What about the Mazda 2? Comparable sporty dynamics to the Fiesta, but possibly cheaper(?).
The 1.25 is getting on for 20 years old now, but it was a brilliant engine when it came out and so has aged fairly well. We used to have a 75hp version in the family in an ancient Fiesta and it was a cracking zippy little thing, someone at work has the current shape with a 60hp version and even that is a canny revvy little thing, a million times better than the 60hp in a VW Up!.
They seem to be fairly reliable too, I think head gaskets are a known thing at higher mileages but thatās about all Iāve heard with them.
Those damn girls, taking away all the cars from the boys 
That being said my brother did, while sitting in his MX5, did get heckled by a bunch of Lancer ricerbois for being a āfaggot hairdresserā. Didnāt help that his MX5 was gold. But still makes me wish that my superpower was making tyres spontaneously explode.
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Hyundai?
maybe the I20 could appeal to me, I learnt to drive in an I10 and found it to be a bit wobbly (1st gen face lifted model)
Has anyone had experience with the newer SEAT Leon (2nd or 3rd gen)
I do but it was a few years ago when i got my license, but as far as i remember theyāre surprisingly fun and decently practical plus they look quite nice, of course i donāt know how good of a deal you can get of a used one though
2nd Gen FR 170 diseasel, a close friend had one and it was pretty good. Narrow power band but nothing a remap couldnāt fix. 
Had an appetite for central locking motors, but with good tyres on it didnāt half handle well.
What about the 1st gen smart forfour thing?
Too old, Iām looking at car less than 5 years old
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Thanks to this months issue of what car I have concluded that the decision of what car to buy is too bloody hardā¦ after hours at work of thinking about it, I have narrowed it down toā¦
Hyundai i10 (@ramthecowy good for suggesting Hyundai)
Volkswagen Up
Dacia Sandero
Suzuki Swift
SEAT Ibiza
Skoda Fabia
Renault Clio
Volkswagen Polo
SEAT Leon
Ford Fiesta (Thanks for reminding me @Leonardo9613)
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You forgot the Fiesta.
And if you want to buy a bad car, what about a Vauxhall corsa?
Well I already have a Vauxhall so I really donāt want another one 
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I assume taxes kill you for engines withā¦ reasonable displacement?
Donāt consider this a recommendationā¦ it isnātā¦ I donāt want that dark cloud over my headā¦ but thereās also the Nissan Note and Micra; specifically the version with the 97hp Supercharged 1.2L, and a 5-speed manual.
If not that, then I guess the Hyundai might be the best of the bunch, or KIAās counterpart to the I10; the Picanto.
That said, I havenāt done too much research to these cars since all but the Fiesta arenāt even sold here and/or Iāve never seen at all. Iām just in favor of Hyundai/KIA based on the small cars that they do sell here; specifically the 3rd generation 2-door Hyundai Accentā¦ which was just adorableā¦ and had a surprising amount of room inside. Iāll paste a picture, so you know what car Iām talking about; as names change all over the place.
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Micras are horribly basic and boring, but they are cheap (to buy).
I do like Hyundai because you get more for your money and the i10 got city car of the year, I can get a fully equipped one for a Ā£1000 deposit and Ā£108 a month, itās the same story with the Swift (albeit the Swift is bigger and a bit sportier)
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