I need to buy a sensible car for around £8,000 - 7,000. I was a thinking of a Renault clio of ford fiesta - but A-class is only slightly more expensive. Why is that? Are they poor?

We have an A-class 150 classic (petrol). The smallest of the baby benzes. We're really happy with it. The fuel economy is good. The motor size is fine for us. Space is amazing considering the footprint of the car is the same length as the Peugeot 206 (A-class is slightly wider)

The options are a bit expensive, which is why we took the cheapest model (+ radio, speed control & metallic paint), but it comes with airbags, ABS & ESP as std. The standard air-conditioning unit is thermostatically controlled and works well. No need to pay extra for the improved air conditioning unit.