I'm looking to buy a car for the first time and am a little confused! My conundrum is new vs. old.

I'm pregnant with my first child so would like a smallish family car, 5 door. I do around 12,000 miles per year and would need to use it for occasional family holidays too as it would be the biggest car in our household. I'd be looking to keep this car for at least 6-7 years or so.

I'm not too concerned about having the highest status car or the highest spec, but I'd like something that is reliable, has enough space, with good looks and, possibly most importantly at the moment - is a reasonable investment.

If i buy used (ideally no more than 5 years old) i'd be willing to spend up to £9k, if new i'd part with up to around £13k.

Used- i'm considering audi a3, seat leon, vw golf
New- hyundai i30, kia ceed, seat leon (though i'll be lucky to get one in budget!). I've seen that you can generally get £2-3k off list price on broker websites.

My question is- is one of these routes clearly preferable. Will these possibly less desirable new models depreciate so much to make the used cars a far better investment? Or is it all a matter of personal choice? And are there any cars that i should avoid in my list, or add to it??

Thank you!