Older Barge or Newish Supermini

[theitalian]

My current lease car goes back in the next couple of months and now thinking of buying next time...

I have upto 6k to spend and torn between buying something older (max 7yrs) or high mileage but more luxurious or smaller but nearly new so cheap to run/hassle free for the next 3-5 years?
I do about 10,000mls a year mainly commuting too and from work so not looking for anything exciting just something nice, reliable and relatively economical.

Any suggestions/experiences welcome.

[Crusoe]

What did you have before and what is your commute like if that's where you will do most of the miles? If you had something nice with lots of toys, comfy seats and an auto gearbox for sitting in traffic you would probably hate a small manual supermini and love an old barge. If the commute is down some nice b roads and you had a dull diesel then an older hot hatch or similar might be a lot of fun or even a warm supermini.

[theitalian]

Commute is a mixture of B roads and dual carriageway.
I'm handing back a Corsa VXR, got it on one of the really good 2yr lease deals. It's been fun for the last 2yrs but being 40ish everybody asks am I going through a mid-life crisis. So perhaps it's time I looked at something more grown up?

I like the idea of something a bit more understated/luxurious (Volvo S80 mk2 or Skoda Superb mk2 springs to mind) but high maintenance bills worry me as they will be high milers in my budget.

Thanks

[Wild Rumpus]

If you want reliable, I'd go for newer & smaller. I've done both; I went from a Mercedes W124 E320 Estate that cost me £3500 in repairs over 12 months to a new Panda 100HP that gave me no hassle whatsoever...

[Crusoe]

Go a bit older a nice 728i that has been well looked after should be easy to keep on the road for £1000 or so a year and still do over 25 mpg. Something like this for example though paying a premium for the mileage but might be reassuring to have a warranty.
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/b...

[theitalian]

Crusoe said:

Go a bit older a nice 728i that has been well looked after should be easy to keep on the road for £1000 or so a year and still do over 25 mpg. Something like this for example though paying a premium for the mileage but might be reassuring to have a warranty.
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/b...

That looks stunning but probably a bit too retro?

[theitalian]

Any other opinions?