I’d concur with some of the above and recommend going with renowned reliable diesels. The VW group 1.9 TDI is a great unit and you’d get into a Passat or Octavia for your budget, the Volvo D5 is also a brilliant engine, good for interstellar miles.

I had a similar quandary to yourself when starting a short-term contract last year, and went down the Volvo D5 route, but not the V70, which for me is a bit barge-like. My “boring” estate of choice:



Loved it so much, didn’t change it when I got converted to permanent. Bombproof, practical and can give 3L Germanic diesels a fright with mid-range grunt.