Diesel or Petrol Commuter?

[Mansize_tissue]

Looking to get my first car so I can get to and from a job I start this month. Planning on spending around £1000, could perhaps stretch to £1200 if I really have to. I'll be doing a 40 mile round trip everyday so I was thinking of getting a 2001-2003 2l diesel Mondeo, getting me about 47-50mpg depending on the particular engine. Though most of the ones I've been looking at are around the 120-150 thousand mile mark. How much of a problem is this likely to be? I'm quite unaware of the lifespan of these cars.

I've spend a lot of time looking but would rather stay away from French hatches (or just small cars in general) unless someone can convince me otherwise, though there were a few Meganes that caught my eye. I'm also currently considering a 2001ish 1.4l petrol Civic.

Basically: first car, I need something that doesn't drink too much, isn't tiny and that I won't have to spend much time/money maintaining.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Mansize_tissue]

Ok thanks for the help everyone. I'll steer clear of the diesel Mondeos then! Thinking of going with a 1.6 Focus which is what I had originally planned on getting in the first place, or perhaps an Ibiza or Leon if I can find a decent example.