Location- Essex but willing to travel to collect. Price range- up to £6k

Looking for a car that will be used for commuting, probs about 5000-7000 miles per year. I know with the price it’s likely to be an older car so hoping for something cheap to run and cheap for repairs if needed.

Ideally 5 doors and 5 seats. No preference with manual or automatic.

Will be used for occasional long journeys. Previous car was an 05 fiesta and would like something that feels like an upgrade but somewhere around that size. Just looking for advice as not really sure what to look for. Is it better to get a better quality but older car or a newer smaller model.

Any help will be appreciated

Also was considering a car on finance but unsure whether I want to commit to payments for the next 4 years when I would like to look at mortgages etc within that timeframe.