Yeah I thought about the Rapid too. I actually tried to encourage my mum to buy one but then she blew the budget on a new Mini Clubman.
Skoda's feel like a good bet on the whole - even if they don't command many cool points
I am also in early stages of looking for a similar size car for my wife's next car, currently she has a 13 plate Astra (horrible thing), and have a similar budget, but am down in Devon, so don't think we will be competing. Skodas are currently top of my list too.
How about a Rapid instead? I think they look a little nicer...
or the correct answer is of course an Alfa