Hi Stephen,

Personally, I’d avoid the 1.4-litre engine as it’s pretty underpowered. See if you can stretch the budget to a far superior 1.6 diesel, although pre-2008 I accept that they’re thinner on the ground. In terms of reliability, they’re pretty solid cars though. That 1.6 diesel can suffer from throttle or turbo issues, but they’re relatively cheap to fix if they do occur. Check the battery condition (a software glitch can cause the battery to drain overnight), check for leaking windscreen washer pipes (which can leak into the engine head and rust up the spark plugs on petrol models), as well as leaky windscreen seals. Also have a good poke around underneath, and especially in the area behind the front wheel arches, for any rust.