Car choice: A car for a growing family

Jemima Blair owns a 2010 Mini Cooper. However, her family is growing and she needs more seats…She has a budget of about £12,000

The Audi A3 Sportback can accommodate a family and luggage (Audi)

A car for the head

It seems a bit ambitious to go from a relatively small two-door car to a full-blown people carrier, but children do come with an awful lot of baggage. The quick family fix that is not so boring would be an Audi A3 Sportback. It isn’t huge, and I know that Jemima does not want anything unwieldy to cramp her urban lifestyle. A 2012 1.6 TDi SE Sportback is £12,000 with 36,000 miles on the clock.

Mini have expanded their range to include a hatchback (Mini)

A car for the heart

In recent years the Mini range has grown in scale and scope too - so back to a more “grown-up” Mini. Jemima loves her Cooper and we know she is reluctant to give up the sportiness and style that she has always enjoyed. The Mini has grown up to become the Countryman, which is a proper four-door hatch. With around £12,000 to spend she can get a 1.6 Cooper All4 version. I came across a 2013 example with just 13,000 miles and an automatic transmission that would make life a lot easier. It is a four wheel drive, which should make it safer when she visits relatives in Europe during winter. It cost £12,000.