[bornmiddleaged]

Have just reminded myself what the Nissan Note looks like (a small van with windows!) so, perhaps a Honda Jazz.
Honda actually seem to be a genuinely reliable Japanese brand, unlike Nissan in recent years.
My Mum also had one of them a few years ago and loved it. I drove it once and thought it was like a tin can powered by a hair dryer, but each to their own.