My 25 year old son has a 2004 Passat 1.9TDi auto 100 bhp having has a Clio 1.2 from 17 to 19. He now has 7 years max NCD and pays £400 a year which might sound expensive but isn't. He's had it 6 years and its been good, not faultless, new alternator, new battery, 2 cv boots then just tyres, rear discs and pads, 2 cambelt and pump changes (not cheap) and regular annual servicing all done by a decent VW independent. It returns 45mpg easily enough, 52 on a run and high 30s around town. I've owned a 130 bhp manual and seen 60 mpg on long runs at a wee bit over the legal limits. The car rides over speed bumps supremely well (15 inch wheels helps) and cruises the motorways effortlessly, rocks and rolls badly on the twisty bits. Just passed its MOT no advisories. Its value is now only about £2.5k with its low miles but spending double that wouldn't guarantee him a better car so he's happy plodding on with it.

, and not realy wanting a car older than 5 years , I will only get a 1.2 base spec or maybe a "match" spec. This is for cars less than 40k mileage.

I am surprised at your age criterion. Despite HJ's absurd inferences that cars are only designed to last around 10yrs I think your best bet is to look for an 8 - 10 yr old low mileage reputable trade in from a granny. Cars don't rust much these days and a well maintained powertrain that's done 80,000 already without much trouble will probably do another 80,000 unless it has a 'reputation'. Try a bog standard petrol Focus or equivalent and avoid makes which appear frequently on 'problem' threads.

Your priorities make sense apart from not wanting something ugly. Try a Toyota Yaris - go for the 1.3 as the 1.0 is gutless. One of these a few years old with moderate mileage should give you good service.