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HI and thanks in advance for your help,

I am looking at buying a second hand 7 seater MPV circa 2005, price range $10K. Although most trips I do involve 4 people I have the odd weekly trip with 6 occupants. I am after a vehicle that is reliable and above all fuel efficient. Most trips are in town with a couple of trips a year from P. North to Hamilton/Auckland. My web search suggests that the Toyota Wish 1.8 offers best fuel efficiency. Ipsum I understand is bigger with better stowage space but less fuel efficient? Are there any models that I should avoid in terms of mechanical issues? Cheers.

As far as fuel economy goes, there will be some variance, but it probably shouldn't be a deal breaker and I'd recommend buying the vehicle that best siuts your needs. We can get bogged down in over-analysing fuel consumption, but it is far from the biggest cost in running a vehicle. Assumung you travel around 10,000km per year, an extra 1l/100Km will add an additional 100 litres of fuel per year, so around $4 per week. Most 4 cylinder people-movers are likely to be slightly more thirsty than a small car, but not excessively so.
Beware of any import models from this era with a CVT transmission, but as a generalisation, the Toyota models you are considering are fairly reliable. Another model to consider if you can find one in your price range would be the Mazda Premacy.