-car-monkey with MrsIHN, as the Mazda 2 is the largest car she’s ever driven…

I did suggest something Berlingo/Yeti-ish this morning and it wasn’t met with the usual “but that’s massive” response (as is everything bigger than a Mazda 2 apparently), so I’m getting there.

Stealth ad alert – I have my sister in law’s partners Toyota IQ for sale.

It ticks none of the OP’s boxes but at £1500 it leaves plenty left over for coke and hooker’s!

A lot of Yeti love here, but they seem to command a very large price premium even for older models. Are they really that much better than Octavia estate etc?

I test drove a few a couple of years ago but couldnt bring myself to pay the Yeti tax at the time. We still look at them now but they dont seem to be good value.

I know they’re getting better, but the batteries don’t have a 10yr+ lifespan do they?

The warranty on the battery in my car is 8 years. The warranty on the rest of the car is only 5 years. What do you think that says about the manufacturers expectations on the likely lifespan of the battery?

That it’s not much more than eight years?

By that logic, the rest of the car should disintegrate around the perfectly functional battery in years 6 to 8

That they’re trying to entice early adopters?

£10k for a 10y old Mazda?  Really?

By that logic, the rest of the car should disintegrate around the perfectly functional battery in years 6 to 8

Ah, yes, I see now. Ahem.

If you want a 2* Euro NCAP car over a 5* one in the Jazz – sure.

The NCAP scores can be misleading these days as there’s an emphasis on active safety equipment like lane assist or auto braking.

A car can perform to a five star standard in the crash test but only be awarded a one star rating due to lack of annoying electronic assist systems.

@Daffy why not?

Didn’t find my nephew’s Yeti very comfortable and it rusted much more than I’d expect a modern car to.

It’s a 10y old car that only cost at most £25k when new.  You’re paying a premium for a petrol car in a small market.  Under normal circumstances, that car would’ve lost 35-40% in the first 3 years and around £1k a year thereafter.

I’d much rather buy a much newer EV for a little more than a 10y Mazda that people are overpaying for.

The warranty on the battery in my car is 8 years. The warranty on the rest of the car is only 5 years. What do you think that says about the manufacturers expectations on the likely lifespan of the battery?

Manufacturers know that the main concern for people is the battery, so are offering 100k miles / 8 years on some, but that means anyone buying a secondhand one will be the ones taking the risks, even in the secondhand market you pay a premium still for anything covered by warranty, so it’s all a bit weird to be honest.

“Yaris/Jazz if a small car will do”

This has got to be the winner.

@rustynissanprairie : where in the country is that and is it an automatic? I have a friend that might be interested. (A donation to the server fund would be made)

Under normal circumstances, that car would’ve lost 35-40% in the first 3 years and around £1k a year thereafter

News flash. Normal is gone.

10 year old Civic 1.8  mk9.

Very well screwed together and will probably go a long way before it starts causing problems.

Skoda Roomster? Look just as practical as the Yeti but better value IMO (Yetis are cooler though, especially when they’re sat high on chunky steels) Quick Ebay search gets a 1.2 with 36k for just over 5 grand.