[Sundae]

Dad had 2 Kia Picantos, did not serve him very well.
They were new cars, (bought as finance deals traded in as opposed to buying new off the forecourt). The electrics seemed to go every 3-4 months, back to the garage.

The Vauxhall they have now is too large for your needs, but so far it's been heads above the Kias. They bought it when the money from Auntie Alice came through, but it was well worth it.

I loved my Nissan Micra, the gearbox went but I had no other trouble.
And my two Peugeot 205s were still going even after I'd driven them into the ground. This is years ago now though, they're literally different cars.

One thing I noticed then and still do now is how many OLD Peugeots you still see on the road.
They seem to age well.