Has anyone downgraded to a smaller, cheaper car and not regretted it?
After owning a Mini Cooper S for quite a few years I bought a 1 series BMW as I wanted a more relaxed drive, more comfort and more space (all things a Cooper S doesn't provide). It's a lovely car but my journeys have changed to far more short trips and I'm finding that fuel economy is not good at all, plus I do miss a manual drive car...something like my Mini and Peugeot 306 XS before it - both were nippy and fun to drive. I'm looking for a smaller, more economical car, which is cheaper to insure, maintain in the event of repairs and run. I don't crave the latest gadgets or need a premium small car or hot hatch...just a supermini would be fine.
I've been looking at the new Ford Fiesta as it's supposedly still great to drive but has a much better interior now, as well as cheap running costs. Other options would be a Corsa or Yaris.
Many of you guys have some really lovely cars but have any of you actually 'downgraded' to a more modest car and not regretted it? What did you buy and how did you find the sudden drop in performance/build quality/speed etc?