Toyota avensis - 1.8 petrol - avoids diesel issues + good mpg /reliability

Another vote for the Avensis, or a Mazda 6. Go for petrol: used diesels can be liable to prohibitively expensive failures.

We say that rather liberally to practically every enquiry about a used diesel though don't we. The fact is though some are better than others and no two used cars are the same. A diesel without a DPF, with a good history and average mileage should be a perfectly acceptable buy. 4-5 year old ex fleet cars with main dealer history are generally a decent buy. Of course one particular VW diesel engine has a history of complaints and the Mazda 6 diesel was little short of a disaster, but something like a TDCi Mondeo should be fine.