1. Suzuki Ignis sport
40 mpg and 0-60 8.9s these can easily be found for less than 2K and having tried one out I think the 0-60 is a bit conservative. Very hard ride but I found it very enjoyable to chuck round the corners. The 1.5 vvt engine is very responsive and encourages you to rev it hard.
2. Renault Clio Renaultsport 172
The 182 is probably just out of budget but from the short drive I had in one of these the 172 offers more than enough power. I don't think there is another hot hatch available below 4k nevermind 2k that can get near it for straight line speed. 35mpg, 0-60 7.2s (felt faster to me) so it doesn't quite meet the mpg requirements but definitely worth a look.
3. Toyota MR2 MK3
0-60 7.9 and 38 mpg, convertible, rear wheel drive and lightweight, I have never driven one but sounds like fun to me if you can deal with being branded a hairdresser.
4. Daihatsu Sirion Rally II
This is what I eventually went for and had in mind before I posted the question. I didn't think I would be able to find one and hoped something more common could meet my requirements. It turned out there were many cars I hadn't considered but in the end none were available so cheap with reasonable miles, and for me the fact its a pretty rare car played a big part. See post below for more details.
to be continued...
