best used car for ~£6000

[wez130]

Thinking of selling my seat ibiza 1.2sx privately as they are going for around £6-6.5k on autotrader for the same spec as mine, now don't call me stupid, but i can go from my little car to almost top of the range ford mondeo (ghia/ghia X) on a 52 plate for ~£6k (2.0TDCI 130ps), i had a drive of one today and it seems responsive enough and it's got lots of toys, also seems well built, and considering it's essentially a £20k car new, i am actually considering it as it will cost me sweet nothing

What alternatives should i be looking at for ~£6000, needs to meet following criteria....

02/52plate or newer
i would prefer a diesel
i want decent power/torque (not interested in a 0-60 in 6 seconds but would like something quicker than my 0-60 in 14.9 seconds ) and i want a good overtaker.
i want a bigger car than my current ibiza, so mondeo fits the bill so far, however, the fact that it's a reps favourite goes both in favour and against favour for me, depreciation as i've mentioned is currently a good thing as i can get 20k car for 6k, don't know how much more it would depreciate though.
against: it's a reps car so i'm surrounded by high mileage dogs, also, a lot of people see it as a common car, which i suppose is kind of true, though not as common as some other cars.

sorry for the long winded post.

 

[wez130]

i fancied the mazda 6 actually, but they are going for more than 6k, even for basic model, they have the same engines as the fords apparently. i may go and test drive a vecra DTI yet, i don't want a rover, don't like them, no specific reason. Seats seem to lack in kit compared to others, also, they are too plasticy on the inside, i know coz i got one, the engines however are great, i drove both a diesel and petrol ibiza FR last week and they are quick. the torque ion the diesel version was addictive

 

[wez130]

i wouldn't get a 2.2 155bhp for 6k lol, best spec i've seen so far is an 02 ghia X 70k miles for 4k i think, that'll probs be snapped up though, on another note,, is 6k a fair price to ask for an '04 ibiza 1.2sx, 30k miles, seing as though within 40 miles on autotrader website, the 1.2s '04 plates are advertised for 5,995, i have added 'privacy glass' and interior vent surrounds added which were fitted when i bought the car.

 

[wez130]

Leon!? Although 6k could be pushing it! 1.4tdi Polo? They fly!

i've looked at leons and as i mentioned above, Seats lack kit and are plasticy inside, there's no quality about the interiors.

 

[wez130]

forget the image thing, i want a car that I am going to like, i'm not interested at what other people think, the reason i'm looking at a mondeo is because ilike the look of it. from new it depreciates a LOT, therefore i am likely to get a lot of car for my money, i.e a 52 plate mondy 2.0TDCi Zetec, new list price, £16,800, used price, £4,250, works out nearly 1/4 it's original price, compare that to mine, '04 seat ibiza 1.2sx, new price ~£8000, currently sell for £6-£6.5k, losing not even 1/4 it's value in 2 years and for that i have alloys and climate control and a cd player - not a lot really

 

[wez130]

don't like the rover 75 tbh, looks to OAP for my liking, vectra looks bigger than a mondy, i like toyota avensis but i don't think i'd get much of one for ~£6k.

How long has the mondeo been using the duratorque TDCi engine? is that throughout the range or is it recent coz tbh, i never heard of it till recently.