Well, I've been looking for a while, and decent looking V70 D5s seem to be basically non-existent or on the other side of the country (also ran a few insurance quotes and the ones I've found are double what I'm currently paying!).
Petrol Mondeos are pretty thin on the ground as well, other than a couple of 2.5 & 3L models which have the fuel economy of a small passenger airliner.
What about the S Max? Whilst I wouldn't need the 7 seats, they have plenty of space, and from what I've read they drive pretty much like a normal car. Or am I at risk of becoming my mother?
Another promising option is an Octavia (thanks
@StevieP). Seems there are quite a few decent 1.9 diesels around my price range, and whilst not petrol, from what I can tell, the 1.9 TDI PD engine is pretty bombproof (no DPF, DMF may have issues but can be replaced with a SMF). Have spotted a decent looking one with just over 100k, had a new clutch fitted recently.