We bought our 2008 reg Nissan Note in July 2011 as a replacement when our old banger ford fiesta had given up on us. We paid £5,400 for it and quite honestly if I could go back and do it all over again I would make the same decision!

The Note is really spacious; we can easily fit our car seats in the back with room for an adult in the middle. The boot is also lage enough for a very large puschair and smaller buggy; and we still have room for shopping and bits to fit in! There's plenty of room for all of our essentials and the seats can be shifted forward to extend the boot space if needed, although of course this does reduce your leg room.

It makes for a comfortable ride, too; the Note is very smooth and easy to drive; it is really responsive. It's also very comfy as a passenger; the seats recline and adjust and there is an arm rest for the driver. Nice! The glove box is air-cooled and has space for a gazillion cans of drink which is fab in the summer.

The only downside really is that we haven't found it to be particularly fuel-efficient. (However, our previous car was a diesel number and so maybe we just have to adjust to the cost of petrol nowadays, haha!) It;s worth it though for it's reliability; we haven't had a problem with it in six months and the tax and insurance on it has been much cheaper than our old banger! Absolute bargain.

Next, I've got my eye on a QashQai. I don't think you can go wrong with nissan!