Is there a practical, sporty car that my daughter can replace her Skoda Fabia with?

My daughter, a trainee GP, needs to replace her 1999 Skoda Fabia hand-me-down as it is now beginning to cost more in maintenance. She is nervous about choosing a car herself for the first time. What would you recommend? She wants a practical model, but her husband wants it to be more sporty - is there a compromise? We have bought Skodas in the family for a long time and are happy with them, but don’t want to be stuck in a rut unnecessarily.

Asked on 10 October 2010 by AC, Devon

Answered by Honest John
Mazda 2 1.3TS2 facelift model or a Suzuki Swift 1.2. Both fun to drive, both capable of 50mpg economy and both just £30pa tax.
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