I seem to remember HJ saying alsways go for the age rather than the mileage, i.e. young high miles better than old, low mileage.

How many miles have each done? Depending on mileage, might be inclined to go for the Micra - 3 years younger, roomier, better protection as re warranty and breakdown cover. From owners feeding into the Toyota Owners Club, the Aygo is prone to water leaks - very cheap to run though. Think the Micra can also suffer electrics issues (Renault electrics).

That's a lot of miles for a local vicar - maybe a large scattered rural Welsh parish?

For peace of mind if you're prepared to pay over £3,000, best to go to a dealer, but I think you might do best to look again for a newer Aygo (or identical Citroen or Peugeot). £3,500 is a lot for a seven-year-old city car.

Micras haven't got the good name for reliabilty that they had: they have a fault which makes them difficult to start if they've been driven for too short a distance from cold. (Yes, you shouldn't do that, but none of us is perfect.)

My own experience of a previous generation Micra, and a previous generation Ford Ka, is that these small cars are built to last 8 - 10 years before they start getting serious issues such as rust. Both of mine were too expensive to maintain after 10 years. You do see old ones around but I assume they have been owned by pensioners etc who do not do long trips on salted roads etc. The Micra may be high mileage but if that is motorways, then there would be little wear on the clutch, and undercarriage. Ask the owner what it did if possible. Lots of driving on country lanes can mess up the undercarriage, as I have found out. A local vicar suggests lots of short journeys, which is not so good. Or he might have some mistresses in distant towns.

I guess there are checks you can do. I was told to take off the radiator cap and run the engine, and if lots of steam came out, run away. I did once, and it did, so I did! Also get down and look underneath for signs of rust, bad repairs etc. One Micra I saw had very bad painting on an under side panel, presumably a shoddy crash repair.

I don't know too much about cars, but the Aygo sounds expensive. Could you do a bargain and ask the vicar to throw in a few prayers for your son?