[GORDON STREETER]

Just a quickie as regards fuel consumption diesels v petrol, some petrol cars can do very good MPG if not thrashed and are comparable to diesels when you factor in the price between both fuels.
As for diesels try to get one without a DPF if you do a fair bit of urban driving.
Also whatever you buy remember the more fully loaded a vehicle is the more will go wrong, meaning problems/expense.
Factor in servicing cost/timing belts and tyres especially on bling vehicles !
I have all sorts of cars on my books and find that some like small to medium Toyota's are boringly reliable but of course you will always get a rogue car whatever you buy !