So what would you buy and about what year

Just wondered what would be on your 'look at' list to give my stick in the mud husband who says " well why go past a Toyota" some options.Criteria: 4 door, small, hatchback, automatic, good safety features around 5-7K , 8yrs old or less
What models would you be looking at and why please.Also what sort of mileage / year would you think for that price Thanks in advance

Firstly, there are LOTS of reasons to go past the Toyota. They are just absurdly over priced in NZ and aside from that are about 10 years behind the times in terms of technology and offer very little driving pleasure or creature comforts for your money. Toyota Auto's in that price range are not particularly economical either and performance is generally poor.

My favorite in that price and age range is the Fiat Punto. You could get a really top example for that money. The CVT just runs rings around Toyota's Auto for economy and efficient power delivery.

The 1.2 litre 16V Punto will well outperform Toyota's similar sized offerings as well (Will even out perform a 1.6 litre automatic Corolla from the 90's).

The Punto is also fully Galvanised so no rust, parts are cheap, service intervals are long and you get a minimum of 4 Star NCAP safety and lots of really nice features like a factory sub woofer, 2 - 6 airbags, abs, pre-tensioners, dual mode power steering etc.

thank you for your careful reply and as it has to fit an 88 key stage piano in going by your name I already trust you!

Not an RD700!
That's my weapon of choice!

The Punto has a split folding rear seat arrangement and 3 point belts with head rests in the back. So if you need to demote a passenger to the back because the piano is poking straight through you are still good to go. You can even get two in the back and the piano through if need be as its a 60/40 split.

I seem to remember strapping mine in the front in its road case like a person though, this worked surprisingly well.

Well there a few you could choose from, the Corrolla is one of the best around, Honda Civic is good(honda has the best reliability rating as expressed in the paper the other day from the Uk)Some good Mazda's out there, Go to the car yards and have a quick look to narrow the field down(size, engine size, fuel type, body type etc) but make sure you do research as there are a few lemons out there. What are your friends driving,are those any good, etc. Good luck.