Fabia / Octavia - Decisions, decisions!

I have £12k to spend.

I'd really, really like a 2009 facelift Octavia in Elegance trim with the new 1.6L CR diesel.

Brand new, they're about £16.5k, and I'm simply not able, or prepared to spend anywhere near as much as that on a car.

I imageine I may have a long wait for something like this to come down to my price range - there aren't any on Autotrader that I can see.

Later this year, perhaps?

So, the other thing I'm looking at is maybe a Fabia 3 with the 1.9Tdi. Pity the 1.6 isn't offered with this thing yet, but the Fabia's more likely to have the gadgetry (maxidot, climate control, etc.) within my budget than an Octavia with similar age and mileage.

I drive up to about 6,000 miles a year, so the better fuel economy of the 1.6 would have meant that I would have recovered the extra cost of the more expensive engine over say, a 1.4TSI (also not in Fabia, it would seem! :( ) within 5 years aboslute maximum, but perhaps as little as 3.

It wasn't just cost though, I want something green. I know the 1.9PD isn't bad for emmissions, but it's still £120 tax a year as opposed to £35 for the new diesel.

Should I be patient and hold out for a new Octy within budget (would <25k miles in Elegance trim be feasible within 6 months?), or is this too much of a pipe dream, and I would be better advised to get a Fabia instead?

I would consider the petrol Fabias, but I'd want a 1.6 petrol after my experience with the 78BHP 1.4 petrol in the 53-reg Fiesta Zetec I currently drive. I can't sell this to fund the purchase as it belongs to my parents, and I'd really want my mother to go back to driving this instead of the H-reg Fiesta she currently drives.

Also, the emissions on all the petrols look a tad high, which is why I'd prefer a diesel.

Conundrum!