Well first off £2,000 is enough to buy a car with. You'd be surprised what you can get for that sort of money in our 'niche' RHD country. The stock advice is to largely ignore brand reputation with cars at this price and age. I've seen 17 year old Peugeots fly through MOTs and 4 year old Lexus' break down in a shower of cogs and springs. It means nothing.

Judge a car on how it feels and its history. Generally speaking I'd be looking at something like a mk3 Ford Mondeo as they are well put together and plenty about at this price.

For £2,000 condition is a more important consideration than make or model: what you need if you can find it it something that has been looked after and regularly serviced.

That said, you're right to think Japanese as (provided you go for a petrol engine) they do have a good reputation for reliability. You can get a 7-seater within budget if you go for a Toyota Corolla Verso, or if 5 seats are enough I'd suggest the previous model of Honda Civic (the one made between 2000 and 2006). This has very generous rear legroom for your children, although the boot isn't massive.

VW Golfs are good cars, but they can need expensive repairs as they get older. I'd recommend one if you had a bigger budget.

Good luck, and do tell us how you get on.

Edited by Avant on 07/05/2013 at 00:24